4s continue their unbeaten run but resolve to learn lessons.

A ten-man Kidlington 3rd XI won the toss and batted first on a sticky wicket at Stratfield Brake cricket ground. Sustained opening spells from colts Matty Wyatt and Theo Baldock were tightly controlled resulting in a miserly initial run rate with Baldock picking up his first wicket of the season. Peter Joyce and James Davies (making his debut appearance for the 4th XI) continued to exert pressure holding Kidlington to a generally modest, though rising, run rate with twelve overs between them and each picking up a wicket.

After drinks, Kidlington increased their scoring rate, aided by a couple of wayward overs from Richard Pye (a meek caught and bowled for the fourth wicket proving meagre consolation). Wyatt returned for a final over to restore some control and pick up a well-deserved wicket. Patrick Smith continued from the other end with a mature bowling display in the face of increasingly aggressive batting from the young Kidlington wicketkeeper who was on his way to an unbeaten 81.

Roger Young held down one end for a valuable five-over spell, with captain Ed Baldock eventually joining the fray to wrap things up with a couple of tidy overs. Although the fielding was tight at times there was room for improvement in what was the team’s first time past ten overs in the field this season.

Ross Buchanan, making his first appearance of the season for the 4th team, kept wicket ably and was very unlucky to be denied two clear stumping appeals in quick succession off Young’s bowling.

After the promising start, Oxford may have been disappointed that Kidlington reached 173 for 5 in their allotted 40 overs.

Andy Smith and James Davies opened the batting for Oxford. Kidlington’s opening bowlers struggled with line and length, with extras quickly inflating the score-line. Smith was the first to go, the victim of some ‘mesmerizing’ bowling, with the score on 20. Davies and Steve Cootes were able to forge ahead with a solid (even exuberant) second-wicket partnership of 55 runs, with some suitably muscular batting from Davies (who eventually holed out for 33).

Roger Young’s bad luck with dismissals continued this week after a well-defended ball popped from bat to pad and trickled onto the stumps. Patrick Smith was in at five and continued to contribute beyond his years, joining Cootes for a forty-run 4th wicket partnership that came to an end when Cootes was bowled by a ball that kept low (on 38) – Cootes' style shining through in partnerships worth 102 runs. With the score at 122 for 4, Ross Buchanan was next to bat. The younger Smith was caught two runs later and Buchanan’s patience and experience would be needed to steer Oxford home. Pye and Joyce partnered Buchanan for a couple of overs each, but at 136 for 7 with 16 overs to play, the result was not in the bag. Batting at nine, Ed Baldock joined Buchanan to steady the ship, scoring an unbeaten 26 to guide the team to victory in 32 overs. Buchanan (unbeaten on 15) thumped the winning runs with a resounding six, an appropriate exclamation point to a match that was probably more competitive than it should have been.

The 4th XI are keen to learn lessons from this week’s performance. Game-day warm-ups in each element of the game (fielding, batting and bowling) could now be on the cards, to supplement the trademark stretches! Getting promoted is clearly the goal. With competition for starting spots heating up, the 4s are looking forward to continued success against the sterner tests league-play is likely to offer.