Against all odds, a cricket game went ahead today. Quite how, no one quite knows, but in the cold air underneath dark clouds, Ashford Hill stayed dry for just long enough to host The Oaks.
Oakley batted first, opening with Matt Burrell and Dan Beckell. Both batted well in a solid opening partnership before departing in the 20s. This left Josh Carpenter and Noah Beckell at the crease, with Josh looking typically imperious.
Noah supported Josh well after a scratchy start, and the partnership only ended when Noah (20) was caught trying to push on, and Josh walked off unbeaten on 50. A good knock. With overs running out, George Lethaby holed out, Steve Savage was done by a low one, and Bob Lethaby took a quick single that Adam Triner didn’t want. Goodnight Vienna.
This left Adam and James Middleton unbeaten, with Oakley posting an unremarkable 130-8 off 35.
The Oaks opened the bowling with Zak Newton and Ollie Thakur. It was a mixed spell, but Zak in particular began to bowl a good line and length after some winter rust fell off. If Ollie can lose the loose stuff, he could definitely be handy.
Replacing the openers were James Middleton and George Lethaby. James was a bit up and down, but George bowled well, cleaning up Ben Osborne in a stingy 4-over spell that bodes well for the new season.
Bob ‘The Oakley Express’ Lethaby replaced James and bowled a few decent overs before some rank half-trackers put an end to what was looking like a tidy spell, compounded by a dropped dolly followed by 2 boundaries. Zak returned and completed his 7 overs in a tidy fashion. However, after a couple of hefty blows, it was all over, red rover.
So, a defeat but not one to worry about. It was an Oakley side featuring only 2 first-team players, both having a good workout. The rest of the team was made up of second and thirds who all got some action with encouraging displays. We know the First XI will be competitive this season so it’s encouraging to see enough in other players to excite the relevant skippers.
It was a tough day to play cricket, but both teams got on with it in what was a good-spirited encounter. If you can play in temperatures in single figures under dark skies, everything from there onwards will feel like a comparative luxury.
Well done to Ben Osborne and his team for getting the game on. We wish them well for the season ahead.
On we travel.