The race for second continues as Oxford Downs are within two points of Finchampstead, who have lost captain Britz, who returns to South Africa.
Aston Rowant 197/10, Finchampstead 197-5 – Finchampstead win by five wickets
Samm Daniel and Ben Salter delivered the damage with ball and bat, respectively, as the second-placed team chased down Aston Rowant’s total just five wickets down.
Daniel picked up four wickets for his efforts, securing four maidens and conceding only 77 runs in 19 overs. This achievement marks his second four-wicket haul, following his impressive performance against Great Brickhill earlier in July.
While Josh Mctaggart remained not out on 49, Daniel managed to dismiss opening batsman Chris Watling, who had scored 45 runs of his own.
Rowant’s batters put up a valiant fight, with contributions from Smith (23), Purushothaman (17), and Hayes (17) helping to raise the total to 197.
However, the total was not defendable, especially against the formidable Finchampstead batting attack.
In the absence of Britz, another player stepped up to claim recognition. Ben Salter, who has been in prolific form throughout the year, continued to shine with the bat. His 74* anchored the innings beautifully, providing a platform for Campion (53) and Crerar (34*) to bat around him.
In 45 overs, Finch cruised to victory, having chased 197 down whilst losing just 5 wickets.
Banbury 255/7, Great Brickhill 227/10 – Banbury win by 28 runs
Banbury piled on the runs against Great Brickhill, cementing their opponents’ woes and putting them into the relegation zone.
It was all down to Arjun Ramkumar, whose 175 balls faced resulted in 114 runs. With 9 fours and 5 sixes, he played cautiously – ensuring that he was there the entirety of the innings. George Tait added 41 in a slightly more aggressive manner, before Kavikara removed both.
It’s Ramkumar’s first year for Banbury, and no one has been left disappointed by his performances. In 12 innings, he scored 480 runs with this week’s century, championing his season. At an average of over 40, he’s collected four half-centuries and now a century, being a crucial member of Banbury’s squad.
Both Rhys Nicholas and Jonathan Cater added half-centuries to their collection of statistics, as they tried to counter Banbury’s impressive score.
Averaging almost 70 this year, Cater has added 5 half-centuries to his name in nine innings, including three not-outs. Whilst his highest score is only 79, he is the anchor in Great Brickhill’s side, but is desperate for someone to bat alongside him so that they can claim the victory over others.
Yet, Lloyd Sabin put an end to Great Brickhill’s lower order, with five wickets coming at the expense of just 33 runs. Primarily known for his batting, Sabin has been strong with the ball this year, taking 25% of his side’s wickets.
High Wycombe 323/4, Harefield 167/10 – High Wycombe win by 156 runs
Double tons dismantle Harefield as Hemp and Woodland fire, before Haddow cleans up with seven.
Centuries from both Hemp (106) and Woodland (101) set an unrelenting tone at the top, putting Harefield on the back foot from the outset.
The pair’s commanding knocks proved too much for Harefield, and with Conner Haddow delivering a ruthless bowling masterclass to claim 7 wickets at the other end, High Wycombe cruised to a dominant win.
Harefield’s innings never found momentum, crumbling to just 167 all out. The lone resistance came from Dan Ogden, who produced a gutsy century while wickets tumbled around him. His 100 proved in vain, with little support from the rest of the batting order.
Oxford Downs 202/10, Wargrave 185/10 – Oxford Downs win by 17 runs.
Oxford Downs appeared to press the wax seal on Wargrave’s relegation letter, delivering a damaging blow that now leaves their opponents firmly entrenched in the drop zone.
Whilst mcuh was left to be desired with the bat, the ball was a show of strength for the third-in-the-league side.
Oliver Armstrong found his momentum late in the season, as he picked up his first five-wicket-haul of the club season. With 12 overs bowled, he picked up five wickets for just 28 runs, restricting Wargrave’s ability to score freely and ultimately taking advantage of their frustration.
Wargrave find themeslves in a spot of bother, with results going away from them this weekend, the’ve dropped down to bottom. Just 1 point separates them from Brickhill in 9th, and both teams are 8 points from 8th place Stoke Green who seem to have found some form in their last two outings.
Henley 103/10, Stoke Green 107/7 – Stoke Green win by 3 wickets
At one point this year, it seemed certain that Stoke Green would be relegated, yet two wins from two bring them out of the relegation zone.
They ensured that Henley were left limited in the runs department, with only Bradbury getting a significant total of 33.
Wickets were spread between Ahmed and Tanzil – both picking up three, the latter slightly more economical having only gone for 15 runs from his 7 overs.
And whilst last week, it was professional Saif Zaib who cruised them through to victory, this week it was his brother Aashir Ziab who struck a quick-fire 42 from 38 deliveries.
When you’re only chasing 103, these short high-impact injection of runs seem to deal all the necessary damage, and Stoke Green crossed the line within 25 overs.
