Sat 8th July Charlbury vs Wolvercote

Charlbury 242-9 (45 overs)

Stuart Atkins 57

Josh Hornsby 39

 

Wolvercote 130 (38.5 overs)

Bimalka Liyanarachchi 3-35

Josh Hornsby 4-28

 

Charlbury won the toss and on a hot day elected to bat first. Tom Nash and Graham opened the batting, but it did not start off well. Second ball of the game Graham hit a full toss straight to square leg and was caught meaning Ben had to make an early appearance at the crease. Ben looked in good form from the off as he stroked a couple of early deliveries to the boundary for four. The outfield was very quick and many shots that broke thru the infield went to the boundary. The Wolvercote bowlers quickly settled into a good line and length and this slowed the scoring down. Ben tried to hit out at one, but it moved back into him, he missed the ball was bowled. After nine overs Charlbury were 36-2. Bimalka had now joined Tom at the wicket. Tom was batting in his usual style, defending the many good deliveries, but always looking for the quick single to turn the strike around. Tom then cracked consecutive deliveries to the boundary for four to get the score moving. Then disaster struck as Bimalka tried to cut one, but got a bottom edge and the ball cannoned into the stumps. Stuart now arrived at the wicket as Wolvercote changed their bowling around from one end. A couple of overs later the other opening bowler came out of the attack and a new bowler entered it. Stuart looked in good touch as he stroked the ball around, hitting a couple of early boundary fours. After twenty overs Charlbury had reached 69-3. Tom was still looking to rotate the strike at every opportunity while Stuart pushed ones and twos around to keep the scoreboard moving along. Stuart then hammered three fours in four balls to take Charlbury up to 88-3 off 24 overs. Wolvercote now changed their bowling around again bringing on a new bowler to replace the first change. After another boundary from Stuart the other bowler was also changed for a new bowler. Tom tried to hit the new bowler back over his head, but only succeeded in hitting the ball to mid-on and was caught for a well made 28. Josh now entered the fray as the overs began to run out. Josh was quickly up and going when he first smashed a boundary four and then followed it up next ball with a huge six. Next over a big top edge from Josh had the fielder interested until it cleared him and the boundary for another six. Stuart then pushed a quick single and brought up a well deserved fifty. A double change in the bowling was now made as both the opening bowlers came back into the attack. Charlbury now began to push hard for runs with Stuart hitting one boundary and Josh two off the first over back from one bowler. Then disaster struck as Stuart missed one and was bowled for a fine 57. Ollie now joined his captain at the wicket. After 34 overs Charlbury had reached 155-5 and now needed to push on hard to set a defendable total. Then Josh didn’t quite get hold of one and was caught for a hard hit 39. Tom Eaton now came to the crease. Ollie was looking good at the crease, looking for the single at every opportunity and with Tom doing the same the runs continued to come at a good rate. Ollie hit a couple of boundary fours to keep the pressure on the bowling side. Ollie was then wrapped on the pads and given out adjudged LBW. Barry now came to the crease. Tom cracked a four and then a single to get Barry on strike. Barry then hit the opening bowler back over his head and into the side screen for six. as Charlbury reached 197-4 off 40 overs. A double change in the bowling was now made as Wolvercote sought to slow things down in the last few overs. Tom smashed one bowler back over his head for a big six as Charlbury continued to pile on the runs. More boundaries followed as both players looked to hit the ball on both sides of the wicket. Barry launched another massive six back over the bowler’s head. Last over and Wolvercote again changed their bowling around bringing their fourth change bowler back into the attack. Barry hit one high into the air and a fielder got under it to take the catch and Barry was out for a very quick 28. Next ball Tom missed one and was bowled for a good 22. Jake and Dean now had to see off the last few deliveries which they did, pushing Charlbury up to a final score of 242-9.

 

Charlbury were going to have to bowl well on a good batting wicket if they were to win the game. Jake and Stuart opened the bowling. Second over and some confusion in the calling, after a great stop by Graham, saw the ball fly to the keeper’s end and the bails whipped off for a run out. Both Charlbury bowlers quickly dropped into a great line and length and this slowed the scoring down in the early part of the innings. Jake was bowling a good spell, getting the ball to nip around a bit, making the batsmen platy and miss. Stuart too was bowling a fine spell and his extra pace and bounce were causing some early problems. After ten overs Wolvercote had reached 34-1 and Charlbury were going to need to keep taking wickets if they were to keep the scoring rate down. Then Stuart bowled a great over. First he got the opening batsman to edge the ball to Josh at first slip and he took the catch, then last ball of the over the new batsman edged the ball to Bimalka and he took a good catch. The batsmen tried to retaliate by hitting a couple of boundaries, but they could not take too many risks in case they lost more early wickets. Then disaster struck as wicket-keeper Ben got hit on the end of his finger by the ball and could no longer keep and so Barry took over. A couple of overs later a change in the bowling was made as Jake left the attack and Bimalka entered it. Bimalka dropped straight into a great line and length from the off which made run scoring very difficult. The bowlers were being backed up by a great fielding display, with all the players throwing themselves around to try and stop the ball. A couple of overs later Stuart came out of the attack and Josh entered it. After twenty overs Wolvercote were 67-3 and were going to have to push on hard if they were to win the game. Josh took a couple of overs to find his length and line, but when he did the batsmen could hardly lay a bat on him and with Bimalka bowling his usual miserly way the pressure was mounting on the batsmen. The overs ticked by and Charlbury could not take a wicket, but Wolvercote were not scoring quick enough and the required rate was rising quickly. After thirty overs Wolvercote had reached 107-3 and now they were going to have to attack hard and take risks if they were to get even close to their target. Finally Charlbury got the breakthrough they wanted as first one batsman tried to hit Josh for six, but could only find Tom Eaton on the boundary who took a great catch. Next ball the other set batsman tried to hit the ball over mid-off, but he could only find Ollie on the boundary who, after a bit of juggling, took a great catch. The hat-trick was missed, but Charlbury had what they wanted and that was two new batsman at the crease. In Bimalka’s next over he quickly clean bowled one of them and then two balls later repeated the feat to the next batsman. First ball of Josh’s next over one batsman hit the ball low to gully where Bimalka gratefully caught him and then a couple of deliveries later he clean bowled one batsman to leave Wolvercote 119-9 off 34 overs. The batsmen now just tried to see out overs and see if they could pick up anymore bonus points. Josh took himself out of the attack and brought Dean on. The batsmen refused to be drawn on playing attacking shots. The field was in close and this finally won the game. In Bimalka’s final over one batsman gloved the ball, it flew up into the air and Stuart standing in close gratefully took the catch and Charlbury had won by 112 runs.

 

A great win for the lads built on a solid platform laid down by Tom Nash, Stuart and Josh and then some hard hitting from Barry at the end took Charlbury to a big total and then a great all round bowling display, with Bimalka and Josh hovering up the wickets saw Charlbury to victory – well played lads.

 

Charlbury 30 points