OXFORDSHIRE cruised to their second commanding Group 4 victory when they beat Bucks by eight wickets in a weather-affected game at Wormsley yesterday, writes MICHAEL KNOX.

Luke Ryan’s side were on top from the moment Karl Penhale helped to reduce the hosts to 36-4 after winning an important toss.

Following a long interruption after a thunderstorm, Bucks eventually made 152-8 from 35 overs.

Oxon, whose original Duckworth/Lewis target of 148 from 35 overs was further reduced by bad light to 128 from 31 overs, got home with 16 balls to spare, thanks to half-centuries from Hugo Darby and Lloyd Sabin.

The 50-over-match, which started an hour late after heavy morning rain, was always going Oxon’s way after their seamers made the most of helpful conditions.

After Chad Keegan had dismissed Shaan Khan with the fourth ball of the game, it was Penhale who took centre stage.

The 23-year-old, delivering in-duckers from around the wicket, bowled Jack Scriven, had Bucks skipper Michael Payne caught behind and then trapped Hamza Riazuddin leg before.

Penhale’s Banbury teammate Ollie Wright then marked his county debut by taking a wicket with his third ball, having Robin Pritchard caught at slip by Sabin.

George Russell holed out, but from 70-6, Bucks recovered partially thanks to a seventh-wicket stand of 59 between Dan Hampton and Matt Rance.

After Hampton departed to Penhale, who finished with 4-28, a huge thunderstorm halted play for two-and-a-half hours.

In the shortened game, Bucks reached 152-8, leaving Oxon a D/L target of 148.

They lost Joe White, lbw to Simon Stanway, in the first over.

But Sabin, fresh from his double-century for Oxford MCC Universities, looked in prime form.

He hit three sixes, including a huge one over the sightscreen, to race to his half-century in 52 balls.

He departed after a 20-minute break for bad light, but Darby, with his second unbeaten fifty ensured Oxon kept their 100 per cent record at the top of the group.