Going in to the last league game of the season v Charlbury 2nd’s , our seconds knew a win would make them champions after gaining promotion in the abandoned game v Oxford 3rds the Saturday before where they just fell 30 runs short of winning the title after bowling Oxford out for 62 in 27.2 overs ( N Harris 4-18 , P Ridler 3-13 , F Driver 3-17 ) and pushing for victory on 33-0 before the rain came.
This would be a difficult game against a good side which became more difficult when Gardner lost an important toss on a worn damp pitch. Minster collapsed to 83 all out in 28.5 overs with only Wes Spearman 23 and Courtney Stirling 18no putting up any resistance. Good bowling and poor shot selection on a difficult wicket was the main reason for the low total.
Minster knew they had to show the fight and skills which had got them promotion to win the game . Three quick wickets and Minster were back in the game ! but with the wicket drying out and B Nutt and L Oxton playing some nice shots , Charlbury got to the total losing no more wickets to win the match. With Shipton winning Minster 2nd’s finished second on 361 points winning 12 , drawing 2 and losing 3 the least defeats in league 6B .
Well done to all the players who played their part in gaining promotion. And thank you to the umpires ( Tim Gush , Dave Woodcock , Dennis Whitaker , Simon Driver and scorer Phil Spearman who were there on the 2nd’s journey and of course Olly Mersh and Jake Mawson who helped with giving the 2nd’s the best chance of getting promotion with selection.
This was a big club effort and we look forward to playing in one of the division 5 leagues next season.

Minster Lovell cc 83-10
W Spearman 23
C Stirling 18no

Charlbury cc 85-3
D Hall 2-25
H Yates 1-10

In our final CCL game of 2025, we hosted local rivals Witney Swifts. Captain Mersh won an important toss and decided to bowl . Mark Goodwin and Leigh Smith opened on a tricky pitch with a very slow outfield. They kept the run rate to around three an over, with Smith claiming three wickets.

Edd Priest was the pick of the Swifts batters, playing a classy 36 from 54 balls before James Mutton, our new first‑change bowler, dismissed him. Mutton continued his impressive spell to take a further two wickets, finishing with three in total. Edgar Easterbrook bowled tidily without reward. The skipper then turned to his spinners, Ed Dunn and himself, who wrapped up the final four wickets for just 18 runs. Swifts were bowled out for 113 from 40 overs, a total we felt confident of chasing.

After Tea James Mattinson and Callum Ardron began our reply. Mattinson took to Seacole early, pumping him around the park in the first over, but Seacole fought back to have him caught for 12. Connor Tinsley also fell to Seacole after a sharp slip catch from Townsend. Mersh joined Ardron, and they put on our largest partnership of 24. Ardron battled for 16 off 29 balls, along with Mersh’s effort of 13 from 37.

Easterbrook proved the hero with the bat, anchoring the innings with a brilliant 32 off 72 balls to cap a brilliant season. However, Swifts squeezed the game by dismissing Dunn, Charlie Driver, Harry Ebsworth and Smith for just four runs between them. When Easterbrook was out at 104/9, the Swifts grew loud, sensing victory.

That set the stage for Mutton and Goodwin. They showed resilience and grit, adding 10 runs that felt like an eternity. A couple of wides finally sealed the match in our favour. Mutton finished unbeaten on 2 from 38 balls and Goodwin 4* from 29, a monumental effort. This victory allowed us to leapfrog Swifts to finish 5th in Division 2, our highest finish to date and a significant achievement for the team.

Well done, boyos!

Top Bowling Figures:
- Olly Mersh: 4.2 overs, 2 maidens, 3 runs, 3 wickets
- James Mutton: 9 overs, 2 maidens, 24 runs, 3 wickets
- Leigh Smith: 10 overs, 1 maiden, 31 runs, 3 wickets

Top Batting Performances:
- Edgar Easterbrook 32 (72 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
- Callum Ardron 16 (29 balls, 3 fours, 0 sixes)
- Olly Mersh 13 (37 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes)

Minster Lovell’s Festival Weekend fixture saw the 1st XI host Brackley at the Brize Norton Recreational Ground – a change of scenery that brought with it a different atmosphere and a few challenges.

Brackley won the toss and elected to bat first on a white but slightly soft wicket. Mutton and Goodwin took the new ball, with Goodwin finding a consistent rhythm early on. He bowled his full allocation in a classy spell, finishing with impressive figures of 2 for 22 from 10 overs.

Smith replaced the unusually wayward Mutton but also struggled for consistency in his opening spell. Mersh turned to himself and Easterbrook, who responded well, bowling tightly in tandem and picking up regular wickets. Between them, they took 7 wickets for just 32 runs across 15 overs. Smith returned from the opposite end to clean up the final wicket, and Brackley were all out for 148 in the 40th over – a total that felt below par on a ground with small boundaries.

Confidence was high as Mattinson and Driver strode out to open the reply, with 12 runs coming off the first over. But that early momentum quickly unravelled. Brackley’s opening bowlers, Markham and Rowland, were relentless – combining movement, control, and pressure to dismantle the Minster top and middle order.

Despite a promising position, MLCC collapsed to 93 all out in just 27.5 overs. A disappointing end to a game where we had been in control for large spells.

With just two fixtures remaining, the message is clear – consistency and resilience with the bat will be key. We travel to Great & Little Tew next week, determined to put things right.

Top Bowling Figures:
- Olly Mersh: 8 overs, 4 maidens, 14 runs, 5 wickets
- Edgar Easterbrook: 7 overs, 4 maidens, 18 runs, 2 wickets
- Mark Goodwin: 10 overs, 4 maidens, 22 runs, 2 wickets

Top Batting Performances:
- James Mattinson 17 (13 balls, 4 fours, 0 sixes)
- Callum Ardron 16 (24 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)
- Olly Mersh 14 (24 balls, 1 four, 1 six)

After a loss last week Minster looked to bounce back on another cloudy night at Wash meadow, in what was a low scoring affair. The game marked the end of Felix Jones, Edgar Easterbrook and Harvey Yates’ illustrious youth career - an occasion Easterbrook kicked off by losing the toss with Langford asking us to bat first.

On a treacherous pitch Minster started cautiously. Sundays winning captain Seamus Rowles falling for 3, followed by Yates for 2. Easterbrook and Finn Spearman tried to steady proceedings, but had trouble with timing the pace of Mushonga (2-15) and spin of Jackman (1-6) as both fell in the middle overs. From the new low profile love seats, the team could only watch on as the run rate refused to rise. After hearing “the tail starts at 5” on his way to the crease, Louis Schaay-Manning duly went over the top second ball and batted well to remain on 14 not out at the close. Felix Jones added impetus towards the end (and was the only player to strike at 100+ all night) with Minster finishing on 78-6 off their 16.

In reply Langford also started slowly with all-rounder Jones and Yates bowling tightly, struggling with timing. Then in a near identical repeat of last week’s theatrics, Lewis Gardner dropped a catch so he could run out the dangerous Mushonga instead! This left Langford 25-1 off 6 and behind the rate, the game finely poised. Despite variable bounce, Hewlett and Moledina 11*(18) held off Minsters attack to close in on the target. Hewlett 31*(35) shifted gears for Langford, hitting a six and hat trick of fours, sealing the win in 11.3 overs.

Despite an unfortunate end to the season, I’d like to say a big thank you to all the players and parents for your commitment and brilliant availability this year. Thanks also to Chris Jones for scoring, Stuart Pratt and this evening Cameron Ayris for umpiring! With three starring players moving on there will be lots of opportunity for fresh faces in the under 19s next year, and we look to welcoming new players into the side for 2026!

Charlie Driver 18/8/25

Saturday August 16th
Leighton Buzzard v Minster Lovell
Leighton Buzzard won by 6 wickets

Minster Lovell travelled to Leighton Buzzard for the return of the win/loss format, hoping to kick-start this final phase of the season with a statement. Remarkably, it turns out Olly Mersh isn’t the worst tosser in Division 2. Leighton Buzzard skipper Tom Pope has lost every toss this season, and the trend continued as Minster won and chose to bat first.

James Mattinson and Charlie Driver rekindled their opening partnership and got MLCC off to a solid start before Mattinson was caught at deep extra cover for 21. Harvey Yates couldn’t add to the scorecard and picked up his first duck of the season.

Driver (50) and Connor Tinsley steadied the innings, striking regular boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking, but Tinsley departed for 27 and Edgar Easterbrook followed soon after for just 5. At 110-4, a rebuild was required, and that came through a composed partnership between Mersh and Seamus Rowles, who added a valuable 70 runs between them. Mersh batted fluently for his 50 off 60 balls, while Seamus provided vital resistance with a patient 13 from 47 balls.

The lower order chipped in, Eddie Dunn made 8, Cameron Ayris the same, before Leigh Smith was the final wicket to fall, leaving MLCC all out for a competitive 214 from 47.3 overs.

Leighton Buzzard boast one of the strongest top orders in the CCL, and they showed exactly why. Kempster and Whatmore capitalised on anything loose and put on a commanding 120-run opening stand, punishing bowlers who lacked consistency. Smith, James Mutton, and Mattinson all went at over seven runs an over as the pressure mounted.

It was Dunn’s reliable spin that finally broke the stand, removing both openers. Despite tight spells from Easterbrook, Mersh, and Yates, the damage had largely been done. LB chased down the target in the 48th over, sealing a six-wicket win.

An agonising defeat, but certainly one to learn from. Next week we return home(ish) to face Brackley at Brize Norton, with Wash Meadow playing host to the annual Minster Lovell Festival.

Top Batting Performances:
- Charlie Driver 50 (56 balls, 10 fours, 0 sixes)
- Olly Mersh 50 (60 balls, 6 fours, 1 six)
- Connor Tinsley 27 (30 balls, 4 fours, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Eddie Dunn: 10 overs, 1 maiden, 34 runs, 2 wickets
- James Mutton: 6 overs, 0 maidens, 42 runs, 1 wicket
- Edgar Easterbrook: 7 overs, 1 maiden, 13 runs, 0 wickets

2 weeks included in this report
On 2nd August 2nd place Minster Lovell travelled to 3rd place Swinbrook knowing a win would strengthen their grip on the promotion spots and a defeat would close the gap between the two sides to 19 points.
Minster won the toss and decided to bowl on a wicket which didn’t look full of runs.
Freddie Driver on his 18th birthday had a day to remember as he sliced thought the Swinbrook batting line up taking 6-40.
The other bowlers backed him up restricting Swinbrook to 132-10 off 46.3 overs . This would not be an easy total to chase against a very good bowling line up and a wicket which was doing quite a lot with it up and down bounce.
Minster had a terrible start losing their first 4 wickets for 18 runs. A partnership of 30 between Tony Gardner and Cameron Ayris pushed Minster towards 60 runs but were both out within a few minutes of each other. The tail never wagged and Minster were bowled out for a disappointing score of 78.
Swinbrook made good use of their wicket with A Juckes 3-15 and H jones 3-18 being Minsters main downfall.

