Learning Curve
Oxford lost for the second time in a week against a rampant Northants at the Parks on Sunday. Oxford would have been pleased with their performance on the first couple of days in this three-day match, but sadly they fell away on the last day and ended up losing by over 200 runs.
Some good bowling by Mees and Sharpe in the first innings frustrated Northants, forcing them to declare for a reachable 243. Particularly impressive was the manner in which the opening bowlers picked themselves up after the pasting they received against Worcester. Wyatt and Hicks, having missed the previous game, also deserved their wickets after some tight bowling.
In reply, many of the Oxford batsmen managed starts, Dalrymple, Porter, Jones and Hilsum all failing in the twenties, and Hyatt offered considerable resistance with the tail, but in the end Northants' attack was too strong and the Dark Blues were bowled out for 149.
Graeme Swann skittled out the tail in a particularly penetrating spell. The young star took the last three wickets without conceding a run.
Still, before Northants' second innings, Oxford must have been pleased with the way they had contained the Second Division side. A combination of tireless bowling and obstinate batting kept the first innings deficit to under 100.
Northants batted with authority in their second innings, putting on 107 before Porter bowled Mal Loye. Loye had batted with some style, scoring his 64 runs off 92 balls, including nine fours and two sixes.
Northants' Australian Captain Michael Hussey retired after scoring his half century in order to give some of his team mates some time in the middle. Swann relished the opportunity and the 23-year-old, who spent the winter training with England's new Cricketing Academy, scored a fantastic 38. Mees, Sharpe and Wyatt all bowled consistently, but the two wickets went to Porter and Hicks, whose bowling suffered under the scrutiny of first-class batting.
Northants' declaration on 226 left Oxford needing 320 for the win which was always an unlikely target. Sayers, Redmayne and Hilsum all offered some resistance, while former Surrey man Porter scored an attention-grabbing 33, but in the end Oxford's struggle was ended by Porter's former team-mate Greenidge who took the last two wickets.
Oxford captain James Dalrymple said that "on the first day we competed very well, with good bowling managing to restrict Northampton's total". Oxford's first innings was "frustrating as players went in, got a start, played themselves in, but then got out". The third day was "disappointing", but the team had "learnt a lot and played well considering the quality of the team they were up against".
The result was a definite improvement on last week's defeat against Worcester, and stands the team in good stead for the first British Universities Halifax Championship match against Brunel West London on Sunday.
Before then, though, OUCCE will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Northants' second string team.
The biggest match of the week is the first Inter UCCE two-day Championship match against Cardiff UCCE. If the weather stays fine, it should be a fantastic week's cricket.
2nd May 2002