🏏 MATCH REPORT – Oxfordshire Men vs Surrey CCC
NCCA Showcase Match | 26 May 2025 | Thame Town CC

Oxfordshire’s 1st XI hosted Surrey CCC’s 1st XI at Thame Town CC on Monday, 26 May, for a highly anticipated NCCA Showcase fixture. Despite a spirited all-round performance and some standout individual contributions, Oxfordshire fell agonisingly short in a tightly contested match, with Surrey emerging victorious by just 11 runs.

Toss

Captain George Tait won the toss and made the confident decision to field first. The decision was backed by the overcast conditions. Oxfordshire’s bowling unit was tasked with containing a strong Surrey batting line-up.

First Innings: Surrey 123 All Out (19.5 Overs)

Oxfordshire’s bowlers did exceptionally well to bowl Surrey out with a ball to spare. The innings began at a brisk pace with Surrey reaching 50 inside the first 7 overs, but regular breakthroughs pegged them back. The visitors looked well-placed at 102-5, but a disciplined bowling performance from Oxfordshire ensured the last five wickets fell for just 21 runs.

Bowling Highlights:

• Tahmid Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 3 for 11 in 2.5 overs. His variation and control in the latter stages were instrumental in wrapping up the tail.

• Hayden Rossouw delivered an impactful two-over spell, taking 2 for 12, including key top-order wickets.

• Tom Davis also grabbed two scalps, dismissing dangerous middle-order batters at a critical time.

• Zach Lion-Cachet, Dylan Driscoll, and George Tait each chipped in with a wicket to ensure no batter settled for long.

Despite a composed 35 from A Thomas, no Surrey batter crossed 40. Credit goes to Oxfordshire’s fielding unit as well, with multiple catches taken under pressure and strong boundary fielding that kept the run rate in check.

Second Innings: Oxfordshire 112-8 (20 Overs)

Chasing 124 for victory, Oxfordshire began positively. Openers Rahul Tangirala (20 off 30) and Zach Lion-Cachet (23 off 19) put on a solid platform, reaching 50 within 7.2 overs. The pair rotated strike effectively and punished loose deliveries, giving the home side early momentum.

Following the departure of Lion-Cachet, Hayden Rossouw continued the charge with a fluent 27, including a towering six. At 73-2, Oxfordshire seemed in control. However, the match turned in a span of just a few overs as wickets tumbled in clusters.

The middle-order struggled against the disciplined spin of Yousef Majid, who produced a devastating spell of 4 wickets for just 8 runs in 4 overs which led to a dramatic collapse.

Oxfordshire tried to rebuild, but the pressure of an increasing required rate and tight fielding proved too much with the team finishing on 112-8, just 11 runs shy of the target.