Dan’s Dream Debut
The Oakley Friendly XI put in a great all-round team performance to beat Tabard Pilgrims by 23 runs on Sunday. The game will be remembered as hopefully the first of many for young Dan Saines, who produced a brilliant performance with the ball.
Oakley Bat First
Things didn’t look good for Oakley when they found themselves a player short due to a morning drop-out. Captain Dan “DJ” Jones won the toss (surprisingly) and decided to bat first, opening with Josh Carpenter and Paddy Saines.
They began a watchful partnership, seeing off the opening bowlers but keeping the score ticking along. Boundaries were not easy to come by, but both batters stuck at it nicely to lead Oakley to drinks on 80–0 after 20 overs.
Whatever DJ said to Josh at that point clearly worked—Josh hit four boundaries in the next over to reach a well-earned 50. Battling not only the bowlers but also a hangover, he retired on 65 with the score at 99–0.
Billy Turner joined Paddy. Some feared the sight of Billy with a bat instead of a scorebook, but he dispelled concerns with a fluent first shot. Unfortunately, he soon departed to possibly the worst dismissal of the season—wandering outside his crease, forgetting to step back in, and being stumped while casually walking about. Was it brain-dead batting or a fitting tribute to outgoing chairman Bob Lethaby? Either way, he was gone for 3.
Dan Sumner then played some glorious shots, demanding “Get me up the order, Scott!” after every boundary. Paddy, meanwhile, was heckled by his own son at square leg to “get on with it,” before launching a surprise six. Sumner fell on the boundary for a rapid 29.
Alex Brundle followed, hitting his 101st six for Oakley and cleverly missing a ball that went on to hit the wicketkeeper’s hat—earning 5 penalty runs. He departed soon after, caught on the boundary for 10. DJ came in as Paddy passed 50 and retired with a well-made 52.
With overs running out, Joby Beatty (5), Zak Newton (1), and Penny Williamson (0*) chipped in, while DJ finished unbeaten on 13. Oakley closed on 214–5 from 40 overs, leaving young Dan Saines padded up but unused.
The Oakley Oakley Defence
After tea, Oakley took the field with DJ opening the bowling alongside Zak. Both bowled tightly, restricting Tabard to 27–0 from 8 overs. Then came the big moment: 11-year-old Dan Saines took the ball for his adult debut.
Nerves? None at all. His first over was tidy, his second spectacular—after being hit for four, he bowled the opener with the next ball and celebrated full Alan Shearer, drowned out only by proud dad Paddy’s roar. Two balls later, Dan bowled the No. 3 around his legs.
Penny Williamson soon joined the attack, taking two wickets thanks to sharp catches from Josh and Brundle. At halfway Tabard were 102–4 and the game evenly poised.
DJ rotated his bowlers, giving Sumner, Brundle, and himself three overs each. Brundle dismissed the other opener for 67 (his 401st Oakley wicket), while DJ bowled a beauty to hit off stump. By now, Tabard were under real pressure.
Dan returned for his second spell, bowling with the same confidence. He picked up his third wicket courtesy of another Brundle catch. His final figures: 3–30 from 8 overs, with no wides or no-balls. “Not sure he’ll fit in at Oakley,” was the verdict.
Zak (0–20 from 8) bowled superbly but without reward. Penny finished with 2–33, Brundle 1–18, DJ 1–6, and Sumner 0–15.
The Billy Turner Experiment
With the match nearly wrapped up, DJ persuaded Billy Turner to have a bowl. After warming up with a horrific no-ball, he struck when the set batsman picked out Josh at cow corner. Josh’s safe hands ensured Billy had a wicket to his name.
He could have had a second, but when the ball went straight to young Dan at square leg, Dan wisely let it through rather than risk losing teeth. Joby closed the innings with tight bowling that forced a run-out.
The Result
Tabard finished on 191–9 from 40 overs, 23 runs short. Billy closed with 1–22 from 3 overs.
After the match, both teams shared a drink and plenty of laughs, just as they have done for the past 28 years. It was a game that had everything, played in the right spirit, with every Oakley player contributing.
But one performance stood above all others: Dan Saines. On debut, he bowled with control, confidence, and maturity far beyond his years. For him, his family, and Oakley Cricket Club, it was a day to remember—the first of many.
Final Word
Dan Saines. Remember the name.