2005 End of Season Report

Oxford University v Cambridge University, 28/06/05

Venue: Fenners, Cambridge
Fixture: Four Day Varsity Match

Result: Oxford University won by an innings and 213 runs.

Records Galore!

For the 3rd year running Oxford thrashed Cambridge by an innings margin, and sent 3 records (2 of them longstanding) tumbling in the process ( see end of this match report).

Oxford won the all important toss and, after a slow start, a magnificent 3rd wicket partnership of 418 runs between Oberoi (247) and D.Fox (184), and a later unbroken 6th wicket partnership of 100 between McMahon (62*) and Stearn (33*) saw the Dark Blues set a massive target for the hosts.

Cambridge were going along steadily until rain stopped play before lunch on the 3rd day with their reply on 113-3. Play did not resume until after tea whereupon disaster struck Cambridge, who proceeded to lose their last 7 wickets for a paltry 11 runs. Tormentors in chief were McMahon (5-30) and Suman (3-41).

Asked to follow on, Cambridge batted doggedly on the 4th day, but could not prevent the Dark Blues gaining a massive victory with 5 overs of the match to spare. The wickets were shared amongst the Oxford bowlers.

Record No.1.

Oxford’s 610-5 declared is the highest team score by either side in a Varsity match, beating the 604 all out made by Cambridge in 2002.

Record No.2.

Salil Oberoi’s 247 runs is the highest individual score from either side in a Varsity match, beating the 238* by the Nawab of Pataudi (Senior) set in 1931.

Record No.3.

The 3rd wicket partnership of 408 by Salil Oberoi and Dan Fox is the highest partnership for any wicket for Oxford in a 1st Class Match (including Varsity matches), beating a 7th wicket stand of 340 between Key and Philipson against Middlesex in 1887.

Salil Oberoi has been elected as Oxford University C.C. captain for 2006, with Nick Woods as his vice-captain.

Oxford University v London County CC, 23/06/05

Venue: Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: London County CC won on 1st innings.

In their last outing before taking on the Light Blues at Fenners in the 4 day Varsity Match, Oxford played host to London County C.C. who were originally formed in 1899 by Dr W.G.Grace to give 1st Class match experience to promising cricketers who could not obtain it by other means. The Club was reformed in 2004 with the same purpose in mind.

Oxford performed miserably when batting first, with only Dalrymple (43) and Munday (24) scoring more than 20 runs.

London County, with 3 Oxford Brookes players in their side, passed the Oxford score for the loss of only 2 wickets.

Heavy rain prevented any play on the 2nd day, so Oxford lost the match on 1st innings, under the 2 day regulations under which the match was played.

Oxford UCCE v Loughborough UCCE, 18/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: UCCE Championship

Result: Loughborough UCCE won on 1st innings.

Oxford needed to beat Loughborough to stand a chance of appearing at Lords again to contest the UCCE Challenge Final, but alas, it was not to be.

Oxford made a poor start by losing their first 5 wickets for just 99 runs, until an excellent stand of 168 by Knappett (146) and D.Fox (58) for the 6th wicket secured a challenging total for the visitors to aim for.

The game was evenly poised with Loughborough at 75-3, but a 4th wicket stand of 221 enabled the visitors to gain a comfortable victory. Durham and Cambridge both won their last matches as expected, resulting in Oxford finishing 4th in the final league table of this competition.

Omar Anwar has been elected as Oxford UCCE captain for 2006, with Josh Knappett as his vice-captain.

Cambridge University v Oxford University, 17/06/05

Venue: Lord's
Fixture: One day Varsity match

Result: Cambridge University won by 5 wickets.

In the annual 1 Day Varsity Match at Lords, D.Fox (49) and Stearn (56*) top scored for Oxford when asked to bat first.

The Oxford bowlers strived valiantly to keep the Cambridge batsmen in check, and, with just 5 overs to go, the Light Blues still needed a further 40 runs to pass the Oxford score. In an exciting finish Cambridge achieved victory in the final over with only 4 balls to spare.

Royal Air Force v Oxford University, 15/06/05

Venue:
Fixture: Twenty20 Challenge

Result: Oxford University won by 1 run.

Due to rain, play did not start until 3.30pm, so it was decided to play a 20/20 challenge match in the time remaining.

The Blues batted first and set a formidable target, thanks to a 3rd wicket stand of 95 runs in only 9.3 overs between McMahon (50) and Stearn (52*).

