The Oaks travelled to Andover on another warm Saturday in search of their first win of the season. The first two weeks showed promise—one featuring a strong bowling display, the other a solid batting performance. The next step? Put them both together.
Andover Bat First
Andover won the toss and chose to bat. The Oaks knew they had to improve on last week’s bowling and fielding if they were going to have a shot at chasing down a score.
Stef opened up with his usual metronomic overs, while Rogan unleashed his slingshots from the other end—often making life uncomfortable for even the best batsmen. The Andover openers approached their task very differently: one swinging at fresh air for four overs, the other taking a more cautious approach. It wasn’t long before Stef made the breakthrough, bowling the more aggressive batsman who went for one swing too many.
Tight Bowling and Steady Progress
The number 3 came in and continued at a slower pace. The Oaks kept things tight, forcing the batters to work for every run. When drinks came around, Andover were still being held in check. The pitch was offering just enough to make scoring difficult.
After short spells from Brundle and Greg, Rogan returned and picked up the key wicket of Roberts. Unfortunately, the scorer miscalculated his total, so Roberts celebrated what he thought was a half-century—only to later discover it was actually 48. Not long after, Stef struck again, helped by a sharp catch from Nige. Andover were 128-3 and under pressure.
Big Finish from the Big Man
Ex-Oakley player Will Montgomery joined the Andover number 4—who can only be described as a giant. The new batsman had to work to get off the mark, but the heat took its toll on the fielders and bowlers, allowing the score to creep up. The giant began to hit out, eventually passing 50 and finishing on 77 not out. Credit to Monty for sticking around and helping keep the total to 227, though it was still maximum batting points for Andover.
Stef finished with standout figures of 2-24 from 9 overs, well supported by Rogan. DJ also bowled a very tidy spell—no wickets, but he did help keep the giant from launching balls all over Hampshire.
Chasing 227: A Promising Start
Paddy and Nige opened steadily, defending well and rotating the strike. Paddy took the lead, putting pressure on the bowlers, while Nige anchored. Unfortunately, Paddy was bowled through the gate and sent on his way. DJ didn’t last long, chipping a return catch, and Will hit one boundary before edging a wide ball to the keeper.
At this point, the pitch showed some “mystery bounce”—which, it must be said, looked a lot worse once Oakley were batting…
The Middle Order Wobbles
Next wicket? No comment—I was busy packing my kit bag. But the scorebook says Nige got a demon ball and was bowled. One week a century, the next week 7 off 43. Brutal game.
Greg and Tiley then started to steady the ship with some nice shots and positive running, taking us through to drinks. Whatever DJ and Will said at the break didn’t quite work, though—Greg tried to loft one over mid-off but picked him out perfectly. Tiley soon followed, in a strange dismissal—given out caught behind off his arm, though the umpire thought it came off his glove. Unlucky, and a shame, because he was starting to look good.
The Final Stand
Brundle and George built a small partnership with good running, but it didn’t last long. Brundle was bowled, and George was left to bat with the tail. Three boundaries from him at least secured a batting point, but the rest fell quickly. Rogan, Hazza, and Stef were dismissed in quick succession, and the Oaks were all out for 140.
The Takeaway
It’s frustrating. We are more than capable of chasing these kinds of totals against that bowling attack. The bowling and fielding performance was much improved, though there’s still room for better. Perhaps we’re still shaking off the off-season cobwebs.
As for the batting—we’ve shown we have the ability, but we’ve got to start turning that into consistent performances. So no, it’s not back to the drawing board. It’s time to regroup, refocus, and get out there and win a game.