Scorecard

Radlett CC 1st XI v Oxford on Sat 08 Sep 2007 at 10.30 a.m.
Radlett CC Lost By 48 runs

Match report Sommers UK HCPL

Oxford 155 a/o
Radlett 107 a/o

Oxford won by 48 runs


Oxford claimed their first HCPL title by virtue of this victory over a Radlett team that struggled to raise itself after last weeks disappointment at Falkland. Nonetheless, Radlett garnered the 6 points they needed from the game to confirm their position in 3rd place, the highest any Hertfordshire club has achieved since the ECB formed the Home Counties Premier League in 2000.

The loss at Falkland had effectively ruled Radlett out the title hunt, but their visitors Oxford knew a win would guarantee that they would pip Slough to the title, though they would have to over turn their hosts unbeaten record at home this season to do so. Radlett skipper Dan Chippeck, playing his final game for the club, won the toss and invited Oxford to bat first in overcast conditions, and his opening bowlers Shane Burger and Gareth Berg tore into the Oxford top order bowling wth pace and aggression. The ball had already beaten the bat on several occassions in the early stages when Burger found Simon Hole's outside edge with the score on just 4, before Stuart Laudat's innings met a similar fate off the bowling of Berg, keeper Tom Jenkins claiming both chances, Oxford 25-2. Adam Cook, who had played a match saving innings in these teams previous meeting in July, joined his skipper Jason Harrison at the crease, and should have been on his way first ball as a superb Berg lifter found his edge but the chance went begging as the ball flew between first and second slip.

Cook and Harrison fought hard to see off the opening spells and they had almost done that job when , in his 9th over, Berg trapped Harrison (14) LBW. However that was to be the paceman's last over as injury forced his withdrawal from the attack, but Burger switched ends and immediately claimed the vital wicket of Cook (16), followed by Ian Crosby who edged three boundaries before locating the safe hands of Rob Smith at 4th slip. Graham Charlesworth had been playing in aggressive fashion in seeking to blast his side out of trouble, but he lost Jonno Evans also caught Smith off Burger, before to the final delivery of the morning session, Charlesworth hammered off spinner Rob Crocker hard but straight to the safe hands of Rob Smith who brilliantly held his 3rd catch of the morning, Oxford 103-7 at the break.

Stuart Hole played some fine shots in a vital counter attacking run a ball 38, and he added a crucial 48 with Todd Hutcheson before Crocker mopped up the tail with 3 wickets in quick succession to finish with 4-29 whist Burger claimed 4-69 and Berg 2-26, Radlett bowling their opponents out for the fifth week in succession.

Chasing 156 to win, Radlett started badly and in similar fashion to the previous week at Falkland, were 4 down with just 40 on the board. Matt Evans falling to Charlesworth's medium pace, Steve Lowe and Kabir Toor being undone by Stuart Hole, before veteran spinner Rupert Evans claimed Gareth Berg thanks to a fine bat pad catch by Harrison. Shane Burger and Tom Jenkins set about rebuilding the innings, and they took the score up to 80 before Charlesworth bowled Burger, whose 28 took him to 667 runs for the season, just 2 runs short of Nick Hampton's club record for an HCPL season. Charlesworth then induced both James Lewis and Jenkins (27) into attacking shots wide of off stump which were edged to keeper Hutcheson, before Rob Smith , struggling with a back injury edged Evans to slip on the stroke of tea to leave Radlett 103-8 and Oxford in touching distance of the title.

Stuart Hole returned atfer the interval and he produced a fine delivery to end Chippeck's final innings for the club, Harrison collecting his 4th catch of the day, and Oxford didnt have long to wait to as Hole bowled Browne to spark scenes of well deserved celebration amongst the visitors ranks, Radlett all out for 107.

Radlett skipper Dan Chippeck commented: " On behalf of the club, I must extend congratulations to Jason Harrison and Oxford on their thoroughly deserved title. To win eight and lose just once through the season in this league is a brilliant effort. From our point of view, as a promoted side, we are extremely happy to finish third place having played some outstanding cricket at times during the season, some of the best league cricket this club has ever produced, and my team can be genunely proud of their efforts which have firmly re-established Radlett in the Home Counties Premier League. Obviously we would have liked to have finished stronger and our batting having been so powerful earlier in the season has let us down somewhat these past 2 weeks, but overall I am delighted at the effort and committment we have put in, and with a core of quality young players at the club the foundations are firmly in place for an extremely bright future for Radlett."

In addition to Shane Burger's outstanding 667 run aggregate, he also claimed 25 wickets, whilst Gareth Berg finished as leading wicket taker with 34 at an average of 15 runs per wicket, to go with a total of 415 runs. Stuart Browne claimed 30 wickets, whilst Rob Crocker underlined his promise with a return of 17 wickets in a season in which conditions have not favoured the spinners. 17 year old Kabir Toor performed admirably with 414 runs and displayed his immense potential, and Steve Lowe made 357 runs despite missing 4 games through injury, whilst Tom Jenkins kept wicket to a high standard throughout and claimed 20 victims to go with 281 runs.


Radlett CC 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
107		     
Kabir Toor Caught  16
Matt Evans Caught  1
Steve Lowe Caught  14
Shane Burger Bowled  28
Gareth Berg Caught  4
Tom Jenkins Caught  27 2
James Lewis Caught  2 1
Rob Smith Caught  10 3
Dan Chippeck Caught  2
Robbie Crocker Not Out  2
Stuart Browne Bowled  0

Oxford Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Oxford Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
155 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Radlett CC 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Gareth Berg9.0426213.002.89
Shane Burger16.0369417.254.31
Stuart Browne11.042300.002.09
Robbie Crocker7.312947.253.87

  • Umpire :
  • Scorer :
    Doreen Browne