Undaunted, the RAF made a determined effort, and in an exciting finish failed by just 2 runs to secure victory.

Oxford University v Combined Services, 14/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Oxford University won by 31 runs.

A dominant 2nd wicket partnership of 138 runs in 25 overs between Woods (64) and Oberoi (96) sent the Blues on their way to setting a testing target for the visitors, who made a positive start, but once the 3rd wicket pair were separated, the innings fell away and the Blues cruised to a comfortable victory.

Cambridge UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 11/06/05

Venue: Cambridge
Fixture: UCCE Championship

Result: Match Drawn. No result on 1st Innings.

Oxford set a stiff target, with major contributions from Knappett (102), Anwar (71) and Parker (70), for Cambridge to achieve on the second day.

At 308-5, victory for Cambridge looked possible with 11 overs left, but the loss of 3 quick wickets left them hanging on at the end to prevent an Oxford victory.

With one round of matches to go, Oxford are in 2nd place with 48 points but need a decisive win over Loughborough (already Champions) next Saturday and Sunday to make a possible return visit to Lords for the 1 Day Challenge Final, as surely Cambridge (43 points) and Durham (43 points) will be expected to defeat Cardiff and Bradford/Leeds respectively.

Oxford University v MCC, 08/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Oxford University won by 133 runs.

At the close of 2 days play, despite good knocks by Selvey-Clinton (71) and Oberoi (56), Oxford’s 2nd innings score stood at 198-5, a lead of only 141 runs.

On the 3rd day, resolute batting by Upadhyay (62*), ably supported by the tail-enders, enabled a target of 280 to be set for the MCC.

However, Oxford’s spinners, Woods (4-52) and Munday (5-37), routed the opposition to secure an easy victory for the students. Woods had also taken 6-57 in the MCC 1st innings.

Oxford UCCE v Oxfordshire, 07/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: Twenty20 Challenge

Result: Oxford UCCE won by 6 wickets.

The eagerly awaited Twenty20 clash between Town and Gown did not provide the exciting climax of 12 months ago when Oxfordshire won off the last ball of the match.

This time, Oxfordshire could only total 101 in their 20 overs, which posed no problems for the students who won with 5.1 overs to spare.

Sekhri (Oxford UCCE) returned figures of 3-16 when bowling, and 38* off 20 balls when batting.

Oxford UCCE v Durham UCCE, 02/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: UCCE Championship

Result: Match Abandoned. No result on 1st Innings.

With 4 of their regular bowlers missing, either involved with exams or injured, Oxford performed well to dismiss a strong Durham batting line-up by the end of the 1st day’s play.

Tom Fox, on his UCCE debut, bowled well to finish with 5-37.

Oxford’s reply on the following morning started disastrously, as after just 10 overs they were in deep trouble at 10 runs for 5 wickets.

Then a 101 run partnership between Parker (76) and Richards (29) steadied the innings, and when heavy rain fell causing the match to be abandoned, Dan Fox (56*) and Airey had put on an unbroken partnership of 50 runs for the 9th wicket.

Oxford UCCE score 8 points, Durham UCCE 10 points.

Oxford UCCE v Durham UCCE, 01/06/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Match Adandoned.

Persistent rain throughout the morning and early afternoon resulted in this match being abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Oxford UCCE therefore finished 4th in this 7 team competition.

Cambridge UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 30/05/05

Venue: Cambridge
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Cambridge UCCE won by 59 runs.

After 43 overs of batting Cambridge had only scored 183 runs, but with wickets in hand they added a further 70 runs in the last 7 overs to set Oxford a stiff target.

Oxford made a brisk start, and were well placed after 24 overs with 131 runs on the board for the loss of only 3 wickets.

However, following the dismissal of Parker (65 in 74 balls), the innings fell away badly with only Moreton (34* in 35 balls) causing Cambridge any problems.

Oxford cannot now make the semi-final of this competition.

Oxford UCCE v Lancashire, 25/05/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 1st Class Friendly

Result: Lancashire won by 10 wickets.

In their final 1st Class match against a County side, Oxford performed creditably against Lancashire over the first 2 days.

Solid batting from Moreton (74), Parker (47), Airey (42*) and Oberoi (43) enabled Oxford to declare their 1st innings, and they then dismissed Lancashire for 420, with Morse taking 4-78 on his 1st Class debut, including a wicket with his 4th ball.

