Bowlers Send 1s Top Of The Table

After Captain Richard Walker lost the toss, KCC were asked to bat first on a good looking wicket. With dark clouds and rain in the sky, the game was reduced to 35 overs per side with the game starting at the later time of 2.15pm. With the rain clearing, KCC openers Andy Oliver and Tom Bozman looked to build another solid partnership. However when Oliver was harshly adjudged LBW to Oxfordshire old timer A.Wingfield-Digby, KCC were stuck on 7-1. Bozman was joined by Edd Willmot and the score immediately began to accelerate as Bozman was quick to pounce on anything short dispatching the ball to the boundary on numerous occasions! With Willmot supporting Bozman well and rotating the strike, the score moved quickly towards 50 before Bozman was caught lunging at a delivery by Wingfield-Digby and being caught at slip. Waseem Azad joined Willmot, but when Willmot was another victim of an LBW decision in favour of Wingfield-Digby, KCC were in need of a partnership! Hari Lehal joined Azad and the pair added 40 valuable runs with Azad being the main aggressor. He struck the ball to his favoured region through midwicket with ease as he took KCC past 100 in the 22nd over. Lehal supported Azad well but when he chipped up a full toss to mid off KCC looked in danger of posting a below par score on what still looked a fairly good surface! John Pratt came to the crease and played an aggressive innings taking over the scoring from Azad. Pratt scored down the ground with a beautifully timed cover drive before pouncing on anything short and hitting through the midwicket boundary! With still 10 overs left, Pratt called for a quick single but was run out as he tried to push the score along. Captain Richard Walker joined Azad as he passed his half century with a well played cut through backward point! With the score on 125, KCC felt they still needed another 40 runs to post a reasonable score and when Azad was out caught at mid off, they needed to make sure they batted out their overs! Dan Farrant joined Walker but with the ball now swollen with water and the fielders well spread, it was difficult to strike the ball with any real purpose and score quick runs. Farrant struck a boundary through cow corner before being dropped at mid off after mishitting a full toss. Walker ran well between the wickets and was looking for every run possible but was the next wicket to fall as the heavy ball failed to clear the fielder at mid off and he was out caught. Christian Blackford was the next man in and was soon back in the pavillion out LBW to G.Grace before Farrant was out caught at mid on as the heavy ball again claimed a wicket as it failed to carry over the fielder. Muhammed Usman and Sam Britton were Kidlingtons last partnership but when Usman was out LBW to N.White, KCC were out for what the felt was a below par 143.

After a brilliant KCC Tea, Kidlington knew they needed a top performance in the field and with the ball to leapfrog Swinbrook to the top of Division 4. Dan Farrant opened from the Pavilion End and 1st XI debutant Sam Britton from the Brake End. With not many runs to defend KCC thought they had the perfect start but unfortunately Edd Willmot couldn't hold on in the slips as Farrant found G.Grace's edge. Farrant and Britton bowled well but with the wicket taking some getting used to, Swinbrook raced to 25 inside 6 overs. Farrant finally made the breakthrough Kidlington needed as a slower ball stuck in the wicket and A.Wingfield-Digby chipped up to Hari Lehal at midwicket. When Sam Britton bowled G.Grace and Farrant had N.Wilson adjudged LBW, Kidlington had managed to get on top as Swinbrook were all of a sudden 26/3! Farrant was unlucky not to have a third wicket when T.Julian inside edged but with Walker already moving outside off stump, he had little chance of taking the catch! Britton was bowling with good pace and a short ball caught C.Jenkinson by surprise. As the batsman tried to pull the ball, it got too big for him as he top edged the ball into his eyebrow delyaing the game as he received treatment. Unable to continue, Swinbrook were now on 29/4 as Farrant and Britton were replaced by Muhammed Usman and Tom Bozman. With KCC well on top they sensed they could end the game quickly! Usman bowled with superb accuracy and took his first wicket with a brilliant yorker dismissing L.Walker. He took his second wicket with a near identical delivery to remove Swinbrook skipper N.White! With Swinbrook on 42/6 Bozman took his first wicket with a quick delivery which smashed into J.Morlands middle stump! Usman then took his tally to three wickets, as he removed T.Julian with length ball that hit off stump! Bozman took his second wicket when he bowled Charlie Cook before he wrapped up the victory with the next ball as he again bowled a quick delivery to remove H.Cook!

A superb fielding and bowling display took KCC to the top of Division 4 as they prepare to face 2nd placed Uffington away next week!