CRICKET: Higgs spell sees Thame cash in on break in the weather

Town got off to a great start thanks to Hassam Mushtaq (3- 26), who made early inroads into the visitors’ top order.

But things got even better for the hosts when left-arm spinner Mike Higgs got to work, as he took 6-61 from nine overs and so reduce Cumnor to 138 all out.

Devane Warner continued his fine form, but ran out of partners to finish 57 not out.

Despite being set such a modest target, Thame struggled in reply as a succession of batsmen got starts and got out.

An away win looked on the cards when the eighth wicket fell, but Sam Lachlan (20no) and Chris Jeffcock (13no) dug in and got their team to 139 without further loss.

Thame Town 25pts, Cumnor 10

Dan Scott helped bowl Leighton Buzzard Town to victory over Twyford in the only other game in the top flight to beat the rain.

The left-armer took 5-36 from ten overs and, in combination with Jack Kempster (3-38) and Alan Priestley (2-12), dismissed the home side for 90 – 122 runs short.

Earlier Town had managed 212-7 after being put into bat.

Openers Chris Thompson (46) and Antony Francis – whose 32 came entirely in boundaries – had got the innings off to a good start, then Phil Whatmore hit 44 and Tom Light made 33.

Rory Lyon was the pick of the home attack, taking 3-57.

Twyford 3, Leighton Buzzard Town 25

DIVISION 2

A MAGNIFICENT 93 from Chris Thompson saw Sandford St Martin claim a remarkable onewicket victory at home to Didcot.

The hosts were in disarray on 57-8 in pursuit of the visitors’ 152 all out, as Aiden Kammel (6-17) wreaked havoc.

Thompson was on 25 when he was joined by No 10 Daniel Jason Smith, who contributed 20 to their partnership of 53.

Their final chance looked to have gone when he was trapped in front by Ian Demain, as 43 runs were still required for victory.

But Thompson, who smashed 11 fours and four sixes, carried on and No 11 Simon Smith defended stoutly for 22 balls without scoring as Sandford made their way to 155-9.

Sandford St Martin 25pts, Didcot 11

Ross Brown took 5-29 as Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts successfully defended a low total to beat Abingdon Vale by 22 runs.

Hosts Nondies looked in trouble after being bowled out for 112, as Jonathan Jenkinson took 5-30 from eight overs.

But Brown ripped out five of the top seven and Vale were dismissed for 90.

Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts 25, Abingdon Vale 5

Great & Little Tew 2nd climbed to second after pulling off an impressive run chase to beat visitors Aston Rowant 2nd by six wickets.

After electing to bat, Rowant made 204-9 from their 41 overs, with John Hern (45) top-scoring and four others chipping in with scores in the twenties.

Among the bowlers, Robbie Shurmer took 4-60 and Jack Belmont bagged 3-26.

Tew made light work in reply, reaching 207-4 from 31 overs.

Markus Jeacock (65) and Lloyd Brock (59) set up the win.

Great & Little Tew 2nd 25, Aston Rowant 2nd 8

Ryan Gordon’s unbeaten 91 was key as Challow & Childrey squeezed past Oxford Downs by three wickets.

Downs batted well in damp conditions to reach 178 before being bowled out, George Sandbach shining with 86.

Challow were indebted to Gordon for seeing them over the line on 179-7.

Challow & Childrey 25, Oxford Downs 10

DIVISION 3

LEADERS Cropredy stretched their advantage at the top by making it six wins out of six with a four-wicket victory at home to Dinton 2nd.

With nearest challengers Blewbury & Wallingford losing their game to the weather, the pacesetters made the most of the opportunity to go 41 points clear.

Put into bat, Dinton made their way to 145-5 in an innings reduced by rain to 33 overs.

Mark Ludlow was star of the show with 72.

The hosts scored quickly in reply, racing to 146-6 in the 27th over.

Cropredy 25pts, Dinton 2nd 8

Darryl Woods continued his fine form with the bat as Oxford Downs 2nd leapt to third place with a 70-run success against visitors Cublington.

After a century for Oxfordshire Over 50s, Woods again had his eye in, making 78.

He was well supported by Graeme Coates and Wes Bartlett, both out after reaching 32, while Kieron Sear took 4-34.

Downs’ total of 230-8 from 48 overs proved more than enough as Jak Soppett (4-57), Steve Roberts (3-44) and Cam Spilsbury (3-57) dismissed Cublington for 160.

Oxford Downs 2nd 25, Cublington 6

An expensive, but effective, spell from Oliver Ward helped Bicester & North Oxford beat hosts Buckingham Town by five wickets.

Ward’s 5-63 from seven overs held Buckingham, who lost the toss, to 150-8 from 32 overs.

In reply, Bicester romped to 151-5 with 31 balls to spare.

Openers Richard Simpson (47) and Nick Moorman (32) broke the back of the run chase.

Jonny Miller went on to finish the pursuit with an unbeaten 37.

