The Oakley Sunday string came up with a brilliant performance to dominate East Woodhay today in what was without doubt their best performance of the season in the field.
Batting first, Oakley scored exactly 200 hundred mostly thanks to the Dimond brothers who scored over a hundred between them. This was backed up by cameo performances from Julian Worthington and Michael Constantine who both made valuable contributions. Pick of the batsmen was Rob Dimond with an excellent and aggressive 65.
East Woodhay posses some very strong batsmen so the target of 200 was definitely achievable, especially as Tom Holbrook was unavailable and George Lethaby was carrying a foot injury. Despite this, Julian Worthington and Michael Constantine took early wickets to reduce Woodhay to 10 for 2 before they stabilised.
This inspired George Lethaby and Alex Brundle who bowled some of their best stuff this year with Lethaby taking 2 for 22 of 8 overs and Brundle taking 2 for 18 also off 8, against batsmen who have scored mountains of runs playing Saturday cricket two leagues above the Oakley first team this season.
With a shortage of front line bowlers, rookies, Matty Clark and Lofty Worth were asked to keep the pressure on and they did not let the Oaks down, maintaining belief and concentration to do the team proud with some tight and restrictive bowling.
Oakley Park in all its beauty in the late summer sunshine
Worthington and Constanine came back on and took a further wicket apiece along with another from Gordon Hossick as two catches from Lethaby and a a good take from the excellent young wicket keeper Brad Welsman piled the pressure on. Welsman has shown a huge upward curve behind the stumps for Oakley this year and today was undoubtedly his best performance of the season.
The fielding all round had plenty of bite, determination and excellent team spirit; it was a game that was won by 11 players, not just an individual performance, so a big well done to all who played their part to get Woodhay all out for 170. Captain Bob Lethaby was rightly proud of all the players..
East Woodhay are a good club who whilst being disappointed in defeat, were complimentary and gracious to all the Oakley players. They are a very decent set of guys.
Up the Oaks.