It’s 300 hundred up for the unbeaten Over 60s 2ndXI

But it’s a ‘bad day at the office’ for the 1sts, 3rds and both Over 70s XIs

Andy Haynes’ Over 60s 2nd XI enjoyed a thumping win by 148 runs over Lincolnshire this week by piling up 301 for 5 after winning the toss and electing to bat at Shipton under Wychwood.

Opener Ivan Mulford – who had perished third ball last week – led the way with 82 from just 69 balls in a mammoth opening stand of 151 with skipper Haynes who himself posted 72 from 68.

Even quicker however was stand in keeper Tim Riley who made an undefeated 72 from just 51 balls in a partnership of 78 with Dave Warner (24) for the fifth wicket. Ian Fletcher was the pick of the Lincs bowlers with 3-53 from nine.

The Lincs reply go off to a shaky start when Jon Woods had Andy Sharp lbw for 1, but Cliff Adwick (46) Clive Bayston (19) and Chris Bealby (21) batted steadily to see the visitors through to 83 for 2, after which three wickets went down for the addition of only 16 runs, which left the lower order with a mountain to climb and the innings closed on 153 for 7.

The pick of the Oxon bowlers was Robin Pykett who send down nine overs of his left arm spin for just 22 runs and two wickets, well supported by Steve Partington with 2-46 from nine and Steve Kelly with a customary tight spell of 1-14 from nine.

Next week the 2nds take on Warwickshire away at Sutton Coldfield.

The 1st XIs five match unbeaten record finally came to an end when they came up short away from home against their bogey side Northamptonshire in a low scoring game at Podington CC, during which they looked well in control for most of the game. 

Northants won the toss and elected to bowl first on what has now become the norm for the 2024 season – a low, slow, green seaming track. The Oxon top three of Wood (18) Mormon (30) and Anderson (18) once again battled through the new ball and looked to have again set up the middle order to press on.

However, instead two quick wickets saw the visitors slip to 81 for 5 before Steve Roberts (20) Phil Manger (13) and Phil Manning (15) stopped the slide, but not before Manning injured a finger that looks likely to keep him on the sidelines for the next couple of games.

In what looked set to be a very low scoring game Oxon were eventually bowled out for 138 in 36 overs with nine wickets down due to Manning’s injury.

For Northants – who at tea looked well in control of the game – Andrew Brierley with 4-44 and Karl Peasnall 3-28 – took seven of the nine wickets to fall.

In the second innings early strikes by opening bowlers Tim Mahoney and Steve Roberts had the hosts’ openers back in the pavilion with just 15 on the board, both lbw. And it rapidly got worse as Roberts sent back Timms and Denton both for 0 before Mahoney struck again and removed Coleman – again lbw – for just 13 to leave Northants reeling on 35 for 5. 

Game over surely! Not so. Northants numbers six and seven Andrew Brierley and Mark Pearson then proceeded to turn the game on its head yet again with a stand of 102 on a pitch that prior to their arrival at the crease had seen 14 wickets fall at less than 13 runs apiece.

Brierley compiled a patient 46 from 105 balls, while Pearson made a fine 52 from 78, which took the hosts to within two runs of an unlikely win before both were dismissed in a final ironic twist that saw Northants eventually win by three wickets.

Next week the firsts are hopefully back to winning ways at ‘fortress Challow’ when they entertain Berkshire.

And there was no shortage of drama in the 3rds game at Minster Lovell against Somerset where for the second time this season just one run decided the result. Sadly unlike the match against Gloucestershire, Oxon this time finished on the wrong side of that vital single. 

Somerset won the toss and elected to bat on a low, slow track that looked bowler friendly. However, Somerset opener Andy Carson soon made nonsense of that notion and proceeded belt the hosts bowling to all parts of the ground in compiling a muscular 84 in good time, which with good support from Steve Pigden (23) and Kevin Dornan (20) saw the visitors to a very healthy 192 all out in the 45th over.

