End of a ‘perfect season’ for Thame cricketers

Hassam Mushtaq

THAME Firsts vs Long Marston Firsts – Thame brought to an end their perfect season last Saturday, as they thrashed Long Marston at Church Meadow to finish the season unbeaten; 13 wins, 4 winning draws and 1 abandoned game is the full tally. On the day, Thame won the toss and elected to field. 5 wickets from Hassam Mushtaq who ended the season with 63 wickets (leading wicket-taker in the league) meant Long Marston never really got going, as they were bowled out for 159 in 49 overs. Thame in reply started well and W Sutcliffe (40) and Will Taylor (81) quickly killed the game off, reaching the target for 3 wickets in only 24 overs; a memorable season finished off in style. This achievement by the 1sts is a great testament to the strength of the coaching team at the club – 11 out of the 16 players in the squad have come up from the under-11s – and this augurs well for the next few years. The team will now round off their season with the Wilf Bennet trophy final (T20) at 11.00 am on Sunday 13th, at Abingdon Vale CC.

Cumnor 2nds vs Thame 2nds

Thame IIs, in 4th place in Division 5, travelled to Cumnor (3rd placed)in good spirits, only to be greeted by a wet, sticky-looking wicket and drizzle in the air. The toss was inevitably going to play a big role in the outcome and once Cumnor had won that and asked Thame to bat the outcome was predictable, with the home team bowling well in the conditions and Thame giving away too many wickets. Only O Sutcliffe and B Warwick reached 20 or more and the innings fizzled out at 111. To add insult to the injury of the pitch, the sun then came out after tea and batting became easier. Cumnor batted positively from the start and knocked off the target with few alarms, for the loss of just 2 wickets. As a result, Thame finish mid-table and will be looking to finish in the mix for promotion next season.

Kimble 2nds vs Thame 3rds

Thame IIIs travelled to Kimble as underdogs but determined to continue their recent good form. Kimble were asked to bat first and were soon in trouble at 25 for 4, with Pete Tervet playing a captain’s role (3 for 32). However, Kimble recovered to finish on 172 for 9, thanks to 91 not out from I Price. Thame’s reply was built squarely round an excellent 74 not out from G Holmes, bringing the visitors home for just 4 wickets with 17 balls to spare. Thame will now face Oxford & Bletchington Nondescripts in the Division 9 cup final on Saturday 12th, at their ground in Bletchington.

SOURCE: Contributed