Under 60s 1st XI falter as long weather-enforced lay off bites

Two consecutive washouts sees ring rusty firsts go down by 26 runs

Skipper Phil Manger’s pre-match fears that his Over 60s 1st XI might be undercooked after having their last two matches washed out proved well-founded as his side went down by 26 runs at home to Devon.

However, it looked like business as usual for Oxon when, despite the overnight rain, the visitors won the toss, elected to bat, and were soon in trouble.

Jon Woods trapped Jeff Heath lbw for 0 with his first ball and then followed up with the last ball of his next over by bowling Heath’s fellow opener Stephen Hunt for 13 with the scoreboard on 18-1 as the fifth over commenced. Almost the perfect start.

But Devon’s middle order had other ideas. Steve Luffman and Richard Pyle dug in, did the hard yards, and ground out the runs the visitors needed to establish platform and get on top of the bowlers, as they posted 96 for the third wicket in 23 overs, with Pyle eventually going for 39, bowled by Ian Curtis.

Luffman batted on to compile an invaluable 56 from 98 balls before he was trapped lbw – again by Curtis and the game was evenly balanced at 115-4 with 15 overs remaining.

A couple of quick wickets and the hosts were back in charge, instead new batsmen Chris Cook and Mark Heather upped the tempo. The pair put on a rapid 54 with Cook making an undefeated  run a ball 46, well supported by Heather who made 21 and Des Soloman 12 from 13.

Devon’s final total of 208 for 5 from 45 overs was competitive but nor was it intimidating for an Oxon side that have routinely chased down much higher totals with some ease.

Skipper Manger and Nick Morman opened the batting for Oxon but both were back in the pavilion by the end of the eighth over with only 20 runs on the board. Manger was caught by Des Solomon off the bowling of Chris Cook, while Morman was lbw to Brian Jeary. A dream start for Devon – who now looked well in charge.

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But like the first innings the Oxon middle order soon got to work and began to repair the damage. The ever reliable Charlie Anderson battled away with Paul Hemming and began to pull things around as they posted 61 for the third wicket, before Hemming was caught by Steve Luffman off the bowling of Alan Boon, just as he was beginning to strike the ball fluently.

And with Anderson going just three balls later, the hosts had to rebuild again just as they needed to up the scoring rate. Instead Rupert Taylor and Mike Howatt went quickly and it was left to Mickey Thomas and Steve Roberts to pull things around with the score on 96-6 with just 15 overs left when the pair came together.

With better than a run a ball needed they counter-attacked brilliantly. Thomas made a run a ball 46 not out, while Roberts made 24 in equally quick time to add to another mean spell of 0-16 from nine overs with the ball.

Roberts was eventually bowled by Steve Hunt but not before the pair had added 58, but with only five overs left the run rate was now 10 an over and Thomas was fast running out of partners. However, Neil Megson helped Thomas add 30 in three and a half overs and 24 were needed off the remaining nine balls when the keeper departed, caught by Jeff Heath off the bowling of Chris Cook. 

Sadly there was no fairy tale ending. With boundaries needed the long handle had to be deployed and Jon Woods and Ian Curtis both perished rapidly, leaving Thomas high and dry and the hosts 13 runs short of their target.

Devon skipper Mark Heather used six bowlers and all took wickets, with only two going at worse than four an over, and Keith Bell the pick of them with figures of 2-21 from nine overs.

Next week the firsts are at home to Kent at Tiddington CC in a must win game if they are maintain their title ambitions. 

“Coming on the back of the two washouts this defeat has really hurt us as we’re now nearly half way through the second phase games without a win and we need to finish second or better in order to qualify for the semi-finals,” said skipper Manger. 

“However, we’ve already shown this season that we can beat any side on our day and five wins from here onwards is not impossible and we’ll be doubly determined to turn this situation around and prove that our group win was no fluke.”

There was better news however from the Over 60s 2nd XI as they qualified for the second phase of the 2nd XI County Championship by beating Leicestershire by 167 runs at Bitteswell CC. 

Skipper Andy Haynes won the toss for the visitors and opted to bat after which Ajit Shah and Ivan Mulford made a steady start making 42 before Shah was lbw for 16 to Pete Newsome.

Mulford was then joined by Tim Riley and the two quickly settled in and began scoring freely as they posted 101 for the second wicket. Mulford made a fluent 61 before he departed bowled by Jitu Naik.

Riley was then joined by Dave Warner who missed out somewhat in only making three when he was trapped in front – again by Naik – but the fit again Phil Manning was soon into his work before Riley advanced down the pitch and was stumped by Nigel Lewis off the bowling Mick Bradshaw leaving Oxon on 173-4 and well poised for a big total with plenty of overs still to be bowled.

