LEGENDARY batsman Mike Nurton is Oxfordshire crciket's sole representative in the Minor Counties 'Team of the Century'.

Nurton scored 12,713 Championship runs between 1963 and 1990 more than anyone else in Minor Counties history.

The left-hander is down to open the batting in a side which also features the great England Test bowler Sydney Barnes.

Only two current players have made the 2000 Minor Counties Annual's all-time XI Lincolnshire's Stephen Plumb and Devon's Nick Folland.

Those lucky enough to watch Folland's match-winning unbeaten 249 against Oxfordshire at Torquay last summer will have no complaints about his inclusion.

Naturally, Nurton has also been named in an Oxfordshire team of the century selected for the Minor Counties Annual by the county's historian, Julian Lawton Smith.

Nurton's opening partner in that side is Jack Mendl (1946-56), with John Bush (1949-73) at No 3 and skipper Phil Garner (1971-94) at four.

At five and six respectively are Charlie Walters (1922-52) and Joe Banton (1950-73), both of whom scored over 5,000 runs and took over 500 wickets for Oxfordshire.

Will Inge (1928-55) is picked as wicket-keeper, with 'Brusher' Rogers (1891-1906), off-spinner Rupert Evans (1973-98), the late, great David Laitt (1952-72) and paceman Keith Arnold (1980-present) to do the bowling.

"I wanted to finish up with a balanced side with a strong batting line-up and a varied bowling attack," explained Lawton Smith.

"I also decided that I wanted to include representatives from each era. The other key decision was to select those who had made a major contribution over a long period rather than one or two seasons.

"This ruled out Test players such as Johnny Arnold and Buck Divecha.

"The most difficult selection was undoubtedly the wicket-keeper. The county have been blessed with top quality keepers since the days of Fred Arnold.

"I narrowed the choice to three Will Inge, Alan Crossley and Stuart Waterton. All marvellous keepers, I plumped for Inge given the balance of the side as he played many match-winning innings down the order. I also came close to picking Waterton purely as a batsman."

Waterton does, however, make the Minor Counties Annual's Oxfordshire team of the 90s.

He opens with David Wise, with Bruce Ellison at three, Stewart Laudat four and present skipper Rob Williams at No 5.

At six is Garner, who captains the side, with Charlie Knightley at seven and all-rounder Graham Savin at No 8.

Evans, Arnold and left-arm spinner Ian Curtis complete the line-up.

Minor Counties Team of the Century: Mike Nurton (Oxfordshire, 1963-90), Arthur Sutton (Cheshire, 1959-86), Nick Folland (Devon, 1981-present), Charles Titchmarsh (Herts, 1900-1929), Stephen Plumb (Norfolk, Lincs, 1978-present), Michael Falcon (Norfolk, 1906-46), Cyril Perkins (Suffolk, 1939-67), Fred Burton (Herts, 1910-32), Dennis Wilfred Stokes (Berkshire, 1928-53), Sydney Barnes (Staffordshire, 1904-35), Frank Edwards (Bucks, 1914-39).