Swinbrook - 132 -10 46.3 overs
F Driver 6-40
D Hall 1-24
P Spearman 1-14
F Jones 2-19
N Harris 0-29

Minster Lovell 2nd’s - 78-10 30.1 overs
T Gardner 23
C Ayris 18

After the defeat to Swinbrook, Minster welcomed Hook Norton to Wash Meadow on August 9th knowing that a win was a big must to keep the pressure on first place Shipton and to keep 2nd place from falling into Swinbrook’s hands. Losing the toss on a used wicket which was taking Spin the last time it was played on, Minster were asked to bat first which Tony Gardner wanted to do and make the most of his bowling attack in the second innings.
The wicket would be very slow and hard to score on so a total around 130 plus would be Minsters target. Opener Seamus Rowles followed his instructions to a tee and batted with patience to score 30 from 96 balls and was well supported by most of the Minster batsman with scores in the lower teens. It was Darren Hall with a quick fire 35 with 7 fours well supported by Tom Pollard 11 no which gave Minster a total of 165 off 42 overs a more than par total on a very difficult pitch to bat on.
Hook Norton went out to bat with pressure from all angles from the fielding side and were blown away by Darren Hall 5-10 , Freddie Driver 3-9 and Felix Jones 2-10 for 48 in 17.3 overs with bye’s being there top score.
This was a great performance by the Minster team and they know they need to do it all again v Witney Mill’s this Saturday at Wash Meadow.

Minster Lovell 165 -10 42 overs
S Rowles 30
D Hall 35
T Pollard 11 no

Hook Norton 48-10 17.3 overs
D Hall 5-9
F Driver 3-9
F Jones 2-10

On Sunday Minster travelled to a baking hot Stonesfield CC for the annual Andy Crawford Memorial Cup in tribute to a former Minster player.

We were drawn in the second semi-final and for the 5th time this season, we faced local rivals Witney Swifts. In a break from tradition captain for the day James Mutton won the toss and, having seen Hanborough struggle to chase against Kidlington in the first semi-final opted to bat first. Things did not start as planned as James Mattinson fell second ball however through starts from Josh Bishop, Harvey Yates and Cameron Ayris plus some fine hitting from Edgar Easterbrook (39) we reached 79-4 off 11 with grand plans to accelerate in the final 5 overs of the 16-over contest. Unfortunately, numbers 7-11 contributed a grand total of 2 between them leaving Saturday skipper Olly Mersh stranded as we folded for 91 all out in 14.2 overs. If ever a Minster squeeze was needed it was now and Mutton took 3 quick wickets including off the first ball of the chase to reduce Swifts to 11-3. Easterbrook then cleaned up the dangerous Seacole before Mersh continued his rabbit hunting form from the day before. He took 4 for 9 to bundle the opposition out for 73 and Minster were in the final!

Kidlington were the opponents although the contest did not seem to last long. On a fresh deck, Mutton again won the toss and opted to bat. Mattinson delivered the perfect start with a blistering 35 off 14 balls. Scarcely believable hitting followed with the man of the match Yates scoring 103* off 43 and Easterbrook playing a perfect foil with 50* off 28 to lead us to 222-2 off our 16.
The red headed, red faced opening duo Mutton and Mersh started with a wicket each and the size of the target allowed the captain to give everyone except the exhausted batting heroes 2 overs each, Glenn Edwards proving a particular fan favourite to have a bowl. 2 wickets for Josh Bishop and Jake Gibbons and 1 for Freddie Taylor and Ayris sealed a massive 78 run win and Minster were deserved champions.

Special mention to Bishop for showing up despite a cancelled operation, a large rowdy Minster contingent of support and to the organisers at Stonesfield for a great day. The countdown to retaining the trophy is on, we're sure to be invited back next time!

After a week off we welcomed Banbury for our first home game at a dark Wash Meadow. As is tradition for Minster captains, Edgar Easterbrook lost the toss and the Lovell were sent out to bowl in a shortened 16 over game.

Some varied bounces led to extras top scoring in the first few overs, as Easterbrook 1-19(3) sent Crook back for a duck with a sharp catch from Freddie Driver. Unfortunately this was the only wicket taken by a bowler as Ben Miller 74*(53) and Sam Hicks 27(27) accelerated at 8s despite some debatable chat from Seamus Rowles behind the stumps. A sharp run out by Lewis Gardner made it 94-2 off 12, followed by a tactical drop from Gardner so he could show off his arm, running out Shevket for 11 with help from Henderson. However Banbury continued to score freely, posting 132-3 off their 16 overs despite not hitting a single 6!

As the drizzle lightened Minster began the chase. Banbury bowled tightly and removed Oxford Olive founder Rowles early. Then an unfortunate run out of Sunday’s hero Harvey Yates left us 26-2. Agonisingly key men Easterbrook and Felix Jones both fell for ducks with a bamboozling slower ball from Rorich 2-12(4). Finn Spearman 21(28) held firm, likely inspired by the players shirt he was wearing, but wickets continued to fall around him. As he was stumped in the 10th over we languished at 48-7. Bertie Lever 15*(23) and Rufus Jones 8(14) batted courageously with a 30 partnership before the latter was bowled by McAuliffe 2-7(3). In the final over Lever was almost run out whilst having a conversation with Driver at the strikers end, not realising the ball didn’t go for 4! But both remained not out as we posted 83-9 off our 16 overs, losing by 50 runs.

We look to bounce back next Monday in a blockbuster final match at home to Langford. Hope to see you all there

Saturday August 9th
Oxford2 v Minster Lovell
Minster win by `128 runs

Minster Lovell travelled to Oxford Cricket Club looking to extend their fine run of form. In keeping with tradition, skipper Mersh lost the toss and MLCC were asked to bat. With Ardron unavailable, Ebsworth joined Mattinson at the top of the order, but an early breakthrough saw Ebsworth depart.

In-form Harvey Yates was promoted to number three and seized the opportunity, joining Mattinson in a partnership that dominated proceedings. In an unprecedented event, Mattinson was outscored by his batting partner during their superb 97-run stand. They played with quality and intent, putting Oxford’s bowling and fielding under sustained pressure, both narrowly missing out on half centuries.

Tinsley made a classy 61 from just 62 balls, adding another 50-plus stand with Mersh (31). Useful contributions from Dunn (12), Driver (15*) and Mutton (12*) gave Mersh the platform to make a bold declaration after just 46 overs, setting Oxford 258 to win.

On a flat pitch with blue skies, taking 10 wickets was always going to be a challenge. Mutton and, for the first time this season, Goodwin took the new ball. Goodwin was miserly, conceding only 5 runs from six overs and removing a key wicket. Mutton maintained his wicket-taking form, claiming a crucial 3-36 from 12 overs.

Easterbrook and Dunn bowled well without reward, before Mersh brought himself on and immediately struck twice, removing both set batters. Oxford dug in, and despite Mattinson offering some chin music, the hosts resisted. At 129-7 after 49 overs, MLCC’s hopes of securing the maximum 25 points looked slim.

Then came the decisive final over. Mersh produced a triple-wicket maiden, sealing the win and completing figures of 6-13 from 12 overs.

It was another outstanding all-round team performance, capping off the win/lose/draw format in style. Next stop: Leighton Buzzard, where MLCC will look for their first victory at the venue.

Top Batting Performances:
- Connor Tinsley 61 (62 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)
- Harvey Yates 48 (46 balls, 8 fours, 0 sixes)
- James Mattinson 46 (50 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Olly Mersh: 12 overs, 7 maidens, 13 runs, 6 wickets
- James Mutton: 12 overs, 2 maidens, 36 runs, 3 wickets
- Mark Goodwin: 6 overs, 4 maidens, 5 runs, 1 wicket

Tuesday August 5th
Wilf Bennett Semi-Final
Wroxton v Minster Lovell
Minster win by 16 runs

Our inaugural Senior mid-week T20 campaign journey continued on Tuesday evening. Having got through the league stage by finishing second after rain effected thriller against Langford, Olivers Purple and Gold Army had a Semi Final against to Play against Wroxton CC.
Wroxton are opponents that we are not familiar with, they play in the South Northants Premier League where they the reigning champions and currently sit top of the League. They play in green strips, celebrating their players Pakistani heritage and have entered the Wilf Bennet Cup to support their longer term aim of getting into the Cherwell League.
The trip up from our part of West Oxfordshire to Wroxton gives your cars Sat Nav a good work out, loads of lanes, junctions and rolling countryside.

Now the match. Captain Mersh won the toss and decided to bat first, with a young Minster team (6 U20’s) the opening batting was handed to a couple of experience hands in Mattinson and Merriman. From the first ball it was clear that their bowling carried threat, both quick and skiddy. But from the second over onwards the runs started to flow, with ‘Big Jimmy 170’ attacking the tree line and hedges that surrounded three sides of the boundary. Merriman fell for 10 off 19 balls but now supported by Ebsworth, Mattinson kept going with a team target of 160 runs now looking possible. Our tally was being supported by extras and some indifferent fielding, incurring the dissatisfaction of the home teams supporters who were not backward in coming forward with their observations.
Ebsworth was bowled but incoming Ardron kept the momentum with aggressive hitting and quick singles. Mattinson was finally caught on 59 from 42 balls. Easterbrook came and went, bringing the Captain to the crease. The runs kept coming before Mersh was run out leaving C Driver to see out the final overs with the hard charging Ardron at the other end who finished on 44 no. We finished on 162 for 5.

After a short break the Captain opened the bowling claiming a wicket with his first ball (run out and bowled). For the next five overs Wroxton went aggressive and scoring above the required run rate until the second wicket went down with a great direct hit by C Driver to claim a runout. For the following few overs they fell behind the required run rate, but still in-touch. Then through overs 9 through to 16 Minster took a clear advantage, tight bowling, sharp fielding leading to a flurry of wickets and a stalled run rate, with the required rate leaping up to 20 an over. The single thorn in our side was their batsman J Ahmed who had found his stride scoring 24 of the 18th over, rekindling their fading hopes of victory. His form continued until the second ball of the 19th over when he was caught by the reliable hands of Easterbrook off the returning bowler Mersh. J Ahmed made 49 off 33.
In the end Wroxton made 146 for 9 and the victory was Minsters. A terrific performance, full of skill and energy.

