Pre-Match: A Local Derby on the Hill
The hilltop pitch of Berrydown provided the setting for a summer’s evening clash between local rivals. A strong Oakley XI arrived in Overton looking to put the hammer down and continue their push toward the top of the table.
The blistering heat from earlier in the week had subsided, with cool breezes and overcast skies even forcing First Team Captain DJ to pull on a jumper instead of warming up. Skipper Ian Bennett lost the toss — Oakley would start with the ball, Overton confident of laying down a marker too tough to chase.
A Mixed Bag with the Ball, Followed by Ruthless Control
With a wicket that allowed for some movement and decent pop off the surface, the Overton openers looked uneasy for the most part. ‘Keeper Paddy Saines was kept busy, with balls regularly whistling past the bat into his gloves.
Despite that, a few skiddy deliveries and the occasional solid shot meant it took longer than expected to draw first blood. The outfield was lightning fast — any ball hit cleanly raced away. By the last ball of the fifth over, Overton had 30 runs on the board. But Harry Tucknott struck at just the right time — the batter, too confident, charged down the wicket and missed; off-stump clipped, bails down. 30–1 off 5.
A tidy couple of overs followed, just 16 runs coming, before Skipper Bennett turned to young Will McCarthy. He made an immediate impact — a dot ball first up, followed by a slightly slower one that enticed a false shot. A sliced edge looped high over DJ’s shoulder and landed safely in his hands. A maiden and a wicket to start — Overton’s momentum was stalling.
DJ entered the attack next. A boundary aside, he continued to stem the flow and picked up a wicket, a stumping (or catch… or both?) from Saines behind the sticks. Oakley were well on top. 50–3 from 9 overs.
Oakley Pressure Mounts
The next Overton pair were stubborn, though not especially threatening. Bennett made another change, bringing on Alex Brundle to target the stumps. And it worked. Third ball of the over was flicked off the pads for what looked like a certain four — only for Will Hodgetts to produce a stunning, diving, one-handed catch to his right. “A worldie,” said the skipper.
Overton Go All-Out Attack
With not much left to lose, Overton knew they had to go hard over the final six overs to post a competitive total. Dan’s final over went for just five, but the next three — shared by Brundle and part-time spinner Nick Green — went for 29, with a mix of well-run twos and the odd boundary getting them past 100 with two overs to go.
Then came a surprise. The skipper turned to Hodgetts for the penultimate over. His warm-up throw had gone ten metres in the air and landed two feet away, which no doubt had the batters licking their lips. But the deliveries were straight and full — and on the fifth ball, middle stump was struck. Their experienced batter on 30 was sent packing. A first wicket for the club, and one to savour — especially after being left out of the 3s at the weekend. A gentle reminder for Third Team Captain Dan Beckell…
Ten runs off the final over meant Overton closed on 124.
Captain Fantastic, Once Again
Nick Green and Alex Brundle opened the Oakley reply. The best way to set the tone? Smash the first ball for four, obviously. No runs off the second, which was frankly disappointing — but a second boundary soon followed. By the end of the third over, they had 22 between them… until Nick found a fielder and was walking before the ball touched hand.
In came Ian Bennett, fresh from a sensational 120 against Holybourne. A couple of quiet overs followed, just singles — but in the sixth, Ian opened his shoulders: a huge six straight over the bowler’s head and a four to close the over took Oakley to 45.
Another over, another four and six from the skipper, and the boys were well on course. Brundle was caught in the eighth, replaced by his brother Jack to finish the job alongside the in-form Ian.
But that job wasn’t his to complete — because Ian reached 50 and had to retire, though he did briefly try to query it. 50 from 31 balls. Yet another classy knock.
Coasting to Victory
Harry Tucknott came in for the final ball of the 13th over, with just 31 runs needed. Other than a very questionable run-out call (Nick didn’t raise the finger despite Harry already halfway to the pavilion), it was a smooth finish. Harry struck a few boundaries, Jack ticked it over with singles, and Oakley cruised home with two balls to spare in the 17th over.
A Dominant Performance
In truth, Overton had little answer to the quality Oakley showed with both bat and ball. A composed, accurate display in the field followed by a dynamic and confident chase left the result looking inevitable for most of the evening.
Next up: Easton & Martyr Worthy in a couple of Thursdays’ time. Onwards and upwards.