Manning pressed on and made a rapid 64 not out with useful support from Haynes (10), Graham Nelson (17) and Richard Cook (18) before the innings closed on a mammoth total of 292-8, also thanks in no small part to 45 extras of which 25 were wides.

In pursuit of this challenging total the hosts did not get off to the requisite good start as the first five wickets fell for the addition of only 43 runs.

Anwar Pervaiz struck first for Oxon when he trapped Nigel Lewis lbw for nine with the score on 13. Three runs later Richard Cook struck from the other end when Malcolm Butcher went for nought again lbw, and Mick Bradshaw soon followed again for nought this time bowled by Cook, and at 18-3 the hosts looked dead and buried.

Watching this carnage at the other end was Keith Webster who sadly fared no better when he was caught by keeper Phil Manning for just nine, which had helped move the score to 25-4. John Edmonds similarly yielded to the visitors opening onslaught when he too perished for seven bowled by Pervaiz. 

At 43-5 a rout looked on the cards. Enter Ron Wood who then proceeded to make nonsense of his teamates batting struggles thus far, as he put together a wonderful knock of 83 before he was last man out stumped by Manning off the bowling of Robin Pykett with the score on 125 off 38 overs. 

Sadly no one in the lower order was able to support him by holding up an end, as Dave King, Chris Jeary, Jitu Naik and Pete Newsome all went for single figure scores, with the best partnership a mere 23.  

Skipper Haynes used five bowlers and all took wickets, with Pervaiz and Cook doing most of the damage with figures of 3-19 from nine and 2-18 from seven respectively.

Next week sees the 2nds at home to Surrey in the first round of the second phase of the 2nd XI County Championship.  

Closer to home the Over 60s 3rd XI played hosts to Middlesex at East and West Hendred CC and were looking to reverse an away defeat in June, but again came up short by 12 runs against the metropolitan county, who have now become something of a bogey side for them.

Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat and despite the early loss of Jay Villiers lbw to Tim House for nine, they were soon piling on the runs as Gordon Kennedy (69) and Atula Tilakaratne (51) both made half centuries, before Kennedy was caught Howard Lancaster, bowled Mike Simpson and Tilakaratne was stumped by Jerry Senior off the bowling of Steve Wilson.

Wilson also struck twice more in quick succession as he removed Christopher Chunillal, again stumped by Senior and Peter Berg lbw, before Phil Knappet (26) Charlie Abey (14) and Everett Bailey (27) all made useful runs as the visitors eventually closed their innings on 241-8 from 45 overs.

Wilson was the pick of the Oxon bowlers with 3-47 from nine, with good contributions from Tim House 2-45 from nine and Mike Simpson 1-30 from nine. However, the bowlers were not well supported in the field with no fewer than six catches going down. 

With a hefty total to chase a good start was essential for Oxon but sadly it did not materialise. None of the top four made it into double figures. 

Simon Oldfield was run out for nine, the returning Howard Lancaster was caught by Jay Villiers off Atula Tilakaratne for just two, Tom Scrase was stumped by keeper Pete Berg off the same bowler for 0 and Chris Butcher was lbw to Gordon Kennedy for nine.

Runs from Tim House and Mike Simpson were therefore vital if a heavy defeat was to be avoided and both delivered. House made 40 before he was caught Kennedy bowled Chunillal, while Simpson went for 30, bowled by the same bowler.

Two further wickets fell cheaply to then bring together Roger Hutchence and Chalky White, whereupon the pair put together a stand of over 40 to give Oxon a fighting chance of the win.

And when White went for a rapid 26, lbw to Phil Knappett, Hutchence, who finished on 45 not out, found an equally feisty partner in Steve Wilson, whose 28 not out almost got Oxon across the line as they eventually came up just 12 runs short on 229-9 after what can only be described as a disastrous start to the innings.

The 3rds drop to 4th place in the 3rd XI competition but remain well placed to retain their spot in the play offs for the 3rd XI County Championship – in which they finished runners up last year. Next week they travel to Cirencester CC for a tough away fixture against Gloucestershire, who are pushing hard to grab one of the last spots in the same play offs.  

The Oxs/Berks Over 70s 1st XI continued their winning streak this week, when they won their third match in a row in a keenly contested home game by just 20 runs against Somerset at Bradfield CC in Berkshire.

The game was reduced to 40 overs per side after steady drizzle delayed the start by half an hour, after which Somerset won the toss and opted to field. 

