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Cummings's 7-14 tops 2023 Village Cup charts

07 Sep 2023

HORSPATH seamer Josh Cummings's 7-14 at the Baldons tops the Voneus Village Cup 2023 Roll of Honour.
Josh, then 19, claimed his magnificent seven in the first-round win way back on April 23.
His eight overs, which also contained three maidens, sent the Baldons crashing to 52 all out to set Horspath up for an eight-wicket victory.
He is just one of four bowlers to take seven wickets in the competition this season followed by Goatacre's David Miles (7-21) against Shrewton, Sully Spartans' Arsh Bhardwaj (7-30) against Tondu and Stayley's Kamran Basharat (7-33) in the semi-final defeat by eventual champions Milford Hall.
A regular member of the 3rd XI, Josh didn't feature again in the Village Cup side as Horspath made it to the sixth round where the adventure ended with an agonising 14-run defeat at Grampound Road in Cornwall.
Josh said: "It's really good to get the best figures. To be fair it was a bit disappointing that I didn't play any more rounds, but that's the way it was."
Horspath batsman Robbie Eason also features on the Roll of Honour, which lists every player to score a century or take a five-for during this year's competition.
Robbie rocked the Recreation Ground with a brilliant unbeaten 102 in the 76-run win over Somerset & Avon champions Wembdon in the fifth round much to the delight of a highly enthusiastic crowd of around 300 in June.
He shared a scintillating unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 171 with Max Smith (80no) to propel Horspath to 236-4, completing his ton in majestic fashion in the last over by hitting consecutive deliveries for six and four.
His superb 121-ball knock included 12 fours and two sixes, with Robbie saying afterwards: "It was a great partnership with Max, and I think that is my best innings. I can think about getting runs for the county and for Horspath, and that is probably my best."
The win saw Horspath equal the furthest the club have gone in the Village Cup, having reached the last 16 in 1979 when the run was ended by Ynysygerwn.
While Cummings and Eason feature on the Roll of Honour, no account of Horspath's 2023 Village Cup journey would be complete without mention of the Oxfordshire final at Tiddington where Josh Richardson smashed a six off the last ball to snatch a thrilling one-wicket win in an incredible finish.
With three needed to win off the last delivery, Josh took a couple of strides down the pitch to strike the ball over long on before being mobbed by his teammates as they raced on to the field to celebrate an unbelievable win.
In a remarkable climax, the 18-year-old had also hit the first ball of the last over for six as Horspath, needing 11 to win at that stage with two wickets left, edged closer to Tiddington's 153-8.
The competition reached its conclusion with the final on Sunday when Staffordshire side Milford Hall beat Kent champions Leeds & Broomfield by 10 runs in a low-scoring thriller at Lord's.
The West Midlands Group winners looked down and out at halfway after being bowled out for 139.
However, Aaron Afford spun his side to victory in a topsy-turvy contest, returning man-of-the match figures of 4-19 to lay the foundations for a remarkable comeback.
Leeds, who included Clarry and Monte McCague, the sons of former England and Kent bowler Martin McCague, had ended the hopes of Horspath's conquerors, Grampound Road, with a convincing 137-run win in the semi-finals down in Cornwall.