Buckingham Town Cricket Club - June 24th 2006

Town won the toss and their skipper Rob Large invited Banbury to bat.

Andrew Sabin and Ed Smith got the visitors off to a flier, although Smith made the most of being dropped twice early on before Jason Ell's introduction saw him caught by Gear at mid off for 36.

Ell's seam dismissed Sabin (32) and Steve Beck (16) before Ash Pearson and Stuart Armstrong accelerated the visitors score.

Kiwi Jimad Khan ran out Pearson (43) before taking an excellent catch in the deep to dismiss Armstrong (47).

Ally Jarvis (20 not out) and Paul Hill (2 not out) took Banbury through to 222 for 6 from their 50 overs.

Ell claimed two for 32, Gear two for 62 and Pearson one for 72 for Town.

Bryn Jones (31) helped give Town a steady start but departed at 42 for 2 which soon become 73 for 4 after Khan (20) was well caught in the deep by Ashley Blanchard as Ian Adams claimed three of the four wickets to fall.

Dan Harris and Jonny Cater guided Town through as the home side required 87 runs off the last twenty overs with six wickets remaining.

The 31st over proved a turning point as Cater (22) was run out by Sabin's excellent direct hit from mid off and Harris (45) was caught at mid wicket off of the very next ball after a good knock.

Banbury introduced the spin of Hill and Blanchard and took the pace off the ball. The tactic worked for the visitors, although Gear (10) was unfortunate to slip going up the wicket attempted to force the run rate.

It was left to Pearson and Ell, who added 27 for the ninth wicket, to take Town through to 203 for 8 at stumps and seven points. Banbury claimed 18 points.

Adams, three for 41, and Hill, two for 36, were the pick of the bowling for the visitors.

Batting first, Risborough lost their opening bat Witney when he was caught by Dom Pritchard off the bowling of Valambhia in the 4th over. Morton(84) and T Brooker(40) added sixty runs for the second wicket until Thatcher removed Brooker caught by Judd.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and when Pritchard removed the dangerous Morton in the forty second over, the only other batsman to have reached double figures was L Brooker(23) batting at number nine.

Valambhia (3-34)completed an impressive spell of seventeen overs and Ben Stafford(3-39) claimed all three victims bowled as Risborough finished their innings on 175 all out.

In reply, Town got off to the worse possible start when the in form Mike taylor was caught behind without scoring and Adam Izzard was controversially run out also without scoring.

James Tomlinson followed soon after caught off the bowling on Brooker(3-46) and with the score on thirteen for three, Town had some serious rebuilding work to do. Dom Pritchard (23) hit a typically breezy knock to help get the innings under way but when he was replaced by Pete Arnold (39), Town really began to take control.

Maggs Thatcher took up the anchor role and together they batted resolutely to enjoy a stand of a hundred runs and put the game beyond doubt. Thatcher batted throughout the innings to complete an outstanding unbeaten 81 and secure maximum points.

The Oxon side scored 203-6.

Nick Wilkes bowled well with 6-56 whilst Ryan Spragg and Andy Norman did the same with no luck.

Town closed on 140-9 with top scorers Nick Wilkes(29) and A. Peshavaria(24). Town's cause was not helped after skipper Helps was knocked out after a collision but resumed later to grab a draw along with Andy Norman.

Innings of Morris Motors 2nds

P. Nichol-Harper        c N.Norman      b Wilkes         8
H. Khan                               lbw Wilkes        55
I. Younis                               b Wilkes        56
T. Khan                 not             out             31
N. Ahmed                st.Thatcher     b Wilkes        21
Abbas                                   b Wilkes         2
G. Shaukat                              b Wilkes         9
Danish                  not             out              4
                                        Extras          17
                                        Total          203-6

R. Spragg       15-4-51-0
M. Dipple       7-1-39-0
N. Wilkes       16-2-56-6
A. Norman       8-2-50-0

Innings of Buckingham Town 3rds

A. Thatcher                     b Younis        17
N. Norman                       b Younis        12
R. Thompson                     b Danish        12
N. Wilkes                     c&b T. Khan       29
D. Direkze                      b Danish         1
N. Pritchard                    b H. Khan        2
A. Peshavria    run             out             24
S. Helps        not             out             10
M. Dipple       c               b A. Younis      0
R. Spragg       c               b H. Khan        0
A. Norman       not             out              6
                                Extras          27
                                Total          140-0

A. Younis       12-2-36-3
Danish          15-3-34-2
H. Khan         8-3-15-1
Amjad           3-0-19-0
T. Khan         6-1-26-2
Nichol-Harper   1-1-0-0
Abbas           1-0-5-0