Oakley put on a 20/20 masterclass against Chawton on a cool and cloudy evening to cruise into the semi-final of the Guy Jewell Plate.
Deputising for Gerry Dique, Clive Welsman marshalled a fine fielding and performance where a young side utilised their athleticism to restrict Chawton to a below par total of 93 on a soft pitch that was playing low and never easy to score runs on.
The fielding was spot and wickets for Tom Barnes (4) Alex Brundle (3) Brad Compton – Bearne (2) and Mark Potter did the damage as Chawton tried and failed to push on to a good target.
Field of Dreams: The Oaks bowled and fielded superbly on a low playing pitch at Chawton
Clive opened the bat and despite losing Michael Wood early, Clive batted patiently, allowing BCB to go on the attack at the other end, expressing freedom and make the most of surviving the odd half chance he offered.
As the target came within sight, Clive took his chances, batting with more and more abandon as the Oaks raced towards a comfortable victory.
Clive even provided a moment of comedy drama with an exquisitely executed top edge into his nose which had Darrell Dimond racing from the boundary to execute the skills that he has honed in his day job.
Unfortunately, Darrell became somewhat confused and treated Clive with a copy of the Highway Code whilst asking him to reverse around a corner. Clive responded to his misfortune by getting a little bit angry, resulting in him slapping a straight six to wrap up a thumping victory that was laced with intent.
The players and loyal supporters gathered at the local pub for a couple of beers and reflected on a team performance that was just about as good as it gets.
We move on to the semi-finals with growing confidence.
Special thanks to Ian for scoring, Gordon for umpiring, and those who supported the boys.