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Ahmad's half-century in vain for Horspath

19 Jun 2023

HORSPATH'S batting failed to fire as the side slipped to a four-wicket defeat at home to Oxford Downs in Home Counties Premier League Division 2.
The hosts were soon in trouble at 33-4 after being put in to bat with Matt Warner claiming all four victims on the way to a five-wicket haul.
With wickets continuing to fall it took a gritty ninth-wicket stand of 66 between Touseef Ahmad, who hit a maiden Home Counties half-century with an unbeaten 56, and skipper Will Eason (34) to see Horspath post 184-9.
However, it always looked a below-par score and with Downs aided by some errant fielding the visitors secured victory at 185-6 with opener Will Watts making 57.
Ahmad came to the crease after the loss of those four early wickets and applied himself well to the situation to steady the ship with Stephen Green, taking the score to 72 before the latter was bowled by Oliver Armstrong for 22.
Lunch arrived with Horspath still in trouble at 84-6 off 32 overs and their plight deepened after the interval.
The situation was looking bleak at 106-8 but then Ahmad and Eason set about repairing the damage.
Ahmad went to his half-century by pulling a full toss to the square leg boundary for four shortly before Eason was caught behind by Frankie Crouch to give Warner his fifth victim.
Ahmad hit six fours and one six in his 112-ball knock to give Horspath some sort of chance, while Warner finished with 5-58 off 17 overs.
With the home side's total just one short of the score they had posted in the eight-wicket defeat at Oxford a week earlier, they knew they desperately needed an early breakthrough in Downs's innings. But it wasn't forthcoming as openers Watts and Freddie Smith provided a solid base for their side's run chase.
They put on 74 for the first wicket before left-hander Smith whipped a delivery from off-spinner Amin Rafiq into Eason's hands at mid-wicket to fall for 45.
Jeham Mohammed then came into the attack and produced a fine spell of 3-30 to haul Horspath back into the game.
He had Luke Maslen caught behind by Will Hawtin, before Rafiq struck again when Stephen Green leapt high to catch a drive from former Horspath player Tom Cosford above his head at mid-on to make it 100-3.
Mohammed trapped Tom Ettridge lbw, while David Schierhout edged a delivery into Hawtin's gloves.
Watts survived a chance to slip off Mohammed as he went to his half-century with the ball flying to the boundary, before his innings came to an end when he played on to the Horspath seamer.
He had faced 87 balls and hit eight fours, and at 139-6 Horspath suddenly sensed they were in with an unexpected chance of snatching victory.
However, it wasn't to be as Warner (24no) and captain Tom Costley (14no) steered Downs home without any further loss.
The defeat sees Horspath drop three places in the table to ninth ahead of next Saturday's home game against second-placed Gerrards Cross.