BANBURY 3rd got their Cherwell League Division 3season off to a flying start with an 87-run win at home to Great Brickhill 2nd.

Banbury posted 227-6, veterans Mickey Thomas (53) and Neil Megson (42) top-scoring, although the latter’s painstaking knock came off 130 balls in two-and-a-half hours.

Brickhill fell to 140 all out in their reply as Dan Bartlett took 3-9 and ex-Oxfordshire seamer Keith Arnold 3-32.

Newly-promoted Westbury enjoyed a 104-run victory at home to Cublington.

George Markham top-scored with 80 as Westbury posted 263-9 dec in 52 overs.

Ketan Patel scored 75 in Cublington’s reply, but they were never in the hunt as Andy Clark’s 3-13 kept them in check, the visitors tumbling to 159 all out.

Westbury’s fellow new boys in Division 3, Bicester & North Oxford, fell to a 71-run defeat at Wolverton Town.

Haroon Malik (41no) led the hosts to 169 all out, Chris De Kock taking 4-64, Andrew Godbold 3-30 and Dan Savin 3-30.

But Bicester could find no answer to Ahsan Malik’s excellent spell of 6-9 as they were rolled over for just 98 in their reply.

Sulaiman Hussain’s fine all-round performance enabled East Oxford to grab a draw at home to Horley in their first match in Division 3.

Visitors East Oxford never threatened to win after Horley had racked up 245-7, Nick Tarrant hitting 60 and David Taylor 56.

Hussain had taken 3-41 with the ball for East Oxford, before holding sway with the bat, top-scoring with 73 as his side closed on 180-8 to secure a draw.

Leigh Smith was the star of the show as league new boys Minster Lovell started with a comprehensive 129-run victory at Horspath 3rd in Division 4.
Minster set a useful total of 250 all out, skipper Harry Ebsworth top-scoring with 51 and Steve Berry taking 5-70 for the hosts.
Horspath had no answer to seamer Smith, who finished with outstanding figures of 5-13 as the home side were dismissed for 121, Bryan Barrett also claiming 3-27.
l Horspath 3rd 6pts, Minster Lovell 25
Ollie Burney claimed a five-wicket haul for Witney Mills to lead his side to a four-wicket win at Dinton 2nd.
Burney’s 5-72 helped to dismiss the home side for 169 in 43 overs, veteran Steve Kelly chipping in with 3-29.
Mills’s reply was led by Sam Haselgrove, who hit 50 to help his side over the line at 170-6 in the 40th over.
l Dinton 2nd 9, Witney Mills 25
An unbeaten half-century for Jacob Davies took Tiddington 2nd to a four-wicket win at home to Shipton-under-Wychwood 2nd.
Tight bowling restricted the visitors to 174-8, Ian Harris hitting 40 for Shipton and Ellie Noble taking 3-27.
Tiddington needed every ball to reach the target, Davies’s 54 not out leading the way as they reached 180-4 to secure victory.
l Tiddington 2nd 25, Shipton 2nd 9
Thame 2nd fell to a six-wicket defeat at home to Stokenchurch.
Paul Maddock (5-29) and Josh Triggs (3-27) combined to dismiss the home side for only 138.
Stokenchurch needed just 32 overs to reach 140-4, Maddock finishing unbeaten on 69.
l Thame Tn 2nd 6, Stokenchurch 25
Rob Cartwright took 7-20 as Brackley thrashed visitors Bletchley Town by 76 runs.
l Brackley 2, Bletchley Tn 4

Abingdon Vale 2nd crushed visitors Oxford 3rd by ten wickets as they made a brilliant start in Division 5.

Paul Butcher took 4-18 and Dan Hartley 3-20 as Oxford were shot out for a paltry 108, only Miles Picknett (44) getting going for the visitors.
Vale then took just 15.5 overs to reach 110-0, Will Barker hit 71 not out.
Oxford were deducted five points for failing to provide an umpire on a day to forget.
l Abingdon V 2nd 25pts, Oxford 3rd -4
Cumnor 2nd saw off visitors Kingston Bagpuize by four wickets.
Solomon Warner claimed 4-57 to help dismiss Kingston for 166, Marco Cecchini top-scoring with 77.
Joel Washbourn-Calcutt (68) and Tom Powell (39no) then led the way for Cumnor as they reached 167-6 in the 36th over.
l Cumnor 2nd 25, King Bagpuize 9
Didcot 2nd were too strong for hosts Kimble as they ran out victors by 112 runs.
Kimble inserted the visitors, who posted 268-5 as Thamindu Wedatilake scored 61 not out, Luke Higgins 61 and Luiz Miguel Stoman 53 not out.
Five wickets apiece for Ranjit Singh (5-24) and Kane Durrant (5-37) then helped to dismiss Kimble for 156
l Kimble 4, Didcot 2nd 25
Cropredy 2nd fell to a 55-run defeat at home to Bledlow Ridge.
Harry Walters claimed 4-40 as Cropredy dismissed the visitors for 159 in the 44th over.
But Cropredy then succumbed to the bowling of Ian Murdoch (4-18) and Mark Dakin (4-56) as they crashed to 104 all out in reply.
l Cropredy 2nd 6pts, Bledlow Ridge 25
Sam Woodruff’s 5-21 helped Long Marston 2nd to a
110-run victory at Leighton Buzzard 2nd.