Division One teams, Henley, Banbury and Wycombe, unsurprisingly came out victorious in their T20 bouts, but Division Two team Slough CC won their region, having overcome Division Two champions, Harefield.
It was a mammoth ordeal as Humza Ishaq started aggressively against the Hares bowlers. His 42 came from just 19 deliveries and included 4 fours, and 2 sixes. He set the tone for Slough, and allowed for overseas newcomer Vishnu Solanki to prove his worth early in the season.
Holding his bat until the very end, Solanki dealt blow after blow as he struck at over 180. His blistering attack alongside Ishaq proved detrimental, with 6 fours and 4 sixes adding 48 to the total in just 10 deliveries.
Charlie Dale tried to soften the battering ram of Slough CC’s destructive batters with two wickets of his own, but with a total of 208, it was always going to be an uphill battle.
Daniel Ogden and skipper Stephen Croft gave their team the best possible chances, but with Ogden retired on 33, and Croft running out of batting partners as he endeavoured to dig deep, there was little Harefield could do.
It was much the same story as they picked apart Bicestor and North Oxford’s bowling just as aggressively. Humza Ishaq started off well once more with 30 off 17 inlcuding 6 fours, and Solanki continuing his form with 73 not out from 41. Only this time, Pavinder Bhachu stamped his mark with a half-century of his own in 31 deliveries, four of those going for six.
With a total of 203-4, it made Bicestor and North Oxford’s approach to T20 that much more difficult.
That being said, Ward (26) and Hofen (43) started off nicely, and should it have been a 50-over affair, they likely would have continued on to victory. However, striking at a run-a-ball wasn’t nearly enough considering the 200 runs they had to chase.
Having tried to go up a few more gears, they inevitably lost their wickets, not before dealing some damage to the total, but no-one else put their hands up to take the lead and unfortunately were left stranded on 114-8 from 20.
High Wycombe also came out as champions of their T20 having just scraped through against Aston Rowant, before putting on a performance against Stoke Green.
Conner Haddow got his side off to a start, as Aston Rowant slumped to 17-4 inside the first five overs. But Joshua Smith’s dedicated innings that showed grit proved to add stability to the Rowant innings. His 44 from 46 enabled the game to slow down in Rowant’s favour, whilst Mathew’s and Mannering chipped in 17 each at the end of the innings albeit Mannering’s coming at a much quicker pace.
On a wicket that proved tricky early on with the bat, Billy Dodds (26) and newcomer Dan Lincoln (38) both contributed to the total and added a strong foundation. However, both lost their wickets quickly when one needed to carry their bat, and Aston Rowant were straight back into the mix.
Yet, Josh Lincoln proved his strength with the bat as he defeated the odds in the final over, with 17 of his runs coming from just 10 balls, including a mammoth six to the Rowant long boundary. After needing 30 from 3 overs, Wycombe needed just 2 from the final 3 deliveries and they crossed the line with 2 balls remaining.
In the final, they played Stoke Green who had an interesting match up in a low-scoring affair against Wargrave earlier on. This time, Wycombe batted first and once again Dan Lincoln led from the front with the bat with 70 runs, this time coming from just 33 balls. Another 26 came from Billy Dodds, but no-one elsed managed to find their form with the bat and Wycombe were left with 160 on the board – notably the highest score of the day.
Finding their way to 56-4 after 8 overs, Stoke Green was still within their right to take the victory. But with no one being able to bat alongside Shivam Mishra as support, Stoke Green crumbled and were left on 97-9 from 20 – Henry Chapman with strong figures of 3-11.
Banbury looked a strong outfit at the beginning of their competitive season, as they sauntered through to victory over Oxford Downs by nine wickets.
Joe Thomas (3-14) and Bradley Taylor (3-21) were difficult to deal with as they picked up consistent wickets, particularly that of Tom Ettridge who was the only Oxford Downs batter to get above 20. The next highest scorer from Frankie Crouch was just 11, and without anyone going on to further, Oxford Downs found themselves bowled out for just 85.
