OXFORDSHIRE produced arguably their best performance for several seasons to beat Staffordshire by 92 runs in the MCC Trophy at Walsall yesterday.

Oxon were workmanlike in seeing off Huntingdonshire in last weekend's opening group game, but this was a far more impressive display.

Staffordshire are one of the strongest Minor Counties, having won the Championship three times in a row in the early 90s and finished second in the Eastern Division last year. But they were comprehensively outplayed yesterday.

The last Staffordshire wicket fell to Graham Savin, the big Rover Cowley all-rounder splaying Simon Horsfall's stumps with a full length delivery.

It was a suitably emphatic ending.

Chasing Oxon's total of 272-6 from their 60 overs, the home side were shot out for 180, with Bicester and North Oxford off-spinner Paul Jeacock taking three wickets in an excellent spell.

Oxon had started the day shakily, losing opener Keith Mustow lbw in the first over and the in-form Bruce Ellison soon afterwards following a mix-up in the calling with Stewart Laudat.

However, Laudat made amends by sharing a century partnership with Charlie Knightley, which put the visitors back on track.

Laudat played extravagantly early on in his innings and, while he was scoring freely, he looked far from convincing.

But a mean spell from former Kent and Leicestershire spinner Laurie Potter seemed to do the Rover Cowley man some good. He struggled to get Potter off the square - and while the scoring rate slowed because of it, the experience calmed him down and forced him to concentrate. He batted more sensibly thereafter.

Knightley was eventually out to Potter, the victim of a dubious lbw decision. The Magdalen College School master had a poor run last season, but on the evidence of yesterday and the opener against Hunts, he is right back to his best. He looked a class act against a decent attack and hit the ball as hard as I have seen it hit for some time. At one point, Oxon looked like they were going to get over 300. But Laudat was dismissed in the nineties for the second week running and then skipper Rob Williams was caught behind, his 28 runs including three massive sixes.

Suddenly, the momentum had gone and the visitors had two new men at the crease for the final-overs fling.

Although wicketkeeper Ian Hawtin played some super shots right at the death, a total of 272 looked like it might be 30 runs too few.

But Laudat uprooted the off stump of dangerman Steve Dean, Potter fell to a shooter from Savin and then Jeacock turned the screw in the middle of the innings.

OXON

K Mustow lbw Brock1

B Ellison run out10

S Laudat b Richardson 97

C Knightley lbw Potter 41

R Williams c Humphries b Harvey 28

I Hawtin not out 40

G Savin run out 26

K Arnold not out 28

Extras 5

Total (6 wkts) 272

Fall: 1-20, 2-20, 3-141, 4-196, 5-204, 6-258.

Bowling: Brock 9-0-48-0, Horsfall 7-1-38-1, Womble 3-0-20-0, Richardson 12-1-50-1, Potter 12-4-20-1, Wellings 6-0-40-0, Harvey 11-0-39-1.

STAFFS

S Dean b Laudat 11

I Stokes lbw Jeacock 31

L Potter lbw Savin 19

P Wellings c Williams b Jones 12

D Wombleb Jeacock 15

D Shaw c Hawtin b Jeacock 4

R Harvey run out 21

M Humphries b Curtis 7

D Brock b Curtis 26

A Richardson not out 13

S Horsfall b Savin 11

Extras 10

Total (all out) 180

Fall: 1-13, 2-41, 3-62, 4-78, 5-94, 8-101, 7-119, 8-126, 9-159.

Bowling: Arnold 6-1-9-0, Laudat 5-1-27-1, Savin 12-1-42-2, Jones 11-6-26-1, Jeacock 12-3-28-3, Curtis 12-2-38-2.

Oxon won by 92 runs

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.