CHERWELL LEAGUE

Match of the day

A LATE flurry of runs took Cumnor close to victory over Oxford Downs on the opening day of the Division 1 season.

Carl Thompson’s belligerent 29 not out threatened to snatch an unlikely victory for the home side at the end of a topsy-turvy match that swung one way and then the other during the afternoon.

Thompson had given Cumnor a good start after they elected to field, taking three early wickets to help reduce Downs to 81-6.

Andrew Buckingham (76) and Will Sandbach (38) then rebuilt the visitors’ innings by adding 77, before former Oxon all-rounder Adam Cook (6-53) wrapped up the tail.

Downs’ final score of 190 all out was always going to present a challenge given the damp conditions, and so it proved as Cumnor failed to build on a decent start by collapsing from 49-0 to 75-5.

Simon Watkins (4-79) looked like propelling his side to victory, then Ali Morteza (45) and Thompson brought their side back into it.

But in the end, Downs were two wickets and Cumnor ten runs short of victory.

Cumnor’s reply included five penalty runs after the ball hit a stray Downs helmet.

Cumnor 11pts, Oxford Downs 15