Robbie rocks The Rec with brilliant century

Victorious Horspath 1st XI

ROBBIE Eason hit a brilliant unbeaten century as unbeaten Home Counties Premier League Division 2 leaders Horspath stepped up their title charge with a thumping 99-runs win over Buckingham Town at the Recreation Ground.

Eason hammered 126 not out - a club record for the league - from 154 balls to take Horspath to a formidable 260-5 after they had been put in to bat. He played the leading role in a first-wicket stand of 111 with Jamie Stead (25), before his opening partner was run out attempting a quick single by a direct hit at the bowler's end from Leigh Tomlinson at mid-off.

Horspath then lost four wickets for one run in slumping to 124-5. Jimmy Phillips in trying to hit Jack Parish over the top was caught at mid-off by Tomlinson, before Rameez Raja, in his last game before returning home to play for Karachi, was caught at first slip by Parish off Will Thompson for nought. Shahbaz Ali was then trapped lbw by Thompson for a duck and Joey Todd was caught at first slip by Rob Large off Parish - also without scoring.

But Adam Price came in and quickly went on the offensive. He raced to a second successive fifty off just 29 balls, being dropped at extra cover on the way. Eason, who survived a difficult caught behind chance on 80, reached his century with two runs through mid-on, before batting through the innings with his splendid knock including two sixes and 19 fours.

Price, meanwhile, bludgeoned an unbeaten 75 off 53 balls with three sixes and 11 fours in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 136. Jack Parish (2-23) and Will Thompson (2-29) bowled tidy ten-over spells for the visitors, but the rest of the attack were flogged to all parts of the ground.

Horspath's bowlers then quickly asserted a grip on the Buckingham batsmen. Skipper Will Eason, bowling with two broken bones in his right hand after taking a blow while batting at Aston Rowant last week, made the breakthrough with the total on 22 when he had Jack Wilkins caught at short extra cover by Rameez. The former Pakistan Twenty20 international then showed safe hands to accept a chance from Tomlinson at mid-off off Lloyd Belcher, making it 41-2.

It was then 73-3 when Jamil Faruq bowled Buckingham captain Jonny Cater for 16, and Belcher struck again to claim the important wicket of Rob Large, with Will Eason taking the catch at slip to make it 81-4. One run later, Ashley Pearson was caught by Shahbaz at mid-on off Faruq, and Rameez bowled Simon Myatt with the first ball after the drinks break to leave Buckingham struggling at 92-6.

Wicket-keeper Joey Todd then took centre stage with three stumpings to dismiss Parish off Mark Skelton for 16 and Ben Stafford and Callum Price, who top-scored with 33, both off Rameez. It was left to Belcher to wrap up the innings by trapping Joshua Nix lbw for 17 as Buckingham fell to 161 all out. The left-arm spinner finished with 3-50, while Rameez picked up 3-28 and Faruq 2-22.

The victory means Horspath will be up if they win next Saturday at promotion rivals Amersham, who are now 15 points adrift in third following a 50-run defeat at Thame Town. Oxford are in second place, six points behind Will Eason's team.

Posted by: Russ