The full scorecard is here.

https://occcomps.play-cricket.com/website/results/7174865

We now look forward to a County finals day, at the time of writing the date is unconfirmed (likely to be a Saturday or Sunday in mid-September) but we do know our opponents will be Cumnor who beat Sandford St Martin in the other semi.

Saturday August 2nd
Minster Lovell v Horspath 2
Match Drawn

Minster Lovell welcomed league leaders Horspath 2s to Wash Meadow for one of the toughest fixtures of the season. With Horspath having lost just once all year, MLCC knew it would take a strong all-round performance to compete, especially after losing the toss and being asked to bat in bowler-friendly conditions.

Openers James Mattinson and Callum Ardron got things off to a solid start, seeing off the new ball with contrasting styles. Mattinson’s fluent 36 off 26 set the tone, while Ardron anchored the innings superbly with a resilient 50 off 127. Both Harry Ebsworth and Connor Tinsley made starts, building partnerships with Ardron to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Then entered Edgar Easterbrook, continuing his excellent form with a counter-attacking 51 from 60 balls, taking the game back to Horspath with some fine stroke play. More starts from captain Olly Mersh and Harvey Yates helped Minster finish on 195-7 from their 53 overs, another example of the team batting their full allocation and producing a composed team innings.

Defending on a now-flattened pitch, Minster knew that taking 10 wickets would be a challenge. Early breakthroughs proved hard to come by, but disciplined bowling kept the run rate in check, crucial with Horspath needing 173 in 47 overs for a winning draw.

Ed Dunn was the pick of the bowlers, delivering a probing 15-over spell that earned him 3-45. The fielding effort backed up the bowling brilliantly, with a sharp run-out from Edgar Easterbrook and a stunning one-handed catch at square leg by our number 10 for the day, Felix Wright.

Horspath’s approach was still to attack our bowling, making for a compelling contest. But Minster stayed composed, applying pressure throughout and bowling smartly at the death to ensure Horspath fell short of the winning draw total. Horspath closed on 160-8 from their 47 overs.

While not a maximum-points result, the draw felt like a win. MLCC outperformed the league leaders in all departments. With back-to-back high-quality performances under our belt, we head to Oxford 2s next weekend full of confidence.

Top Batting Performances:
- Edgar Easterbrook 51 (60 balls, 8 fours, 0 sixes)
- Callum Ardron 50 (127 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)
- James Mattinson 36 (26 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Eddie Dunn: 15 overs, 1 maiden, 45 runs, 3 wickets
- Edgar Easterbrook: 5 overs, 0 maidens, 24 runs, 2 wickets
- James Mutton: 9 overs, 4 maidens, 23 runs, 1 wicket

Saturday July 26th
Tiddington v Minster Lovell
Minster Lovell Won by 5 wickets

Minster Lovell made the trip down the M40 to the picturesque setting of Tiddington Cricket Club, where grey skies and a light drizzle greeted the players. Tiddington skipper Archie Davis won the toss and, opting to make first use of a used surface, chose to bat. After a disappointing result the previous weekend, MLCC came into the game determined to bounce back, and it showed. Opening bowlers James Mutton and Leigh Smith delivered a sensational new-ball spell, tearing through Tiddington’s top order. The pair took five wickets between them, reducing the hosts to a staggering 19 for 5, with the top four managing just 3 runs between them. An electric start.
Skipper Olly Mersh had an abundance of right-arm seam options at his disposal, with James Mattinson, Edgar Easterbrook, and debutant Harvey Yates all bowling with control and consistency. As the pitch flattened out, Tiddington’s middle and lower order showed resilience, recovering to post 175-9 from their 53 overs, a gritty fightback on a tricky surface.

After enjoying Henry Crowther’s baguettes at tea, Minster began their reply with regular openers James Mattinson and Callum Ardron. Ardron was run out for 9, and Harry Ebsworth followed shortly after without troubling the scorers. But Mattinson looked back to his fluent, destructive best, striking six boundaries and four sixes on his way to 59 from just 54 balls. He was eventually bowled by the skiddy leg-spinner Bradley Rose, who proved a constant threat. Edgar Easterbrook joined Connor Tinsley but couldn’t settle and also fell to Rose for 4. At 89-4, the game hung in the balance. Tinsley and Mersh, however, steadied the ship. Showing patience and smart game awareness, they waited for the bad balls and kept the scoreboard ticking without ever letting the required rate creep up. Their partnership was defined by calm heads and clever targeting of the right bowlers. Boundaries began to flow, and with brilliant support from the sidelines, the previously chirpy Tiddington side started turning on each other, a sign that Minster were taking control. With just three runs required, Tinsley was unlucky to fall for a well-constructed 43. That brought Yates to the crease, capping off an excellent debut with a composed two-ball stay to end the over. Mersh, with ten balls to go, sealed the win with a crunching four through backward point, triggering cheers from the away camp.

It was a great game of cricket, two competitive teams, high-class bowling, and a calm, calculated chase. Minster Lovell head back home next weekend to host table-topping Horspath, full of belief and hoping to carry this momentum forward.

Top Batting Performances: -

James Mattinson 59 (54 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes) –
Olly Mersh 48* (67 balls, 8 fours, 0 sixes) –
Connor Tinsley 43 (91 balls, 2 fours, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures: -
James Mutton: 17 overs, 4 maidens, 31 runs, 3 wickets –
Leigh Smith: 9 overs, 6 maidens, 3 runs, 2 wickets –
Olly Mersh: 10 overs, 2 maidens, 46 runs, 2 wickets

Saturday July 26th
Minster Lovell2 v Eynsham
Minster Lovell won by 70 runs

Minster Lovell 2nd’s stayed top of division 6B with a 70 run home victory over Eynsham cc.
Losing the toss on a pitch which had an archeaological dig on it to find it at the end of the square due to the other wickets unavailable at the moment. The pitch looked fine but as the game went on timing the ball would not be easy with a uneven bounce making it harder to bat on.
Minster worked hard for their 148 All Out in 47 overs.
Tony Gardner 32 ( 102 balls) Nathan Harris (61 balls) top scored for Minster but it was the players partnerships in the batting line up which built the total . The tail wagged with Felix Jones 17 (18 balls ) and Lesis Gardner putting on 29 to take Minster to a very competitive score.
Eynsham struggled to get the ball of the square at times against the 4 Minster seamers who bowled very well , backed up by a great team effort in the field. Eynsham captain C Parker looked like he could do some damage with his bat but was run out brilliantly by Wes Spearman who also took a fantastic catch behind the stumps. Freddie Driver had the stand out figures with 4-25 .
Minster bowled out Eynsham for 78 in 30 overs with Darren Hall 2-13 , Mark Goodwin 2-21 and Nathan Harris 1-13 the other wicket takers. This was a great team effort but they know they will have to play very well again when they travel to 3rd place Swinbrook cc this Saturday which is a massive game for both clubs.

Minster 2nd’s 148-10 47 overs
T Gardner 32
N Harris 31
C O’Brien 17
F Jones 17

Eynsham 1st’s 78 -10 30 overs

F Driver 4-25
D Hall 2-13
M Goodwin 2-21
N Harris 1-13

Saturday July 19th
Minster Lovell v Westbury
Minster Lovell Lost by 5 wickets

A day to forget for the firsts as they slump to 55 all out in the 30th over. Only James Maddison making double figures with a quickfire 20 right from the start. Westbury reached their target in the 14th over but still lost 5 wickets in the process, 2 for Mattinson, 2 for Edgar Easterbrook and one from Eddie Dunn

Saturday July 19th
Combe v Minster Lovell 2
Match Drawn

Minster 2nd’s travelled to Combe looking to keep their position as league leaders against a team in good form winning their last 4 games. Minster were missing a few players , but they thought they had a good start by winning the toss on a cloudy showery afternoon. On a green pitch things didn’t go Minster’s way as the ball was not moving much and was sticking in the wicket , anything short was hit away to the boundary.
The opening batsman played well, only Mark Goodwin was giving them problems. In a rain interrupted match it was the introduction of Phil Spearman which bought the break through getting Dingwall caught behind by Seamus Rowles for 78 then having Venables caught by Goodwin for 7. Moore was pushing Combe towards 200 . Darren Hall was bought back in to the attack picking up 2 wickets and Goodwin 1. Combe finished on 224- 5 off 47 overs with Moore Scoring a well made 100. This would not be an easy chase.
Hall and Spearman were asked to open and get Minster of to a good start , Hall was bowled for 12 and this bought Harvey Yates to the crease , he upped the tempo with Spearman holding firm at the other end .
Yates went on to score a well made 57. Spearman was the next to go scoring 9 of 83 balls doing a brilliant job for the team . With 120 needed off 12 overs it was decided to battle it out for a draw. Minster lost 5 wickets with players trying to defend their wickets . It was left to Lewis Gardner 0 of 24 balls and Mark Goodwin 4 of 8 balls with players all around the bat to take Minster to a draw.

In the circumstances, this was a good draw not a great game to watch, but sometimes you have to dig in deep grab the extra points and not lose and fight another day. With second place Shipton losing Minster still find themselves top of the league by 10 points. Minster Lovell 2nd’s entertain Eynsham this Saturday looking for a win to hold on to top of the table.

Combe 224- 5 47 overs
P Spearman 2-29 D Hall 2-43 M Goodwin 1-5

Minster Lovell cc 120-8 43 overs
H Yates 57

Saturday July 19th
Letcombe 2 v Minster Lovell 3
Match Abandoned

In a rain affected first innings Letcombe made 132 for 6 in their 27 overs, Chris Morgan with 4 for 34 from his 9 overs and wickets also for Ben Spencer and Bertie Lever. Rain brought Minsters reply to a halt after 5 overs with both teams taking 7 points each.

Saturday July 12th
Minster Lovell 2 v Hanborough 2
Minster won by 10 wickets

Minster Lovell 2nds got back to winning ways with a 10 wicket win v Long Hanborough 2nds at Wash Meadow on Saturday to stay top of the league.

Losing the toss which seems to a weekly event for Tony Gardner , Minster were put into the field on a baking hot day at Wash Meadow. Hanborough got off to a steady start with Darren Hall and Mark Goodwin beating the bat numerous times without finding an edge.
Leading wicket taker Harvey Yates was bought into the attack and was soon among the wickets picking up 3 quick wickets.
J Morris (44)was batting well at the other end and was putting on a dangerous partnership with D Burgess (28) until Gardner introduced himself into the attack to get rid of both batsman. Darren Hall in is second spell picked up two wickets and Freddie Driver picking up one wicket. Minster’s fielding was very good with plenty of catches a run out and a stumping by the excellent Kevin Clue behind the Stumps. Hanborough finished up on 151-9 off 47 overs.
The Minster reply was fantastic against some wayward bowling , in form batsman Josh Bishop made an excellent 88 not out with Tom Pearson retiring on 18 with a pulled calf. Harvey Yates made a well made 41 not out in a 100 run partnership with Bishop to take Minster to a 10 wicket victory in 20 overs. Minster travel to Combe cc next week looking for another great team performance.

