Sunday

Quokkas – Friendly – Home

Wantage won the toss and elected to bat. OT and Circus stepped up to open the batting for Wantage and got off to a very good start with 16 runs off the first over, and subsequently 41 off 4 overs. Alas it wasn’t to last with OT being given LBW (I’ve lost count how many times this season I’ve been LBW – just too many). After the fall of the first wicket there was a top and middle order bating collapse with batsman 3, 4 and 5 all being dismissed within the space…continue reading →

Eynsham – Home – Friendly

Olly continued his run as Sunday captain by losing the toss, unusually doing it on the boundary rather than in the middle, since both Captains had already checked the middle. Wantage were made to field, and as we went out Olly just about remembered to check how many overs we would be playing. The answer was 40, which was to prove his first mistake of the match, as we’ll see later. Stewie, back from his trip around the world and therefore full of South American cricketing inspiration opened the bowling and kept a…continue reading →

Crowmarsh – Friendly – Away

The Wantage team arrived at Crowmarsh keen and ready to put on a display for some special foreign guests (a Scotsman and an American) along with the usual Zimbabwean crowd. After winning the toss and deciding to bat, Timmy and Putty opened and put on a display of how dull cricket can be. After a few runs at the start they allowed Crowmarsh to bowl three consecutive maidens, a tedious 22 dot balls. This did, however, see off some dangerous bowling that might have taken the wickets of lesser batsmen. There were two…continue reading →

Steventon – Friendly – Home

Weather: fine but breezy Upon arrival (at about precisely 13:46) I was surprised to see Steventon geared up, ready and waiting (game wasn’t meant to start until half 2) – it turned out that they knew the club bar would be open! Unusually the toss never happened – the away skipper not wanting to bat first and Wantage wanting to bat first – skippering so far so good. The away skipper’s aspiration to field first was motivated by an apparent lack of batting amongst his compatriots – shame, but he wasn’t kidding! Wantage…continue reading →

Welford Park – Friendly – Away

After losing the toss but being in to bat first on a wicket that looked as hard as concrete, we were warned that the wicket had “variable bounce”. Their skipper wasn’t kidding. Some balls came on to the bat quite well, some shot through and the occasional one jumped up over head height. This led to an interesting innings. Coach and Benny opened but Benny was sent back to the pavilion after 10 balls with only one scoring shot (a four). Rich Lonnon also scored 4 before being caught. Nordic saw himself in…continue reading →

E&W Hendred – Friendly – Away

After some long awaited rain over the past couple of days, the sun was out and the Hendred wicket was slightly damp on the surface to give a little bit of interesting bounce, but nothing too nasty. Steve “Nordic” Bramley won the toss and elected to bat against a team that were an assemblage of youth and (to put it nicely) experience. Barry “Coach” Martin and Nordic opened and put on 56 runs, Coach playing shots and Nordic conspicuously defending, before Nordic top edged a ball to the keeper and was dismissed for…continue reading →

Cold Ash – Away – Friendly – Lost

The day didn’t start well, as Steve neglected to tell everyone that Cold Ash had an Astroturf pitch only. This unfortunately meant that a lot of the team had to spend the opening twenty minutes of the game removing the studs from their boots. This was an inauspicious start which was not improved by a sterling opening partnership of two balls, no runs and one wicket as O.T.Bix fell in the first over. Mongo soon followed, and Ian and Ben then added a fairly brisk 60, including some exciting pulls by Ben, before…continue reading →

23rd May 2010, Crowmarsh (Derek Shorter Cup), Away – Win

Again, not much time for a big report this week. Sorry. After winning the toss again, Wantage elected to bat first and give Crowmarsh a total to chase. 157 for 7 didn’t seem to be enough on a fast outfield, but Steve Yates opened the bowling and initiated a victory by taking two wickets on his first two balls. Both were amazing and unplayable and changed the game, for this he won man of the match. Wantage took 30 overs to get Crowmarsh out for 123 and won the game with everyone making…continue reading →

16th May 2010, Steventon, Home – Win

I’ve not got much time this week to write an extensive match report, However, I will say that it was a good performance from Wantage and less good from Steventon. Wantage chose to bat first (after winning the toss) and put on 211 for 8 and then bowled Steventon out in the 26th over for 131. O. Taylor Run Out 45 B. Rendell Caught 23 S. Bramley Not Out 67 B. Ross Bowled 0 S. Bulpitt Caught 16 G. Summersbee Bowled 9 B. Martin Bowled 40 N. Wilkins Run Out by the captain…continue reading →