Dawes stars as three players make senior debuts.
Mark Dawes showed his class as he proved the difference against Staines and Laleham on Sunday.
On a very soft wicket, Camberley batted first and made a respectable 151 all out from their 40 overs, in an innings which featured 25 extras. Ten of Camberley's batsmen totalled just 30 runs, as the visitors' total was entirely dependent on Dawes, who made a superb 96.
Eleven-year-old debutant Toby Woodland also impressed with the bat, the talented youngster remaining unbeaten after 35 balls at the crease.
In reply, a good performance from everyone with the ball restricted the hosts to 88 all out, captain Sam Holmes starring with 8-2-13-4, as there were also wickets on debut for James Newlands and Max Carter, with George Crowdy and Blake Howell picking up two each.
After losing the toss, Camberley found themselves batting first on a horrible track and were in early trouble.
Having played at Staines and Laleham and been out for a third-ball duck last season, Dom Peter remarkably managed to repeat the feat this year, albeit due to a questionable LBW decision.
Crowdy replaced him and scored nine, amazingly the second highest score of the day, before being caught behind off Ciaran Dunne.
Brad Stanley and Sam Holmes came and went, sticking around for a while but only supporting Dawes who continued to be the sole runscorer. Jordan Sturgess looked to up the runrate straight away but was caught in the deep, before Chris Pike played a turgid innings, making one from 23 deliveries.
His dismissal brought Woodland to the crease, and despite being only marginally taller than a set of stumps, the young left-hander impressed with his technique, rarely looking in any trouble.
Dawes' high quality innings came to an end soon after, as he looked to hit his fourth six, only to be caught on the boundary.
Newlands played a brief innings before becoming Dunne's third victim, which he quickly made four as he had the aggressive Howell caught at mid-on.
Carter then made a case for promotion up the order from number 11; a very good cut shot that raced to the boundary was the highlight as made eight off 18 balls, before being run out on the final ball of the innings.
Defending a low total, the visitors made a good start with the ball, Crowdy bowling Harvey Parsons in the first over.
Pike was surprisingly economical and produced a few jaffas in his opening spell, but went unrewarded as he returned figures of 5-1-15-0, while Crowdy was metronomic in his impressive spell of 8-1-28-2.
Pike's withdrawal brought Holmes into the attack, and the off-spinner picked up where he left off in last season's Sunday games, picking up wickets for fun. Two of the hosts players were drawn into horrible shots only to miss the ball and get bowled, while Holmes showed good reactions and hands to take a sharp return catch to remove Felix Walker.
The Camberley skipper's fourth wicket came courtesy of a catch at backward point by Jordan Sturgess, Tom Oades the culprit as another poor shot continued the hosts' batting disintegration.
Carter showed good discipline, bowling good lines and lengths on his way to 4-0-14-1, including the wicket of top scorer Sam Barrett, caught behind by Dawes for 31.
After Holmes' superb spell, Newlands was brought into the attack, and the young spinner joined a select group, possibly only consisting of himself, who can say they took a wicket with their first ball in senior cricket. The wicket did owe a great deal to Pike, who took a stunning diving catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary, but Newlands finished off the over well, conceding just three runs.
It was left to Howell, who bowled nicely and had already picked up one wicket, to complete the game, taking a fine diving return catch as he followed through, finishing with 2.2-0-12-2.
The game was not helped by a dreadful track that wasn't conducive to either bowling or batting, but Holmes will have been pleased with his side's performance in the field, and grateful to Dawes for the sparkling innings which proved to beat Staines and Laleham's total by itself.
All three debutants plus Howell, making a rare appearance, performed admirably, and continued exposure to senior cricket will undoubtedly improve their game and bode well for the future of the club.
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