Horspath crowned Oxon Village Cup champions after 42 years

HORSPATH'S long wait to be crowned Oxfordshire champions in the Voneus Village Cup once again was finally ended after a commanding 80-run victory over Aston Rowant in the county final at the Recreation Ground. 

Horspath celebrate in style. Pictures: Rob Judges

It was the first time since 1979 that the club had triumphed at this stage, having suffered plenty of final heartbreak in the intervening 42 years. However, Horspath weren't to be denied this time as Lloyd Belcher's side rose to the occasion in tremendous fashion. 

Now they can look forward to taking their place in the national rounds on the road to Lord's as the competition celebrates its 50th anniversary. 

It was far from plain sailing early on for the hosts, though, as they stuttered to 80-5 against an accurate Rowant attack after choosing to bat, before Tom Coleman and Patrick Foster combined with superb half-centuries in a match-winning unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 117. 

They took Horspath to a dominant 197-5 off 40 overs - a total which always promised to be too many for the visitors against the home attack. And that's how it transpired with Asad Rafiq producing an inspired spell of 3-23 to blow away Rowant's top order as they crashed to 29-5. 

Tom Coleman on the way to making an unbeaten 76

There was no way back from there, and Rowant were finally bowled out for 117 in the 37th over to spark joyous scenes of celebration for Horspath's players and their supporters. 

Horspath, though, had found it tough going for much of their innings. Sulaiman Hussain, the batting hero of the previous day's win over Amersham with a record-breaking 130, was first to go when he went back to a delivery from Anton Eisner and was bowled for nine. 

Coleman joined Jimmy Phillips and they took the score on to 40 when the latter was caught behind off Will Dobson for 17. Just one run had been added when Elliot Ruff chipped up a delivery from Ben Porter to mid off and Eisner took a fine catch diving to his right. 

Robbie Eason and Coleman moved Horspath on to 73 when the former was bowled by Tristian Rossouw, and Horspath were looking distinctly jittery when Jehan Mohammed holed out to Eisner off Porter seven runs later in the 26th over. 

But then Coleman found the perfect ally in Foster and the pair proceeded to take the game away from Rowant. The Horspath all-rounder gave early notice of what was to follow by hitting a delivery from Dobson over long off for six. 

Robbie Eason plays this delivery on to the offside

Coleman kept the scoreboard ticking over and went to a well-made half-century by sweeping Knowler for two, with his fifty coming off 70 balls. Foster then pulled the Aston Rowant off-spinner into the car park for six as Horspath stepped up the run rate, and then dispatched Eisner over extra cover for another maximum. 

Coleman brought up the century partnership by smashing a boundary through mid-wicket off Alex Chapman, and then it was Foster's turn to reach his half-century with a lofted four down the ground off Eisner in the last over, before finishing the innings in style with a six over long off. 

It had been a magnificent stand, with Coleman finishing unbeaten on 76 off 93 balls with nine fours, while Foster plundered 58 not out from 55 deliveries, with four boundaries and four sixes. 

Porter was the stand-out bowler for Rowant, taking 2-16 from his eight overs, with Rossouw (1-37), Eisner (1-44) and Dobson (1-47) the other wicket-takers. 

Will Eason made the crucial early breakthrough in Rowant's reply with just 11 on the board when wicket-keeper Will Hawtin produced a razor-sharp stumping to dismiss Sasha Barras. 

Lloyd Belcher traps Tristian Rossouw lbw

Rafiq then took centre stage. He bowled Oliver Shaw before taking the key wicket of Tim Morgan with the Aston Rowant skipper sportingly walking after edging a routine catch to Hawtin. 

Belcher got in on the act by trapping Rossouw lbw with his first ball, before Rafiq had the Rec rocking again by picking up his third victim with Will Hammersley caught behind. If Hawtin's earlier catch was straightforward, this one was sensational as he stuck out a glove low to his right to snap up the edge before being mobbed by his teammates. 

Five wickets had gone down for just 18 runs. Dobson and Thad Cooper steadied the Rowant ship by putting on 41 for the sixth wicket, before the visitors collapsed again with three wickets falling for just two runs. 

Cooper holed out to Robbie Eason at long off in front of the cycle speedway track off Foster, before Mohammed trapped Dobson lbw for 23, and it was 72-8 when Porter chipped a delivery from Foster straight into Belcher's hands at cover. 

Asad Rafiq during his superb spell of 3-23

Eisner became a second lbw victim for Mohammed to make it 88-9, before Knowler provided some light relief for Rowant by peppering the boundary with three sixes in a defiant 29 off 21 balls. 

However, when he attempted another big hit he was bowled by Belcher to spark Horspath celebrations which had been more than four decades in the making. Rafiq's superb spell was backed up by Belcher (2-19), Foster (2-19), Mohammed (2-25) and Will Eason (1-15).

Posted by: Russ