Buckingham Town 2nd 7, Bicester & North Oxford 25

DIVISION 4

KINGSTON Bagpuize and Witney Mills contrived to draw their match with the scores level in an extraordinary match that ebbed and flowed throughout Saturday afternoon.

The clash was Division 4’s only survivor as incessant morning rain put paid to the other four fixtures and delayed the start of this one.

Kingston decided to bat first on winning the toss and made steady progress through Toby Ricks (57).

• Kingston Bagpuize opener Tony Ricks forces the ball into the off side on his way to 57 Pictures: Steve Wheeler

But they collapsed from the healthy position of 76-1 to 93-7 against the ever-reliable Steve Kelly (5-38) and seamer Chaminda Wimalarathna (4-32).

However, late runs from David Warner and George Woodley saw Kingston reach 155 all out.

Mills started even better that their hosts, cruising to 92 without loss through club stalwarts Ross Morgan (45) and Peter Claridge (32).

But the match turned when Richard Woodley snapped up Morgan, ran out Claridge and took three more wickets to finish with 4-26 from 14 overs.

Wickets kept falling and they needed eight from the final over to win.

Michael Dove, who finished unbeaten on 33, and Kelly hit six from the first five balls, but could only take a single from the final delivery to finish on 155-8.

Witney therefore missed the chance to make up even more ground on the top two, but Kingston climbed out of the bottom two.

Kingston Bagpuize 13pts, Witney Mills 12

• Steve Kelly took 5-38 to rip out Kingston’s middle order cheaply

DIVISION 5

CHETAN Walia took 5-63 as Oxford 3rd beat Bledlow Ridge by six wickets to surge top of the table.

Simon Lloyd was among Walia’s victims, but only after he had added 68 for the visitors, while Geoff Tombs also made a handy contribution with 32 en route to 223-9 dec.

Undeterred by the loss of two early wickets, Oxford reached 224-4 in 34 overs.

Skipper Callum Biel (50) and Miles Picknett (41) repaired the damage, before Mubasher Hassan (64no) and Arthur Muir (32no) steered them home.

Oxford 3rd 25pts, Bledlow Ridge 9

Paul Butcher hit 57 and took 4-28 but his heroics could not prevent Abingdon Vale 2nd tumbling to a three-wicket defeat at home to Thame Town 2nd.

He received precious little support with the bat as the hosts crashed to 102 all out after being put in.

Chris Penny made the most of the bowler-friendly conditions to finish with 5-62.

Thame also struggled to score in reply, with Butcher again leading the way, but eventually made it to 106-7 thanks mainly to Adam Phippen (45).

Abingdon Vale 2nd 8, Thame Town 2nd 25

A 104-run opening partnership between Gareth Hamilton (59) and Matthew Turner-Wilson (52) put Horspath 3rd in a good position at Aston Rowant 3rd.

Sam Shepherd’s 5-51 slowed the visitors, who reached 228-8 dec from 39 overs after late impetus from Ceri Holmes (35no).

Rowant also started well through Adrian Summons (41) and Peter Holt (40), but Holmes (3-54) took three quick wickets to set them back, so it was left to Paul Plumridge (65no) to play out for a draw on 191-5.

Aston Rowant 3rd 7, Horspath 3rd 16

DIVISIONS 6-9

KIERAN Dolphin’s 94 helped Banbury 4th move further clear in Division 6, but they had to settle for a draw at Great & Little Tew.

Tyrone Eyles (58no) also cashed in as the visitors reached 260-4 from 42 overs.

Tew never looked likely to mount a successful chase, but despite Edward Bradbury’s 3-36, the home side hung on and finished 145-8.

Shipton-under-Wychwood 3rd came out on top in a lowscoring Division 7 clash at Abingdon Vale 3rd.

The hosts could only make 93-7 from 41 overs, a total which Shipton surpassed with four wickets to spare in the 28th over, despite Robert Berry’s 5-28.

Kevin Hicks’s 64 proved key as Bicester & North Oxford 2nd won at home to Cropredy 2nd by 31 runs.

The opener’s innings steered Bicester to 139-7 from 28 overs, with Matthew Clark (3-10) Cropredy’s main man.

In reply, Patrick Somerton (4-19) and Altaf Hussain (3-48) were the star men as the visitors were dismissed for 108 in the 25th over.

The weather conditions wiped out the entire Division 8 programme, but several fixtures in Division 9 survived.

Abingdon Vale 4th closed to within seven points of top spot with a seven-wicket thumping of hosts Shiptonunder-Wychwood 4th.

Simon Dickens (61no) led the way in Shipton’s 113-1 from their 31 overs, but it was no match for Vale.

Garry Cook (40no) and Gareth Thomas 31 stayed well ahead of the required rate as the visitors wrapped up the win with eight overs left.

Leaders Great & Little Tew 4th could only draw at Bicester & North Oxford 3rd.

Dismissed for 135, 47 of which were extras, Tew fell short of victory as Bicester closed on 121-9.