Moreton Mavericks amazingly reached their 3rd consecutive Vitality regional club T20 plate final last weekend and made the trip to picturesque Winsley CC near Bradford on Avon, with a place in a national semi final at stake.

Peppard Stoke Row saw off competition from Oxford and Oxford Downs to become U15s League champions at Didcot on Sunday, beating Oxford in the semi-final and Downs in the final for the trophy. 

The first semi-final of the day saw Oxford Downs beat Banbury by just 8 runs to secure their spot in the final. Batting first, Downs put on 125-6 from their 20 overs, with Sutton’s 51 from 41 balls the pick of the batters – Kumar’s 34 helped his team reach a defendable target. Holmes took the lion’s share of the wickets, finishing with figures of 3-15 from his allotted overs. Banbury lost early wickets, falling to 14-2 and never recovered – with Miller top scoring with 30 it couldn’t prevent defeat and fall 8 runs short of their target. 

Semi-final 2 was between Peppard and Oxford, with the former batting first. Losing early wickets, Peppard fell to 19-2 and Oxford looking to capitalise. However, Day and Derbyshire steadied the ship, scoring 51 and 35 respectively to get their team back in the game, Cameos from Waller as Hucker saw them reach 162-5 from their 20 overs. Oxford got their run chase underway, needing to score big if they were going to reach the final. Again early wickets seemed to be their downfall, collapsing to 9-3. A combination of good bowling and attempting to now assail this impossible target saw Oxford lose more wickets, finishing their 20 overs on 70-6. Pick of the Peppard bowlers was Mennie, with figures of 2-7 from 3 overs helping his side to a 92 run victory. 

After a short break, the final got underway, with Peppard batting first. Peppard started strongly with an opening stand of close to 100 – Robinson retired with 51 and Hector out for 41 put their team in good stead to set a large target for Downs to chase. Useful runs from Hucker who fell 4 short of his own half century saw Peppard reach 184-7 from their 20 overs. Oxford Downs began their chase poorly, losing Sutton in the first over. Niyarepola scored a useful 40 to steady the ship and provide the platform his side needed to win. However, none of his team mates could muster a score, and Downs fell 63 runs short. Hector helped his side over the the with figures of 2-7 from his 4 overs. 

The presentation of the trophy and medals was conducted by Joe Clapton (Finals Day Manager for the day) who thanked Didcot for hosting, the umpires, coaches, scorers and all the teams for a great day of cricket. Thank you to all clubs who competed in this year’s Competition, and we look forward to seeing more great cricket over the summer. 

Congratulations again to Peppard who now progress onto the national round of this competition and represent Oxfordshire as group winners.

Oxfordshire Cricket is pleased to announce the squad selected to play against Herefordshire on Sunday 9th of July in the first NCCA Three Day Championship match of the season at Eastnor CC starting at 11 am:

• Olly Clarke
• Tom Hinley
• George Tait
• Tom Powell
• Prav Chahal
• Jared Warner
• Jamie Harrison
• Robbie Shurmer
• Max Mannering
• Callum Russell
• Luke Hayes

You can follow the match by visiting our match centre at https://www.oxfordshire.cricket/match-centre/ 

We are delighted to invite outstanding candidates to apply for an exciting opportunity at Oxfordshire Cricket.

Community Cricket Officer c.£26,000-£28,000 depending on experience 

Oxfordshire Cricket is a thriving organisation and we are proud of our achievements in delivering our recreational cricket and community programmes across the county. 

We are seeking to appoint an ambitious, inclusive and proactive individual, who will work closely with our workforce and key stakeholders, to lead Oxfordshire Cricket’s School and Community programmes aimed at growing the game and improving access to cricket in our local communities.

The aim of this role is to manage and support the delivery of a wide range of programmes and initiatives across schools and communities in Oxfordshire with the purpose of increasing participation and improving access to cricket. 

Successful candidates will be responsible for delivering safe, engaging and inspiring cricket sessions to children and young people, as well as engaging and inspiring teachers and parents. Additionally, they will need to have strong communication, organisational and reporting skills and the drive to achieve set outcomes. Due to the nature of the sport, this role will require working unsociable hours from time to time. 

Closing date: 5 PM Friday 4th August 2023

If you would like to discuss either of these roles further, then please contact Nick Pinhol at [email protected]. We would gratefully receive all Cover Letters and Safer Recruitment Application forms submitted to [email protected] by 5PM on Friday 4th of August. 

To view the School and Community Programmes Manager Role Pack – Click Here

To complete a Safe Recruitment Application Form – Click Here

Oxfordshire Cricket is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check and references

Oxfordshire Cricket is committed to providing equitable opportunities. While we will always appoint on merit, we would particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups and communities in cricket – especially female or ethnically diverse people or those who identify as having a disability.

