ELLIOT Ruff and Minhaj Jalill produced superb knocks as Horspath regained winning ways in Home Counties Premier League Division 2 with an emphatic 105-run victory over Buckingham Town at the Recreation Ground.
Ruff hit his highest score for the club with an excellent 94, while Jalill made a polished 72 as Horspath posted a club record score for the league of 300 all out off 49.5 overs after being put in to bat.
They turned the innings round with a brilliant fourth-wicket stand of 182 after the home side had been in trouble at 39-3.
Ruff reached his half-century with a boundary through the covers off Sikandar Rizwan in the 28th over, while Jalill brought up his second fifty for the club with an offside drive for four off Hashan Ramanadanpulle seven overs later.
They were closing in on the club record for the fourth wicket of 186 set by Tom Coleman and Tom Cosford at Henley in 2017 when Jalill was caught behind by Jack Mercer off Australian Jackson Koop to make it 221-4. His runs came off 82 balls and included nine fours and two sixes.
Ruff's 101-ball stay ended nine runs later when he fell to Buckingham skipper Joe Butcher with Chad Barrett taking the catch at deep square leg. He had hit 12 fours and two sixes.
Stephen Green chipped in with 25, sharing a stand of 61 with Touseef Ahmad (19) as Horspath's total was boosted by 61 extras.
However, the innings ended in spectacular fashion with South African Chad Barrett taking a hat-trick with Ahmad, Subhan Javaid and skipper Will Eason his three victims.
Barrett finished with figures of 6-28 off 7.5 overs with his six wickets all bowled. Butcher picked up 2-57, while Koop claimed 1-19 off 10 overs.
Horspath's total beat their previous best of 284-5 against Aston Rowant in the club's very first game in the league in 2011.
The club did post 300-4 off 40 overs at Thame Town in 2020, but the matches from that Covid 19-hit campaign were not recognised by the league for the purpose of club records as it was a shortened format and season.
Skipper Will Eason (3-35) then continued his superb form with the new ball to reduce Buckingham to 37-3.
The visitors were never really in the hunt from that point with Jehan Mohammed (4-37) tightening Horspath's grip with his victims including top scorer Koop, who smashed three sixes in his run-a-ball 45 and opener Ramanadanpulle (38).
Ahmad (2-34) wrapped up the innings as Buckingham were 195 all out off 40.3 overs.
Horspath remain in sixth place with the games now switching to time matches, starting with the trip to local rivals Oxford next Saturday. Click below for match highlights