CRICKET: Horspath miss chance (From The Oxford Times)

CRICKET: Horspath miss chance

8:38pm Monday 31st August 2009 in Headlines

Horspath missed a golden chance to go top of Division 1 when they played out a low scoring draw at Dinton, who are now favourites to clinch their first title.

Dinton inserted Horspath, and the visitors could manage only 148-8 from their 53 overs – 24 coming from the final three.

Skipper Robbie Eason made 69 not out , then Lee Mason took 4-22 in 17 overs as Dinton settling for a draw on 119-6.

They stay ahead of Buckingham Town due to a better head-to-head record.

Dinton 7pts, Horspath 10

Buckingham Town did the double over Cumnor – all but ending the hosts’ title chances.

Jonny Cater (34), Brook Hatwell (32) and Ben Stafford (30) took Buckingham to 194 all out in the final over.

Shabaz Alam (3-17) was one of six Cumnor bowlers to take wickets and then top-scored with 49 in the home side’s reply. But Graham Judd (4-36) and Vishal Valambhia (3-19) helped reduce them to 119 all out.

Cumnor 6, Buckingham Town 25

Banbury Twenty must now beat title-chasing Dinton to stand any chance of staying up.

Twenty lost at Bletchley Town, who posted 231, with Mark Grass (44) top-scoring.

Keith Arnold took 4-98, but only John Wright (40) got going against James Clark (3-27) and Ghufran Mohammed (3-31) before the visitors succumbed for 140.

Bletchley Town 25, Banbury Twenty 7

Like Banbury Twenty, Bicester & North Oxford, who had the better of a draw at home to Oxford 2nd, will be relegated if Thame Town suffer the drop from the Home Counties Premier League.

Bicester declared one ball early on 191-7 after Adam Yates had hit 54 and with Henry Mills unbeaten on 66.

David Smith took 4-79 for Oxford and then hit 39, but Duncan Bradshaw (4-50) Paul Jeacock (3-45) restricted the visitors to 148-8.

Bicester & N Oxford 14, Oxford 2nd 8

Steve Bates hit 100 and Shaun Miller took 5-80 as Shipton-under-Wychwood enjoyed an easy win at Oxford Downs.

Bates received great support from Andy Hemming (96) and Jason Hunt (39) as Shipton racked up 294-4.

Tom Crouch (51), Frankie Crouch (48), Tom Norris (45) and Wesley Bartlett (44) all got starts, but Downs were eventually all out for 231.

Oxford Downs 6, Shipton 25