Hanborough 151-9 47 overs
D Hall 10-2-21-2
M Goodwin 11-3-40-0
H Yates 10-2-31-3
F Driver 5-1 -17-1
T Gardner 7- 2-10-2
F Jones 4 -0-24-0

Minster Lovell 153-0 20 overs
J Bishop 88 no
H Yates 41 no
T Pearson 18 no retired

Saturday July 12th
Minster Lovell 3 v Kingston Bagpuize 3
Kingston Bagpuize won by 6 wickets

Minster won the toss and elected to bat. Reaching 228 in the 39th over Minster surprisingly declared. Some big scores in a much improved batting performance with the in form Connor O'Brien 64 not out , Jake Mawson 42 and Freddie Taylor 30. Kingston Bagpuize with 3 extra overs at their disposal , came home comfortably in the 41st over losing only 4 wickets in the process and leaving us still searching for that first win..

Saturday 12th July
Wolverton Town v Minster Lovell
Minster won by 27 Runs

On another scorching Saturday, the 1s made the trip to Milton Keynes to face bottom-of-the-table Wolverton Town. With the heat, pitch conditions, and memories of last year’s win in mind, captain Olly Mersh won the toss and chose to bat first.

Wolverton, however, started strongly, swinging the ball and setting tight fields. James Mattinson couldn’t replicate his 168 from last season, and we quickly found ourselves 26-3. A steadying partnership between Connor Tinsley and Edgar Easterbrook saw 40 runs added with ultra positive running between the wickets, but a sharp piece of fielding saw Tinsley run out for 25, in what looked a marginal call.

From then on, it became The Ernie Show. No other batter reached double figures, but Easterbrook stood tall with a sublime 109 off 113 balls. Striking 17 boundaries, he made it look like he was batting on a different pitch and singlehandedly guided us to a competitive 170 all out. Credit to our very own Jack Leach's, Leigh Smith and James Mutton, for facing 32 vital balls between them, allowing Ernie to reach his maiden century for the 1st XI.

We listened to the Dad of MLCC, Tony Gardner, and made sure to be vigilant in the heat - drinking lots of fluids, applying suncream , and wearing hats! Mutton and Smith opened with disciplined spells, each picking up a wicket and keeping the scoring in check. But the plan was always spin, and Eddie Dunn delivered in vintage style. A masterful 15-over spell returned figures of 6 for 29, as he flighted the ball, set tempting fields, and dismantled Wolverton's middle and lower order. With 8 wickets falling to spin, the plan had worked.

Wolverton were bowled out for 143, giving us a 27-run win and a well-earned 25 points on the road. Two standout performances got us over the line, and we now look ahead to next week’s home clash against second-placed Westbury 1XI, where we’ll aim to keep the momentum going.

Top Batting Performances:
- Edgar Easterbrook 109 (113 balls, 17 fours, 1 six)
- Connor Tinsley 25 (45 balls, 3 fours, 0 sixes)
- Eddie Dunn 6 (24 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Eddie Dunn: 15 overs, 3 maidens, 29 runs, 6 wickets
- Olly Mersh: 8 overs, 2 maidens, 41 runs, 2 wickets
- James Mutton: 9 overs, 4 maidens, 14 runs, 1 wicket

Wednesday July 9th
Under 17 Pool 2
Eynsham v Minster Lovell
Minster win by 8 wickets

Louis Schaay-Manning and Connor O’Brien both scored unbeaten half centuries in a 118 partnership as our under 17s raced to victory at Eynsham.
Eynsham won the toss and chose to bat first. They scored 124 for 6 off their 20 overs , our wickets 3 from Louis, 2 from Rufus Jones in the power play and 1 from captain Tom Pollard in maybe his last under 17 game. We bowled tightly with all bowlers around the 6 economy rate and our fielding was much improved on the large slick outfield at Eynsham.

A challenging target in sight and Rufus and Freddie Taylor to open . Freddie was caught on the 3rd ball , Enter Connor. Rufus held firm against a decent Eynsham attack but succumbed to a catch in the 5th over. Enter Louis and at the end of the power play we were 17 for 2 compared to Eynsham 35 for 2.

So 108 needed from 84 balls with plenty of batting in the shed. They were not needed as Louis and Connor paced themselves to reaching the target with 9 balls to spare. They went neck and neck to their fifties , Louis with two huge sixes and Connor ramping a four past the chirpy Wicket Keeper to reach his. Louis finishing on 57 (strike rate 135) and Connor 55 (SR 96) .

This was another great team performance from our young under 17 team against a decent and older Eynsham team.
Our final league game is home to Langford next Wednesday at Wash Meadow. The winners have a chance of going to finals day but that will be only after the powers that be have worked out net run rate with their calculators and slide rules (ask your parents), meanwhile we will just play our normal game and look forward to playing against our local rivals.
Thanks to Chris for the team photo. Don’t they look great in their coloured Kit.
For the record Charlie Evans , Sam Leahy , Alfie Zollo, Will Smith, Tom Pollard, Connor O’Brien , Louis Schaay-Manning, Tom Henderson, Jacob Clue, Freddie Taylor, Rufus Jones

John and Chris

Saturday June 28th
Minster Lovell 2 v Charlbury 2
Minster Lovell Lost by 5 wickets

Minster Lovell cc 2nd’s fell to their first league defeat of the season to Charlbury 2nd’s on Saturday. Minster Lovell lost to the better side on the day but losing the toss was a big factor in the match with conditions not helping Minster Lovell in the first part of the match .

Minster batted first on a dark cloudy day at Wash Meadow. Tom Pearson (17) and Josh Bishop (21) started off very well putting on 43 with no problems but then came the light drizzly rain which changed the batting conditions. It was hard to get the ball away as it was sticking in the wicket and it was hard to time the ball. Minster went from 43-0 to 95 all out with 6 of the batsman caught mistiming their shots. The Charlbury players bowled very well and made the most of the conditions.

Minster needed to bowl and field very well if they were going to win the match. Charlbury reached 20 before Darren Hall picked up the first of his 3 wickets on the day. Hall was bowling very well and causing the Charlbury batsman plenty of problems. The sun was starting to burn through making batting much easier on a drying pitch. Minster picked up 4 more wickets but were unable to get rid of Stoddart (13) and Bush (22) who moved Charlbury from 69-5 to win the match by 5 wickets.

Minster will be hoping they can bounce back v Hanborough this Saturday at Wash Meadow. Minster are still top of the league by 12 points from Shipton under Wychwood, but they know they need to show the same self belief and confidence and determination they showed in the first 8 games if they are to stay there.

Minster Lovell 95 All Out - 31.3 overs
J Bishop 21
T Pearson 17
F Jones 11

Charlbury 96-5 - 25.2 overs
D Hall 3-20
F Driver 1-42
F Jones 1-17
B Spencer 0-8

Saturday June 28th
Minster Lovell 3 v Abingdon Vale 3
Minster Lovell Lost by 5 wickets

Minster were bowled out for 96 in the 30th over after losing the toss and being put into bat. Only Courtney Stirling with 34 and Captain Jake Mawson with 27 really troubled the scorers as our young side battled hard.
Abingdon Vale reached their target in the 21st over with Will Smith taking 3 wickets and 2 from Courtney Stirling. At 45 for 5 we were still in the game but we couldn’t break the 6th wicket partnership.

Saturday June 28th
Oxford 3 v Minster Lovell 2
Minster Lovell Won by 2 wickets

Minster Lovell 2nd’s continued there rich vein of form with a 2 wicket victory at Oxford on Saturday. Oxford made Minster work hard for their victory but Minster dug in deep and moved 34 points clear of 2nd place Shipton and 64 points clear of third place Swinbrook.

Winning the toss Captain Tony Gardner decided to bowl first on a very warm day on the Oxford college ground with plenty of grass on the wicket. Darren Hall on his return from injury and Freddie Driver bowled well in their first spell, runs were very rare for Oxford with the Minster bowlers keeping them pinned down. The young Oxford batsman were trying to built a foundation for their senior batsman to build a competitive total. Driver picked up the first wicket to fall then Nathan Harris entered the fray picking up two quick wickets. A 44 run partnership slowed up Minster but the return of Hall and Driver and a run out bought more wickets and Oxford finally finished on 155-8 of 47 overs. This was a great effort by the Minster bowlers and fielders in very warm draining conditions.

Tom Pearson and Josh Bishop began their reply with plenty of boundaries against some loose bowling from the Oxford opening bowlers before Bishop was caught for a well made 45. Harris joined Pearson and put on 18 before Pearson was bowled for 23. Gardner and Seamus Rowles soon came and went , but Harris (28) stood firm, he was joined by T Buckingham (17) They moved Minster on to 138 - 4 before they were both out with 1 run added to the score. Oxford were back in the game then two more quick wickets gave them a great chance of victory, Lewis Gardner mistimed a short ball to midwicket and Connor O Brien clipping a ball of his legs straight to square leg. Felix Jones came in and hit a full toss for a six and hit a 4 off his legs to move Minster within 4 runs of victory. Hall and Jones managed to get Minster over the line with some quick singles.

This was a close match but it showed the want, self belief and character there is in the changing room at the moment. With a home match at Wash Meadow v Charlbury cc and the halfway point of the season coming this Saturday , Minster 2nd’s know there will be plenty of tough challenges ahead but will hope the same skills and determination shown so far will continue to yield positive results.

Oxford 3rds 155-8 47 overs
F Driver 12-1-30-3
D Hall 15 -4 -33-2
N Harris 9-3 -27-2

Minster Lovell 2nd’s 157-8 33.2 overs
J Bishop 45
N Harris 28
T Pearson 23
T Buckingham 17
F Jones 13 no

Saturday June 28th
Wantage & Grove 2 v Minster Lovell 3
Wantage & Grove won by 150 runs

It was a tough day in the field for our young third team with our hosts scoring a mighty 267 for 2 declared in 34 overs. Centuries for Burdett and Basheer and both our wickets run outs.
In reply we managed 117 All Out in the 28th over, Rufus Jones top scoring with 35 and Kevin Clue with 30

Saturday 28 June:
Minster Lovell vs Great and Little Tew
Match Drawn

On another scorcher at Wash Meadow, MLCC hosted Great and Little Tew. The visitors won the toss and chose to bowl.

