Oakley Ladies are off to a flying start this season, winning both of their opening matches.
Match 1: Stratfield Turgis (Away)
Captain Sarah won the toss and elected to chase. Stratfield’s first two batting pairs proved frustrating, regularly finding gaps and hitting boundaries. However, Oakley kept their cool and took wickets consistently throughout the game, restricting Stratfield to 310-9.
It was a fantastic team bowling effort, with six different wicket-takers. Standout performances came from Lori-Ann, who conceded just 8 runs and took a wicket in her 2 overs, and Bex D, who took 3 wickets and gave away just 13 runs in her 2 overs.
Buoyed by a great fielding and bowling performance, Oakley went into bat with confidence. The first three pairs took us to 246-3, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.
Jenny and Heena were next in, with Jenny smashing a six off her first ball to push the score to 276-3 with 4 overs remaining—game on.
Jude and Bex B brought it home in style. Jude was in full flow, hitting back-to-back sixes in the 18th over and rotating the strike well with Bex. Oakley finished on 317-3, with Jude notching her highest ever score of 26.
A brilliant team performance all round. Player of the Match: Jude, with a well-deserved honourable mention for Jess on a fantastic debut.
Match 2: Overton (Home)
Last Sunday, Oakley welcomed Overton to the Theatre of Dreams. Overton won the toss and opted to chase—an unusual scenario for Oakley, who much prefer batting second.
The opening pair of Sarah and Joan started strong, smashing 53 runs in 4 overs, with 4s and 6s flowing freely. After the first three pairs, Oakley stood at a dominant 283-1.
Next up, Jenny and Brenda kept the momentum going. Despite Jenny losing her wicket on the first ball, she bounced back with some elegant shot placement, regular strike rotation, and boundaries galore, pushing the score to 316-2.
Jude and Bex B came in as the final pair and added more to the total, finishing on 368-2—a record high score and the fewest wickets ever conceded by Oakley.
In response, Overton started steadily, but Oakley’s bowlers and fielders kept the pressure on, regularly taking wickets and containing the runs. Overton’s third pair did some damage, but Oakley finished strong, taking 7 wickets and holding Overton to 305-7.
Sarah top scored with 26, closely followed by Jenny and Bex on 24. Jude was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 wickets for 23 runs from her 4 overs.
Another cracking performance from the whole team. Player of the Match: Jenny, with a special shout-out to Adele on an excellent debut.
Up the Oaks!