Benji: No excuses

CAPTAIN Benji Hector did not want to hide behind excuses after his Banbury side were emphatically beaten in their first league game of the campaign.
Farnham Royal, newly-promoted to Division One of the Home Counties Premier League, ran out 152-run victors at White Post Road as Banbury were completely outplayed in a rain-reduced match.

Hector felt preparation was not ideal for his side, such as having to try to make the ground playable after heavy rain, but his team did not perform with bat or ball.

He said: "I don’t think anybody will panic; a lot of things weren’t ideal.

"We probably only had one decent partnership with the ball when Paul Taylor and Luke Ryan strung it together for a while.

"Other than that, there was only Eddie Smith. The other bowlers, by their own admission, were off the boil."

Farnham made 223-7 in their 41-over innings, with captain Warren Miller leading the way with an unbeaten 99 from 134 balls.

For Banbury, spinner Ryan again shone, taking 4-57, while Taylor was by far the most economical before injuring his hand fielding off his own bowling.

Banbury’s innings was scheduled for 34 overs and Hector said they were going to try to chase down the target, but they lost early wickets and tried to bat out for a draw.

But Ryan Newhook fell lbw to the final scheduled ball, as he became the fourth lbw victim of the innings.

"We were going to have a go at it and the combination of a sloppy run out, together with one possibly poor stroke under the circumstances, one 50-50 umpiring decision and one good ball put us up against it at 20-4," said Hector.

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