With James Mattinson away, Harry Ebsworth and Callum Ardron opened the innings. Ardron started positively but fell LBW for 14. Captain Mersh joined Ebsworth, and the pair put on a steady 50-run stand before Mersh departed for 22, leaving MLCC at 68-2.

Connor Tinsley entered and continued his fine form. He and Ebsworth added 46 before Ebsworth was also trapped LBW for a well-made 44. Edgar Easterbrook joined Tinsley and the pair kept the scoreboard ticking with quick running, adding another 39.

Just after reaching his third 50 of the season, Tinsley pulled a short ball straight to mid-on. Eddie Dunn chipped in with a lively 14 from 22 before being caught at long-on. Edgar Easterbrook added some flair particularly when hitting a ball into the river, which was shortly followed by a diving fielder who produced a spectacular 2.5 somersault with tuck into the Windrush, he emerged unscathed but with rather soggy and concerningly grubby whites.

Easterbrook eventually went LBW for 24. The innings wrapped up with single-figure scores for Cameron Ayris and Charlie Driver, and a comedy run-out between Leigh Smith and Louis Schaay-Manning. Still, a solid effort with the bat left MLCC in a good position, 205-9 off 53 overs.

MLCC knew they had 47 overs to bowl Tew out in order to gain the full 25 points. Unusual early wickets from James Mutton, and a high-quality spell from Leigh Smith meant the visitors fell to 32-4.

At this point, the win/lose/draw format always creates a tactical puzzle. Would Tew chase or dig in? Their middle order chose the latter, with batters 5, 6, and 7 frustrating MLCC for 176 balls.

Schaay-Manning and Easterbrook toiled without reward, so spin was called upon. Dunn and Mersh took 5 wickets between them, but despite constant pressure, Tew survived the 47 overs with one wicket in hand.

A frustrating end after dominating every part of the game, but still 18 points secured.

Next week, we travel up the hill to face local rivals Witney Swifts in what is another very important fixture in Division 2.

Top Batting Performances:
- Connor Tinsley 53 (73 balls, 6 fours, 0 sixes)
- Harry Ebsworth 44 (88 balls, 3 fours, 0 sixes)
- Edgar Easterbrook 24 (43 balls, 1 four, 1 six)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Olly Mersh: 9 overs, 3 maidens, 18 runs, 4 wickets
- Leigh Smith: 7 overs, 4 maidens, 9 runs, 2 wickets
- James Mutton: 9 overs, 3 maidens, 25 runs, 2 wickets

Happy Friday

At the end of very busy week, I think it’s worth taking a minute to look back upon it. This week our Youth Teams and Players have played 6 in matches won 5 and had a tie in the sixth. Our U11’s (pictured) beat Kingston Bagpuize away on Sunday morning, Monday evening the U15’s tied in a Friendly away at Freeland, on Tuesday the U13’s beat Langford away, and at the same time three U19’s played big parts in the victorious 1st Team in a low scoring thriller against local rivals Witney Swifts at Wash Meadow. Wednesday evening the U17’s beat Faringdon at Brize, a match that went down to the last ball. Finally on Thursday evening it was back to Wash Meadow for the U13’s once more, this time with a completely different 11, we beat Langford again.
Having watched most of action this week, there were some standout performances across the disciplines, some evident on the scorecards, others you had to witness. But most importantly it's very clear that we are improving and enjoying playing together.
Lastly a nod to our Coaches and Groundmen who are really ‘living it’ during these busy summer weeks to make it all happen.

Chris

Under 17s have a short season of 4 matches with a chance to qualify for a finals day in August.
Having lost our opening match on 17th June at Great Rissington i am pleased to report that last night 25th June we beat Faringdon by 2 runs at Brize Norton .
Faringdon won the toss and chose to field. Our openers Rufus Jones and Freddie Taylor batted confidently and came out of the power play unbeaten on 36, just the start we needed. Rufus fell for 10 and Connor O’Brien continued to work with Freddie to move the score on. Freddie eventually out for 25 and Connor with a quick fire 13.
We lost Captain Tom Pollard and Charlie Evans cheaply but maintained our run rate seeing off vital overs from their better bowlers.
From this point on it’s important to take the batting to see out our 20 overs and get as close to a par 160 as possible. We did this in style with Important contributions from Tom Henderson (18) , Jacob Clue (17), ably supported by Will Roberts , Jake Gibbons and Will Smith finishing on 137 All Out.

Faringdons openers batted through the power play but disciplined bowling from Jake, Tom H and Will R restricted them to 37. Honours even on power play.
Will R and Rufus then stalled the run rate , their pressure telling and both openers finally falling. Great catches here from Captain Tom and Reuben Thomas .
Time for Will Smith and Freddie Taylor to enter the fray and both held their nerve under great pressure to halt the Faringdon charge. Freddie finished on 4 for 28 all clean bowled from his 3 overs including a wicket on the last but one ball when the game could still go either way. Will produced the most controlled spell to finish 1 for 22, his wicket an amazing low catch from Tom Henderson.
Faringdon needed a boundary from their last ball but it was not to be and we take the points.
This was a fantastic team performance and sets us up nicely for our next match on Thursday 10th July at Wash Meadow when Eynsham are the visitors.

Saturday June 21st
Minster Lovell 2 v Shipton under Wychwood 2
Minster Lovell won by 60 runs

Minster Lovell 2nds great start to season continued with a 60 run win against 2nd place Shipton under Wychwood 2nds .
Put into bat on the hottest day of the year in muggy over head conditions with the chance of a shower or two didn’t start too well losing Tom Pearson to a dubious lbw decision.

Nathan Harris and Harvey Yates started to built a foundational partnership before Harris was bowled for a well made 25. Captain Tony Gardner joined Yates and started another partnership before the first rain break came. Yates went on to make 68 with Gardner holding firm until he was unluckily stumped off the wicket keepers pads for 27.

Minster were bowled out for 186 in 43 overs with all the team adding a few runs to the score card . This would not be an easy chase but Shipton’s opener Marstin had different ideas hitting several boundaries.

Then stepped up the man of the match Harvey Yates to rip through the other end picking up 5 wickets . Freddie Driver got rid of the opener Marstin and Gardner had the dangerous Barrett caught on the boundary by Pearson . Harris picked up the other wicket to fall before a great partnership between Duckworth and Shepherd. These two played really well before they were caught off the bowling of the returning Harvey Yates
Shipton were finally out for 126 in the 37th over with Harvey Yates taking 7-29. This was a great effort by all the Minster players with Seamus Rowles taking 4 catches behind the stumps.
Minster 2nds travel to Oxford 3rds next week looking to stay unbeaten but show the great team morale and bond which they have showed so far this season.

Minster Lovell 2nd’s 186 all out
H Yates 68
T Gardner 27
N Harris 25
T Pollard 11 no

Shipton U Wychwood 2nd’s 126 all out
Harvey Yates 10.2-2-29-7
F Driver 11-3-33-1
N Harris 7-0-28-1
T Gardner 6-1-20-1
H Crowther 2-0-9-0

Man of the Match
Harvey Yates
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Saturday June 21st
Minster Lovell 3 v East & West Hendred 2
East & West Hendred won by 9 wickets

The visitors won the toss and chose to bowl first, with Minster All Out for 94. They reached their target losing just one wicket in the 17th over.
This was a very young side with the exception of Captain Jake Mawson and the evergreen Keiren Bushnell and it was the youngest Jonty Feilden on debut with a wicket and a boundary. Other debutants Imran Mohammed, under 15 Jack Beynon and one we missed earlier in the season Callum Barden.
There is still plenty of time left in the season for this team to move up the table.

Saturday 21 June
Brackley v Minster Lovell
Brackley won by 5 Wickets

On what was likely the hottest Saturday we’ll play this season, MLCC made the trip north-east to face Brackley 1s. After losing the toss, we were asked to bat first on a used surface that proved challenging throughout.

James Mattinson and Wesley Spearman opened up and, despite every batter in the top five getting starts (13, 8, 16, 23, 15), none were able to convert into a significant score. From 81-4, we collapsed to 97 all out — with Brackley’s Michael Lowe the league’s leading wicket-taker finishing with 6-25.

We knew 97 was under par, but backed our bowlers and fielding unit to make a game of it. Despite some sharp catches from Cameron Ayris and a tidy spell from Edgar Easterbrook (2-5), we couldn’t make consistent breakthroughs. Brackley chipped away and eventually reached the target five wickets down after 30 overs.

A tough result on a hot day, and just two points to show for our efforts. Next Saturday, we’re back home at Wash Meadow as we host G&L Tew – and we’ll be looking to get back to winning ways.

Top Batting Performances:
- Connor Tinsley 23 (39 balls, 2 fours, 0 sixes)
- Olly Mersh 16 (32 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes)
- Edgar Easterbrook 15 (31 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Edgar Easterbrook: 5 overs, 2 maidens, 5 runs, 2 wickets
- Leigh Smith: 5 overs, 1 maiden, 17 runs, 1 wicket
- Olly Mersh: 8.2 overs, 1 maiden, 23 runs, 1 wicket

Saturday 14th June
Witney Mills 2nds drew with Minster Lovell 2nds

Minster Lovell 2nds travelled the short distance to Witney Mills looking to cement there position at the top of the table in their first win - lose - draw league game of the season .

Losing the toss Minster were put in to bat on a used wicket. JoshBishop (62) and Casper Mannix (47) got Minster of to a great start playing shots to all parts of the ground .
Mills bought on their slow bowlers which bought them back into the game but Tony Gardner 26 , Harvey Yates 14 no and Paul Ridler 17 no took Minster to 201 -5 declared off 45 overs before the first rain break came. Just before the break Paul Ridler was carried of with a pulled calf.

Harvey Yates and Freddie Driver opened the bowling but could not find a way to break the opening partnership. Nathan Harris and Felix Jones were introduced and the wickets started to fall .
These 2 bowled very well bowling 30 overs between them picking up 7 wickets which included another rain break of 35 minutes.
The umpires told Gardner they would be finishing the match at 730 pm and Minster would have to get 3 more wickets in 5 overs.
With 3 wickets needed from the last 5 overs Freddie Driver was bought back in to the attack and managed to get 2 more wickets before the 730 pm deadline. Witney Mills finished on 159-9 off 42 overs giving Minster a winning draw and 20 points.
After the match Gardner found out that the game should have continued and they should have had the remaining 3 overs to get the last Mills batsman out. The 10-15 mins used for the injury of Ridler should have been added to the 730 pm deadline. Not the way the match should have finished but still kept Minster at the top of the league with 2nd place Shipton under Wychwood cc visiting Wash Meadow next Saturday.

