After much anticipation and excitement over record membership numbers at Oakley, the season finally got under way this weekend with all the teams in action.
Could they deliver on the pitch?
First XI Overcome Alton III’s
The First XI travelled to Alton III’s looking to set about their pre-season task of building batting partnerships in the middle order to put competitive scores on the board.
Batting first, the Oaks started well but lost Dan Sumner on 18 and then Michael Wood (8) who, according to reports emerging from Michael Wood Enterprises Ltd, left a straight one that he thought was going to turn. I wasn’t there but it sounds mildly amusing.
However, Clive Welsman came to the crease with Gerry Dique and they built a good partnership, at least until Gerry (41) and then Clive (31) were run-out, proving there is some work still to do in that department. Clive is a clever runner between the wickets, but he is no Usain Bolt
With Paddy Saines (3) also back in the hutch, it was up to the middle order to deliver on their pre-season challenge. They did so with James Bayliss making 39 before having to retire (the big cissy) and Mark Potter (26) and Alex Brundle (47) both unbeaten as the Oaks finished on a credible 227 for 6.
Alex Brundle top scored for the First XI
Potts knows what he is doing with willow in hand, so it was nice to hear he was batting with patience and control, rather than impersonating a one armed man trying kill a wasp in a phone box, as was the case at Alton last year. Alex Brundle continues to demonstrate his value as a genuine all rounder.
Defending the total, Potts and Tom Barnes created some early pressure and got a wicket each early as a result.
The pressure kept on increasing and, once Potter took the wicket of their skipper and the excellent Rob Wood took two wickets in quick succession, Alton looked more and more at batting the overs out.
Brad Compton-Bearne bowled beautifully and deserved a wicket but in the end it was Clive Welsman (bowling at Martine Welsman pace) and Alex Brundle, who took the remaining wickets with just one scalp remaining at the end to frustrate the quest for maximum points.
Captain, Gerry Dique, was delighted with a positive start to the season and there was a real good atmosphere around the dressing room, with the Oaks middle order delivering answers to the questions Gerry had asked of them pre-season.
George Misses Ton but Two’s Off to a Flyer
The Second XI were hosts to St Cross VI and were hoping for a team of geriatrics to turn up at Oakley Park in to give them an easy early season victory. So when a group of sprightly young lads turned up, there was an air of concern around the pavilion.
This intensified as the St Cross captain decided to put the Oaks into bat as the temperature soared into the twenties. It was either brazen or naïve and no one could work out which.
Veteran, Steve Savage, opened with a nervous Nellie Warner, and Steve looked in great nick, taking 11 off the first over. However, Steve got a Jaffa of a ball in the next over, one that darted across him and just flicked the bail from his off stump. He won’t getter a better ball all season.
So, in at three came Mike Tiley, who in a bit of an early season head spin, resembled a cat on a hot tin roof with its testicles wired to an industrial generator. Remarkably, Mike survived a plethora of early scares in a roller coaster couple of overs as Nellie, who was increasingly assured at the other end, dug in to settle things down.
An excellent partnership ensued and Mike started to look the belligerent batsman we know him to be, with some excellent pumping drives racing the score along before departing to a well taken catch on 42.
Captain, George Lethaby, came in at 4 and was, to begin with, showing all the composure of a man sleeping on the edge of a cliff next to a bag of ferrets. However, like Tiley before him, George settled and went from ugly, to moderate, to blistering, as he began to see the red leather like a football. Meanwhile, at the other end, Nellie passed 50 in what was an excellent innings of defence and attack where he increasingly looked like the real deal as an opener.
Two’s Company: George and Nellie took the game away from St Cross
When a tired Nellie departed on 58, Darrell Dimond came in for a quick-fire 21 before getting done LBW and then all hell let loose with Alan (Alan) North joining George in a ball bludgeoning competition as St Cross wilted in the hot sunshine with the scoreboard racing away from them.
Alan got caught after an excellent 31 but George remained, throwing his hands through everything as he raced into the 90’s and towards a first Oakley ton. DJ went quickly but understandably and it was left to Steve Bown to rotate the strike in the last over to get George to 100. Unfortunately, George played a tired sweep on 98 and had to go LBW but it was still a fine knock.
Bownie finished off the innings with a pumping 6, with the Oaks finishing on a commanding 294 for 8.
Defending the total The Oaks pretty much dismantled St Cross with Bownie and Ollie Rabley both bowling well in hot conditions. Bownie took an early wicket and was unlucky not to trap Stewart of St Cross, who went on to make an excellent 44.
The formidable position the Oaks were in allowed George to give bowling opportunities to Nathan Rabley and Ian Bennett and neither let him down, however, it was Dan Jones who mopped things up with an excellent five for resulting in a commanding victory featuring maximum points.
Sunday XI See off Farleigh
Ian Bennett’s Sunday outfit saw of Farleigh in a low scoring game on a scorching afternoon at Oakley Park.
Batting first, Dan Sumner found some form with a knock of 61 in an early partnership with Ian Bennett (18). A confidence boosting knock he will hopefully transfer on to Saturday’s before we transfer him to Herriard.
Thereafter it was all a bit patchy as batsmen looking to impress the Saturday captains gave them little to ponder in a typical Sunday fixture collapse, although Deano looked in good form before his first ball duck.
A couple of fours and brief late cameos from Alex Brundle and Brett King got the score up to a not very competitive 143 and a potential first defeat of the season in the first game. Was it to be the dreaded vote of confidence from the Oakley board?
Ian and his band of Braveheart’s needed Farleigh to be worse at batting than them and would you Adam & Eve it, they were. In fact, so lacklustre was their response, Ian Bennett got 4 wickets, including the prize scalp of Rob ‘the flat track bully’ Dimond.
The other wickets were shared between Lance Van Dyk, Ronnie McCewan and Rav Kancharla in a meagre total of 78.
So, not a tension filled affair but another win for the Oaks and a good run out for the boys who didn’t play on Saturday.
So, a great start for all the teams but there will be tougher days to follow, with plenty still to improve on moving forward. It is also worth noting that all the games were played in a great spirit.
On we must travel.
Up the Oaks!