Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League
Aston Rowant’s wicket-keeper batsman Alex Jewell misses tomorrow’s crunch Division 1 clash with Radlett with a dislocated and broken finger.
And Rowant will discover whether Jewell is out for the season when he sees a specialist next week.
Nathaniel Watkins comes in to replace Jewell for the match against their relegation rivals, who are just seven points ahead of them.
Captain Wesley Morrick said: “I think every game is important from now on, but we are confident.
“If it wasn’t for the rain on Saturday (against Welwyn Garden City) there would probably have been a diferent result, although I am not saying we would have won it.
“The chances of everyone else winning were not very high, but we just have to deal with it.”
Tom Geeson-Brown will make his Oxford debut at Harpenden.
The 18-year-old seamer, who has already broken into the county side, gets his chance as Stuart Hole and Richard Gilbert are both unavailable.
Captain Jason Harrison said: “Tom’s debut is great news and fully deserved.
“We didn’t really want to play him too much in his first season, having stepped up to this level.
“But he has handled it well with the county and done well in Twenty20 with us. It is a great opportunity for him.”
Spinner Ian Evans is out with a fractured ankle, having played through the pain barrier last week.
Wasim Mehmood, Dan King and John Barrett also return to the squad.
Eddie Phillips comes in for Damian Shirazi (family commitments) as Banbury host second-placed Henley.
Captain Ian Hawtin said their confidence had been boosted by last week’s emphatic victory over Tring Park.
“It was a good win,” he said. “Hopefully we can now move forward.”
Thame Town will be without opening batsmen Michael Beard and Pratik Patel for the visit of Harefield in Division 2 West as both have finger injuries.
Tom Layton comes in for Beard.
Beard, who played for Gloucestershire 2nd this week, will hope to be fully fit in time to feature for England’s under 17 development squad in a triangular match against Scotland and Ireland next Saturday.
Fourth-placed Thame topped the table in July, but vice-captain Michael Higgs said there was still much to be positive about.
“We have come on leaps and bounds this year,” said Higgs.
“We have just got to enjoy the last four games and hopefully get a top-four finish. I think that would be a very successful season.”
Tomorrow’s teams
Aston Rowant (v Radlett, home): Watkins, Morgan, Cossins, Watling, Todd, Morrick (capt), Lyon, Eaton, Needham, Anning, Humphreys.
Banbury (v Henley, home): E Phillips, L Sabin, Haupt, Hawkes, West, Tew, Ryan, Blanchard, Hawtin (capt), Guthridge, J Phillips.
Oxford (v Harpenden, away): from Harrison (capt), Sandbach, Laudat, Ferraby, Perkin, Crosby, Mehmood, King, Barrett, Van Dyk, Mendis, Geeson-Brown.
Thame Town (v Harefield, home): Layton, Bhatti, Beardall, Parmar, N Patel, Higgs, Barnet, S Lachlan (capt), Jeffcock, A Lachlan, tbc.
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