Oxford Cricket Club Men’s ‘1st XI’ vs MCC Men’s Select XI
Date: Friday 18th July 2025
Venue: Jordan Hill, Oxford
Umpires: Eloise Porter and Tina Semmens
Scorers: Phillip Royal and Tim Newbold

Toss won by MCC XI who elected to bat
Format T20 (with extended inning break); whites and red ball

Under blue sky, with a gentle breeze and temperatures expected to hit 27°C MCC candidates H. Perry and B. Williams got stuck into a seam attack from the off, plundering 33 off the first two overs (14 runs off R. Hariharan and 19 runs off I. Dikgale). P. Smith struck first ball in the third over (a parry square to Hariharan), however after a first ball boundary from C. Bishnoi Smith lost his radar somewhat with three wides, two going to the boundary. Bishnoi and Perry continued their assault, reaching 79 off 6 overs.

Bishnoi fell to the second ball of J.Ward’s left arm leg-spin (seventh over), caught at midwicket (M. Beer). F. Smith and Perry pressed on, reaching 130 off 12 overs. The off-spin of H. Golding offered a brief respite, with only 3 off the 13th over, but normal service resumed, until Oxford captain D. Swanepoel wheedled out Smith (52 off 36 balls) and Perry (76 off 52 balls) in the 18th over, B. Ramalingam stumping Smith off a wide ball and catching Perry behind.

Ward struck again in the 19th over, A. Francis caught by Swanepoel for a first ball duck. Z. Atif and J. Barrett finished out the innings (19 off 10 and 3 off 4), MCC ending on 199 after their allotted 20 overs. Oxford were somewhat relieved, after the prodigious early run-rate, pace-off bowling slowing the run-rate and smart fielding throughout the innings staving off multiple boundaries that might have swelled the total even further.

There followed an extended innings break to watch the first innings of the Oxford Women’s first XI vs an MCC Women’s select XI and a hearty lunch and speeches.

Oxford could not quite match the pace of MCC’s sumptuous start, S. Narwaz’s solitary over going for six (per ‘play cricket’ - however, this participant believes it may have been B Street – as we had a spirited discussion about electric vehicles over lunch!), followed by Z. Atif and N. Shroff each bowling straight through their maximum four overs. Atif and Shroff’s steady approach kept the run-rate down, with many good shots not quite having the pace to reach the boundary. Furthermore, they worked their way through the top order, M. Beer falling to Atif for a spirited 15 (caught Barrett), Shroff dispatching Dikgale for 8 (caught A. Muir) and P. Smith bowled by Atif for 1, bringing Swanepoel to the crease.

Golding fell next over, flashing at a ball from Shroff (with a stunning catch at first slip from A. Hall) ending a solid innings from Golding – with Oxford 54 for 4 after 7 overs and in need of some inspiration. With B. Ramalingam joining Swanepoel at the crease, inspiration arrived in the guise of A. Muir’s first over of left arm leg-spin; with some return-from-injury rust appearing to shade Muir’s length, an already accelerating Swanepoel and Ramalingam scored 25 runs off the 10th over, almost restoring Oxford to DLS par.

Thirteen runs flowed from B. Williams solitary over, Street stemming the flow with a comparatively miserly 5 runs in the 12th. H. Parry followed fireworks with the bat with a brace of wickets bookending his two overs, Swanepoel nicking off to the keeper (H. Saunders) first ball (for an outstanding 50 off 21 balls) and R. Pye knocking back a straightforward caught and bowled at the end of Parry’s second, leaving Oxford behind the pace at 135 for 6 off 15 overs. Ramalingam launched a counterattack taking 15 runs off Street’s last over, and four more runs coming from byes. Muir’s arc improved literally and figuratively, bowling Ramalingam first ball on his return, and getting B. Newbury stumped with his third (0 off 2 balls). Hariharan and Ward were now at the crease, Oxford 155 for 8 with 3 and a half overs to go. Only 3 runs came from J. Barrett’s first over (18th of the innings), hope for Oxford fading away; Hariharan and Ward, however, batted bravely for the final two overs taking a very respectable 22 runs off them, Oxford finishing 188 for 8 (with an unbroken final partnership of 33 runs).

MCC were worthy victors, with a very impressive upper order performance with some wizened bowling proving too much for the home team on the day. A great day was had by all and entertaining cricket on offer throughout both innings, leaving us eagerly anticipating next year’s fixture.

