CHERWELL LEAGUE – Banbury’s second XI got their Cherwell League Division Two campaign off to a winning start, beating local rivals Great Tew by 92 runs.
Great Tew won the toss and elected to bowl on which looked a damp and slightly green wicket.
Great Tew must have been confident after two wins in the village KO Cup whilst the Banbury players had not played for a couple of weeks due to the bad weather.
Andrew Sabin and Ian Tew opened the batting and looked to be positive. Tew (21) was unluckily bowled after playing a forward defensive, only to see the ball hit the stumps and dislodge the bail.
Captain Ally Jarvis, in at three, continued to take the attack to the bowlers.
Sabin (30) and Jarvis added 60 before Sabin was out caught and bowled by Tew’s overseas player Mark James.
Great Tew captain Kevin Taylor claimed the wicket of Jarvis (41), and went on to finish the game with 5 -31 off 14 overs.
Banbury rallied towards the end to finish on 177 all out in the 48th over.
Banbury took the old ball and opened with Ollie Murrey and 19-year-old spinner Chris Board.
Tew started in positive fashion with a quick fire-opening stand of 26 (Powells 16) and then Banbury replied well leaving Great Tew 37 for 6.
Chris Board took four of the six wickets to fall. James and Brock added 23 for the seventh wicket, before Brock was out leg before trying to sweep Murrey.
Banbury took the new ball needing only two wickets for victory and with the first ball Murray was in the act again having James caught by Board for 19.
Murrey finished the innings by knocking down Widdows’ middle stumps to claim his sixth wicket of the innings.
Murrey took 6-43 from 15.1 overs and Board 4-39 from 13 overs.
Banbury II take on Witney Mills at White Post Road on Saturday (1.30pm).
Banbury Twenty strolled to an emphatic six-wicket win at Dinton in their first game of the season.
Michael Thomas was the star of the show after taking 4-27 off 11 overs, including a hat-trick.
This left Dinton on 20-4 and they never fully recovered, eventually making 140-8 as Andy Smith (47) and Nathan Brooks (33) put up a rearguard action.
Thomas finished with figures of 4-27, Keith Arnold 1-39 and new captain Steve Hart 1-33.
Twenty lost both openers early as they slumped to 7-2, but Patrick Robinson (30), David Clark (37) and John Wright (38no) ensured a comfortable Twenty victory.
Cropredy’s 171-6 proved to be not enough as they were beaten by seven wickets against Tiddington (173-3) in Division Three.
Cropredy paid the price for not accelerating sooner and getting nearer 200. Pete Cooling’s 61 and Nathan Hawkes’ 37 were the highlights of their innings.
In reply, Tiddington recovered from a slow start to stamp their authority with J Maker 57no.
Banbury Twenty II skipper Alastair Hume led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 102 in his side’s 205-3 against Thame in Division Six.
In reply, Thame made no attempt to reach their target and crawled t0 111-6 off their 50 overs to secure the draw.
Hume was ably supported by Phil Densham (54) in a stand of 122, and Barry Grant (18no) in a partnership of 40.
Debutant Mark Connor was the most successful bowler returning figures of 3-29.
In Division Eight, Cropredy’s young second XI side (169-9), containing six under 18s, all contributed in their 51-run win over Bicester & North Oxon (118).
But it was veteran Mark Starkie’s 55 and 4-40 that stood out, ably supported by David Dickie’s 4-33.