This weekend saw the first time this season that all six senior sides at Oxford Cricket Club were in action, with fixtures in the Home Counties and Cherwell Cricket Leagues.

Kicking things off on Saturday were the Men’s 1st XI at home to Stoke Green. Captain Jack Wilkins lost the toss and the visitors chose to bat first in the sunshine at Jordan Hill. Wilkins himself made the first breakthrough, with wicket-keeper Josh Towell claiming the first of what would be three catches behind the stumps. Another two wickets for Wilkins, with a wicket for Brad Taylor in between, left Stoke Green wobbling at 32/4, before a 52-run stand between Najib Khan (38) and Aashir Zaib (23) steadied the ship. Four quick wickets then followed, two each for Brendon Smith and Julian Laird, reducing the visitors to 87/8. Some late hitting brought their final score to 146 all out, with Smith (3/14) and Wilkins (3/46) topping Oxford’s bowling figures.

In reply, there were starts for Gaajuran Ganagabalan (15) and Towell (18), but a dominant 81* from 61 balls by Laird, supported at the end by Jack Hobbs (15*), got Oxford over the line with more than 27 overs to spare to win by eight wickets.

Rupert Evans, Director of Men’s Cricket, was pleased with the all-round performance from the team:

“A superb all-round performance from Oxford CC saw them secure a convincing 8-wicket victory over Stoke Green on Saturday. With disciplined bowling, fielding, and composed batting ensuring a dominant win.“

Elsewhere in Saturday, the Men’s 2nd XI were away to East Oxford. In his first competitive game since taking over as captain, Richard Musk called incorrectly and the home side decided to bat first. An early wicket for Musk (1/36) set the tone, before a 72-run second wicket partnership was broken by Mukel Mahesh, with both catches being taken by youngster Patrick Smith. Mahesh (4/30) was the pick of the bowlers, with wickets for Rohan Hariharan (2), Charlie Lawn (1), and Mark Beer (1), as East Oxford closed on 200/9 from their fifty overs.

In reply, Arthur Muir and new signing Lee Marland opened up and made a 43-run stand, before the former was bowled for seven. Marland continued to make a fine 56 on debut, with other notable contributions from Smith (25), Beer (19), and Kasim Nawaz (18), took Oxford to within 30 runs of their target. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as the tail were bowled out, leaving Oxford short by 27 runs.

Musk hoped a decent performance would translate into results going forward into the next few games:

“Saturday saw us end up with an unwanted finish and result. Having got into a decent position to win the game we ultimately fell just short. There were some great performances by all new members of the team and some really encouraging signs for the season ahead. We go into next weekend's fixture with every confidence of a winning result.”

The Men’s 3rd XI travelled to Bledlow Ridge to kick off their league campaign. Captain Steve Hurt lost the toss and the hosts chose to bat first. That decision appeared wise as they raced to a 140-run opening partnership between Ben Hilary and Louis Grimmet. The former was removed by some sharp fielding by Ali Shah, redirecting the ball onto the stumps at the non-strikers end off his own bowling. This stemmed the flow of runs as Bert Odley removed the dangerous Grimmett (86), well taken down the leg side by wicket-keeper Maisie Wright. Odley struck again soon after, with late wickets for Shah, Albert Brown and Arthur Baldock. Oxford were set a challenging 259 to win on what looked a good batting deck.

In reply, Oxford lost Andy Smith (4) early, and Hurt for 37 to leave them 55/2. A 48-run stand between debutant Lisle Durrans and Shah took them past 100 before Shah fell. This was then followed by a 119-run partnership between Durrans and Ben Andre (50) to give Oxford belief they could reach the target. Durrans (102*) brought up a spectacular unbeaten century, while fellow debutant Arshad Siddiq hit the last ball for four to win the game by four wickets.

Reflecting, Hurt was keen to point out the individual contributions that made the win possible:

"So proud of everyone's efforts in the field to keep us in the contest. Tight bowling by Bert Odley and Ali Shah gave us control with the ball and the energy levels remained high. Then we were indebted to an outstanding century partnership between Lisle Durrans and Ben Andre that got us close before Arshad Siddiq added the icing on the cake hitting the last ball for a boundary."

The Men’s 4th XI rounded off the Saturday action, taking on Marcham at Marston Sports Ground. After missing keys led to a slightly delayed start, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. An unbeaten 60 from Ben Hardy led the way as they posted 195/8 from their 45 overs. Alf Symons was the standout with the ball for Oxford, claiming 3/19 from his nine overs.

