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| Lloyd Belcher starred with 6-47. Picture: www.sportsshots.org.uk |
Defending 228-8 after being put in to bat, Horspath looked to be heading for a sixth straight defeat as Tring openers David Burnell and AJ Woodland put on 120 for the first wicket. They were untroubled in taking the visitors to 78-0 at tea, and after the resumption Woodland went to fifty in the 27th over with a guided four through third man off Mark Skelton.
Two overs later, Burnell hit a Will Eason delivery to the boundary to reach his half-century. To add to Horspath's woes, young off-spinner Luke Heritage injured a knee in the field and overseas star Darryl Brown twisted his left knee while bowling. The pair both left the field before going to hospital, and the hosts ended up using 15 players as substitutes were shuttled on and off, with youngsters Christopher Hofen and Saif Dogar, who had returned from the 4th XI's game at East Oxford 2nd, being called into action first.
Belcher had bowled tightly, but without success before his ninth over when he made the breakthrough with Woodland caught at mid-wicket by Will Eason for 54 off 100 balls, which contained five fours and one six. Tring had added just three more runs when Horspath's left-arm spinner struck again, trapping Burnell lbw for 55. His runs came from 97 deliveries and included six fours and two sixes.
Belcher was on a roll now and Steven Clark became his third victim when he chipped a leading edge to Kyle Hopper at cover, making it 130-3. Five runs later, he bowled Charlie Macdonell and without addition to the score completed his third five-wicket haul of the season when Tring skipper Shelvin Gumbs skied the second delivery he faced to Skelton.
Will Eason returned to the attack to lift Horspath's hopes further by trapping Sheridon Gumbs lbw to make it 146-6, and Belcher claimed his sixth victim by bowling Rory Criddle for nine to leave Tring 157-7. The dramatic collapse had seen the visitors lose seven wickets for just 37 runs, and Horspath were suddenly in with a chance of victory.
By this stage, 3rd XI skipper Craig Wharton and teammate Jonty Hedges had replaced youngsters Dogar and Hofen following the completion of their match against Long Marston 2nd on the neighbouring pitch. However, Tring's eight-wicket pair of Michael Payne (22no) and Mohamad Choudhry (10no) stood firm to see their side to the close at 184-7.
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| Horspath's fielders crowd around the Tring batsman in the final overs |
Earlier, Horspath had made another poor start with the bat against Tring's excellent opening attack of Simon Stanway and Choudhry. Dominic O'Connor edged a Stanway delivery to wicket-keeper Chloe Hill for two with just six on the board.
Robbie Eason and Hopper then both fell to Choudhry with the score on 20 with the former being caught by Criddle at gully for 11, before the Zimbabwean-born all-rounder edged behind and Hill parried the ball to Clark, who completed the job at second slip.
Horspath slumped to 37-4 when Stephen Green nicked a Stanway delivery to second slip where Shelvin Gumbs took a good low catch diving to his right. But Brown and Tom Cosford set about repairing the damage, taking Horspath to lunch at 84-4, and they kept the scoreboard ticking over after the interval.
Cosford dispatched a Woodland delivery for a mighty legside six to move on to 30, but that was his last scoring shot as the pair's fifth-wicket stand of 78 was broken when he edged a Clark delivery to Macdonell at first slip. Brown and Will Eason took the score to 158 when the Horspath skipper was caught behind off left-arm spinner Rory Criddle for ten.
Brown clocked up 400 runs for the season - making him Division 1's fourth highest run-scorer this term - before he fell to a catch at long on by Burnell off Payne for 75 from 144 balls, which contained ten fours and a six, to make it 172-7. Three runs later, Skelton was lbw to Criddle for five, but then Jamil Faruq and Belcher shared an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 53.
Faruq blasted two sixes in his unbeaten 34 from 29 balls, while Belcher's 19 not out was a league personal best. Their partnership fell just short of the club's Home Counties ninth-wicket record, which stands at 55 between Will Eason and Kit Cutter against Great & Little Tew five years ago. Choudhry was the pick of the Tring attack with 2-12 from ten overs, which included seven maidens, while Stanway returned figures of 2-30 and Criddle 2-40.
With Horspath picking up 13 points from the draw it moves them off the foot of the table - one point above Slough, who are now bottom.
Posted by: Russ