Horspath Cricket Club News story

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Horspath celebrate 2025 season at Feast Match

25 Sep 2025

Celebrations were the order of the day as Horspath brought the curtain down on the 2025 campaign with the traditional end-of-season Feast Match against the President's XI.
With the Recreation Ground looking splendid in the September sunshine thanks to the efforts of David Ward and his hard-working team, the President's XI posted 226-8dec.
Ed Phillips, captaining the side for the first time, and his Banbury teammate Lloyd Sabin laid the platform with an opening stand off 95 inside 13 overs.
Sabin struck six fours and three sixes to reach 50 off 37 balls before being caught by Sravan Konidena off Ryan Hicks.
Phillips followed shortly afterwards when he was bowled for 43 by Ed Oakley and lunch arrived with the President's XI 158-4 with former Horspath opener Jimmy Phillips unbeaten on 35 after Josh Richardson and occasional bowler Tom Coleman picked up further wickets.
Around 110 players, members and guests then sat down to a fantastic spread produced by Hayden Moon in his 10th year as Feast Day chef de cuisine, before President Denis Walker opened the speeches by welcoming everyone and remembering Paul Hicks, who sadly passed away in March.
Like a chip off the old block, Robbie Eason spoke on behalf of the club in a similarly amusing fashion to the way his late father, Max, entertained Feast Day audiences for many years, before Ed Phillips, responded in kind for the President's XI.
With Bob Chamberlain and David Ward umpiring and scorer Simon Goves on the laptop, play resumed following a convivial and extended lunch lasting 2hrs and 16mins.
Jimmy Phillips, back at his old club having returned to Challow & Childrey this season and helped them become Cherwell League champions, carried on where he left off, putting on 51 for the seventh wicket with Adam Price, another Horspath old boy, who weighed in with 22 after making the journey up from Truro.
With home skipper Will Eason using 10 bowlers and Richardson's 2-12 from five overs the pick of the figures, Phillips completed his half-century before the declaration came when he was run out for 52 off 71 deliveries with eight fours.
Price (2-26) made an early breakthrough in the Horspath innings before Hicks cracked nine boundaries in a fluent 41 and Dan Todd smashed four sixes in making 46 off 35 balls to give the run chase momentum.
Robbie Eason played a cameo 26 off 19 balls with two sixes, but Joe Thomas (4-50) held Horspath in check, supported by Babnury teammate Ollie Murrey (2-44).
The last over arrived with 39 needed to win, but Tom Nichols ensured the season ended with a bang by peppering the boundaries to finish unbeaten on 52 off 32 balls with six fours and two sixes as Horspath closed on 220-9 to leave the match drawn.
Festivities continued in the Clubroom where the Jonathan Stobart Memorial Feast Cup was presented to the two captains with the honours shared.
It rounded off a highly successful Feast day at the end of a season which saw Horspath crowned Oxfordshire champions in the Voneus Village Cup for the fourth time in five years and the 2nd XI promoted from Cherwell League Division 2. 
Helen Messenger's pictures from the day can be viewed in Photo Galleries on this website by clicking here