Oxfordshire Cricket is pleased to announce the women’s squad selected to play at the T20 Finals Day on Saturday 8th July at Mill Hill School in London, with the match starting at 11.00 am:

Abi Currie (c/wkt)
Chloe Westbury
Genny Porter
Emilia Bartram
Katie Waugh
Aimee Diab
Zoe Soonawalla
Georgia Prestedge
Sophia Hanson
Honor Murray
Bethan Lewis

We are delighted to invite outstanding candidates to apply for an exciting opportunity at Oxfordshire Cricket.

Community Cricket Officer c.£22,000-£24,000 depending on experience 

Oxfordshire Cricket is a thriving organisation and we are proud of our achievements in delivering our recreational cricket and community programmes across the county. 

We are seeking to appoint an ambitious, inclusive and proactive individual, who will work closely with our workforce and key stakeholders, to inspire and motivate people to play cricket by delivering fun, engaging and active sessions across our disability SEND, community and cricket programmes within a wide range of environments.

The continuing growth of our programmes has created a demand for additional qualified coaches who are enthusiastic about continuing to develop and improve their coaching skills and are a level two coach.

The Community Officer role is central to the successful delivery of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools programme and street programmes. This role will also deliver on programmes that include but are not limited to  Primary and Secondary Schools, junior pathway coaching, community projects and initiatives. 

Successful candidates will be responsible for delivering safe, engaging and inspiring cricket sessions to children and young people, as well as engaging and inspiring teachers and parents. Additionally, they will need to have strong communication, organisational and reporting skills and the drive to achieve set outcomes. Due to the nature of the sport, this role will require working unsociable hours from time to time. 

Closing date: 5 PM Wednesday 2nd August 2023

If you would like to discuss either of these roles further, then please contact Zoe Pugh at [email protected]. We would gratefully receive all Cover Letters and Safer Recruitment Application forms submitted to [email protected] by 5PM on Wednesday 2nd of August. 

To view the Community Cricket Officer Role Pack – Click Here

To complete a Safe Recruitment Application Form – Click Here

Oxfordshire Cricket is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check and references

Oxfordshire Cricket is committed to providing equitable opportunities. While we will always appoint on merit, we would particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups and communities in cricket – especially female or ethnically diverse people or those who identify as having a disability.

The under-13 Ron Maudsley finals day was set on a sunny day at Bicester and North Oxford Cricket Club – with all four teams looking to get their hands on the silverware and progress to the national round of the competition. 

Semi-final 1 saw Tiddington beat the hosts by 113 runs. Batting first, they set a reasonable 129-6 from their 20 overs, giving Bicester a target to chase to reach the final. However, Tiddington’s bowling attack had the hosts collapse to 8-7 and then 13 all out within 11 overs with some impressive bowling. With this victory Tiddington progressed into the final, waiting on the result of semi-final 2 to see who they would be playing. 

Semi-final 2 was between Goring and Sandford St Martin, with the latter batting first. Sandford started well at 24-1 but lost their next 7 wickets for 31 runs. They finished on 67 all out, with the pick of the bowlers being Mayer with 3-3 from 2 overs. In response Goring lost two early wickets, leaving them 6-2 and Sandford a chance at the final. However, Walsh and Gilliam steadied the ship scoring 25 and 24 respectively easing their team over the line with a 7-wicket victory and lining themselves up against Tiddington in the final. 

After a short break, the final got underway, with Tiddington again batting first. Allen got his side off to a good start scoring 20 before being run out, with Lewis adding 23 and Saunders the same setting Goring a chaseable 116 to win from their 20 overs. The pick of the bowlers from the first innings was Inglis, taking the key wickets of Stocks and Lewis to ensure his side still had a chance at the trophy. Goring got underway again, losing early wickets with both Logan and Winant being removed by Stocks early in the innings. Having to rebuild again, Walsh retired for 33 and Butlin added 28 to get their side close. Needing to score big off the last over, Goring couldn’t quite get over the line and ended up 10 runs short.

The presentation of the trophy and medals was conducted by Joe Clapton (Finals Day Manager for the day) and Chris Parkinson (Director at Oxfordshire Cricket) who thanked Bicester and North Oxford CC for hosting, the umpires, coaches, scorers and all the teams for a great day of cricket. Thank you to all clubs who competed in this years Competition, and we look forward to seeing more great cricket over the summer. 

Congratulations to Tiddington who now progress onto the national round of this competition and represent Oxfordshire as group winners.

Zoe Pugh will leave her position as Cricket Development Manager with Oxfordshire Cricket on 5th September 2023 after six years. Zoe initially joined as All-Stars Cricket Champion before being promoted to Cricket Development Officer and then Cricket Development Manager. 

Zoe will be departing the organisation to become the Sport, Activity and Fellowship Practitioner for the Help for Heroes, where she will provide sport activities for veterans and their families in communities across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire.

Zoe Pugh said: 

“It has been a pleasure to work with Oxfordshire Cricket over the past 6 years. I have met and worked with so many wonderful clubs, volunteers, teachers and young people. It has been fantastic to see so many children and young people choose cricket as their sport of choice. I would like to thank all the schools, dedicated volunteers, clubs and coaches for supporting Chance to Shine, All Stars and Dynamos Cricket programmes and hopefully continue to do so.”

