All-round performance sees off Harrow

Karthik Suresh enjoyed a successful Cup debut

The OCCC overcame poor weather and a resilient Harrow side to move into the second round of the Cricketer Cup with a four-wicket win on Jubilee. An away trip to either Clifton or St Edward’s Oxford on June 26 awaits.

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Harrow had been our first opponents when we joined the Cricketer Cup in 2007. On that occasion Michael Chetwode carved the winning runs through midwicket off the last delivery in late evening sun in front of a large crowd. The conditions nine years later could not have been more different.

Heavy overnight rain and morning drizzle meant the game was unable to start before 1.15pm with each side reduced to bowling 40 overs. That we played at all was testament to the hard work put in by the groundstaff. Matt Crump won a vital toss, and with the rules of the competition favouring the side batting second when weather intervenes, he chose to field. His opening bowlers, Will Rollings (0-8) and Karthik Suresh (2-22), making his Cricketer Cup debut while on a holiday from Singapore, made the most of seam-friendly conditions and maintained a naggingly accurate line, restricting Harrow to 23 off the first ten overs.

Thereafter, it was all spinners, and on an outfield slowed by the rain allied to some excellent groundfielding, the batsmen struggled to build any momentum. Bruno Broughton (0-28) kept a tidy line, while Rob Jones little-used dobblers proved highly effective as he took 2 for 36. Jack Scriven (2-40) was a tight as ever, although his figures were spoiled when the last two balls of the innings went for ten. Another debutante, George Thomas, showed no nerves and good control bowling the final overs to finish with 2 for 21.

Alan Cope on the attack

All in all it was a good performance, some hard catches were held but a couple of not-so-hard ones spilt. The feeling was that Harrow, who had the worse of the conditions, were probably 20 or so short.

Our innings began with a flurry of shots and wickets. Mike Burgess (8) started with two fours before being caught off the third ball, and Scriven (7) and Tom Crump (0) soon followed to leave us 19 for 3; Harrow, for the first time, sensed they were back in the game and a tense half hour followed. Alan Cope (35) and Matt Crump (26) added 56 for the fourth wicket at over five an over before Cope mistimed a shot, and when Crump fell lbw to leave us 98 for 5, again Harrow were back in the game. 

But Jones (37), as he has done so often for us, played an important knock, while Broughton (27*) quickly deflated the bowlers with some excellent counter-attacking strokes, smacking four fours off the first ten balls he faced as well as enjoying a little luck when dropped by a fielder at deep midwicket as he tumbled over the boundary rope.

By the time Jones was bowled we were almost home and Will Langmead (8*), showing the kind of confidence he had in his record-breaking season in 2012, saw us home with almost seven overs to spare.