After many hours work by Sean Cranley, Jim Howe, Martin Phillips and Owen Kyffin, plus some help from the sun and wind, White Post Road was fit to host its first game of the season.
Great Brickhill, the other team promoted last year were the visitors, and on a drier pitch than expected, had no doubt but to field when they won the toss.
Banbury had a steady start, before Adam Wirth was bowled for 3 in the eighth over. Ed Phillips joined Andrew Sabin and the pair worked hard in tricky conditions against the swinging and seaming ball, playing with caution, but putting away the bad balls.
Sabin was first to be dismissed for 26 (95 balls) and Phillips followed shortly after for 43 (77 balls) but the pair had put on a valuable 61 runs.
Anish Desai, played the innings of the day, which included several well timed drives for 4 and a straight 6. He bought up his 50 off 52 balls. He was finally dismissed for 64 (61 balls, 6 4’s 1 6). It was an innings that left the Banbury spectators buzzing in anticipation of his next innings.
Banbury lost wickets at regular intervals in the final 10 overs, trying to reach maximum batting points, but had to settle for 199 – 9 off the 53 overs.
Brickhill would of fancied chasing 200 with their powerful top order, but it was not to be.
Olly Wright (13-7-24-1) and Olly Murrey (8-3-24-2) bowled a superb opening spell which saw all three of Brickhill’s big players, removed for a total of 16 runs.
Olly Wright removed Garth Davson in his second, over, before Olly Murrey had Graham Carter caught behind for 12, after he had been given a life at slip. Murrey then bowled Anton De Beer which left Brickhill reeling at 18-3 of 12 overs. At this point, Olly Wright had yet to go for a single run.
With their main 3 batsmen out, Brickhill had little intention of chasing the 200 required for victory.
Banbury switched around the bowling with Ross Freeman (7-3-16-0) and Jacques Prinsloo (13-7-18-3) replacing the openers. It was Prinsloo that made inroads into the middle order dismissing both Ward 24 (89 balls) and Aris 16 (47 balls) LBW. It was a fine spell of bowling by the left arm spinner on his debut.
Ben Stafford (6-2-7-1) also making his league debut picked up the wicket of Blackwell, with a good diving catch by Wirth at short extra cover.
With the batsmen just looking to survive, and bowlers getting more frustrated, Banbury managed to pick up a couple more late wickets, as Brickhill finished on 98-8.
Banbury 18 Brickhill 4