Horspath Cricket Club News story

Custom Script (e.g Ads Script)

Gibbs and Todd sparkle in Horspath 3rd's victory

05 Sep 2023

JOE Gibbs and Dan Todd hammered half-centuries as Horspath 3rd ended their Cherwell League Division 3A programme in style by posting their highest score of the season in an 81-run win at ninth-placed Bletchley Town.
Gibbs made 73 and Todd 60 to set the newly-crowned Airey Cup winners on the way to a formidable 303-8 after they were put in to bat.
The early signs weren't good for the visitors as they crashed to 5-2, but Todd stood firm at the top of the order to make his fourth fifty of the campaign.
Horspath were still in some trouble at 124-6 when he fell having cemented his position as the side's leading runscorer, taking his tally to 347 plus 85 in his only innings for the 4th XI.
But then Gibbs and Jason Cardy (48) shared a seventh-wicket stand of 76.
Playing shots all round the ground, including two scoops for four down to a vacant fine leg, Gibbs continued to rack up the runs in an eight-wicket partnership of 57 with George Crawford (38no), who took the side past the 300-mark with Edward Gadd (18no). Idrees Butt (2-33) was the pick of the home attack.
Josh Cummings (2-29) produced a fine opening spell as Bletchley stumbled to 36-3. Amir Aziz (71) and Matt Shepherd (60) rallied the hosts by putting on 98 for the fourth wicket, before Gibbs (1-29) removed the latter.
Ahmad Ali (39) joined Aziz to keep up the attack, but when both fell to Alfie Turner (3-10) the writing was on the wall with skipper Ryan Hicks (2-58), the side's leading wicket-taker with 23 victims, and Gadd (1-0) joining in to polish Bletchley off for 222 as the last six wickets fell for 26 runs.
Horspath move up two places to finish the season in a commendable fifth place with the side's Airey Cup triumph the icing on the cake.