St Clement's Strollers 21 June 2023

Manager Junaid Aziz

Won by 18 runs

SOA 176 for 5 (Alexander Basford 47, J Smith 34, Alex Ross 30*)

St Clement's Strollers 158 for 3 ()

Entering the Magdalen college ground we were met with delightfully fresh and sunny conditions for our match against St Clements Strollers.  Skipper Sam Down won the toss and elected to bat. 

As per convention the Presidential opening pair of Nick Bishop and Tom Scrase opened up for the SOA. The Strollers bowling was tight, and a good contest ensued. Alex Basford joined Nick and batted with effortless fluency getting to 47. JJ Smith played excellently for a fine 34 and was supported by Alex Ross, to get the SOA total to an imposing 176 off 20 overs.

The Strollers started well however they never really threatened to overhaul the daunting target, finishing at 158 in their 20. SOA debutante Tom Bendall and Sam Down both putting on a delightful spin exhibition, with Tom getting 2 wickets in an over. 

This was a very good performance from a strong SOA team and on this occasion, the Strollers who had batted and bowled very capably came in a close second. Special Thanks to Phil Goodliffe for driving out specially to support the team and to Bob Belcher for umpiring.