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| Darryl Brown made a splendid 118 |
The South African all-rounder added his first league ton to five fifties this season with 118 to help take the visitors to 272-7 after they had been put in to bat, before Oxford replied with 191-6.
Horspath lost opener Tom Coleman for ten with 19 on the board, caught behind by Calvin Dickinson off Robert Keat. Dom O'Connor, stepping up from the 2nd XI for the first time this season, and James Fitzjohn took the score to 40 when the latter was bowled by David Murphy. And when Will Hawtin suffered the same fate, without scoring, Horspath were in trouble at 45-3.
But Brown, standing in as captain with Will Eason unavailable due to work, and O'Connor set about repairing the damage. O'Connor completed a maiden Home Counties half-century, before being caught by John Barrett off Murphy for 55 from 99 balls, which included seven fours, making it 115-4. Brown maintained the momentum, though, ably assisted by Tom Cosford as the pair put on 123 for the fifth wicket.
Cosford made 54 from 82 balls with five boundaries, before he was bowled by leg-spinner Shamil Mendis. Brown clocked up 500 runs for the season when he reached 98 as he went on to complete a glorious century. Stephen Green was caught by Chris Humphreys off Mendis, making it 248-6, and Brown's superb 130-ball knock, which included 11 fours, came to an end shortly before the close when he was caught by Connor Kilpatrick off Mendis, leaving Horspath 260-7. Murphy finished with 3-46 and Mendis 3-90 from 24 overs.
Horspath then made a fantastic start with the ball, reducing Oxford to 16-3. Jamil Faruq bowled Fergus Nutt with seven on the board, and four runs later the Horspath seamer trapped Dickinson lbw. Will Robertson added to the hosts' woes by having former Pakistan Test batsman Mohammad Ayub caught behind by Will Hawtin.
But then opener Owyn Tong-Jones and skipper Jamie Perkin came to Oxford's rescue with a fourth-wicket stand of 148. Perkin made 74 from 110 balls with ten fours before he was caught behind off Brown. Cosford then trapped John Barrett lbw, making it 173-5, and three runs later the Horspath off-spinner ended Tong-Jones's patient innings of 84 from 146 balls, which included 11 boundaries, with Brown snapping up the catch.
However, there was to be no further success for Horspath as Mendis and Kilpatrick saw Oxford safely to the close. Faruq finished with 2-27, while Cosford picked up 2-61 from 17 overs, Brown 1-30 and Robertson 1-36.
With Horspath picking up 13 points to Oxford's eight, the visitors extended their cushion over their rivals, who occupy the second relegation spot, to 21 points.
Posted by: Russ