Oxon’s regular opening pair of Adrian Beecroft and Derek Watts soon had the scoreboard ticking over nicely before Watts, who had scored 21 off just 14 balls, was bowled by Phil Webber.

New batsman Ian Harvey and Beecroft have both been in good form of late and so it proved again as the pair settled in and began to score freely posting no less than 105 for the second wicket at which point Beecroft was run out for 51 from 75 balls when looking well set.

Harvey continued to score freely despite the loss of Jerry Senior for seven, but then found good support from Chad Cudjoe who made 24, before he fell agonisingly short of his century when he too was run out for 96, just before the innings closed on 216-4 from 40 overs.

On a flat track the visitors bowlers toiled somewhat, taking just two wickets, with Geoff Flynn keeping things tight with a tidy spell of 0-33 from eight overs.

In reply the visitors didn’t get off to the best of starts when Neil Johnson went for 0 bowled by Ken Fuller with just one on the board. 

Not long afterwards Fuller struck again in quick succession, first when Chad Cudjoe caught Bernie Raines for just three, which he then followed up by bowling Brian Hamer for 23 with the score on 29-3. 

And things were not about to improve. Good seam bowlers work in pairs and at the other end from Fuller, Trevor Spindler was again bowling an immaculate line and length from left arm over, relentlessly keeping Somerset’s top order under pressure, which soon paid off when he bowled Steve Dove for just one with the score on 29-4. 

The visitors were now in real trouble as Phil Webber walked to the wicket to join Steve Pursey who himself had barely taken guard. Somerset needed something special and the pair were not about to disappoint their team mates.

Pursey dug in and held up one end, while Webber played his shots and the two soon began to pull things around, and run by run, dragged the visitors back into the game. 

The required rate however was still on the high side and in pursuit of those extra runs Pursey eventually succumbed, caught by keeper Nino Trapani off the bowling of Chad Cudjoe for 25 from 54 balls, having added 93 for the fifth wicket with Webber, who by this time was already 57 not out. And he was far from finished.

With new batsman Harry Humphries again just scampering his singles, Webber continued his one-man assault on the Oxon bowling as he tried – ultimately in vain – to get his side over the line.

At close of play Somerset were just 20 runs short on 196-5, but Webber was undefeated having compiled a magnificent 119 not out from just 108 balls.

Of the Oxon bowlers the opening pair of Fuller 3-39 from eight overs and the ever miserly Spindler 1-16 from eight were the pick of the bowlers. They were however in the main, spared the ordeal of having to bowl to Webber when in full flight at the end of the innings.  

Meanwhile, earlier in the week, in the South West Friendly League, the Oxfordshire Over 70s 1st XI took on an habitually strong Wales XI at Great Tew CC and yet again put in a very creditable performance without quite managing to get on the right side of the result. 

Skipper Dave Beck won the toss and with a good looking track at his disposal decided to bat. The inform Adrian Beecroft and Tim Gush opened the innings but from there matters didn’t quite go to plan.

Beecroft was the first to depart for a rare duck when he was caught by Geoff Thomas off the bowling of Paul Minchington with the scoreboard not having moved, and it had only progressed as far as 16 when new batsman Nick Warry also went for the same score this time lbw to Steve Pearce.

Tim Gush meanwhile was looking comfortable and had found the boundary twice in his 13 runs, but when he was again pinned in front lbw to Minchington for no further addition to the score Oxon were in deep trouble at 16-3.

This brought together Jim Head and the in-form Roger Hutchence who having seen it all before were untroubled and knuckled down to get the hosts back in the game. The pair compiled a priceless partnership of 90 before Hutchence was run out just three short of what would have been a well-deserved 50. 

Head however made no mistake and went on to make a 53 including six well struck boundaries, which together with a very generous 21 extras saw Oxon post a respectable 145-5 from their 40 overs.

In reply Alan Hughes and Rod Howe got the visitors off to a much better start than that endured by the hosts, when posting 50 for the first wicket before left armer Colin Houseman bowled Howe for 16.

New batsman Guy Parker was soon striking the ball well and with Hughes compiled another comfortable 50 plus partnership in taking the score to 106-1 before Oxon skipper Dave beck struck twice in quick succession, removing first Parker and then Hughes – both lbw.

However, any threat of a clatter of wickets to give Oxon hope was soon snuffed out by Gareth Davies whose careful16 not out steered the visitors home by six wickets.

Skipper Beck returned the best figures for Oxon with 2-26, well supported by Colin Houseman with 1-31 from eight overs.