However on the 3rd day, Oxford’s 2nd innings collapsed from 90-2 on the ball before lunch to 151 all out, leaving Lancashire a target of only 32 to achieve victory.

Duke of Norfolk's XI v Oxford University, 19/05/05

Venue: Arundel Castle
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Match abandoned.

The Blues side made the long trip to the South Coast for the annual encounter against the Duke of Norfolk’s XI in the beautiful grounds of Arundel Castle.

Unfortunately rain throughout the morning proved to be the victor, and the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Cardiff UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 17/05/05

Venue: Abergavenny CC
Fixture: UCCE Championship

Result: Oxford UCCE won on 1st innings.

Oxford set a formidable target on the first day of the UCCE Championship match played on the attractive Abergavenny C.C. ground, with solid contributions from Richards (80), Anwar (55) and Parker (52).

Cardiff battled hard in reply, but were eventually all out, leaving Oxford just 14 overs to bat in their 2nd innings.

However, an awesome display of hitting by Anwar (84 in 50 balls) ensured that 100 runs were reached in just 10.0 overs, thus gaining Oxford a valuable extra batting point.

Oxford UCCE scored 19 points, Cardiff UCCE 8 points.

Cardiff UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 16/05/05

Venue: Newport CC
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Oxford UCCE won by 6 wickets (Duckworth/Lewis calculation).

In the first of back to back matches, played on the Newport C.C. ground, Cardiff set Oxford a challenging total in the opening BUSA match.

However, an opening stand of 119 in just 14.5 overs from Oberoi (91 in 89 balls) and Anwar (71 in 49 balls) sent Oxford on their way to a comfortable victory chasing a revised target of 233 under Duckworth/Lewis calculations when 4 overs were lost to rain.

Oxford University v Harlequins, 13/05/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Harlequins won by 2 wickets.

Harlequins fielded a strong ‘Old Boys’ side for this annual encounter and soon had the Blues in trouble at 44-6, but resolute batting from Stearn (48*) ensured a reasonable total.

Harlequins always looked like winning, but the loss of quick wickets in the middle of the innings led to an exciting finish with Harlequins achieving victory with just 2 balls to spare.

Woods bowled well to finish with 4-44.

Oxford UCCE v MCC Young Cricketers, 10/05/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: MCC Young Cricketers won by 7 wickets.

With 4 players representing British Universities v Bangladesh at Fenners, and other regulars involved with studies, it was a chance for several fringe players to perform in this 3 day fixture.

Oxford did not succeed with the bat, with Richards (45) and Oberoi (43) top scoring in the 1st and 2nd innings respectively.

Lamb returned figures of 5-42, including a spell of 4-11 in 4.4 overs to finish off the tail in the visitors' 1st innings.

Oxford UCCE v Exeter University, 08/05/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Oxford UCCE won by 52 runs.

Oxford gained their first BUSA points with an easy win over Exeter University, the only non UCCE side in the Championship.

Parker (62), Anwar (58) and Knappett (52*) all scored freely for Oxford in setting a target which proved out of reach for Exeter.

Oberoi bowled well to take 4-21 in his allotted 10 overs.

Bradford / Leeds UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 05/05/05

Venue: Away
Fixture: UCCE Championship

Result: Match Drawn. No result on 1st Innings.

A vastly improved batting performance saw Oxford set a formidable total with five batsmen making 50’s — Moreton (65), Woods (95), Oberoi (85), Parker (75) and Selvey-Clinton (51*).

Bradford/Leeds hung on at the end, although Oxford would have won on 1st innings if a difficult slip catch chance had been taken off the last ball of the match with the hosts' last pair at the wicket. Parker bowled well to finish with 6-109.

Bradford / Leeds UCCE v Oxford UCCE, 04/05/05

Venue: Away
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Bradford / Leeds UCCE won by 82 runs

Oxford travelled to Harrogate for back-to-back matches against Bradford / Leeds with four of their front line bowlers missing.

In the opening BUSA match Bradford / Leeds set an imposing target which the Oxford batting never looked like reaching, resulting in their losing to Bradford / Leeds for the first time since UCCE cricket commenced.

Oxford University v Oxfordshire, 02/05/05

Venue:
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Oxford University won by 4 wickets.

With the last two years' annual Town v Gown matches washed out through rain without a ball being bowled, it was a case of 3rd time lucky.

Oxfordshire posted a modest total in their 50 overs, which the Blues passed with five overs to spare. Oxfordshire’s cause was not helped by conceding 42 in extras - the second top score after D.Fox had made a brisk 52*.

