A young u13s side went to Charlbury on Sunday and came back to Horspath as county champions for another year. A team which comprised 4 u11s, 3 u12s and 4 u13s beat Pangbourne in the semi final before going on to claim victory in a close final against a strong Banbury side. The first game saw skipper Alfie Turner win the toss and choose to insert Pangbourne to bat. A tight bowling and fielding performance restricted Pangbourne to 79 all out, two wickets apiece for Alfie, Charlie and Dahnish. A spectacular diving catch from the Horspath captain at mid-off was so good it even brought spontaneous applause from the Pangbourne parents. The whole Horspath side fielded tightly as a unit, with Finn Hudson particularly impressive on boundary sweeping detail. The Horspath openers Alfie and George managed the reply very calmly and crafted a steady 45-0 after the opening 10 overs. George fell after notching up a creditable 20 and it was Alfie (29*) and Saif (13*) who were at the crease as the required runs were achieved in the 18th over.Banbury waited in the final having soundly beaten Minster Lovell within 7 overs in the other semi-final. Horspath won the toss for a second time and again elected to bowl first. Dahnish repeated his spell of controlled bowling and again claimed two wickets. Alfie, Charlie and an impressive Hadi Ali also chipped in with wickets. Saif held on to a great catch in the deep to dismiss the impressive Banbury opener and pile the pressure on the Banbury batsmen. Banbury posted 99 for 6 off their 20; a respectable total on a challenging wicket and slow outfield. Horspath knew they had a challenge on their hands and took to the field in the knowledge that the mantle of county champions depended on a sound batting performance. George and Alfie reprised their mature innings from the semi final and both retired upon reaching 30. Horspath again accomplished 50 runs without giving a chance of a wicket. Soon, Saif was at the crease and piled the pressure on Banbury by stroking a number of delightful fours aided by selfless quick running from Olly and Wahab. Banbury's bowlers responded with some very tight overs and with 17 required from the last 3 overs, there was no clear favourite. Saif held his nerve and chose the right moments to attack. With the 19th over bowled, Horspath had scored 98-3 and young Max Wyman arrived at the crease knowing two runs would achieve victory. The third ball of the over was pitched on a good length but young Mr Dogar read it well, planted his foot and hit the ball through the covers to claim the winning runs. A strong batting and bowling side in Banbury had fought hard but were beaten by a thrilled Horspath side in a tense and exciting final. The trophy will once again bear the name of the Path.
Posted by: Neillsen
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