Horspath 18 July 2024
Manager Ayyaz Mallick
Match Drawn
Horspath 240 for all out (Teo Loeffen 5 for 62)
SOA 177 for 7 (Shiraz Hussain 54)
A sun-drenched day saw an SOA team of young and old, the talented and the merely enthusiastic, face a strong Horspath side. Winning the toss, it was no surprise that Horspath chose to bat.
Excellent opening spells by Dan and Teo, however, Horspath them reeling at 24 for 3 -- an unplayable in-ducker from Teo being the highlight. But Horspath's left-handed Aussie Lachlan Biggs played like a dream and took full advantage of the flat wicket and quick outfield. A boundary-studded hundred eventually led Horspath to 240 all out in the 40th over. Teo's fiver deserving a special mention.
The SOA reply was steady but unspectacular. A half century from Shiraz and smaller contributions by others kept us in the game. But the burst of acceleration required to chase a big target was stifled due to a flurry of wickets through the middle overs. JJ and Dan played a responsible hand to lead us to a very respectable draw.
An enjoyable game in a lovely setting on a beautiful day.