Horspath Cricket Club News story

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Phillips and Eason's record stand in vain

11 Jul 2023

JIMMY Phillips and Robbie Eason set a club record opening stand for the Home Counties Premier League - but it couldn't prevent Horspath from going down to a four-wicket defeat at Amersham.
Phillips (81) and Eason (46) shared a first-wicket partnership of 123 as Horspath posted 182-6 after being put in to bat in the rain-affected Division 2 encounter.
However, it wasn't enough as the visitors' bowlers were unable to halt Amersham's run chase and the hosts claimed victory at 183-6 with three balls to spare.
Horspath had reached 13-0 off 4.5 overs when a lengthy interruption due to rain at Shardeloes saw the innings reduced to 46 overs.
When play resumed the visitors reached 50 without loss for the first time in the league this season, before Phillips completed his half-century with a single off the last ball of the 23rd over.
The left-hander brought up Horspath's hundred in similar fashion, and when Eason picked up a single off the first ball of the 33rd over the pair had equalled the club's previous best opening stand of 111, which had been achieved twice.
Phillips then hit two runs off the next delivery to set a new mark for the opening partnership.
Eason had also featured in both of the club's opening stands of 111, making an unbeaten 126 in partnership with Jamie Stead (25) at home to Buckingham Town in 2016 and 84 not out at home to Tring Park in tandem with Tom Coleman (54) in 2017.
Phillips, meanwhile, hit 91 in a stand of 204 with Coleman (109) 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.
The opening partnership finally came to an end this time when Phillips was run out by Mohamad Choudry going for two. His fine 121-ball knock included nine fours, and in the following over Eason was lbw to Sam Helm (3-63) to make it 132-2.
Wickets then fell in the scramble for late runs, before Stephen Green and Jehan Mohammed ensured the innings finished with a flourish by adding a brisk 22 in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand.
With Amersham allocated 39 overs to chase the runs, Horspath strove in vain at the start of the innings despite an accurate opening spell from stand-in skipper Amin Rafiq, whose seven overs cost just 13 runs.
Choudry and skipper Robert Viney gave the hosts a solid base, before both fell with the score on 49.
Mohammed made the breakthrough when he caught and bowled Choudry for 30 and in the next over Viney was snapped up by Phillips off Minhaj Jalill's off-spin for 18.
David Justus and Michael Payne took the score to 95 before leg-spinner Josh Richardson caught and bowled Payne.
Justus completed a run-a-ball half-century with a single off left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher, making his seasonal debut. He shared a stand of 68 for the fourth wicket with Sri Lankan Maduka Liyanapathiranage, who smashed 40 off 29 balls before being trapped lbw by fellow countryman Jalill to make it 163-4.
Horspath's overseas star struck twice in consecutive balls in the penultimate over with Justus caught by Richardson for 67 off 65 deliveries with seven fours and Agastya Bairneni caught behind by Will Hawtin to leave Amersham 178-6.
However, with just three needed for victory off the last over, Andrew Viney saw the home side over the line. Jalill finished with 4-36.
The defeat increases Horspath's relegation worries with the side now 13 points from safety ahead of Saturday's vital home game against bottom club Cumnor.