Both teams were missing key players, but Grayshott showed their strength in depth as they ran out winners by 114 runs.
Put in by the visitors, Grayshott lost Ali Wheble cheaply, but Andy Wheble and Phillimore took the score from 17 to 44 inside five overs and that set the pattern for rapid scoring as Phillimore shared several more useful partnerships, including with young debutants Jac McBride and Charlie Fry.
Phillimore hit 11 fours and a six and reached an excellent 103 before falling to Oliver Eccles, Grayshott declaring at 224-8 from 44 overs – a formidable total on this big ground.
Brook then faced a fast and aggressive new-ball attack in Richards and Kieran Wells, although it was a Richards yorker that accounted for the dangerous Tom Williams. It was a sign of things to come.
Rhodri Williams and Nick Jackman added 40 in a determined stand, but having done the hard work, Williams fell to first-change Dom Ford for 28.
At 53-4, Brook were teetering, but skipper Alex Johns shored up the innings and a period of stalemate followed before Wheble Snr came on and winkled out Paul Challinor.
Luke McBain picked up the important wicket of Johns for 34, but the overs were running out fast when Stuart Kennedy recalled his opening bowlers.
Into the 42nd over, Grayshott still needed three wickets and Brook looked likely to save the game. Richards had other ideas.
In his 12th, and likely last, over, he plucked out Jon King’s middle stump with his second ball and with the next, another yorker, castled Neil Cooper.
The fourth delivery was yet another deadly yorker and was much too good for number 11 Eccles.
An ecstatic Grayshott mobbed Richards who recorded figures of 11.4-4-38-5. No doubt he will be keeping the match ball.
The pitch was the real winner as Blackheath and Frensham drew a game that produced exactly 500 runs for the loss of 10 wickets. Pete Melhuish, with a shrewd idea of how the track was likely to play, elected to bat and Blackheath amassed 260 in 46 overs against a Frensham attack that lacked penetration. Openers Will Melhuish and Rob Parrott made hay with an opening stand of 144, Parrott hitting 77 off 88 balls. Melhuish reached a fine century and skipper Melhuish and Mitch O’Dwyer joined in the fun.
Of the three wickets that fell, two were to run-outs – giving an idea of the benign nature of the pitch. Tim Knight had the lone success, finishing with a creditable 1-56 in 14 overs.
Frensham, despite a long, hot stint in the field, were in no mood to roll over. James Wood, their most consistent batsman this season, steered the visitors out of early trouble with a staunch 83 and the middle-order trio of Jack Richards (44), Tim Knight (18 not out) and Jordan Frost (27) all showed steel. Having threatened to snatch the extra points, Frensham finished on 240-7 from their 44 overs.
Headley’s erratic season continued with a heavy home defeat against Dogmersfield. The home team bowled well enough to restrict Dogmersfield to 180-9. The top four all made runs and Dhaniyal went on to hold the innings together with 52 as Graham Badland, the fourth-change bowler, rolled back the years with figures of 6-26 in 6.1 overs.
Dogmersfield left themselves 48 overs to finish the job, and required only 33 as Headley succumbed for just 97 runs. The speedy Manny Shinwari, with his whippy action, started and finished the demolition, taking 4-27 in 11 overs, while, in between, Z Raja claimed 4-13 in nine mean overs. Gavin Arend posed the only real threat, hitting a rapid 30 before giving a return catch to Dhaniyal.
Tom Gleave was back for Chiddingfold and followed up his 151 not out of a fortnight before with 78 against Puttenham. The visitors were 139-2 when Gleave departed and Paul Ward made 40, but it was hard going against against accurate bowling and Chiddingfold were restricted to 174-5 from the full 48 overs.
Nick Harman had an early success when Puttenham replied, but the runs flowed as Imam Hashmi (47) and Sajad Hussain (58) added 103 for the second wicket.
At 121-4, Puttenham still had a bit to do, but a free-scoring partnership between Aks Ilyas (37 not out) and Ahsan Ahmed (18 not out) clinched victory with 10 overs to spare.