Setting the Scene
Oakley arrived at a sunny South Winchester and, following another well-drilled warm-up, were asked to bat first. Matt and DJ strode out, looking to build a platform for the innings. Matt started strongly, taking no time to find the middle of the bat, driving the opener for six back over his head. Unfortunately, the next over saw both DJ and Woody edge behind to the keeper without troubling the scorers.
Early Setbacks and a Middle-Order Revival
This brought the run machine Josh to the crease, who quickly got to work picking off the bowlers with ease and restoring composure to the innings with a good partnership alongside Matt. South Winchester tried something new and brought on their left-arm pacer, who bowled accurately and accounted for Matt, pinned in front for a well-made 20. Bown strode to the crease and looked comfortable in his short stay, but quickly joined those taking an early lunch after being bowled, leaving Oakley at 54-4 and with some work to do. Bown also had work to do as he took over the electronic scoreboard from Mike and proceeded to reset it to zero.
Building a Fighting Total
Nigel, now wearing spikes rather than the Airwalks he chose to warm up in, joined Josh, and together they built another partnership. Josh continued to work hard, accumulating and putting away the bad ball with authority to make his first league half-century of the season. A moment of madness led to Josh’s departure; he played a lovely late cut off the face of the bat, but unfortunately, it went straight to first slip. A very good knock to hold the innings together.
Nigel took the baton and played a controlled innings, with the highlight being a shot off one of the two spinners, who were proving difficult to get away, with an almighty blow over long on for six. Nigel departed for 39, being the last knock of substance. Some hard running at the end of the innings to make the most out of our 45 overs was important, knowing every run counts, which would later prove to be the case as the innings finished on 155 all out.
Comedy of Errors Before Bowling Begins
Onto the bowling, where it was clear everyone would need to be at their best both with the ball and in the field. The defense started in ominous fashion as Woody realized he had worn DJ’s trousers, and so, following the team talk, proceeded to switch trousers on the square as the opening batsmen walked out—slightly different mind game tactics that hopefully won’t be tried again.
Early Breakthroughs and Tight Bowling
Big Mike and Josh got things underway with tight lines that quickly led to a reward for Mike after a sharp catch from Bown diving forward at second slip, followed in the next over by a second wicket for Mike, this time trapping the batsman in front. Much like Oakley’s innings, South Winchester then rebuilt before a two-over spell from Brundle claimed three wickets, leaving the chase looking like an uphill task.
The Middle Overs Battle
The chase continued involving attritional cricket thanks to some tight bowling and sharp fielding, with nothing easy given away as the batsmen worked hard for each run. The Oaks were keen to stick to PLAN A. Brundle continued to toil away economically and was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-20, including an excellent catch by Paddy, strangling the batsman down the leg side—another fine day behind the stumps for Paddy on a difficult pitch. His top work can often go unnoticed thanks to how effortless he makes it look.
The Final Overs and a Nail-Biting Finish
From the other end, chances were few and far between. DJ took a wicket caught in the covers—the offside now being referred to as the Berlin Wall as batsmen struggled to break through, courtesy of great fielding, particularly Woody with a few one-handed stops in the gully region. Harry and Will bowled well and were unfortunate to go without reward, with the ball nipping around and turning square at times. It was a day of fine margins where, on other days, a couple of chances sticking and direct hits at the stumps could have made for a different story and result.
Big Mike returned excellently to take two wickets, finishing with fine figures of 4-31, in an over, leaving South Winchester needing a handful of runs with just one wicket to spare. Courtesy of a couple of outside edges, it wasn’t to be for the Oaks, who fell agonizingly short. The determination was clear within all, as everyone refused to give in until the very end—an excellent display with the ball and in the field on a day where a few more runs with the bat would have made the difference.
Looking Ahead
Hats off to South Winchester’s number 4 for a well-made 63, forming the backbone of what turned out to be a very well-timed chase. Onto next week against Hook 3s, looking to maintain the high standards shown and bounce back with a win.