 |
| Robbie Eason top-scored for Horspath with 67. Picture: www.sportsshots.org.uk |
The third-placed visitors rattled up 304-8 after being put in to bat, before Horspath were bowled out for 208. Liam Manley gave the home side early hope by having Datchet opener Joe Thomas caught by Mark Skelton at point with 13 on the board, but then the visitors proceeded to score steadily.
Skipper Steven Naylor took the total to 52 with David Brent, before the Datchet captain fell for 11 to his Horspath counterpart Will Eason with Tom Cosford taking a sharp head-high catch at slip. Eason struck again by trapping Jonty Jenner lbw for 24 to make it 88-3, but Brent, who had hit an unbeaten 99 to steer Datchet to a two-wicket win over Horspath earlier in the season, was again proving difficult to dislodge and he went to fifty with a six off Alfie Turner over long off.
However, the 15-year-old off spinner, having his first bowl in the league on his second outing, had his revenge by claiming his first Home Counties wicket as the Zimbabwean left-hander, in attempting to repeat the shot two balls later, holed out to Manley on the boundary. He had made 54 from 64 balls, which contained five fours and two sixes, leaving Datchet 129-4.
But then Horspath were frustrated by Bobby Sher and Joe Thomas, who put on 100 for the sixth wicket. Sher brought up his half-century with a single off Manley in the 33rd over, and he had moved on to 71 from 81 balls, which included three fours and six sixes, when he was bowled by Eason.
The Horspath skipper struck again to remove Thomas for 32 courtesy of a catch by Lloyd Belcher at cover, making it 242-6. But Vishal Aeri and Ollie Birts then put on 47 for the seventh wicket, before they both fell to Will Robertson with the score on 289. Birts was caught by Belcher at deep mid-wicket for 20, before Turner's safe hands saw off Aeri for 32.
It was left to Gurmehar Sumra and Ollie Smithson to ensure Datchet passed the 300-mark in the final overs, leaving Horspath with a formidable target. Eason was the pick of the Horspath attack with 4-53 from his ten overs, while Robertson returned figures of 2-54, with Manley (1-47) and Turner (1-31) the other wicket-takers.
Horspath turned to an eighth different opening partnership this season in Dominic O'Connor and Mark Skelton as they set about chasing the runs. But their time together in the middle was very brief indeed with O'Connor hitting the third ball of the innings from Smithson into Barrett's hands at mid-on without scoring.
Skelton soon followed, caught behind by Thomas off Smithson for one with ten on the board. Tom Cosford and Tom Coleman lifted Horspath's spirits with a lively stand of 57 for the third wicket. Cosford had hammered 42 off 30 balls, which contained seven fours and two sixes, when he skied a delivery from Smithson in going for another big hit, with Barrett taking the catch at long-off.
Coleman had hit seven fours in his run-a-ball 34 when he was caught by Naylor at slip off left-arm spinner Birts to make it 83-4. Four runs later, Will Hawtin top-edged an attempted sweep off Birts, presenting Thomas with the simplest of catches.
Robbie Eason and Robertson took the score to 119, before the latter was bowled by Birts for 13, and it was soon 122-7 when Will Eason was caught behind off Naylor for one. Lloyd Belcher joined Robbie Eason to put on 43 for the eight wicket, before being caught by Birts at mid-on off Gurmehar Sumra for 14.
Eason increased his strike rate following a slow start, bringing up this half-century with the second of three consecutive boundaries off Sumra in the 44th over. He led the way in another stand of 43 with Turner, before the youngster was bowled by Sher for six.
And it was all over for Horspath when Eason pulled a full toss from Jenner to the mid-wicket boundary where Brent took a comfortable catch to leave the hosts 208 all out. Eason had made 67 came from 104 balls with eight fours and a six. Birts finished with 3-23 and Smithson 3-40, with the other wickets shared between Jenner (1-4), Naylor (1-29), Sher (1-35) and Sumra (1-41).
Posted by: Russ