BANBURY bowler Ollie Murrey experienced a bittersweet win over Home Counties Division One bottom club Potters Bar at White Post Road on Saturday.
Murrey was the unanimous man of the match after a devastating spell of seam bowling saw him take 4-28 in the comprehensive eight-wicket victory.
However, his season looks to be over after he later broke his hand when fielding on the boundary.
Banbury captain Richard Kaufman had nothing but praise for Murrey.
“He has been our best bowler in recent weeks and he is so unlucky,” said Kaufman. “He was bowling with great rhythm and very quickly.”
Fellow seamer Ian Adams (3-42) also proved too much of a handful for the Hertfordshire side.
Having been put in, the visitors were soon in trouble, losing their first four wickets for just 14 runs after nine overs.
Kaufman said: “Six weeks ago Ollie and Ian were opening the bowling for the seconds but their captain Neil Megson has been pushing them for inclusion in the firsts.
“In the last few weeks they have really clicked as a partnership.”
Potters Bar’s plight worsened as they slipped to 42-7 after 20 overs but young David Breeze, having been dropped on seven, hit nine fours in his unbeaten 49.
With a possible 84 overs to reach their target of 127, Banbury were given a good start by an opening stand of 68 in 15 overs between Chris Smith and Paul Taylor.
Then Potters Bar veteran Jeff Hackett struck twice in his first three overs. However, Kaufman made sure there were no alarms, hitting an unbeaten 29 off 20 balls.
Taylor made his third successive score of over 50, finishing unbeaten on 63 from 75 balls with one six and nine fours.
Banbury remain fifth despite back-to-back wins. Kaufman says the team will treat their final five games like cup finals.
“We will look to win them and be positive, ” he said. “Draws are no good to us. We have to play High Wycombe and Slough, who are above us, so who knows where we could finish.”
A trip to third-from-bottom Oxford faces Banbury on Saturday with Calum Taylor expected to return after suffering from food poisoning last week.
Kaufman said: “We won’t underestimate them. They are a side who, if you catch them on a wrong day, can give you a good thumping.
“But everyone in the team knows their job. Our batting has been efficient all season and our bowling has come together recently and I have more confidence in them to bowl out sides.”