Electronic scorecard available at:
https://oxford.play-cricket.com/website/results/6782790

Richard Pye

Oxford Cricket Club Women’s 1st XI vs MCC Women’s XI
Date: Friday 18th July 2025
Venue: Jordan Hill, Oxford
Umpires: Philip Robson and Howard Voisey
Scorers: Phillip Royal and Tim Newbold

Toss won by MCC XI who elected to bat
Format T20 (with extended inning break); team-coloured kit and red ball

On the 18th of July, we had the immense privilege of welcoming the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to Jordan Hill for a much-anticipated day of cricket. The atmosphere was lively from the outset, with the sun shining and supporters gathering to enjoy what promised to be a showcase of talent and sportsmanship. Proceedings began with the first innings of the men’s fixture, which certainly did not disappoint.

The MCC men’s side delivered an impressive batting display, posting a formidable 199 runs from their 20 overs. Their innings featured clean striking, clever running between the wickets, and well-constructed partnerships that kept the scoreboard moving. The Oxford men gave a strong performance in the field, taking five wickets through disciplined bowling and sharp fielding. However, the MCC’s batting strength would ultimately prove too much on the day.

All eyes then turned to the women’s fixture. The MCC won the toss and elected to bat first, coming to the crease with clear intent. Their innings was anchored by two excellent performances: Gaya Cole’s fluent 56 and Issy Routledge’s composed 53. Both batters played with confidence and control, guiding their team to a strong total of 172 for 3 from their 20 overs. Oxford’s bowlers responded with great skill and resilience. Stafanie Taylor delivered a standout spell, returning impressive figures of 4 overs, 18 runs and 1 wicket. Her performance demonstrated both class and precision. Further wickets came courtesy of Sophie Mitchelmore and Laura Jacob, whose efforts ensured that the MCC had to work hard for their runs.

At the innings break there was a splendid lunch followed by the second innings of the men’s game – Oxford men offering a spirited reply that could not match the MCC’s strong batting display. There were musical selections played throughout the day, principally from Ellie Simpson and Felicity Rae-Welsh, which added to the day’s atmosphere, whilst sparking some amusement and debate among the squad. Nonetheless, the Oxford women’s team quickly refocused and approached the chase with determination. Their reply began in electric fashion as they raced to 64 for 1 during the powerplay thanks to positive intent and sharp running. Despite the best efforts of the MCC bowlers, particularly Amanda Potgieter with 3 overs for 21 runs and 1 wicket, and Rachel Bellamy with 3 overs for 22 runs and 1 wicket, Oxford continued to build momentum.

Leading the charge was Genny Porter, who played a superb innings of 77, which included several boundaries and a huge six that drew enthusiastic applause from the sidelines. She was ably supported by Sophie Mitchelmore, who contributed a stylish 47 runs. Her ability to rotate the strike effectively helped ensure the tempo of the innings never faltered. Together, they guided Oxford to a well-deserved victory in the 17th over, finishing on 173 for 3. It was a clinical and confidently executed chase.

The entire day was a fantastic celebration of cricket, camaraderie and sporting spirit. Both matches were played in excellent fashion with high-quality performances on display throughout. A heartfelt thank you goes to the MCC for making the journey, and to everyone who contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day at Jordan Hill.

Electronic scorecard available at:
https://oxford.play-cricket.com/website/results/6782791

Felicity Rae-Welsh

Special thanks and awards:

Oxford CC's 2025 MCC day was a wonderful celebration of cricket and we thank our Sponsors Riomed https://www.riomed.com/(Mario and Shafeda Mohammed) for their invaluable support of Oxford CC. It was great to meet all the Mohammed family, reminisce about old times when Mario played for Headington United CC (a founding club of Oxford CC) and share stories and memories with the friends who came to share the day.

Shafeda made a rousing speech at lunchtime reflecting on Oxford CC's support of Women's cricket - particularly the progress that has been made and celebrating how Oxford CC is producing accomplished female cricketers, umpires, scorers and administrators, as well as continuing to work on promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity within cricket.

The day concluded with the presentation of trophies by Club President Andrew Moss. Andrew presented trophies to Oxford CC players and mystery gift bags to the MCC players with outstanding performances. 2025 saw the introduction of the Jim Jackson trophies for the best Oxford player bowling performances during the day. Oxford CC thank Jim Jackson for his continued support and sponsorship of Oxford CC.

Mike Nurton Batting Trophies
• Men: Dylan Swanepoel – 50
• Women: Genny Porter – 77

Jim Jackson Bowling Trophies
• Men: Joe Ward – 2/31 (4 overs)
• Women: Stafanie Taylor – 1/18 (4 overs)

Rosalyn Porter