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Horspath make it fab four in Hartwell Trophy

16 Sep 2024

Horspath celebrated an unprecedented quadruple by being crowned Oxfordshire T20 champions with a glorious five-wicket victory over Oxford Downs in the Hartwell Trophy final at Challow & Childrey.

A thrilling opening stand of 73 between Dan Todd and Tyron Eyles set Horspath on the way to victory at 115-5 in a decider reduced to 18 overs-a-side due to potential light issues.

It completed a fabulous four-timer for the side after winning the Cherwell League Division 1 title, the Pullinger Cup and the Oxfordshire final of the Voneus Village Cup.    

And it was also the fourth time Horspath had won the county's T20 showpiece, having triumphed in the competition formerly known as the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup in 2013, 2014 and 2018.

The side's success was built on a highly efficient bowling and fielding display as Downs were held to 114-5 after electing to bat. 

With the players taking to the field to Ennio Morricone's score from spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it was Asad Rafiq who was quickest on the draw to shatter Tom Ettridge's stumps with his second ball.

Freddie Smith got Downs's innings up and running with a brace of boundaries in the third over, before Luke Maslen smashed consecutive deliveries for four and six over mid-wicket and long on.

Smith launched a six over long off and swept for four, but when he had made a breezy 25 he was bowled by Hicks.

With the left-arm spinner producing an excellent spell of 1-14 off four overs bowling in tandem with Jehan Mohammed, Horspath put the brakes on.

Josh Richardson returned to the attack to remove Maslen for 31 with Mohammed taking the catch at deep backward square leg and the Home Counties Premier League Division 1 side were 77-3 after 13 overs.

The Horspath leg-spinner struck again when Joe Botha was lbw attempting to sweep.

Downs were held in check to such an extent that five overs passed without a boundary before Tom Powell hit a straight four only to be bowled by left-arm spinner Sam Leslie's next delivery for 26.

And it was only 19 runs off the last over with Harry Wren clobbering a four and a six over long on off the last ball which took Downs to their final total.

Hicks was the pick off the Horspath attack, while Richardson took 2-22, Leslie 1-10 and Asad Rafiq 1-15, with George Crawford producing a tidy display behind the stumps.

The pyrotechnics' operator with four flamethrowers down by the nets may have been relatively quiet during the Downs' innings but was set to go into overdrive as Horspath - runners-up for the last two years - launched their run chase.

Todd set the tone by clouting a four off the second delivery and then pulling the next for six into the neighbouring field, before Eyles swept to the boundary as 17 came off the first over.

Todd kept up the flying start with two more fours in the next over and Horspath were rollicking along with the pair maintaining the flurry of boundaries to bring up the fifty off just 4.5 overs.

With their good-sized following providing raucous support, Horspath were in dreamland and Eyles gave their fans more reason to cheer with a six over mid-wicket into the hands of his own captain, Amin Rafiq.

The openers had shared an exhilarating stand of 73 from seven overs when both fell in the space of three balls.

Todd had creamed 38 from 23 balls when a mix-up saw him run out by Downs skipper Matt Warner at the bowler's end as he went for a quick single, before Eyles, having made 35 off 21 deliveries, was lbw to Wasim Mehmood (1-24) attempting a reverse sweep.

Stephen Green hit a four through fine leg in the fading light, before Richardson's stumps were lit up when he was bowled by Warner (1-25) to make it 78-3.

Green swept another boundary and Dougal Main muscled three fours down the ground to bring up the 100 as rain began to fall, before he was run out for 17 by Warner's throw from cover as he went for a single.

Mohammed slapped a four over cover before falling lbw to Ettridge. Amin came into crack a boundary over long on and then brought the scores level with two, before Green's single off a misfield at mid-on secured victory with 11 balls to spare. Mehmood (1-24) and Warner (1-25) led the way with the ball for Downs, while Ollie Armstrong conceded just 10 runs from his three overs. 

With Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' blaring out to herald Horspath's triumph, the team were joined by their supporters in joyous scenes of celebration, before Amin was presented with the trophy.

A full rerun of the game can be seen by clicking below