The Oakley First XI made their way to the sun-drenched idyll of Longparish on Saturday, a setting so picturesque it almost distracted from the fact we were about to play a team more accustomed to the Hampshire League’s upper reaches.
Kaltner Cranks Up the Heat
Longparish, batting first, were soon made to feel rather less at home by a steaming-in Stef Kaltner, whose opening spell was as fiery as the hot early season sunshine. Ably supported by Alex Brundle, Stef quickly removed Callum McNeily and then claimed the prized scalp of run machine, Dan Bearpark.
With the classy Mike Taplin on river keeper duties, Longparish’s middle order found itself navigating choppier waters that the River Test that meanders past this fine old ground. Alex Rogan chipped in with the wicket of Zac Allen, and youngster Harry Tucknott showed poise beyond his years by claiming the dangerous Scott Sturt with a sharp caught and bowled.
Middle Order Fightback… Then Carnage
At 61-5, the Oaks were purring. But, as is the nature of cricket (and indeed life), things rarely remain simple. A partnership between Tom Cady and Ben Gardner, helped along by a useful 20 from McNeily, began to wrestle momentum away from the visitors. Suddenly, 135-5 loomed, the Oaks bowlers began to perspire a touch more freely, and visions of chasing 200+ began to swirl.
Enter: Stef Kaltner, Act II.
If Act I was promising, Act II was Shakespearean. Stef returned with a spell that can only be described as surgical. He finished with figures of 9 overs, 4 maidens, 9 runs, no wides, no no-balls — the sort of numbers you don’t see often. The tail was obliterated. Dave Bowers, stoic and steady as ever, took the final wicket and Longparish were all out for 164. A tremendous fielding effort supported a superb bowling performance.
A Batting Line-up With Middle-Order Ambitions
With Josh Carpenter and Matt Burrell gone and Will Cheyney sunning himself elsewhere until next week, the Oakley top order had a distinctly middle-order feel — full of potential, but perhaps not quite what the selectors would have scribbled down in their dream XI.
Longparish, sensing weakness, came at us with venom. At 4-3, things were going south faster than a deckchair in a force 10 gale. Jones and Tiley offered brief respite, taking us to 25-3, before the wickets began to tumble again like poorly stacked dominoes. At 26-5, our scorecard began to resemble binary code.
Tiley Fights the Tide
George Lethaby and Tiley added a tidy partnership, creeping us to the halfway mark, before George gloved one and (to his credit) walked — I’ll call it a noble act because I’m his dad. At 50-7, others might disagree. Tiley, meanwhile, soldiered on bravely for a gritty 34, showing the sort of backbone we sorely lacked elsewhere.
The tail wagged gently — Stef had a go, Alex Rogan batted with intent for his 16, and Dave Bowers was left high and dry, not out and possibly wondering what more a man has to do. Oakley finished on exactly 100 in 32 overs. Respectable? Perhaps. Competitive? Not quite.
Lessons and Positives
To their credit, Longparish were a well-drilled outfit who exposed our frailties. But let’s not pretend the gap was insurmountable. A couple more scores in the 20s and 30s, a little more stickability, and we’re right in the hunt. The bowling and fielding unit looks excellent — and if the batting can follow suit, there’s every reason to believe Oakley will have a season to savour.
So, onward we travel. Belief, resilience, and fewer collapses — the formula is simple, really.