High Wycombe’s grip on the Home Counties Premier Cricket League Division One crown loosened at the Rec on Saturday, as the reigning champions were beaten into second by a rampant Finchampstead in a round that otherwise belonged to the bat; Sam Fanning’s monumental century at White Post Road, Ethan Barksfield’s cool head at Great Brickhill, and a Harefield middle order that simply refused to stop scoring at Henley.
Banbury CC 331-5 dec beat Oxford Downs CC 212-5 (Winning draw)
At White Post Road, Banbury’s top order set about Oxford Downs with Lloyd Sabin and Sam Fanning sharing an opening stand that swelled past three figures without so much as a stumble, Sabin compiling a watchful 84 while Fanning, promoted into full flow, went past the century mark, 127 from 141 balls, laced with 14 fours and a six, before Louis Delport finally had him stumped.
When George Tait arrived, he treated the same attack with considerably less patience, thumping an unbeaten 61 from 41 balls, and when Charlie Hill joined him for an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 50 in just 27 balls, Banbury declared at 331 for five.
Oxford Downs never troubled the target of a winning draw, for all that Freddie Smith batted with real substance for 88. He and Matt Warner added exactly 100 for the fourth wicket, but once both fell inside two balls of each other to Ben Miller, the chase became almost impossible. Banbury’s Ben Miller (2-33) and David Eaton (1-11) mopped up enough of the tail to secure the extra bowling points and take 16 points from the day to Oxford Downs’ 11.
Wokingham CC beat Slough CC 1st XI 132 all out (Win Timed)
If Banbury’s afternoon was a slow strangulation, Wokingham’s was closer to a public execution, and Max Uttley held the blade. The seamer tore through Slough with figures of 15.4-5-43-6, reducing the visitors from a watchful 78 for two, built on 39 from Humza Ishaq and 27 from Arsalan Oberoi, to all out for 132 inside 45 overs, with Shaan Khan (4-31) cleaning up whatever Uttley left behind.
Wokingham barely needed to break sweat in reply. Henry Chapman anchored with an unbeaten 64 and Gihahn Cloete counter-punched with 38 not out; the pair seeing their side home to 134 for two with more than 30 overs to spare and a full haul of 25 points.
Finchampstead CC 193-7 beat High Wycombe CC 189-8 (Win Timed)
The result of the round arrived at High Wycombe’s own ground, where the previous season’s champions were beaten at home by a Finchampstead side inspired by Sam Seecharan.
Wycombe had set what looked a defendable 189 for eight, built almost single-handedly by Broc Hardy’s unbeaten 63 after the top order. Sam Seecharan among the bowlers, taking three for 8, had picked off wickets at regular intervals to leave the innings stuttering. It should have been enough on a used pitch, but Seecharan, first among Finchampstead’s bowlers, then with the bat, top-scored with 84 from 133 balls and steered the chase through a testing middle period.
When he finally fell, caught and bowled by Matthew Pardoe with the target agonisingly close, Jed Crerar saw Finchampstead home unbeaten on 20, sealing a maximum 25 points.
Harefield CC, Middx 250-5 beat Henley CC 248-9 (Win Timed)
Ross Richardson’s 79, struck from just 71 balls with four sixes, dragged Henley from the ashes of an early middle-order collapse to a competitive 248 for nine; Jordan McLeod doing the early damage for Harefield with five for 68. It still wasn’t enough.
Harefield chased with a serenity that bordered on disdain: Harjot Rajasansir (45), Jalpesh Vijay (47) and, above all, an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 88 between Aashir Zaib (49 not out) and Will Shepherd (38 not out) carried the visitors home inside 52 overs. Harefield claimed all 25 points to Henley’s 8.
Aston Rowant CC 133-3 beat Great Brickhill CC 132 all out (Win Timed)
Great Brickhill’s innings had the shape of a house built on sand.
Manan Parmar’s 45 was the only real resistance in a total of 132, and once Luke Hayes got his hand on the ball the collapse accelerated with grim inevitability, five for 37. Four of his victims were bowled or LBW, as the tail folded around him.
Aston Rowant’s reply was untroubled in comparison.
Ethan Barksfield, unbeaten on 51 with six fours and two sixes, and Ben Robinson (39) put on 84 for the second wicket, and although Jack Rodnight briefly threatened a twist by removing Thomas Condon, Barksfield and Hayes eased their side over the line inside 26 overs for a maximum-points win.