Minster Lovell 2nds cc 201 - 5 dec
J Bishop 62
C Mannix 47
T Gardner 26
P Ridler 17no
H Yates 14no

Witney Mills 2nds 159-9
N Harris 4-60
F Jones 3-44
F Driver 2-18

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Saturday 14th June
Bampton 3rd v Minster Lovell 3rds
Bampton won by 8 wickets

Minster batted first reaching 136 All Out, top scorers youth players Freddie Taylor (25) and Jacob Clue (23).
Bampton reached their target in the 29th over with Pankier Chawla claiming 2-43 on his Minster debut.

Gameweek 6 marked the beginning of the CCL's win/lose/draw format, bringing with it a tactical shift: the side bowling second must dismiss the opposition to secure a win. Otherwise, the match ends as a winning or losing draw depending on how close the chase gets.

Captain Mersh won the toss and chose to bat first on a used Wash Meadow wicket, hoping his spinners could take advantage later on. The Leighton Buzzard openers bowled tightly and picked up an early wicket, dismissing James Mattinson. Mersh joined Callum Ardron at the crease, but Ardron edged a short, wide delivery from opposition skipper Tom Pope and Minster were 32-2.

Connor Tinsley couldn’t continue his fine form and was caught and bowled by Pope, bringing Cameron Ayris to the middle at 41-3. Ayris batted with patience, reminiscent of Pujara, with a gritty 9 from 51 balls. More importantly, he shared a crucial 45-run partnership with Mersh. Ayris was eventually bowled by Ejaz Ahmad, bringing Eddie Dunn to the crease.

Dunn and Mersh built on the momentum, adding 65 together before Dunn was bowled for 26. At 151-5, Edgar Easterbrook joined his captain and batted fluently, striking 27 off just 23 balls before falling to a catch by Phil Whatmore. Another strong stand (worth 60) pushed Minster to 211.

Seamus Rowles, objectively the quickest man in the club, joined Mersh for the closing overs. Thanks to some sharp running between the wickets MLCC closed their 53 overs on an above-par 229-6. Rowles finished 2*, while Mersh finished on 114 Not Out.

At the halfway point, we were happy with the score but fully aware of the strength in Leighton Buzzard’s batting lineup. With the pitch dry and dusty, it looked set up for spin, though Mersh began with seamers James Mutton and Leigh Smith to test for any early movement.

Smith struggled to find his rhythm, but Mutton bowled with his usual discipline, conceding just 18 runs from his 10 overs and removing both openers. The dangerous Whatmore was then run out by Easterbrook for just 6.

Mersh turned to spin, bringing himself and Dunn into the attack. Dunn was the standout bowler, claiming 4 wickets, with Mersh supporting well with 2 of his own. LB skipper Tom Pope was unable to bat after a nasty facial injury in the field, and Leighton Buzzard were bowled out for 94.

It was a dominant win for MLCC, built on strong partnerships, smart running, and sustained pressure with the ball. Encouragingly, the team batted the full 53 overs, (325 balls, including wides) for just six wickets. Additionally, to bowl out one of the league’s best batting sides (relegated from Division 1 last year) was the icing on the cake.

Apart from a couple of dropped catches, it was close to a perfect team performance. We move up to third in the league and travel to Brackley next week full of confidence.

Top Batting Performances:
- Olly Mersh 114* (136 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes)
- Edgar Easterbrook 27 (23 balls, 3 fours, 0 sixes)
- Eddie Dunn 26 (39 balls, 3 fours, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Eddie Dunn: 10.3 overs, 1 maiden, 31 runs, 4 wickets
- Olly Mersh: 7 overs, 2 maidens, 14 runs, 2 wickets
- James Mutton: 10 overs, 4 maidens, 18 runs, 2 wickets

2 Friendlies to report on this week

Sunday 8th June
Minster Lovell Sharks v Blenheim Park cc
Sharks won by 57 runs

Minster Sharks entertained Blenheim Park cc on Sunday looking for a second win against them after a comprehensive result at Blenheim earlier in the season.
This fixture had the added spice of 4 Minster Lovell cc players in the Blenheim ranks.
Minster decided to have a bat and were soon in trouble at 45 - 6 with O Mersh (16) and J Clue (14) the only two to reach double figures.
J Easterbrook and H Yates picking up 5 of the 6 wickets to fall.
James Mattinson dragged the Sharks back in to the match with a brilliant 77 with boundaries all around the ground to get the sharks up to a score of 130 all out.
The Sharks knew they had to get among the strong Blenheim batting line up early with James Mutton picking up 2 quick wickets to leave Blenheim on 43-2.
It was the introduction of Spin which turned the match with O Mersh and T Gardner ripping through the Blenheim side with 6 wickets between them for only 22 runs.
The run out of H Yates was the final nail in the coffin for Blenheim. They were bowled out for 73 in 28.2 overs with young J Clue picking up the last wicket to fall. A great competitive game played in good spirit with another great Sharks team effort and result.

Minster Sharks
130 all out
J Mattinson 77
J Easterbrook 3-27
H Yates 2-11
E Easterbrook 1-57
P Spearman 2-7
A Deller 2-20

Blenheim park
73 all out
O Mersh 6-1-11-3
T Gardner 6-2-11-3
J Mutton 7- 0-29-2
J Clue 1.2 - 0 - 5-1

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Wednesday June 11th
T20 Bampton v Minster Lovell
Bampton won by 7 wickets

Minster won the toss , batted first and posted 164 for 4, Cameron Ayris top scoring with a fine 74. Bampton responded in fine style passing or total with 10 balls to go, losing only 3 wickets in the process

Cumnor v Minster Lovell - Wilf Bennett Trophy - Match One
Cumnor won by 1 wicket

On a grey and gloomy evening, MLCC kicked off their first-ever Wilf-Bennett Trophy campaign away at Cumnor CC. Surrounded by dark trees and under heavy skies, winning the toss felt crucial - and Mersh delivered.

But the early optimism didn’t last long. MLCC slumped to 26-4 after a string of quick wickets. Thankfully, two of our youngest stood up. Edgar Easterbrook (27) and Seamus Rowles (23) rebuilt calmly with real quality, steering the innings back on track. The scoreboard ticked along, helped by a few five-wides from Cumnor’s quicks.

Jake Mawson, our 3XI skipper and pizza connoisseur turned groundsman, closed things out with a classic whack over cover for six, finishing on 13 not out. MLCC posted 121 from our 20 overs, a total we felt was about par on that deck.

Cumnor started strongly in reply, reaching 78-3 by the 11th over. They looked in control. But we dragged it back. Mattinson and Mersh both went at under 6 an over in the middle overs, each nabbing a wicket to apply pressure.

Still, we needed a hero. Enter Felix Jones, our very own Ashley Giles off Wish. He bowled flat, fast and tight, giving the batters nothing. His spell? 3 overs, 4 for 9. He even took the penultimate over, conceding just three. That left Cumnor needing eight off the last, with only one wicket in hand.

Mersh threw the ball to Easterbrook. First ball: dragged short. Cumnor’s no.10, Onslowe Tappin, pulled it flat for six in near darkness, the electronic scoreboard the only light left. Second ball: a single. Scores level.

Next came the chaos. Easterbrook bowled a sharp one, blocked back. The batters set off for a suicidal single. Easterbrook collected cleanly, but before he looked up to throw, the batter collided with him. The ball flew out to deep cover. Dead silence. Umpires conferred. They ruled no wilful obstruction. Not out. Cumnor had ran the single. Game over.

A gutting end, but a serious effort from a youthful MLCC side against an experienced Cumnor outfit. We go again next Tuesday at Langford CC.

Top Bowling Figures:
- Felix Jones: 3 overs, 1 maiden, 9 runs, 4 wickets
- James Mattinson: 4 overs, 0 maidens, 20 runs, 1 wicket
- Freddie Driver: 3 overs, 0 maidens, 20 runs, 1 wicket

Top Batting Performances:
- Edgar Easterbrook 27 (24 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes)
- Seamus Rowles 23 (41 balls, 2 fours, 0 sixes)
- Jake Mawson 13 (18 balls, 0 fours, 1 six)

The match is available to watch on the Cumnor YouTube site and the scorecard can be viewed on Play Cricket

Hook Norton 2nd’s v Minster Lovell 2nd’s
Minster Lovell cc 2nd’s won by 8 wickets (D/L method)

Minster Lovell 2nds travelled to Hook Norton cc looking to pick up their 5th win in a row. Minster won the toss and captain Tony Gardner didn’t hesitate in bowling first with the likelihood of rain ahead.

Harvey Yates and Mark Goodwin opened the bowling and took early wickets but R Foxon was holding firm at one end with some classy shots though the covers .
Freddie Driver and Paul Ridler were bought in to the attack and Driver soon had Foxon caught behind by Kevin Clue. Both these bowlers soon ripped thought the remaining batsman to bowl out Hook Norton for 87 off 22 over’s which included a great run out by Tom Pearson.

With rain looming and 20 overs to tea, Minster soon lost their openers but Neil Spearman and Tony Gardner used their experience to guide Minster to 59-2 at tea knowing they were in front of the run rate required when the rain came.

This was another great team performance and next Saturday they travel the short distance to Witney Mills looking to cement their position at the top of the league.

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Didcot 5s v Minster Lovell 3rds
Didcot won by 44 runs

In a rain reduced game Didcot batted first scoring 149-4 off their 26 overs. 2 wickets for captain Jake Mawson and one each from Rufus Jones and Bertie Lever.

In response Minster fell short by 31 runs but great contributions from openers Connor O Brien who finished 32 not out batting through the innings and a fine 38 from under 15 Jacob Clue.

Our first team were defeated at League Leaders and Favourites Horspath by 72 runs, Seconds become outright League Leaders with a win over previous joint leaders Swinbrook and our Thirds fall agonisingly just short of their first win.
Links to all the scorecards and league tables in this website. The first team game is avaialble to watch in full on the Horspath You Tube site

Saturday May 31st
Horspath 2nd XI v Minster Lovell
Horspath Won by 72 Runs

Minster Lovell travelled to Horspath for their fourth fixture of the season, looking to build on their good start to the campaign. Captain Olly Mersh won the toss and chose to bowl first on a green but hard wicket. James Mutton and Louis Schaay-Manning opened the bowling but couldn’t find an early breakthrough, with the Horspath batters starting confidently. Special mention to Mutton who bowled his full 10 overs for just 19 runs. Edgar Easterbrook, on first change, claimed three wickets to drag things back. Despite tidy spells from Leigh Smith and Mersh, neither could find a breakthrough. After an expensive first over of off-spin, Connor Tinsley switched back to his usual medium pace and bowled well, taking two wickets.
However, a combination of 49 extras and impressive knocks from O’Connor (93) and Eyles (55) saw Horspath post a strong total of 273-5 from their 50 overs.

