With bad September weather, fading light and the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, last year’s inaugural U13 Hundred semi-finals and final were postponed into this season with all players from last season being eligible to take part.
On a sunny warm early June day, the finals day was held at Abingdon School, Coxes Field on Sunday 4th of June.
The first semi-final saw Wolvercote beat Sandford St Martin by 83 runs. Batting first, Wolvercote set 159/2 from their 100 balls with Cowley and Du Plessis scoring 72 and 66 respectively to post a competitive total. In response, Sandford St Martin lost early wickets. Captain Gardner posted 33 not out as his side finished 76/8 from their allocated balls. The pick of the bowlers for Wolvercote was Gibbons who finished with figures of 5-3 from 20 balls.
Semi-final two took place shortly after, with Goring and Cumnor looking to progress to the final. Goring batted first, and posted a very competitive 137/3 from their 100 balls – Logan’s 36* and Richards’ 44 being the main contributors. Cumnor got off to a nervy start, falling to 29-3. Nicholson strode to the crease and scored 84 from 43 – with a six on the 97th ball of the game winning it for his side. His partner Spokes must also be commended for his contribution of a run a ball 26 which saw Cumnor progress to the final.
After a short break, the final got underway, with Wolvercote again batting first. Robinson’s 63 from 35 was the pick of the innings, with cameos from his teammates helping their side to 135/7. Needing another masterclass from one of their key players, Cumnor sent Davies and Nicholson out to open in the hope that they could see their side over the line. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case, with them falling for 20 and 33 respectively. Spokes and Cobner-Vale attempted to rally and did so successfully for a while until both fell foul of the chase and lost their wickets. Cumnor finished on 117/8, a mere 18 runs short with Wolvercote being crowned champions.
The presentation of the trophy and medals was conducted by Joe Clapton (Finals Day Manager for the day) and Chris Mitty (Director at Oxfordshire Cricket) who thanked Abingdon School for hosting, the umpires, coaches, scorers and all the teams for a great day of cricket. Thank you to all clubs who competed in this first year of the Competition, and we look forward to seeing more great cricket over the summer.