Oxfordshire Confirm Men’s Squad for NCCA Cluberly Championship fixture against Devon

Oxfordshire Cricket is pleased to announce its 12-player squad for the pivotal final fixture of the 2025 National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) Cluberly Championship. The team will face current Western Division 1 leaders Devon at Sidmouth Cricket Club, from Sunday 31st August to Tuesday 2nd September.

Devon are the only team to have secured a win in Western Division 1 this season and currently lead the standings with 45 points. They sit just one point ahead of Berkshire (44), who have drawn all four of their matches. Oxfordshire are in third place with 34 points from three draws, trailing the leaders by 11 points. Close behind are Herefordshire on 33 points, also with three drawn matches. Cornwall rounded out the table in fifth with 28 points. With Cornwall set to face Herefordshire in the final round, the standings remain wide open, and a range of mathematical outcomes are still possible. Oxfordshire must secure enough points in their final match not only to contend for the top spot but also to avoid the risk of relegation.

Squad Announcement:

Oxfordshire have been forced to make six changes from the side that played in the third round match of the competition against Berkshire. Red ball captain Max Mannering, Harrison Ward and Julian Laird are all sidelined with injury. Hayden Rossouw is unavailable for work commitments,  Eesa Nadeem is absent as he undertakes a Mount Kilimanjaro climb, and Charles Jackson is unavailable for selection owing to First Class County 2nd XI Cricket.

There is a boost for the squad with the return of Luke Maslen, who has recovered from the concussion sustained in the previous fixture, and has been granted leave from work to participate in the season decider. Amogh Karpe who featured in the opening two fixtures of the campaign is recalled to the squad. Four players are in line to make their Championship debuts; Ahmed Khan and Ayush Patel, both part of the white-ball T20 side that recently reached the semi-finals of the NCCA Twenty20 competition, as well as Freddie Fowler and Oliver Armstrong. Armstrong has featured in both the white ball formats in recent seasons and will now have the opportunity in red ball cricket. Fowler is set for his first county appearance. In the absence of Max Mannering, George Tait is expected to assume the captaincy, having already led the side in the absence of white-ball captain Harrison Ward during the T20 campaign.