Lashings Cricket Club lived up to its reputation as 'the Harlem Globetrotters of cricket' with a crushing win over Oxford Universities in a 40-overs match at the Christ Church ground yesterday.

The absence of Brian Lara in a side studded with West Indian Test players was hardly noticed by the few hundred spectators as the club, originating from a restaurant side in Maidstone, beat the undergraduates by 94 runs.

The visitors, put in to bat, were restricted to 75-2 at the half-way stage, but the score rocketed when skipper Richie Richardson suddenly exploded into life.

It coincided with the introduction of off-spinner Tom Hicks whose first two overs cost 31 runs, and Richardson plundered another 73 which included four sixes and nine fours before he was third out for 85 at 169.

Oxford's best bowler was Tom Mees who finished with 4-40 off eight overs. His figures would have been more impressive but for Franklin Rose hitting three sixes off the last over before the innings closed at 229-6.

Matt Floyd and Charlie Warren opened with a stand of 32 for the Universities, who lost wickets regularly afterwards.

It was left to Mees and Toby Sharpe, the last pair, to take the score to 135 with a partnership of 44, the best of the innings.

Scores: Lashings 229-6 (40 ovs, R Richardson 85, M Day 49, T Mees 4-40), Oxford UCCE 135 (36.2 ovs, T Mees 36, R Richardson 3-35.

LASHINGS

J Murray b Mees...8

M Day b Mees...49

J Adams c Jones b Salman Khan...15

R Richardson lbw Mees...85

S Williams b Mees...15

J Watson c Porter b Sharpe...5

F Rose not out...25

M Barnes not out...1

Extras...26

Total (6 wkts)...229 (40 overs)

Fall: 1-15, 2-33, 3-169, 4-191, 5-201, 6-209.

Bowling: Mees 8-0-40-4, Sharpe 8-1-34-1, Salman Khan 8-1-37-1, Porter 8-1-34-0, Hicks 8-1-67-0.

OXFORD UCCE

M Floyd b Barnes...22

C Warren b George...6

Salman Khan c Adams b George...1

H Jones st Howard b Adams...17

J Porter run out...8

P Sanklecha lbw Richardson...17

T Hicks c Rose b Richardson...4

C Stern c&b Adams...1

T Daniels b Richardson...1

T Mees c Barnes b Murray...36

T Sharpe not out...9

Extras...13

Total (all out)...135 (36.2 overs)

Fall: 1-32, 2-35, 3-41, 4-55, 5-67, 6-79, 7-86, 8-89, 9-91, 10-135.

Bowling: Rose 5-2-8-0, Barnes 6-0-27-1, George 4-1-11-2, Brown 2-0-4-0, Adams 8-3-19-2, Watson 2-0-12-0, Richardson 6-1-35-3, Williams 2-0-7-0, Murray 1.2-0-6-1.