St Edwards Oxford in Cricketer Cup first round

The OCCC have been drawn away at St Edwards Oxford in the first round of the 2012 Cricketer Cup. If we win then we will be at home to the winners of Old Alleynians and Old Merchant Taylors, and we will retain home advantage if we make it through to the quarter-finals.

Click here for the full draw

Eton, who were well beaten by Malvern in last weekend's final, play them again in the first round with a likely visit by Old Tonbridgians awaiting the winners.

Fun and games with the Hogs

Hampshire Hogs 288 for 8 (Langmead 4-39) lost to Old Cranleighans 290 for 7 (T Crump 65, Fletcher 64, Davies 60) by three wickets


The Hampshire Hogs is not an easy place. It's not easy to find found Harman, Roper and Fletcher at 11.28. It's not easy to decide what to do when you win the toss - if you opt to bat they'll try and change your mind and if you opt to bowl, they'll keep you out there until you bowl them out or they have 300. It's not an easy place to bowl because it's flat and they always have quality batsmen and it's not an easy place to chase because, lead by the wily Christopher Bazelgette they'll bowl slowly, deploy sweepers and slow the over rate right down. In this context to chase 288 in 49 overs with a team largely under 24 represents a very very fine victory.

The OC's fielded despite winning the toss and despite having few front line bowlers. The Hogs sent in a Cambridge blue who pierced the field frequently and helped himself to some generous leg side bowling from Morgan Fletcher. They crusied to 43-1 after six overs with Henderson having removed the other opener. Enter Jay Harman, only five hours earlier chugging on a cigar at a 21st birthday and now, in the eighth over of the day commissioned to bowl up the hill and stem the runs. Stem the runs he did with an exhibition of controlled medium pace which included at one point 4 consecutive maidens. Henderson benefited the other end by bowling the Cambridge man going for a big hit on 53.

After a brief experiment having a look at Phil Roper's left arm seam, the captain turned to the young off spinners Will Langmead (4-39) and debutant Ollie Davies (2-44). Both bowled tight and probing spells up to lunch leaving the Hogs in a perilous 165-5. Over a brie at lunch (so ripe that it moved 3 inches during the conversation)Mr Bazelgette 'asked' Henderson if he would be happy to abide by two local rules - the first that he should be allowed to bat with a runner. This was a no brainer as to refuse a man aged 71, in his 811th game for the Hogs and with arthritis in his back would have been churlish. The second request was that the OC batsman be prohibited from running two to him in the gully!

Langmead and Harman in particular continued to bowl tightly after lunch. Jock Vickers dropped a sharp chance at slip and spent the rest of the afternoon telling people he had done damn well to get a hand to it whilst Mcdermott sledged him continually that he should have caught it. The match could then have been decided by an umpiring decision that can only have been explained if the umpire had been watching the highland cattle in the field rather than the cricket. Even if Hogs debutant J Parker had spent a week being stretched on a medieval rack and then handed a bat the length of a Volvo estate he would have been short of his ground when Richard Ashton collected a Harman throw and dislodged the bails. It could have been a match defining moment. Fortunately it wasn't.

OC's chased a bit of leather in the last fifteen of the 69 overs bowled but stuck to the task with humour and committment. When they saw Rick Johnson arrive in that McDonalds t-shirt which has been on unchanged for 716 hours now, the fielders realised that being out in the field rather than sitting next to him was a decent result.

Phil Roper (15)and Tom Crump (65) got things going in pursuit of a daunting yet not unrealistic 288. The former was unlucky to be caught by a blinder at slip. Enter Cranleigh School captain from this summer, Ollie Davies (60) to join Crump in an attractive, attacking yet sensible partnership of 65.

Each time a wicket fell it could have brought a few more tumbling down but the impressive thing about this batting innings from a young OC line up was that they consolidated, rebuilt yet never let the run rate spiral after each wicket. Crump and Davies gave way to Fletcher (64) and Ashton (42) whose partnership of 85 really began to make a win look possible.

Bazelgette threw a cunning curve ball into the mix after his spell of five wicketless overs when he asked to be replaced by an OC fielder. Ollie Davies stepped up to knock 55 years off the fielding side's total age and was unfortunately in a position where he had to catch Jock Vickers (6 block block block 4 block 2 OUT). Will Langmead then hit one in the air shortly afterwards to send the OC tail scuttling for pads. In the end though, the top five had put us in a position where a few lusty blows from Paul Arthur saw us home after 49 overs with two to spare.

This was really impressive victory. Not only was courage and skill shown on the field but the Hogs enjoyed having us and have invited us back. It was an extremely pleasant day for all concerned although McDermott and Dean will reflect on whether each leaving the ground £20 poorer yet with Bazelgette's book in their bags was a good bit of business. Ed Henderson