Chasing a challenging target, MLCC knew multiple contributions would be needed – but the top three fell cheaply, all in single figures. Tinsley continued his excellent form with the bat, anchoring the innings with a composed 65 from 84 balls. He was supported by Cameron Ayris (19), Charlie Driver (25), and a quick-fire 31 from Edgar Easterbrook. However, no one was able to go on and play the defining innings required, and we were eventually bowled out for 201 in 47.2 overs – falling 72 runs short.

Despite the result, this was a promising display from our youngest side to date, against one of the strongest teams in Division 2. We now look ahead to back-to-back home games, starting with a visit from Oxford 2s – who, like us, have two wins and two losses from their opening four matches.
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Minster Lovell 2nd XI v Swinbrook
Minster Lovell won by 6 wickets

Swinbrook visited Wash Meadow in a top of the table clash with both sides undefeated going into the match. Swinbrook won the toss and decided to bat on a hard deck with a slight wind blowing across the Meadow. Yet again Gardner didn’t mind as he wanted to bowl first to make the most of any movement which you get at Wash Meadow early on. Swinbrook looked to attack from the start but wickets soon came with Harvey Yates picking up two wickets and Freddie Driver one in their opening spell’s . Swinbrook batsman Blundell was looking solid and looking to take on most of the bowling. Nathan Harris and Paul Ridler were introduced into the bowling attack and squeezed the batsman in to mistakes who were just looking to survive. The pressure eventually bought the bowlers a wicket each. Tony Gardner came into the attack and kept the batsman tied down with a great line and length picking up Juckes caught and bowled. It was the change of end for Ridler who ripped through the remaining Swinbrook batting lineup picking up the prize wicket of Blundell for a well made 70 to give him bowling figures of 5 - 19 to help bowl out Swinbrook for 118 of 37.5 over’s . The fielding was immense with Freddie Driver picking up 3 catches and a fantastic slip catch from Josh Bishop.

Minster’s innings didn’t start off too well losing Tom Pearson bowled of his pads. Bishop and Harris picked off any bad ball’s with several boundaries to build a 65 run partnership before Harris was bowled for 23. Wes Spearman was given out LBW for 8 to leave Minster on 85-2. Gardner came and went run out to an excellent piece of fielding for 0. Bishop decided to finish of the chase with great power hitting to take Minster home with a 25 run partnership with Ridler , Bishop picking up 24 of the runs scored to finish on 69 no. This was a brilliant performance against a good side. Minster have won 4/4 games but know there’s plenty of hard work ahead. They travel to Hook Norton next Saturday looking to make it 5 wins in a row and stay top off the league .
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Steventon 2nd XI v Minster Lovell 3rd XI
Steventon won by 5 wickets

Fielding our most experienced side of the season we won the toss and elected to bat. We scored a challenging total of 196 for 7 with Neil Spearman 55 , Finn Spearman 46 Not Out, Lewis Gardner 24, Jacob Clue 20 leading the way in good partnerships.

Steventon, however matched our performance and came home with just 4 balls remaining. Our wicket takers youth players Jacob Clue, Rufus Jones and Will Smith
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Thursday May 29th
Great Rissington Under 13s v Minster Lovell Mavericks Under 13s
Great Rissington won by 10 Wickets

While all those around him lost their wickets cheaply, Dillon scored a fine 28 in 19 balls in a final total of 42 All out in 9 overs. Great Rissington reached their total in 5 overs.

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Monday June1st
Minster Under 11s v Oxford Downs Under 11s
Oxford Downs Won by 5 wickets

Our first match at Wash Meadow and we reached a credible 72 All Out in 18.2 overs against a more experienced Downs side.. Our batting is improving weekly and Jake led the charge with 19 Runs.

Downs reached their total in 14 overs and in the great spirit this match was played in allowed us to play out 20 overs which enabled all bowlers 2 overs each, Bowling is improving with a wicket on hardball debut for Joel and others for Rory , Ollie and 2 for Jake. A mention also for much improved fielding noticeably saving runs. A great catch from Ndoni, and for second game running Wicket Keeper Finn keeping the byes down.
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Three Friendlies to catch up on. Two defeats for the Minster Sunday Sharks v Adlestrop cc and Steeple Aston cc and defeat for a Minster Lovell cc friendly Xl v Worcester Nomads on Bank Holiday Monday.

All the games were played in great spirit and enjoyed by all. Plenty of positives can be taken out of the three games against strong opposition .
All the young Sunday Sharks did themselves proud while the friendly XI played really well and only lost by 9 runs in a close game .

Highlighted scorecard’s below.

18th May Sharks v Steeple Aston
Steeple Aston cc 233-5

W Robert’s 1-17
C Barden 2-20
O Mersh 1-42
T Gardner 1-23

Sunday Sharks
135 all out
O Mersh 76
F Taylor 21
T Gardner 20

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25th May v Adlestrop
Adlestrop cc 196- 9

W Robert’s 1-10
W Smith 1-10
L Griffith 1-49
T Pollard 1-31
J Gibbon 1-19
G Brown 1-29
O Mersh 2-12
T Gardner 1-6

Sunday Sharks
138-2
T Gardner 61 - retired no
O Mersh 26
C Ayris 24 no
T Pollard 9 no

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26th May v Worcester Nomads
Worcester Nomads cc 168-8

E Easterbrook 2-26
F Driver 1-24
F Jones 1-26
O Mersh 3-21
H Yates 1-23

Minster Lovell cc 159-9
O Mersh 59
F Driver 35 no
A Zollo 8 no
T Gardner 18
E Easterbrook 17

Special mention to Freddie Driver and Alfie Zollo
who batted really well towards the end of Minster Lovells inning’s putting on 43 to make it a very close finish.

Our first team beat Tiddington by 6 wickets while our second team beat Eynsham by 7 wickets to go top of the table at this early stage of the season. It was not to be for our third team who lost by 9 wickets at Dorchester.

Links to all the scorecards and league tables are found in this website. The first team game is available to watch in full on the Tiddington You Tube site

Saturday May 24th
Minster Lovell v Tiddington
Minster Lovell won by 6 wickets

Minster Lovell won the toss and elected to field on an overcast, humid day. James Mutton and Louis Schaay-Manning opened the bowling on a pitch that showed promise for the bowlers. The Tiddington batters came out looking to play their shots, but Schaay-Manning struck early, taking two crucial wickets: their opener and number 3. Edgar Easterbrook also bowled well, supported by spinners Ed Dunn and Olly Mersh, who bowled tightly and kept the pressure on Tiddington. The pick of the MLCC bowlers was Leigh Smith, who finished with figures of 3-17 and the best economy rate of just 2.27 runs per over. MLCC restricted Tiddington to a total of 152.

In reply, a new-look opening partnership of James Mattinson and Callum Ardron got off to a solid start. However, when Mattinson fell with the score at 17-1, the game was finely poised. Ardron, adapting well to his new role at the top of the order, played a classy knock of 44 from 80 balls. The skipper had asked for big partnerships, and that's exactly what he got. Ardron and Mersh put on a crucial 64-run stand, taking the score to 81-2 before Ardron fell. Connor Tinsley then joined Mersh at the crease and continued his strong form, scoring 25 from just 25 balls. A second 50+ partnership, this time between Tinsley and Mersh, further propelled MLCC towards the target. Dunn arrived and immediately found his rhythm, hitting two fours. He finished on 10*, with Mersh unbeaten on 56 to finish on 152-4,

This victory sets us up nicely for next week’s away fixture against Horspath.
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Eynsham v Minster Lovell 2nd XI
Minster Lovell won by 7 wickets

Minster Lovell 2nds picked up their 3rd successive win. Bowling first, the opening bowling unit of Freddie Driver and Mark Goodwin bowled great line and length with plenty of movement, which caused the Eynsham batsman plenty of problems and questions. Wickets soon came with Driver and Goodwin picking up a wicket each. Paul Ridler first change, then bowled a great opening spell and kept the Eynsham batsman tied down. It was the introduction of spin which caused Eynsham to lose wickets with Felix Jones bowling very well and picking up 3-42. The only Eynsham batsman not to to be fazed by the bowling was Patrick Arnold who glued the inning’s together with a well made 70 before he fell LBW to Tony Gardner. The return of Ridler and Driver soon finished of the Eynsham batting line up with Paul Ridler picking up 2 wickets and a run out and Freddie Driver taking his second wicket of the match to bowl out Eynsham for 156. A great effort in the field and a special mention to Nathan Harris behind the stumps with great glove work.

A new opening partnership of Tom Pearson and Neil Spearman entered the arena looking to get Minster off to a good start. With the score on 17 and the batsman not looking troubled Spearman was caught for 8. This bought Nathan Harris to the crease who batted with ease and hit some lovely boundaries. At the other end Pearson was hitting some Gower like shots thought the covers and looking good. The partnership was broken on 90 with Harris being caught off the bowling of Cooper for a well made 30. Captain Gardner joined Pearson and and it was they who took Minster home with a 69 run partnership with Tom Pearson hitting an excellent 75 not out and Tony Gardner finishing on 30 no. This was another great team effort to leave Minster Lovell on top of the league joint with Swinbrook whose paths cross next Saturday,
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Dorchester on Thames 2nd XI v Minster Lovell 3rd XI
Dorchester won by 9 wickets

Once again our team was made up of mostly youth players. Batting first the evergreen Kevin Clue and son Jacob soon found themselves together at the wicket with a 70 run partnership for the third wicket. Jacob batted with confidence, scoring well, hitting 4 fours and ending with 38 runs off 46 balls his highest score at senior cricket. Lewis Gardner who was out for 19 was next to the crease where the pair continued to put the runs on the board until Kevin was out finishing on 56 runs off 70 balls hitting 9 fours and one six ending a second great partnership of 45, At this point we then slumped from 116-4 to 142 All Out.

Bowling with only one seamer and a young spin attack to help us defend a fair target, Dorchester made short work of scoring the runs needed to complete the victory. Jake Gibbons and Rufus Jones were the stand out bowlers. Both bowling some unplayable deliveries. A great performance by all the youngsters which will only get better as the season progresses.
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Sunday May 18th
Under 9 Softball Festival at Witney Mills
This was our first appearance in an OCB under 9 festival for a number of years. We played in 2 matches against teams from Chipping Norton and Witney Mills and were represented by Arran, Enzo, Grace, Joshua, Kai, Kayaan, Maitha, Matthew , Noah and William. They had a great time showing lots of enthusiasm and effort and we hope its not long before some of these players are training with and playing in our under 11 team.