We debate about how best to go about a low-total run chase: go about it in a relaxed fashion without too many risks, or attempt to get it as quick as possible.
Skipper Coyne showed us how Banbury will look to play their cricket this year, with 21 of his runs coming from just 8 balls. that allowed Hussain at the other end to work around at a run-a-ball, picking up 31 runs and allowing himself some time at the crease. Lloyd Sabin continued his career form with 20 from just as many deliveries, allowing Banbury to cross the line relatively easily in the ninth over.
It was a much more difficult task when they faced Great Brickhill who climbed to 134-6 from their 20 overs. Taran Toor led the charge for the Brickhill innings with 65 from 42, Marcus Critchley assisting with 17 too.
But no-one else managed to get going, something that many of these teams have found over the weekend, leaving them only with 134 on the board. Joe Thomas continued his economic spell from the previous game with 2-10 from his 4 overs, and arguable helped to kill the game alongise Hussain’s 2-17.
Banbury’s innings was anchored by an explosive knock from Waqas Hussain, who blazed his way to 61 off just 30 balls, striking seven fours and four sixes at a blistering strike rate of 203.33. His aggressive intent at the top of the order set the tone early. Charlie Hill provided a useful unbeaten cameo at the end, scoring 11 from 8 balls, while contributions from Arjun Ramkumar (22 off 31) and George Tait (18 off 18) helped keep the scoreboard ticking. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Banbury managed to build partnerships and keep up the momentum, and crossing the line.
Henley’s destructive batters helped to keep Henley’s winning momentum advancing forwards, as they secured victories over Finchampstead and Wokingham.
Finchampstead’s top order made a positive start but couldn’t quite sustain the momentum. James Isbell gave them a rapid launch with a 14-ball 24, while Harry Stephens (32) and Ben Salter (29) steadied the middle overs. However, Henley’s bowlers struck at key moments to derail the chase.
Adam Searle was the pick of the bowlers with four crucial wickets, including a spell that dismantled the middle order. Despite a late flourish from Paul Stephens (12* off 4), Finchampstead were unable to recover from the collapse leaving them with a total of 136.
Henley made light work of their chase thanks to a commanding partnership between Johnny Connell and Charlie Dunnett, who both struck unbeaten half-centuries.
Connell smashed 60 from just 36 balls, peppering the boundary with 8 fours and 3 sixes, while Dunnett played the perfect foil with a composed 60* off 41. The duo’s 100+ run stand ensured Henley stayed comfortably ahead of the rate throughout, wrapping up the win. A brief wobble saw Matt Dalrymple fall early, but the calm presence of Ross Richardson (10* off 17) helped see the side home, capping off a dominant all-round display.
That saw them take on Wokingham in the final, a team who will want to prove a point this year after their failings in the 2024 season.
Henley came out firing in the final to post a strong total against Wokingham. Johnny Connell exploded out of the blocks (as usual) with a lightning-quick 21 off just 7 balls, while Matt Dalrymple continued the aggression with a brutal 26 from 12, including 3 sixes.
Charlie Dunnett played the anchor role superbly, top-scoring with 49 from 39 deliveries, supported by Ross Richardson’s 25. A late flourish came from Will Hammersley, whose 47* from just 27 balls lifted Henley’s total into commanding territory of 194.
Despite a spirited chase from Wokingham, Henley held their nerve in a tense final to emerge victorious.
Michael Cowdell led the reply with a composed 70 off 52 balls, keeping his side in the hunt throughout the middle overs. Quickfire cameos from Conrad Martucci (22 off 8) and Samarjeet Singh (19 off 14) briefly threatened to shift the momentum, but Henley’s bowlers delivered when it mattered.
Adam Searle was once again the standout, claiming three key wickets to stall Wokingham’s attack, while Charlie Dunnett and Owen Bowles chipped in with crucial breakthroughs.
Wokingham’s lower order couldn’t find the boundaries late on, as Henley closed out the win.
