Didcot 4s (Away) Cherwell 8D

So the big day was finally here – the inaugural match for Wantage & Grove 2nd XI. After being rained off last week, anticipation levels were high. So much so that our opening batsman Wonga arrived late and got demoted to 8, leaving Simon and Jayesh to open the batting against an athletic-looking Didcot 4th team who won the toss and smartly elected to field. The forecast had been looking good all week, a welcome relief considering the amount of rain which had fallen in the past fortnight. However, the sun was not…continue reading →

Dorchester (H) Cherwell 5C WL

Here we are again, welcome to the 2023 season, and with the introduction of our 2nd XI, twice the match report reading to be done! You’d think that’d mean I’d keep this brief, we’ll see… Abysmal weather over the last few weeks, including washing out 86 of 87 games across the Cherwell league meant that today’s visit of Dorchester was the 1’s first action of the season. Dorch, a team we’ve become pretty familiar with over the last few seasons, turned up with only 10 (which it subsequently turns out means they’ve been…continue reading →

Awards Evening 2022

The full list of award winners from the 2022 season: Sunday Batting - Bhu Basilisco GurungBowling - Tim WeekesDuck - Chris RollsCatching - Alan Wong Wednesday Batting - Dave SpencerBowling - Will Bury Saturday Batting - Colin MercerBowling - Will HarveyChampagne Moment - David Summersbee Top Performance - Tim LanePigs Ear - Will HarveyDuck - Tim LaneMoTM - Will BuryBucket - Dave SpencerSieve - Tim WeekesBoo Boo - Colin Mercer Club Awards Captains - Steve BramleyHarry Richardson Youth Award - Jonny Walkercontinue reading →

Steventon season ender (A) Cherwell League Div5c

The finale to the season dawned. The last weekend of freshly cut grass tingling the nostrils; the compulsory rubbing of balls on thigh; the OCD tapping of bat on village green to smooth out a slight imperfection; and the inevitability of Summs once again losing the toss. I’m sure it is appropriate to point out at this stage that he has only won 2 tosses all season, so we’ve very much gotten used to being sent out to field; indeed faith was so high in his ability to call a 50/50 correctly that…continue reading →

Clifton Hampden (A) Cherwell League Div 5c

I drove for the first time this season to an away game on my lonesome, without the wise stalwart Tweeky giving me my motivational pre game mental preparation. (me trying to find out the secret hand shake for the masons).  Gatorade and cardboard flavoured "fresh" chicken pasta stowed away safely on the passenger seat was no substitute for the club legend.I turned off the main road into the cricket ground  full of hope that today might be the day we could pull off our first away win of the season, my thoughts were abruptly put…continue reading →

Radley (H) Cherwell Div 5c

I am afraid you have me again… but I know why! You all want to know about the Tea situation..So without further ado…  What would the MMM (Mabbs Mega Manwich) contain? Well, I upgraded this week by walking to Waitrose! The 1% pay rise this year was clearly helping as I bought lashings of French Butter, Torchons of Ham, Port Salut, Comté, Saucisson, Moutarde, Mayonnaise all enclosed inside a French Rustic Loaf. Things were going to be good.   As before, scoop out some of the bread to allow the ingredients to sit comfortably…continue reading →

East Oxford 2s (A) Cherwell League Div 5c

The weekend was fast approaching… Cricket was on the horizon, and one keen bean in particular was looking forward to the first outing back on a Saturday since his honeymoon, and very much looking forward to being with ‘The Boys’! (I will await the divorce papers once she has read this!)… Let me set the scene. Friday afternoon. In Sainsburys. What do I want for tea tomorrow? I know, I will make the famous Mabbs Manwich! Ingredients: German Smoked Ham German Sausage (Bratwurst or Frankfurter… either are acceptable) German Salami / Garlic Sausage…continue reading →

Challow 2s (H) Cherwell League Div 5C WLD

30/7/22 Overcast,  humid conditions met the teams as high flying local rivals Challow & Childrey 2s arrived for the penultimate win-lose-draw format fixture of the season.  With reduced bowling options but a surprisingly green surface , there was much discussion on what to do at the toss – it may be not of have been a bad one to lose. Skip won it and put Challow in.   A new opening bowling partnership of Will H and Chief offered the Challow openers very little in the early overs , and when some width was…continue reading →

Steventon (H) – Cherwell League Div 5c WLD

2nd July 2022 (delayed post) Seven days before this fixture, the weather forecast was poor. A few days out, it looked like no cricket would be possible. However, on the morning of the game, the sun was spotted and it was not raining. Different meteorological services continued to give a range of prognoses: it would rain from one until eight, it would rain intermittently from 1:30 and then begin to clear by four, Noah had placed a large order of timber. Despite the moist conditions, we started on time. Steventon’s skip, Chapman (formerly…continue reading →

Clifton Hampden (H) – Cherwell League Div 5c

18th June 2022 (delayed post) Looking to put last week’s loss behind us, week 7 of the league saw Wantage and Grove play host to Clifton Hampden. Arriving at a rather damp ground with damper weather forecast for later that afternoon it was clear that this was a day to bowl first. Skip, however, had a different plan and continued his form at the toss – now having lost seven from seven. A fortunate break in the spitting rain at 1pm allowed for the new and untested opening partnership of Colin and Wilbury…continue reading →