Participation Manager, Nick Pinhol said: 

“We are disappointed to announce that Zoe will be departing her role with Oxfordshire Cricket, but fully understand her ambition to pursue a career change. In her time with Oxfordshire Cricket, Zoe has played an influential role in growing the game and has helped thousands of children across the county to take up the sport while also inspiring teachers, volunteers and clubs to help grow the game amongst all ages and communities. Beyond managing and leading our schools and communities programmes, Zoe has led National Programmes in Oxfordshire which has seen over 2000 children each year sign up for programmes at cricket clubs in the county. Further to that, she has led the growth in our community programmes which sees us deliver street programmes in Banbury, BlackBird Leys and Cowley, as well as Bursary Funded Community National Programmes projects in deprived areas in the county. 

On behalf of everyone at Oxfordshire Cricket, I take the opportunity to thank Zoe for her contribution and to wish her the very best with the next step in her career journey.

Today, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) published its report. Oxfordshire Cricket welcomes the report, and over the coming days, we will read and fully digest the findings and recommendations. The ICEC Report in full can be found here. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has this morning issued a statement on behalf of the game which can be accessed by clicking here.

The report is an extensive document that the game will need to review fully so that we all can better understand its impact, its recommendations, and the experiences that people have had. This is a time when, Cricket as a sport needs to come together, to listen, reflect, and act in order to work together to make cricket truly a sport for all. 

Oxfordshire Cricket are fully committed to making cricket a game for everyone and the sport of choice in Oxfordshire. There is no place for discrimination in our game and the wider society and we acknowledge that there is a long way to go. Over the coming months, we welcome the opportunity to engage fully in the ECB consultation process in order to make cricket truly accessible to all. 

If you have experienced or witnessed discrimination you can report it through the ECB’s website below. Any reports will then be triaged by the ECB and investigated by the relevant cricket organisation. Click here to access the ECB Anti-Discrimination page which includes a link to report discrimination. If you would like to provide feedback directly to Oxfordshire Cricket then please do so via our Confidential Feedback form HERE

ROBBIE Eason and Max Smith shared an exhilarating unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 171 to set Horspath on the way to a sparkling 76-run victory at home to Wembdon in the Voneus Village Cup fifth round.

Opener Eason made a well-paced unbeaten 102 while Smith slammed 80 not

out to take the Oxfordshire champions to 236-4 off 40 overs after they were put in to bat in the last-32 tie. Roared on by a crowd of around 300 at the Recreation Ground, the hosts then dismissed the Somerset & Avon Group winners for 160. Now Horspath will take the next step on the road to Lord’s when they make the 492-mile round trip to Grampound Road, near St Austell, in Cornwall in the last 16 on Sunday, July 2.

Eason and Smith came together with Horspath precariously placed at 65-4 in the 18th over and gradually turned the innings round before unleashing a dazzling display of shots to post a challenging total. Eason, who had survived a straightforward chance to mid-off when he’d

made three, reached his half-century with a six to the mid-wicket boundary with Harry Everett juggling the ball as it went over the line, before Smith brought up his fifty with a flashing cover drive. Eason was on 91 going into the last over and he slapped the third

delivery on to the scout hut roof for six, before bringing up his century in majestic fashion by cracking the next ball through extra cover for four.

The pair plundered 107 runs off the last 10 overs, with Eason hitting 12 fours and two sixes in his 121-ball knock, while Smith’s runs came off just 63 deliveries with 12 fours and a six. With a forecast of thundery showers, the aim of being up with the run rate from 20 overs – the stage of an innings which enables a result – was clearly at the back of the visitors’ minds as they went for their shots.

However, they came up against a superb Horspath show in the field with the bowlers supported by some excellent catches. Wembdon had reached 21-0 after four overs when Smith ran out Everett with a brilliant direct hit from mid-on as the Wembdon opener sprinted

to the wicketkeeper’s end, and two balls later skipper Will Eason (2-38) bowled Harry Love to spark further Horspath celebrations. Wembdon captain Jonathan Brockwell came to the crease at 64-4 and kept his side’s hopes alive with an awesome display of hitting. He had cleared the ropes twice before he reached an excellent half-century with a single through mid-wicket, but with light rain falling as 20 overs were completed Wembdon were behind the run rate at 107-5.

Brockwell crashed another maximum over long on, before his valiant knock came to an end when he was bowled by Subhan Javaid for 60 off 38 balls with seven fours and three sixes to make it 139-8. With Wembdon trading sixes for wickets, Jimmy Phillips pulled off an

amazing one-handed catch above his head on the long off boundary to dismiss Jack Lowe off Josh Richardson (2-15). Horspath’s victory was complete when Stephen Green caught Pigden on the mid-wicket boundary off Amin Rafiq (3-32) to leave the visitors all out

off 31.1 overs.

Scores: Horspath 236-4 (40ovs, R Eason 102no, M Smith 80no), Wembdon 160

(31.3ovs, J Brockwell 60, A Rafiq 3-32).