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| Lloyd Belcher took 2-35. Picture: Simon Hipwell |
Chasing Oxford's 254-5 off 50 overs after the visitors had elected to bat, Horspath had reached 50-0 from 16.2 overs and were marginally ahead of their Duckworth/Lewis target when play was called off. Oxford openers Owyn Tong-Jones and Harvey Eltham had put on 47 for the first wicket, before the introduction of left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher into the attack brought the breakthrough.
He enticed Eltham down the pitch and wicket-keeper Robbie Eason was left with a straightforward stumping. Belcher struck again to make it 64-2 when Tong-Jones, who had survived a couple of earlier chances, fell to a good catch by Darryl Brown running round at point.
But then Mohammad Ayub and captain Jamie Perkin combined to frustrate Horspath by sharing a third-wicket stand of 145. Off-spinner Tom Cosford finally ended their partnership by bowling the Oxford skipper for 76 from 92 deliveries, which included two sixes and 11 fours. But Ayub continued to score freely, mixing powerful pull shots with some deft deflections.
John Barrett joined the former Pakistan Test batsman to take the score on to 231 when he fell to a terrific catch by Mark Skelton running in from long on to snaffle the chance off Cosford by his ankles. Ayub, whose lone appearance for his country came against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2012, brought up his century with a single into the offside off the third ball of the last over bowled by debutant left-arm spinner Elliot Miles.
Shamilal Mendis chopped on from the next delivery to give the Jersey international his first wicket as he finished with tidy figures of 1-43 off nine overs, and made it 253-5. Ayub finished on 100 not out from 98 balls, with four sixes and 12 fours. Belcher (2-35) was the pick of the Horspath attack, while Cosford took 2-58.
With rain clouds gathering, Horspath had the Duckworth/Lewis system firmly in their minds in their reply. They were just ahead of the target with opener Tom Coleman making a fluent unbeaten 31 while Robbie Eason dug in at the other end when the heavens opened before 20 overs had been completed to leave the sides with six points apiece.
Posted by: Russ