Horspath secure safety despite heavy defeat

Horspath celebrate a wicket. Pictures: www.sportsshots.org.uk

HORSPATH picked up the two points they needed to secure safety in Home Counties Premier League Division 1, but only after being smashed to all parts of the Recreation Ground by High Wycombe opener Eliot Callis, who hit a brilliant 151 as the hosts suffered a 161-run thrashing.

With capturing wickets seen as the best route to achieving their aim, Horspath put the visitors in to bat, but were then made to wait as Wycombe piled up the runs. Horspath claimed their first point in the ninth over when Jamil Faruq had Teddie Casterton caught behind by Will Hawtin for 12 with the score on 45.

Dan Marles then joined Callis, who went to fifty in style with a big legside six off Darryl Brown in just the 14th over. He repeated the dose four overs later to take Wycombe past a hundred with Tom Cosford this time on the receiving end.

Ton-up for Wycombe's Eliot Callis

Horspath's off-spinner ended the partnership on 127, though, when he reacted smartly to turn a drive from Callis on to the stumps and run out Marles as he backed up for 29. However, that was a rare bright moment in the field for Horspath, with Callis, who has played two first-class games for Yorkshire, making the hosts pay for a lacklustre performance with a glittering display of strokeplay accompanied by his skipper, Nathan Hawkes.

Mixing powerful hitting with reverse sweeps, switch hits and paddle shots, he went to a sparkling century by driving a delivery from Asad Rafiq down to long off for a single.

Callis, who had made 126 against Horspath in the Royal London Club Championship two months ago, continued to show his liking for the home bowling by launching a mighty six off Brown over extra cover to bring up Wycombe's 200.

The opener powered on to 150, reaching the milestone with a single to mid-wicket off Cosford. He had added just one more run, though, when Liam Manley's return to the attack ended his superb innings as Callis miscued a delivery and was caught by Stephen Green at point to provide a relieved Horspath with their third wicket and the all-important second point.

It came in the 38th over at 1.32pm and had taken more than two and a half hours play to achieve after Callis, who hit four sixes and 22 fours in his 113-ball knock, had shared a stand of 107 with Hawkes.

Horspath's Asad Rafiq in full flight

However, there was no let-up for Horspath and Hawkes going to fifty with a single into the offside off Manley in the 44th over as he put on 64 for the fourth wicket with Will Hatton.

Brown provided some respite for the hosts by taking two wickets in the space of three balls in the 48th over, with Hatton caught by Will Eason on the mid-wicket boundary for 26, making it 298-4, before Hawkes, who had made 62 from 73 deliveries with five fours, edged behind without addition to the score.

Adam Dobb (19no) hit Brown for four through the covers to take Wycombe past 300 and they had moved on to 316 when George Russell was caught at short third man by Brown off Cosford, before the visitors finally closed on a massive 323-6.

It was a monumental score, but it wasn't the highest Horspath had conceded with Henley having racked up 335-6 off 50 overs on the corresponding Saturday last year. Brown finished with 2-66, while Faruq (1-36), Manley (1-56) and Cosford (1-87) were the other wicket-takers.

Despite facing such a daunting total, Horspath made a good start in reply with openers Robbie Eason and Dominic O'Connor putting on 56 for the first wicket, before the former was bowled by Cameron Parsons for 24. Twelve runs later, O'Connor fell for the same score, caught at mid-wicket by Callis off Marles.

Brown, who is in contention to be the top-flight's leading runscorer this season, had added just seven to his total when Parsons accounted for the South African with Hawkes diving low to his right at slip to take a stunning one-handed catch, making it 76-3.

Robbie Eason crashes the ball through the covers

With one game left, Brown remains second in the 'Golden Bat' standings on 773, four runs behind Slough's Shahid Yousaf (777), who made just three in his side's 54-run defeat by new leaders Henley, whose opener Matt Rowe (731) moved up to third with 49.

James Fitzjohn brought up Horspath's hundred in the 24th over with a flashing cover drive off Jonathan Burden. He hit the next ball for a boundary and took two off the following delivery, but in attempting to crack a third four in the over he top-edged a pull shot to mid-wicket where Callis accepted the catch. The Horspath batsman had made 28 and it left the hosts 109-4.

Cosford contributed a breezy 21 before sending a leading edge to Parsons at cover to give Burden his second victim, making it 126-5. Without addition to the score, Hawtin was trapped lbw attempting to sweep a delivery from off-spinner Dobb, who then bowled Will Eason for 13 to make it 140-7.

Rafiq had made 11 when he was caught at long on by Burden off Dobb to leave Horspath 156-8, and the hosts hadn't added to their total when Faruq hit his first ball from Tom Hampton into the same fielder's hands at cover.

The end was in sight and Horspath were 162 all out in the 39th over when Green was bowled by Dobb, who finished with 4-18. Parsons returned impressive figures of 2-18 from his ten overs, while Burden (2-27), Hampton (1-38) and Marles (1-54) completed the Wycombe wicket-takers.

Posted by: Russ