Below-par Horspath slide to defeat

HORSPATH slipped to a 59-run defeat against old rivals Oxford in Home Counties Premier League Division 1 at the Oxford University Press Sports Ground. Chasing the hosts' 233-4 after putting them in to bat, Horspath fell well short on 174 all out. Horspath gave a debut to former England Test and One-Day International paceman Ajmal Shahzad after he joined this week on a short-term deal from Sussex. But he was unable to make the breakthrough as Harvey Eltham and Owen Tong-Jones put on 53 for Oxford's first wicket, before the latter was trapped lbw by Pat Foster for 23. Lloyd Belcher then took a wicket in his first over with Oxford's stand-in skipper, Jamie Perkin, edging to Horspath captain Will Eason at slip to make it 72-2. Mohammad Ayub, who played one Test match for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in 2012, joined Eltham to put on 66 for the third wicket, before the Oxford opener was caught by Will Eason at extra cover off Jamil Faruq for a patient 57 from 115 balls with five fours. Ayub and Shamilal Mendis kept the scoreboard ticking over until Shahzad returned to the attack to bowl the latter for 26, making it 190-4. A late flurry of runs took Oxford to their final total, with Ayub finishing unbeaten on 75 with two sixes and six fours in his 64-ball innings, while Mark Beer chipped in with 18 not out. Foster was the pick of the Horspath attack with 1-20 from his ten overs, while Shahzad proved more expensive with 1-67. Harrison Ward and Robbie Eason got Horspath's reply off to a good start, sharing a stand of 58 for the first wicket when the latter was caught at extra cover by Chris Humphreys off leg-spinner Mendis for 21. In the next over and with one more run on the board, Ward fell in similar fashion, with Mendis the catcher this time and Richard Musk the bowler. Shahzad then fell to a smart stumping by Perkin off Humphreys for five to make it 70-3. Tom Coleman was caught at slip by Beer off Mendis on the same score, and James Fitzjohn also went cheaply, caught behind off Samad Fallah, making it 81-5. When Foster edged Humphreys to give Perkin another catch, Horspath were deep in trouble at 92-6. But Tom Cosford and Will Eason gave the visitors hope by putting on 70 for the seventh wicket. Cosford had hit two big sixes and four boundaries in reaching his maiden league half-century when he cracked a reverse sweep off Mendis to backward point where Humphreys took a good low catch. He made exactly 50 from 51 deliveries, but his dismissal signalled the beginning of the end. Eason followed seven runs later, caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Ayub off Mendis for a well-made 38. Humphreys struck again when Eltham ran round at long on to catch Ian Slatcher, and Horspath's fate was sealed with Faruq becoming the ninth visiting batsman to be caught when Fallah held on to a chance off Humphreys. Mendis finished with 4-26 and Humphreys 4-33. The defeat see Horspath drop from second to fifth.

Posted by: Russ