Oxford UCCE v Loughborough UCCE, 01/05/05

Venue: Marston, Oxford
Fixture: BUSA Championship

Result: Loughborough UCCE won by 6 wickets.

In their first match in this season’s BUSA Championship, Oxford struggled to post a challenging total despite Knappett (50*) and Sekhri (56) putting on exactly 100 in a 6th wicket partnership.

The Oxford bowlers tried hard to contain the Loughborough batting , but lost in the end with only 2 balls of the match remaining.

Oxford UCCE v Derbyshire, 20/04/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 1st Class Match, 3 days

Result: Match Drawn.

Oxford performed well against a full strength Derbyshire side and, for the first time for many years, an Oxford student side bowled a 1st Class County out, with Suman taking an excellent 4-59 in 24 overs.

Oxford then proceeded to obtain a 1st innings lead of 126 runs with solid contributions from Parker (89), Richards (43), Knappett (42), Linley (42) and Suman (39).

Derbyshire saved face in their 2nd innings by batting out the final 2 sessions on Day 3 without any alarms, but full marks to the students for their earlier efforts.

Oxford Cricket Club v Oxford University, 17/04/05

Venue: Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Oxford University won by 182 runs.

Against virtually the same Oxford C.C. team who had played against the UCCE side the day before, the Blues gained an easy victory with Oberoi, 173 in 156 balls, and D.Fox, 55 in 56 balls, hammering the club side’s attack in a 3rd wicket stand of 97 in just 14 overs.

Oxford C.C. never looked like reaching the target with all the Blues bowlers taking wickets.

Oxford UCCE v Oxford Cricket Club, 16/04/05

Venue: Oxford
Fixture: 2nd Class Friendly

Result: Oxford C.C. won by 3 wickets.

This match was a chance for several of the fringe squad members to impress against a local club side who were playing their first game of the season.

However, only Richards, one of the regulars, impressed with the bat in scoring an excellent 112 off only 90 balls, the next highest batsman’s score being just 27 runs.

Oxford C.C. gained a comfortable victory which was more decisive than the result suggests, as they lost 3 quick wickets when within 3 runs of the target.

Oxford UCCE v Warwicks 2nds, 14/04/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: County 2nds 1 Day Limited Overs.

Result: Warwicks 2nd’s won by 7 wickets.

In their final match against County 2nd XI opposition, Oxford started well and, at the halfway point of their innings, were 125-2.

However, after the departure of Anwar for a hard-hitting 76 off only 79 balls, the remaining batsmen found runs hard to come by, and only a modest total of 195 all out was achieved.

Warwicks 2nds lost their first 2 wickets for 16 runs, but then lost only one further wicket in keeping pace with the required run rate to achieve victory with 3 overs to spare.

Oxford UCCE v Gloucestershire, 09/04/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: 1st Class Match, 3 days

Result: Match Drawn.

In their opening 1st Class fixture, Oxford performed creditably against a full strength Gloucestershire side in restricting them to a total of 305-9 declared, but then disappointed with the bat, 8 wickets falling to catches behind the stumps - 4 to the keeper and 4 to the slip cordon.

With Gloucestershire not enforcing the follow on, the second day's play ended in explosive fashion with Spearman, the Gloucs opener, hammering 34 runs (5 sixes and a four) in the final over - surely a record for any game of cricket in The Parks.

Oxford made a disastrous start to their 2nd innings slumping to 24-6, until Knappett 64* and Woods 22* figured in an unbroken partnership of 90 runs to save the day.

Oxford UCCE v Northants 2nds, 07/04/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: County 2nds 1 Day Limited Overs.

Result: Match abandoned - rain.

Northants closed their innings when heavy rain fell, but all to no avail as Oxford's innings lasted for only 5 overs, when play resumed, when more rain prevented any further play.

Oxford UCCE v Somerset 2nds, 05/04/05

Venue: The Parks, Oxford
Fixture: County 2nds 1 Day Limited Overs.

Result: Oxford UCCE won by 8 wickets.

Oxford opened their season with a flourish by comprehensively beating Somerset 2nd's with 25.1 overs to spare of their allotted 50 overs.

Munday, on Somerset's books, tormented his future County colleagues by taking 5-17 in just 6.4 overs.

Oxford soon rattled off the required runs thanks to an unbroken partnership of 77 runs between Anwar 57* and new captain Parker 30*.