Banbury and High Wycombe, two of the top sides in the early years of Premier League cricket, are finding it difficult to win matches this season, so perhaps it was inevitable that Saturday’s encounter at White Post Road should produce another draw.
Banbury’s bowlers for once kept the scoring rate to reasonable proportions of around three to four an over.
A mini collapse which saw three wickets fall in six overs seemed likely to give them a resonable target to chase.
However, Jason Harrison and Mark Wright dampened those hopes by adding 60 in 15 overs for the fifth wicket.
Wright looked set for a century until he fell to a catch in the deep in the last-but-one over.
A third interruption left Banbury a mammoth target of 255 in 47 overs.
After Richard Kaufman and Craig Haupt fell cheaply, it was a question of just batting through.
Chris Smith batted well before being trapped lbw by Paul Woodroffe’s first delivery for 47, after sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 63 with Marc Rorich.
With wickets falling at regular intervals Rorich steered the side to their fourth successive draw.
HIGH WYCOMBE
C Sketchley b Murrey…23
M Eyles b Launder…35
J Harrison c Harding b Launder…55
G Pooley b Launder…1
P Sawyer c Haupt b Hill…1
M Wright c Taylor b Murrey…92
M Morgan c Beck b Launder…17
J Hughes not out…17
A Cole not out…2
Extras…11
Total (7 wkts, 60ovs)…254
Fall: 1-55, 2-73, 3-80, 4-95, 5-155, 6-201, 7-247.
Bowling: Launder 27-1-91-4, Murrey 19-3-77-2, Rorich 7-0-18-0, Hill 7-1-29-1, Phillips 8-1-31-0.
BANBURY
R Kaufman c Pooley b Hughes…17
C Smith lbw Woodroffe…47
C Haupt b Hughes…13
S Beck lbw Cole…0
M Rorich not out…43
C Taylor c Pooley b Sawyer…1
D Harding lbw Sketchley…0
P Hill c Pooley b Woodroffe…0
O Murrey not out…13
Extras…21
Total (7 wkts, 47ovs)…155
Fall: 1-18, 2-49, 3-50, 4-113, 5-117, 6-119, 7-180.
Bowling: Cole 12-3-38-1, Hughes 7-1-33-2, Sawyer 9-0-29-1, Wright 3-0-16-0, Woodroffe 10-1-22-2, Sketchley 6-3-6-1.
¯Banbury 8pts, High Wycombe 14