On a warm, sun-drenched Saturday afternoon, Kidlington travelled to the picturesque setting of Marston St Lawrence for a Division 5B showdown. The outfield was fast, the wicket dry, and spirits high as the visitors looked to build on recent form. What followed was a match rich in moments—of promise, pressure, and ultimately, regret for the travelling side.

Marston St Lawrence skipper won the toss and, without hesitation, chose to bat first under clear blue skies. The pitch looked like it would offer some early seam but flatten out quickly—ideal conditions for batting, provided you survived the new ball.

Kidlington’s opening bowlers came out firing. Arfan Younis led the attack with precision, claiming two wickets in a smart five-over spell that kept the top order in check. Wickets fell at regular intervals, with Simon Boyles’ 34 providing the backbone of Marston’s innings. Liam Lake chipped in with a handy 24, but otherwise, the batters never quite settled. Edd Willmot bowled eight miserly overs for just 21 runs, tying up one end and keeping the hosts on the back foot.

Despite some good work with the ball, Kidlington were hampered by a costly 32 extras—including 21 byes and seven wides. The fielding and bowling discipline let them down, and what should have been a total of around 160 ballooned to 190 before the final wicket fell in the 43rd over.

Sam Fransham and Josh Boucher picked up two wickets apiece, and by the innings’ end, Kidlington had bowled out the hosts but knew they had let an opportunity slip.

Kidlington’s reply started in nightmare fashion. Both openers — Sahil Kalyan and Ross Steenberg — were dismissed without scoring, falling to the skilful and probing bowling of Scott Upstone and Ryan O'Sullivan. From 0-2, the innings always felt on edge.

Francis Young offered some resistance with a patient 18, and all-rounder Joshua Behal added 17 and looked composed, but the visiting side never managed to string together the partnerships needed to chase the target.

As the pressure built, Marston’s bowlers tightened their grip. Matthew Scott, leading from the front, took 5 wickets for just 27 runs in a match-winning spell. He was ably supported by Liam Upstone, who chipped in with three wickets.

From 40-5 to 122 all out, the Kidlington innings was a patchwork of mini-recoveries undone by consistent breakthroughs. The middle order showed character, but the top-order collapse and lack of momentum ultimately left them 68 runs short of their target.

It was a game of moments—missed opportunities, lapses in discipline, and flashes of quality. Kidlington’s bowlers were impressive at times, and their middle order fought hard, but the early damage with the bat and those 32 extras proved too much to overcome.

On a day when the sun shone brightly, it was the hosts who left the field beaming, while Kidlington were left to reflect on a match that might have turned out very differently with just a little more control.

There was also a cracking Tea!! Every cloud and all.....