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| Stephen Green hit 92 not out. Picture: Stuart Cardy |
The hosts were soon in big trouble at 3-2 after being put in to bat with openers Robbie Eason and Tom Coleman falling lbw to Zac Jones, who then bowled Darryl Brown to make it 15-3. Horspath's plight deepened at 28-4 when Tom Cosford was caught at point by Toby Albert off Darron Augustus for 16.
But then Kyle Hopper and Stephen Green showed cool heads in a crisis to put on a club record fifth-wicket stand of 169 with a controlled display of batting. Hopper, making just his second Home Counties appearance, brought up his maiden league half-century with a four through the covers off Augustus in the 34th over.
Green followed him to fifty in less glorious fashion five overs later when a bottom edge flew to the third-man boundary as he attempted to sweep off-spinner Billy Rogers. Hopper added a six over square leg off Rogers to his 12 fours before his excellent innings came to an end in the 45th over when the Zimbabwe-born Oxford MCCU all-rounder was bowled by Ryan Quinn for 93 from 133 balls.
His stand with Green beat the 141 put on by Brown and James Fitzjohn for the fifth wicket at Henley last year. Green then hit a massive six down the ground off Augustus to add to his 12 boundaries as he finished unbeaten on a Home Counties best of 92 off 126 balls. Mark Skelton was 13 not out with Horspath closing on 239-5 off 50 overs. Jones (3-28) was Finchampstead's stand-out bowler, while Rogers and James Woodford also produced tidy spells without taking a wicket.
Josh Lincoln got the visitors' reply off to a brisk start before Skelton made the breakthrough with 27 on the board when he trapped Tommie Predgen lbw for two. Just two more runs had been added when Lincoln was caught at third man by Coleman off Asad Rafiq. Skelton then bowled Rogers to make it 47-3 to put Horspath in the ascendancy.
However, Finchampstead skipper Dan Lincoln and Albert took the score on to 96, before the latter was run out for 13 by a sharp piece of work by wicket-keeper Robbie Eason, who retrieved the ball and whipped off the bails with the batsman losing his bearings after blocking a delivery from Jay Parmar.
Lincoln continued to take the game to the home side, though, bringing up his half-century with a sharp single into the offside off Lloyd Belcher in the 22nd over. But Horspath skipper Will Eason's introduction into the attack pegged Finchampstead back as he took two wickets in the space of three balls.
Firstly, he had Lincoln caught at point by Green for 69 off 80 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes, to make it 152-5. And, without addition to the score, Simon Bell was caught at cover by Hopper for 19. Eason claimed a third victim when Augustus was caught by Coleman at square leg to make it 173-7.
With the game still in the balance, Ryan Quinn and Michael O'Donahue took the score on to 211 when the former was bowled by Parmar attempting to sweep for 40 off 45 balls. And Horspath looked set for victory when the off-spinner struck again in the same over with Jones falling lbw for a duck to make it 211-9.
But then in a dramatic finish O'Donahue and Woodford added 28 for the last wicket to bring the scores level. The tension levels ratcheted up with Cosford bowling a maiden in the 48th over, before Eason returned to the attack for the penultimate over.
O'Donahue failed to score off the first two balls before he swung the third delivery to short fine leg where Skelton gratefully took the catch to leave Finchampstead 239 all out and the match tied.
Eason finished with 4-29. Skelton (2-42), Parmar (2-51) and Rafiq (1-23) were the other wicket-takers, while Cosford and Belcher bowled well despite going wicketless.
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Posted by: Russ