The final weekend in July and Thame 1st XI hosted Oxford at Church Meadow. The visitors opted to bat and were heading for a big score on 125-2, but Thame fought back through Dinny Malan (4-43), Captain Hassam Mushtaq (2-51) plus 2 run outs to have Oxford all out for 218. Several Thame batters got starts including Alex Tervet (23), but the target was never in sight. At 125-9 with 9 overs left to save the draw, Mushtaq batted valiantly, but was sadly out on the penultimate ball! 6th in the table, the 1s go to 9th Challow & Childrey on Saturday.
The 2s were at Wolvercote and put the hosts into bat. Tom Wyatt (4-47) helped put Thame on top at 31-4, however a 111 run partnership came next with a frustrating unbeaten 64 partnership for the 10th wicket, getting Wolvercote up to 282-9 declared. Thame also struggled early on but never recovered. Kulveer Singh (23) was the best effort in 139 all out. Wolvercote leapfrog Thame who are now 7th. The 2s host bottom side Bicester & North Oxford 2 next.
At Lord Williams’ School the 3rd XI hosted Didcot 5, lost the toss and batted. Chairman Tim Dabbs (39) and Captain Rob Tomlin (33) put on 85 for the first wicket. From there it was all about Guy Holmes, who smashed an imperious 110* to take Thame up to a strong 245-6. Tomlin, Sam Ward, Ian McStay and Loe Fasanya took 2 wickets each as the visitors were staring down the barrel at 108-9, but frustratingly that final wicket would not fall and Thame took a healthy 20 points in the draw. Placed 5th, the side next go to 9th East Oxford 3.
The league leading 4th XI went to Bledlow Ridge 3 and were invited to bowl. Chris ‘Winkle’ Penny took a brilliant 6-32 to remove the top 6. The lower-middle order rallied for Bledlow, while Trevor Spindler and Shay Reading took 2 wickets each to end the innings on 148. Thame lost the top 3 cheaply, and with only 10 players, faced an uphill task. Sharafat Ali (42) stood strong as wickets fell around him, before Reading‘s dogged 13* saved the draw on 123-8. Taking 12 points, the 4s slip to 2nd and host 3rd Oxenford 4 next week in a big match.
Thame Women hosted Berkhamsted at Church Meadow on Sunday and were put into bat. Missing last week’s hundred hero Megs Woodward after her County call up, the innings will be remembered for Harshi Wijerathna‘s superb 131 from 121 balls! Thame posted 203-7 from the 40 overs. A strong Berkhamsted side were able to reach the target for the loss of 2 wickets in the 28th over – Ava Gabriele and Wijerathna with the wickets. Still in 6th, Thame face Faringdon in a Hundred game at Church Meadow on Friday.
