06/09/2026
What a superb day for our Senior teams yesterday to finish off the season in some style. And it was a great night too in celebration with a few sore heads undoubtedly this morning.
Normally these reports start with the 1st team but in truth Saturday was all about the 2nds with the 1s having already won Division 5B. So that is where we will start, with their winner takes all clash against Old Bradwell New City 2s at Church Lane. Coming into the game we were second and our visitors were top of the table, but Cublington in third could still nip into the top 2 if we lost.
We lost the toss and were put into bat. And we started brilliantly, racing to 83 before losing our first wicket in the 13th over. Lewis Richards continued his fine season with a fourth half century (to add to an earlier century), smashing 56 (44 balls, 7x4, 2x6). With opening partner Gavin Paulse falling shortly afterwards for 22 (40 balls, 3x4) and Nelson striking twice we were reduced to 111 for 4. A plentiful supply of 44 extras helped keep the scoreboard moving but we were indebted to 14 year old Freddie's 26 ( 44 balls, 4x4) to help us reach a solid total. With last man Kris Greig sealing the Mallard Trophy with a second baller, we finished on 193 all out from 36 overs.
Old Bradwell made a reasonable start, reaching 29 before losing their first wicket to Venky (1 for 25 off 7 overs) and 2 more to Kris Greig (2 for 25 off 6) by the time they had got to 39. A recovery followed to 74 before Casey Bobrick Dawson (1 for 22 off 6) struck. The top scoring opener was still there but the run rate required was above a run a ball and the pressure was on the batters. We held back our secret weapon in Will Smith and when he came on he immediately had the opener caught for 47 with the aid of the second of 3 catches for Lucky Junior. We then ran through the tail with 96 for 4 becoming 108 all out. Skipper Kyan Dawson (2 for 27 from 8) led from the front and Will Smith (4 for 5 from 4) was simply far too good for the lower order. The last wicket saw injured club captain Mike Parsonage, who was umpiring, dramatically linger before slowly raising the digit of doom to send the last batter on his way leg before wicket. Victory by 85 runs saw us leapfrog our opponents and clinch the Division 9C title. A fantastic achievement by the team, and what a great way to do it.
The 1st team travelled to Old Bradwell New City to play their 1s. Having incorrectly called at the toss, we were in the field first. This was not an ideal time for our opening bowlers to be delayed and rock up just as we were about to start. Somehow we got them on the pitch in time but the first 5 overs were the worst our normally reliable pair had bowled all season as our hosts flew out of the blocks to 43. But suddenly they were back on it and it soon became 47 for 3. A partial recovery to 81 followed before Ronak Suthar (3 for 39 off 9 overs) struck again. We brought back on top wicket taker Dharmendra Patel (3 for 25 off 9) to claim a final pair of victims as he ended the season with 49 wickets at an average of less than 9 apiece! With George Robinson (1 for 28 off 9) also chipping in, courtesy of an outstanding diving catch running in from long on by Liam Smith, we had Old Bradwell on the rocks at 93 for 7. However, in ensuring the 2nds were as strong as possible and with a couple of key absentees we had run out of regular bowlers. With a trio of half-chances going down in close succession we were soon made to pay as we struggled to end the innings. A combination of loose balls and sensible batting saw the home team get themselves up to 200 from 42.2 overs. Charlie Skiller (3 for 46 off 6.2) stuck at it manfully to claim his first league wickets for over 9 years, the final victim coming from a fiercely struck pull shot which was well held by Mark Williams as the ball homed in on his face at some speed.
The tone for the run chase was set from the off, with George Robinson striking the first ball of the innings over the bowler's head for 6. From them on we didn't let up, with George reaching his half century in just 26 balls. Liam Smith supported him well, before falling for 20 (28 balls, 3x4) with the score on 95. Although we lost another wicket on 114 that just saw the fun really start. Charlie Skiller ruthlessly dispatched the bowling over the ropes time and time again, reaching 58 from 20 balls, with 8x6s including the winning blow and just 1x4. For a while Charlie's fireworks threatened to leave George stranded short of his century but he got there eventually, finishing on exactly 100 not out (74 balls, 10x4, 7x6). It had taken only 22.2 overs to chase down our target. We finished the season as the only side in the 23 Cherwell Divisions to have won every game that we played, a remarkable achievement from all those who contributed to the team on 2026.