In response, a spectacular collapse saw the side fall to 6/7 in the seventh over of the innings. Only Symons (11) and youngster Jos Parrack (13) made double figures as the hosts were bundled out for 62, a loss by 133 runs.

Captain Richard Pye was keen to draw a line under the game and move on quickly:

“Tough day at the office for the 4s in the season opener vs Marcham 1s. Oxford lost the toss and had to field. There was some rust in places, however, some very tidy bowling also featured and some great individual fielding efforts too. Marcham reached 194 for 8 off 45 overs. In reply, the tail wagged its way to 62 all out after a record setting total of the wrong variety seemed like a possibility at one point! Looking forward to building on the positives against Didcot 4 away, next week.“

On Sunday, the Women’s 1st XI played host to Charlbury at Jordan Hill in the second round of league fixtures. With regulars missing due to county commitments, stand-in captain Rosie Tubb won the toss and elected to field first. An early breakthrough for Imi Watts, caught behind by Taylor Barlow, left the visitors 16/1, but what followed was a sparkling unbeaten 287 run partnership between captain Abi Flory (142*) and Xanthe Bolam (121*), as Charlbury posted an intimidating 303/1 from their forty overs.

There were moments of promise in the chase as youngsters Nerys Garrod (17) and Isla Cutler (14) played mature innings against a disciplined bowling attack. A 55-run seventh wicket partnership between Watts (20*) and Victoria Bagge (23) took Oxford to the verge of a third bonus point, finishing on 123/7 - a loss by 180 runs. The tiara and wand were shared by Cutler and youngster Bridget McGuirk for their determination and effort on the day, while the wooden spoon went to Watts for smashing a ball onto the roof of the nets during what were meant to be gentle throw-downs.

Tubb had this to say following the game:

“Really proud of the ladies on Sunday, we fought a tough battle but we achieved what we had set out in the 2nd innings. Lots of positives and things to work on.”

The Women’s 2nd XI visited West Oxfordshire Warriors in a Super Eights Double-Header. After initially arriving at a deserted Eynsham Cricket Club, the team found their way to the correct ground in Freeland. In the first game, stand-in captain Jas Smith-East won the toss and elected to bat first. Top performers included seven runs each from Rose Brown and Emily Huxley as Oxford finished with a net score of 215. There were wickets in the second innings for Huxley, Smith-East and Emma Richardson, but the hosts ended up on top, winning by 66 runs in the pairs game.

In the second game, Oxford fielded first. There were wickets for Richardson (1), Brown (2) and Maria Ababi (2) as West Oxfordshire Warriors posted a net score of 272. In response, Huxley and Katy Mather each made 8 as Oxford finished on a net score of 235, a loss by 37 runs.

Smith-East praised the efforts of the team on the day and was keen to point out that the real winner on the day was cricket:

“We knew we were going up against a more experienced team so our goals for the day were to defend well and have fun with our cricket. We had great commitment and teamwork in the field and some corking moments of batting and bowling. Regardless of the loss, everyone should feel really encouraged by their performances and by how much the opposition enjoyed their afternoon playing with us!”

Finally, on Monday, the Oxford Exiles side hosted the Oxford University Medical Science Division at Jordan Hill in a T20 friendly. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first. Two early wickets for youngster Hans Parekh (2/18) set the tone for a good early display in the field, with Hector Bowser also only conceding 18 from his four overs at the top of the innings. There were wickets for Jack Beadsworth, Matty Wyatt, and Bert Odley (2), as Oxford were set 120 to win in the fading light and cold weather.

Oxford lost Roger Young and Charles Parrack early, but a measured 23 from Krishna Katyal saw them make progress towards the target. An unbeaten 32 from captain James Oates set the tone for Odley and wicket-keeper Maisie Wright to finish things in the final over to win by 7 wickets.

Next week, the league action continues, as the Men’s 1st XI visit Chesham, the Men’s 2nd XI host Sandford St Martin at Jordan Hill, the Men’s 3rd XI host Braddenham at Marston Sports Ground, and the Men’s 4th XI travel to Didcot. On Sunday, the Women’s 1st XI travel to Berkhamstead, while the Women’s 2nd XI play host to Stewkley Vicarage at Jordan Hill in a Super Eights Double-Header.

Images courtesy of Ben Andre & Clive Jones.