 |
| Lloyd Belcher took his wicket tally to 39. Picture: www.sportsshots.org.uk |
The left-arm spinner returned figures of 3-51 to take his tally for the campaign to 39 - beating his previous best of 38 when Horspath were Division 2 champions in 2016. It also saw the 20-year-old regain pole position in the battle to be the top flight's leading wicket-taker after Henley paceman Tom Nugent had picked up 5-28 to move on to 37 as relegated Horspath were bowled out for 217 after electing to bat.
Horspath's top order have struggled for runs this season, but Dominic O'Connor and Robbie Eason combined to produce the side's best opening partnership of the campaign. Eason brought up Horspath's fifty in style by hitting a delivery from Euan Woods down to the nets for six, and the hosts had reached 64 - doubling the side's previous best opening stand this term of 32 at Slough in May - when O'Connor was lbw for 34 attempting to sweep the Henley off-spinner.
Tom Cosford joined Eason and was quickly into his stride. The hundred came up with Eason again striking cleanly down to the nets for six off left-arm spinner Euan Brock. Cosford had cracked 37 off just 27 balls with three fours and three sixes before he was caught at extra cover by Nugent off Harry Jordan to make it 116-2.
Tom Coleman had made 11 when he was bowled around his legs by left-arm spinner Ali Akbar Raja, leaving Horspath 133-3. Eason was closing in on back-to-back half-centuries following his 67 against Datchet last week when he fell lbw to Woods for 48 from 95 balls, which contained five fours and two sixes, to make it 153-4.
Stephen Green and Will Hawtin then put on 49 for the fifth wicket, before Nugent returned to blow away the rest of the order. He bowled Green for 28 and one run later Hawtin suffered the same fate for 19. Jamil Faruq had made just one when Nugent shattered his stumps to leave Horspath 205-7, and without addition to the score Belcher was also bowled by his rival for the division's leading-wicket honours.
The collapse continued with skipper Will Eason another clean bowled victim, this time by Matt Rowe. Alfie Turner hit two boundaries off Nugent in the final over before the Henley fast bowler exacted his revenge by completing his five-wicket haul when the youngster was caught by Woods for nine off the last ball of the innings. It meant Horspath's last six wickets had gone down for just 15 runs, with Nugent backed up by Rowe (2-33), Woods (1-18), Jordan (1-20) and Raja (1-32).
Henley's run chase was delayed by a shower between innings, but once they got under way left-arm seamer Liam Manley struck an early blow when skipper Michael Roberts, in trying to cut, edged behind to Hawtin for one with just two on the board. Manley then hit the deck after deflecting a full-blooded drive from Rowe on to his head, but thankfully, he soon recovered and was able to continue bowling.
Rowe and England Under 19s wicket-keeper/batsman Jack Davies put on 61 for the second wicket, before Belcher bowled the former for 30 to move within one wicket of his own club record. However, Davies and Richard Morris kept him waiting for further success as they shared a stand of 83 for the third wicket.
Davies, who is on Middlesex's books, had just gone to his half-century with a single into the legside off Will Eason when Belcher equalled his own record as Morris drove at a well-flighted delivery and was caught behind for 44 from 32 balls, which included four fours and three sixes. Henley had added just four more runs when Davies was bowled for 56 by a cracking delivery from Turner, which turned away from the left-hander, whose runs came off 73 balls and contained nine fours.
Belcher was bowling superbly and Horspath's spin king beat his own club record when Andy Rishton chopped on to his stumps for 13 to make it 184-5. However, Woods had been untroubled and he saw the visitors to victory with an unbeaten 48 off 50 balls, which contained six fours and a six, as Henley coasted to 219-5 with 12.5 overs to spare.
Record-breaking bowler Belcher was again the pick of the Horspath attack with his achievement even more meritorious considering the side's struggles this season, while Manley picked up 1-24 and 15-year-old Turner showed promise with 1-48 from his seven overs.
Horspath complete the season with a trip to Aston Rowant next Saturday.
Posted by: Russ