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Horspath's full house bridges five-year gap

14 May 2025

Horspath's full house of wins last Saturday was a magnificent way to launch the season - and also the first time the club had achieved the feat for five years.
The last time a clean sweep was recorded was on August 22, 2020 in the Covid-hit campaign.
Matches didn't get under way that year until July 18 after the Home Counties Premier League postponed its fixtures in March following the ECB's suspension of all cricket activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the ECB announced the return of recreational cricket after getting government go-ahead, the Home Counties amalgamated Divisions 1 and 2 with clubs playing localised 40-over pink ball games.
Eight fixtures were played on a league basis with a pooled table, which saw the top four playing for a Cup in semi-finals and a final and the next four doing similar for a Plate.
The fixtures operated in synchronization with the Cherwell League where the games were also 40 overs.
And Horspath actually recorded two full houses in that most strangest of summers.
The second fab four - and the last time the club achieved the feat - was spearheaded by Horspath's emphatic 125-run victory at Slough.
With Horspath, captained by Lloyd Belcher, in early trouble at 1-2, Darryl Brown (95) and Dwadesh Segal (67) shared a third-wicket stand of 163 to take the visitors to 207-7.
Slough were then blown away by paceman Angus Livingstone (5-18) after Will Eason (3-19) had made early inroads as the hosts crashed to 82 all out. 
Meanwhile, Horspath 2nd recorded a 159-run win at home to Banbury 3rd in Cherwell League Tier 2B.
Skipper Robbie Eason (83no), Tom Beresford (72), Sulaiman Hussain (53) and Dom O'Connor (41) shone as Horspath rattled up 297. Banbury replied with 138-9, Josh Richardson taking 3-14.
Horspath 3rd won by 10 wickets at Shipton-under-Wychwood 2nd in Tier 3A.
Sam Payce (4-29) and Josh Cummings (3-15) did the damage as Shipton were shot out for 104, before Max Smith smashed an unbeaten 62 to fire Horspath to victory at 105-0.
With Max hitting 55 in the 2nd XI's win last Saturday, it means he has made half-centuries on each of the last two occasions the club have recorded a full house.
The awesome foursome back in 2020 was completed as Horspath 4th racked up a massive 346-5 in a 268-run win at Shipton-under Wychwood 3rd in Tier 5A.
Captain Jamie Stead (77no), Tejas Anand (68), Paul Hicks (53), Jonty Hedges (50) and Rayaan Dogar (47) peppered some short boundaries in the visitors' run spree.
Shipton then succumbed for 78 with Ed Oakley (4-9) and Shreyas Anand (3-10) the chief destroyers.
That clean sweep came just two weeks after the previous one on August 8.
Openers Tom Coleman and Jimmy Phillips shared a brilliant double-century stand in Horspath's 94-run victory at Thame Town.
Coleman cracked a superb 109, while Phillips hammered an excellent 91 with the pair putting on 204 as Horspath posted 300-4.
Thame were then 206 all out with paceman Livingstone taking 4-61 and Eason 3-28.
The game was also notable for Harrison Ward (2-39) being joined on the pitch by his brother, Elliot, as a substitute fielder with Graham Beer going to hospital after suffering an eye injury while at work in the morning.
Horspath 2nd recorded a crushing 166-run victory at home to Bletchley Town.
Opener Asad Rafiq hammered 82 and Robbie Eason made 72 as Horspath posted 260-6, before Richardson took 4-32 as Bletchley caved into 94 all out.
Horspath 3rd posted a six-wicket win at Challow & Childrey 2nd.
Skipper Andy Cummings (3-12) and Joe Gibbs (3-13) were among the wickets as Challow were shot out for 104, before opener Chris Batten (39no) and Jason Cardy (34no) secured victory at 107-4.
The club's four-timer was completed by Horspath 4th storming to an eight-wicket win at home to Kingston Bagpuize 2nd.
Jonty Hedges (74no), Dan Todd (54) and Tejas Anand (45) were in the runs as Horspath raced to victory at 195-2 off just 21.1 overs after Bagpuize posted 191-6. 
However, the last time the club achieved a full house in a regular season was on August 13, 2016. 
That memorable day saw Horspath, captained by Will Eason, pull off a thrilling two-wicket win at Aston Rowant in Home Counties Premier League Division 2 on the way to being crowned champions that season.
Chasing Rowant's 199 all out with Rameez Raja (3-36) and Belcher (3-39) to the fore, the visitors were up against it at 42-4.
But then Adam Price took the attack to Rowant with 59, dominating a fifth-wicket stand of 75 with Shahbaz Ali (61no), who saw the side home at 200-8 with four balls to spare. 
O'Connor starred with a brilliant unbeaten century in Horspath 2nd's thumping nine-wicket win over Long Marston in Cherwell League Division 1 at the Recreation Ground.
After the visitors were bowled out for 201 with Jehan Mohammed taking 3-41, O'Connor hammered 102 not out, sharing an opening stand of 165 with Joey Todd (59).
Horspath 3rd recorded an emphatic five-wicket win at home to Kingston Bagpuize in Division 5.
Bagpuize collapsed to 132 all out with James Earnshaw (3-11) leading the way, before Ceri Holmes (35) top-scored in the hosts' 136-5.
Horspath 4th completed the clean sweep with an eight-wicket win at Shipton-under-Wychwood 3rd in Division 7. Trevor Spindler (5-58) was the chief destroyer as Shipton were bowled out for 214. David Wells (77), John Perkins (67) and Derek Watts (43) then clinched victory at 215-2.