Of the home sides bowlers only Mike Simpson 2-32 from nine overs and Ajit Shah 4-25 from 8 returned anything like respectable figures. 

In reply Oxon were again indebted to Shah for holding the top order together with a gritty 46 as wickets fell around him and the hosts slipped to 87 for five as Mike Simpson was joined by Simon Oldfield.

The pair then counterattacked with a combination of hard run singles and judicious hitting to compile a stand of 76 which put Somerset on the back foot as they looked to cruise home with the match seemingly all but won.

Oldfield eventually went lbw for 47 with 29 still required and Simpson was then joined by keeper Peter Howe. Together the pair manipulated the strike and scampered their singles until the final ball when, needing three to win, a well struck cover drive by Simpson could only find one of the five fielders Somerset had ringing the boundary to deliver the win by a single run. 

Simpson was left high and dry on 59 not out. A great knock that deserved to be in a winning cause. You win some, you lose some. 

It was a fighting performance in the end by the 3rds but Somerset were all round the better side on the day – just! Next up the team travels to London to take on Middlesex at Wembley CC. 

At the start of the week the Oxfordshire Over 70s played hosts to Hertfordshire in the South West Friendly Cricket League at Kidmore End’s CC’s Crowmarsh ground.

This was another low scoring affair in which most batsmen struggled to play their strokes thanks to the current wet weather that makes for slow bowler friendly wickets.

However, when Oxon won the toss and elected to field the Herts opening pair of Keith Hammond and Dominic Ingram immediately put the visitors in control with a fine opening stand of 56 in just seven overs.

The home sides four man spin attack then wrested back some semblance of control when Simon Oldfield removed Ingram, while Suresh Patel closed up one end with a fine spell of 2-18 from nine overs. 

Skipper Dave Beck weighed in with a sound 1-28 from eight, while the left arm leg spin of Hugo Ritson Thomas was once again the pick of the bowling with 3-18 from eight, leaving Herts on 166 for 7 from their 40 overs.

The Oxon chase didn’t get off to the best of starts by losing their first wicket with just two on the board shortly after which Nick Warry was forced to retire with a shoulder injury when the score was on 12, which was not added to before the second wicket also went down.

Opener Simon Oldfield was then joined by Howard Voisey and the pair then batted without further alarms to put Oxon in pole position at 83 for 3 with just under half the overs left to get the remaining runs.

Oldfield looked well set to steer Oxon home but couldn’t find a partner to stay with him after Voisey went for 21. The next five wickets then fell for just 25 runs and Oldfield eventually perished as the ninth man down for 59 as he looked for quick runs with the tail in to swing the result in favour of the hosts, who were eventually dismissed 24 runs short of their target.

All the Herts bowlers performed well with openers Ingram and Geoffrey Bassill only conceding 42 runs between them, while John Scott and Jeffrey Permutt, shared six wickets in ripping the heart out of the Oxon middle order to swing the game in the visitors favour.

Next week Dave Beck’s side entertain Worcestershire at Horley as they look to get back to winning ways.

And finally the joint Ox/Berks Over 70s XI were frustrated to find their game again falling victim to the weather, particularly as they had worked hard and put themselves in a good position at tea in their home game against Middlesex at Peppard Stoke Row CC’s ground near Reading.

Acting home captain Steve Partington was asked to bat by Middlesex when they won the toss. Ox/Berks’ top five batsman all made double figure contributions with Jerry Senior top scoring with 46, closely followed by Ian Harvey on 39, seemingly setting up a platform for what should have been a 200 plus total.

However, the visitor’s pegged Oxs/Berks back in the final third of the innings thanks to a fine spell of  bowling by Mike Stafford who took 3-35 from his nine overs, backed up Steve Maloney with 0-22 from his nine, leaving the hosts on 188 for 7 at tea.

But as has so often been the case this season the rain had the final say and not a ball was bowled after tea and what was set up to be a good contest eventually had to be abandoned.

Next week the joint Ox/Berks Over 70s XI make the journey to Frocester for the away game against Gloucestershire, in the hope of better weather.