Banbury bonus in even contest

Banbury gained some useful points in their battle against relegation from Division 1 of the Home Counties Premier League when they drew with high-riding High Wycombe in a rain-affected game at White Post Road.

While other teams in the danger zone had to settle for six points from washed out matches, Banbury collected ten from a well-contested match.

Put in to bat, Banburey batsmen struiggled on a slow wicket against left-arm seamer Paul Sawyer, who claimed three of the first four wickets to fall.

Craig Haupt, the one player to show some fluency, ran himself out, and Banbury were in big trouble at 122-8 after 53 overs.

But Jimmy Phillips and Ollie Murrey added a priceless 44 for the ninth wicket in 13 overs to take the side to 164-8 from their 66 overs.

Phillips’s unbeaten 29 was his highest score in the Premier League.

Sawyer finished with 3-25 from 14 immaculate overs Wycombe’s openers made 23-0 from ten overs before the first of two interruptions for rain, which reduced their overs alllocation from 54 to 42.

With all the Banbury bowlers producing tidy spells, the visitors’ innings never really got going.

Wickets started to fall – with Mark Wright making 42 the highest score of the match – and Banbury were fancying their chances of pulling off a shock victory, when the rain returned to end the game seven overs early.

Wycombe were struggling on 90-6 and so their hopes of a title challenge were dented.

Scroll to Top