1s slip to a narrow defeat
Thame faced Oxford Downs at home on Saturday. After losing a fourth consecutive toss, Thame were forced to bowl first on a flat wicket. After a bright start by Downs, miserly spells by Faisal Ali and Mike Higgs kept the run rate under control. Oxford Downs finished on 255-5 underpinned by a fine 107 by Freddie Smith. Hassam Mushtaq was the pick of the bowlers with 2-48.
As has become custom for Thame this season, openers Mike Beard (56. pictured below) and Will Sutcliffe (24) got Thame off to a bright start. Tom Bamford (49) continued his fine form to move Thame closer to their target, but the continuous fall of wickets saw them fall just short – bowled out for 235 in the 49th over.
Thame travel to Chesham this Saturday.
Unbeaten run continues for 2nd XI
The 2nd XI travelled to Stokenchurch, seeking to extend their perfect start to the season. Winning the toss and batting first, Thame got off to a strong start with all of the top order contributing runs, especially in-form Christian Warwick (59). Following that, power hitting from Jonathon Jelfs (48) and Chris Jeffcock (28) sped up Thame’s run rate even further, leaving them on a competitive 260 from their 50 overs.
In return, early wickets from Chris Jeffcock and Sam Lachlan (3-59) put Thame in a strong position. Although Stokenchurch recovered, Thame were always on top thanks to wickets from Ben Warwick (2-50) and Jonathon Jelfs (3-28), as well as 5 catches and 1 stumping from wicket keeper Dave Saunders. Stokenchurch finished on 222, leaving them 38 runs short of Thame’s total.
The 2nd XI seek to extend their unbeaten win record this year against Oxford next week.
Humphries 6for leads 3s to huge win
The 3rd XI entertained Long Marton 3rds at Lord Bills’s and bowled first. The excellence of Thame’s bowling was matched by the lack of adventure from the Long Marston batsmen, who crawled to 30 all out from 28.1 overs, on a pitch of variable bounce. Nick Humphries (pictured below) took 6-11 from 10 overs, including his first-ever hat-trick! There were also wickets for Robbie Jackson (2-2), James McStay and Ian McStay.
In reply, Thame took just 8 overs to reach 31 without loss, led by Manil Subesinghe (19*).
They face much sterner opposition away to Oxford and Bletchingdon Nondescripts 2nds this Saturday.
4s fall short at Kimble
Thame 4 visited Kimble 2 and, losing the toss, were put into the field under hot conditions. Bowling across the team was solid, with the pick of the bunch being Chris Penny (4-24) and Danny Thompson (3-38) as Kimble wickets fell steadily. Kimble’s no. 9 batsman came in and struck a rapid 38, which put a much more positive slant on Kimble’s first innings total, which ended at 168 all out.
Shay Reading (40, pictured below) struck an excellent innings in the heat, and, supported by Sean Bellenie (16) they looked strong and steady openers, and Thame started putting runs on convincingly. However, a change of bowlers by Kimble brought about the desired effect and the opening pair were finally dismissed. Wickets seemed to tumble after that, and despite hopes of a late rally, Thame were eventually bowled out for 110, to record a 58-run loss.
Next week, Thame host Didcot 4 in a vital match.
Photo by Neil Smith
Impressive win for Women’s XI
Thame women took on fledgling side Eynsham in their visitors’ first hardball game, having enjoyed competitive matches against them in the Indoor League, where Thame ultimately won the final.
In a 24-over pairs game, the visitors opted to field first, demonstrating some strong bowling but not enough to stop Thame’s women making 131-3. A combination of good running and a flurry of boundaries from the stronger Thame side put the home side ahead, with notable tallies from Mags Lightbody, Bridget Cooper and Sarah Sanderson.
After the blazing sunshine of the first innings, Thame fielded in a blustery drizzle. Wickets came from junior Emily Neighbour, who opened the bowling, and Sarah Sanderson (including a maiden over) but top performance was from Mel White with 2 wicket maidens and a maiden – an impressive 2-1 off 4 overs! Thame women provided a good demonstration of the progression of their side in just 2 seasons of hardball cricket – hopefully inspiring the Eynsham side to follow suit!