WILL Eason will make his competitive Minor Counties debut for Oxfordshire against Wales this weekend.
Oxfordshire head into the three-day Unicorns Counties Championship clash at Great & Little Tew, which begins on Sunday, off the back of a 160-run victory over Dorset a fortnight ago.
Eason led Horspath to Division 1 of the Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League for the first time last year.
And after eight matches, they sit seventh in the table with two victories.
Eason, who played in a pre-season friendly for Oxfordshire against Buckinghamshire at Aston Rowant in 2013, is delighted to receive a call-up.
“I am looking forward to it,” he said.
-
Sport
“Hopefully I can contribute to helping the team get a positive result.”
Oxfordshire captain Luke Ryan says Eason deserves his chance in the side.
He added: “Will has done great things for Horspath and has been one of the many reasons or the main reason why they have been so successful in the most recent past.
“I think he deserves a chance, he is a genuine all-rounder, has got good skills with the ball and will be really effective in three-day cricket.”
Eason is among two changes from the victory over Dorset at Aston Rowant as he comes in for the unavailable Will Rooney.
Will Beer is available again after missing the last match due to his Sussex commitments and replaces Harvey Eltham in the side.
Meanwhile, seamer Karl Penhale has been selected for Northants 2nds.
After losing their Western Division opener to Berkshire by 40 runs, Ryan was pleased with the dominant performance that saw them see off Dorset.
He added: “It was pretty comprehensive in the end.
“I don’t think we lost a session against Dorset.
“That is something we have not been able to do consistently over the last few years.
“We learned from the Berkshire game that one or two bad sessions can cost you.
“We have to recognise when these big periods are and we did that well in the last match.”
Due to Sunday’s British Grand Prix, the match starts at 12noon, but play will begin at 11am on the other two days.
Oxfordshire will play Bedfordshire in the semi-finals of the Unicorns Counties T20 competition at Banbury on Sunday, July 12.
Bedfordshire beat Cambridge in their play-off on Sunday.
Devon play Cheshire in the other semi-final.
Oxfordshire: L Ryan (Banbury, capt), M Beard (Rockhampton), W Beer (Horsham & Sussex), J Cater (Buckingham), H Darby (Banbury), W Eason (Horspath), A Harris (Great & Little Tew), R Kaufman (Old Northamptonians), C Keegan (Henley), L Sabin (Banbury), J White (Great & Little Tew).
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article