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| Rameez Raja 87 and 4-55 on debut |
The former Pakistan Twenty20 international hit a classy 87 as Horspath recovered from a shaky start to make 260-8 off their 50 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first. With Oxford then facing a revised target of 249 from 45 overs following an early break in their innings for thunder and lightning he took 4-55 as the visitors fell just short on 243 all out.
It was Oxford's Scotland Twenty20 star George Munsey who was first to make an impact, reducing the hosts to 21-3 by removing Robbie Eason, Shahbaz Ali and Jimmy Phillips with his right-arm seam. Pat Foster became Munsey's fourth victim when he was caught at mid-wicket by Mark Beer to make it 57-4.
But Raja and Stephen Green rebuilt the innings, sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 101, before the Pakistani's 88-ball knock, which included five sixes and seven fours, came to an end when he was adjudged lbw to Faisal Khalid.
Horspath skipper Will Eason was caught at first slip by John Barrett off Harvey Eltham, but Green and Adam Price maintained the momentum. Green fell for a well-made 46 when he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Vishane Perera off Harry Stephens, while Price smashed 51 off 30 deliveries with four sixes and four boundaries, before he was bowled by Stephens. It was left to Jamil Faruq to ensure the innings finished with a flourish with an unbeaten 13 from just five balls, Munsey returning 4-36.
Oxford had reached 3-0 off 1.2 overs when the umpires took the players off due to thunder and lightning, resulting in the loss off five overs and a revised target.
Will Eason had Munsey caught at short mid-wicket by Price in an excellent opening spell of 3-21, which also saw him remove Vishane Perera, who sent a leading edge to Foster at extra cover, and Shabaz Alam caught and bowled to make it 60-3. Raja then struck four times with his off-spin to leave the visitors 101-7, having Barrett caught by Will Eason at slip, before he bowled Stephens, trapped Khalid lbw and shattered Shamilal Mendis's stumps.
But Ian Crosby and Mark Beer staged a fightback, putting on 67 for the eighth wicket before the former was bowled by Price for 40 off 25 balls with two sixes and five fours. Beer and Harvey Eltham kept up the attack, taking the score to 227 when Foster's slower ball ended Beer's defiance, bowling him for a cracking 67 off 54 balls, which included five sixes and three fours.
Needing ten to win off the final over bowled by Faruq with the last pair at the crease, Eltham then fell to a superb low tumbling catch by Price on the mid-wicket boundary off the penultimate delivery to spark Horspath celebrations.
Posted by: Russ
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