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| Luke Heritage took 4-75 on his debut |
The hosts put Rowant in to bat, but openers George Reid and James Coles were quickly into their stride as runs came freely. Reid had just brought up his half-century when 15-year-old off-spinner Luke Heritage made the breakthrough on his debut when Coles, also 15, went back to the last delivery of his second over and was lbw for 41 to make it 96-1.
Heritage, who became the youngest Horspath cricketer to play in the Home Counties top flight, was bowling in tandem with left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher, who as a 14-year-old set the record as the club's youngest player in the league having made his debut in Division 2 in 2014. And it was the teenager who struck again with the score on 123 when Kyle Hopper took a brilliant diving catch at extra cover to dismiss Reid for 57 from 70 balls, which included eight fours and a six.
Belcher then got in on the act by bowling Dan Matthews with a delivery which turned in, to make it 143-3. One ball later, Heritage claimed his third victim when Tom Condon, who had batted fluently for his 39, fell to another terrific catch from Hopper, who dived forward full length to claim the chance at deep mid-wicket.
Rowant had added just five more runs when former Horspath player James Fitzjohn chipped a return catch back to Belcher. Heritage took his wicket tally to four when Rowant skipper Josh Smith presented Hopper with a third catch at extra cover, making it 150-6 with four wickets going down for just seven runs.
However, the experienced Chris Watling and Leo Bethell steadied the Rowant ship, adding ten more runs before lunch and then taking the score on to 199 when the latter got a leading edge to a Belcher delivery after he had made 24 and Asad Rafiq ran in to take the catch at extra cover.
Belcher then moved smartly to his right to take a return catch one-handed above his head off Adam Muttitt to make it 214-8, and Horspath's left-arm spinner completed his second five-wicket haul of the season eight runs later when Dom Whatman was trapped lbw.
Gordon Harris helped Watling, who finished unbeaten on 43, move the score on to 235 when Jamil Faruq wrapped up the innings by having Rowant's last man caught behind by Will Hawtin. Belcher ended with excellent figures of 5-65 from 26 overs, while Heritage's memorable debut saw him pick 4-75 off 14 overs, with Faruq (1-50) the other wicket-taker.
Horspath needed a solid start in reply, but they lost an early wicket when Tom Coleman played on to Leo Bethell for seven with 17 on the board. Hopper then fell in similar fashion for ten to Rowant's left-arm seamer and Horspath were 37-2.
Robbie Eason and Darryl Brown took the score to 68 when Horspath lost three wickets for just one run. Eason was caught at slip by Smith off off-spinner Adam Muttitt for 25, before Stephen Green and Hawtin both fell without scoring to Whatman, who won an lbw appeal against the former and then saw the latter caught at fine leg by Coles.
Brown was joined by skipper Will Eason and they moved the score on to 92 when the Horspath captain's stumps were shattered by a Gordon Harris delivery. With the hosts 96-6 at tea things looked bleak for Horspath. Rowant were sensing victory and the hosts' spirits plunged further when Faruq fell to a sharp head-high return catch by Muttitt to make it 107-7.
It triggered a late collapse with the last four wickets going down for three runs. Off the next ball, Belcher was lbw for nought off Muttitt, who then had Rafiq caught at silly point by Smith. Three balls later it was all over when Heritage was bowled by Muttitt without scoring as Horspath crashed to 110 all out. Muttitt finished with 5-24 off 9.5 overs, while Bethell (2-19), Whatman (2-22) and Harris (1-12) were the other Rowant wicket-takers.
Posted by: Russ