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Monday May 19th
Minster Under 11s v Witney Mills Under 11 at Brize Norton
Witney Mills won by 21 runs

Another large crowd at Brize Norton to watch our new Under 11 team. More players playing in either their first or second hardball game and adapting to match conditions very well.
Mills batted first and posted 97 in their 16 overs. Apart from an opening partnership of 62 none of their other batters reached double figures. This was down to fine bowling throughout, Rory in his first ever hardball game taking 4 for 9!!!!, Dylan in his second 2 for 8. Olly also with a wicket and another debutant Ndoni bowling a maiden in his first ever over in hardball cricket . Finn keeping wicket for the first time.
Batting in reply we had an opening partnership of 42 between Billy and Olly. Lola stayed in for some time and steadied us along , William and Jacob scored their first ever boundaries but we fell short in the end by 21 runs.

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Monday May 19th
Minster Under 15s v Eynsham Under 15s
Eynsham won by 18 runs

Eynsham won the toss and posted 138 for 4 from their 20 overs. 2 wickets from Sam Beynon and one from Jacob Clue .
Minster made a good attempt at chasing this total but fell 18 runs short. Freddie Taylor continued his fine form leading the way with 36 but it was only in the second half of the innings that our batters made any double figure scores and this was not quite enough to bring the team home
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Thursday May 22nd
Charlbury Under 13 v Minster Sharks Under 13
Charlbury won by 35 runs

Charlbury batted first and raced to a fine 134 for 3 off their 20 overs with all 5 batters making double figures with 2 retirees. Luke , Charlie and a runout from Jack our wicket takers.

In reply we were unable to get near and finished on 104-7. Jack, Dillon and Grayson rallied with double figure scores in the second half of our innings but not enough on this occasion.

Our first team just fell short by 10 runs chasing 174 at Westbury. Our second team go top of the table following their second win of the season , while our Thirds are still searching for their first win.

Saturday May 17th
Westbury v Minster Lovell
Westbury won by 10 runs

Westbury batted first and were bowled out in the 49th over. Wickets shared by the bowlers, 2 each for Olly Mersh, James Mattinson, Leigh Smith and Eddie Dunn and one from Louis Schaay-Manning.

Minster fell short by 10 runs in their reply, Connor Tinsley with a fine 75 not out but only Olly Mersh able to support him with 34
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Minster Lovell 2nd XI v Combe
Minster Lovell won by 4 wickets

Combe batted first and reached 116 All Out in the 40th over. 2 wickets each for Captain Tony Gardner , Freddie Driver, Harvey Yates and Felix Jones and one from Paul Ridler.

In reply after losing 2 early wickets, Minster settled down and reached the total in the 26th over losing only 4 more wickets, Josh Bishop top scoring with 31, closely followed by Paul Ridler with 27 and solid contributions from Courtney Stirling and Kevin Clue.

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Minster Lovell 3rd XI v Letcombe 2nd XI
Letcombe won by 161 runs

Letcombe batted first and posted a good score of 214-6. Captain Jake Mawson the pick of the bowlers with 3-30, Jacob Clue 2-35 and one from Will Smith.

In reply Minster were only able to post 115 all out in the 26th Over. Many batters making starts but top scorer Freddie Taylor with 24, supported by 22s from Jake Mawson and Lewis Gardner and double figures from Jacob Clue and Rufus Jones.
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In County Cup matches for our youth teams this week both bowed out at the first round stage with emphatic defeats in Oxford.

Monday May12th

Horspath Under 15 v Minster Lovell Under 15
Horspath won by 10 wickets

In a rain affected match Minster batted first reaching 44 for 8 in 10 overs, a target chased down comfortably by the home side.

Thursday May 15th

Wolvercote Under 13 v Minster Lovell Under 13
Wolvercote won by 92 runs

Wolvercote batted first and posted a mighty 168 for 2. A tough night for our bowlers with Jack Rimell with a wicket and the best figures standing out. In reply we managed 76 for 7 , Grayson Summers fine form continues with a retirement on 30 runs.

Both our teams had tough cup draws this season. We take the positive that both our teams are at the younger end of the age group cycle and were drawn against teams at the older end and that ultimately this is development cricket. We move on and look forward to our next round of league games.

The first week of Cherwell league Cricket saw wins for our first and second elevens and defeat for our very young third eleven. Our Sunday Sharks started their season with a win and some special milestones to report

Saturday May 10th
Minster Lovell 1st XI v Wolverton Town
Minster Lovell won by 3 wickets
Wolverton batted first and made a steady start reaching 120-5 before losing 5 wickets for only 9 runs . 5 wickets for Olly Mersh supported by 2 from Eddie Dunn and 1 each from James Mutton and Leigh Smith, also a fine run out from James Mattinson completed the innings in the 40th over.
In reply after an explosive start Minster reached the target in the 29th over. A quickfire 25 from James Mattinson in 11 balls signalling the intent to chase this target down as soon as possible. Tight bowling and regular wickets then restricted the scoring but a fine 41 from Eddie Dunn brought the team home after a few scares.

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Hanborough 2 v Minster Lovell 2nd XI
Minster Lovell won by 4 wickets
Almost a copy of the first team game with Hanborough reaching 130 All Out in the 41st over. 3 wickets for Harvey Yates, 2 each for Captain Tony Gardner and Mark Goodwin, one for Connor O’Brien as well as Run Outs from Goodwin and Yates.
Minster chased down the total in 31 overs , a fine opening stand between Harvey Yates and Charlie Driver setting the tone for the reply with Darren Hall top scoring with 34 and Tony Gardner bringing the team home.

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Kingston Bagpuize 3 v Minster Lovell 3rd XI
Kingston Bagpuize won by 161 runs
A young Minster Lovell team fell to defeat at Kingston Bagpuize. The home team posted 235 – 7 off their 40 overs. Credit to our young bowlers, all who have come through our youth pathway with wickets for Freddie Taylor, Rufus Jones, Jacob Clue and Finlay Lomas.
In reply a fantastic opening partnership of 62 between the not so young Kevin Clue(42) and Rufus Jones(21) suggested an upset may be on the cards but the rest of the batting fell away and we finished all out on 74

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Sunday May 10th Blenheim CC v Minster Lovell Sunday Sharks
Minster Lovell Won by 9 wickets
Blenheim batted first and scored 212 -7 in their 40 overs. As usual on Sundays the bowling was shared amongst the team. Special mention for Grayson Summers making his open aged men’s debut who became one of the youngest player’s to take a wicket for Minster Lovell cc in men’s cricket bowling really well to take 1-37.
Both the other young Shark players Freddie Taylor 2-18 and Jacob Clue 0-30 bowled extremely well. James Mutton was the best of the other bowlers with 2-11 and O Mersh 6 -3-10-0 .

Minster Lovell cc players Fin Spearman 33 and Harvey Yates 27 batted really well for Blenheim and late call up Mark Golledge with a fine 50 not out. After tea Marc Summers put on his pads for the first time in 10 years and walked to the crease with Kevin Clue who had just completed keeping wicket for 40 overs on a diificult pitch. They smashed the Blenheim attack to all parts of the ground putting on 201 for the first wicket with Kevin Clue falling 4 runs short of a well deserved century. This left Marc Summers to score 100 not out and take the sharks to a well deserved win. Both of these players played really well and it was a joy to watch .

Blenheim cc 212-7 M Golledge 50 no A Awais 41 F Spearman 33 H Yates 27
Sharks Bowling J Mutton 2-11 F Taylor 2-18 G Summers 1-37 C O’Brien 1-40 T Gardner 1-10 C Ayris 0-15 O Mersh 0-10 K Bushnell 0-34 J Clue 0-30
Sharks Batting 213-1 Marc Summers 100 no 3x6’s - 12x 4’s Kevin Clue 96 - 16x4’s Olly Mersh 2no
Blenheim Phil Spearman 1-35

Thanks to Richard Rendell for scoring

Sunday May 4th Under 11s v Kingston Bagpuize

It was great to see a large crowd at Brize Norton on a cold Sunday morning to witness the start of something new and exciting..

This is a new team and our most important objective was that everyone should bat and bowl. For a number of our team this was their first hardball match, the first time playing on a grass wicket, some of our players had not met each other before. It’s a lot to absorb for parents, players and coaches !

It was no surprise to us that Kingston Bagpuize reached our total of 65 in 9 overs, but we take away the beginning of learning how to perform in outdoor conditions which is very different to training with each other indoors. We will now work on all these points in training and in matches and we look forward to seeing a gradual improvement as we move deeper into the season.

The scorecard is available on Play Cricket. It was uploaded by our opponents and for some reason does not show that Dylan was retired after 25 balls and returned. Congratulations Dylan and also to every batter, its not easy going out to face a hard ball in a match for the first time, we even managed 2 fours . There are many positives from this performance and credit to the whole team

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Monday May 5th Under 15s Away v Freeland West Oxfordshire Warriors

MLCC Won by 33 runs

Congratulations to our new Under 15 team on a well earned victory to start the season.
Batting first we put up a target of 160 with big scores from Freddie Taylor(45 not out). Finlay Horne(39) and Jack Herbert (27). In reply Freeland made 127 for 7, 2 wickets each for Freddie Taylor and Jacob Clue, other wickets coming from Sam Leahy, Finley Horne and Arthur Whitlock

Full Scorecard on News and results Scorecard tab

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Thursday May 8th Under 13 Mavericks Home v Witney Mills

MLCC Won by 8 wickets

Congratulations also to our new under 13 Mavericks team who chased down Mills 134 - 9 with 10 balls remaining to record a fine win.
On our fielding side everyone bowled with good economy rates . 2 wickets each for Emma , Charlie and Luke, single wickets for Mylo and Grayson and a run out from Jack.
In our reply we only lost 2 wickets , Jack (32) and Mylo (27) both retired with good strike rates , supported by good scores from Alfie, Dillon, Charlie and Emma

A fine all round team performance

Full Scorecard on News and results Scorecard tab

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Friday May 9th Under 13 Sharks Away v Great & Little Tew

MLCC Won by 3 Wickets

Another tight bowling performance from our under 13s, restricting Great Tew to 110 for 6 in their 20 overs, particularly noting that everyone on our fielding side bowled. Two wickets for Joel and one each for Mylo, Dillon, Sam and Bella.

Not an easy chase but we made it in the 17th over with Dillon with a retired 30 off 18 balls and useful innings from Sam , Mylo and Charlie securing another fine victory

Full Scorecard on News and results Scorecard tab

Some promising performances over the weekend in preparation for the first Cherwell League matches on May 10th. Captains have taken the opportunity to give as many players game time as possible.

Saturday May 3rd Friendly - Shipton under Wychwood v Minster Lovell 1st XI
Minster Lovell Won by 5 Runs
Minster batted first and a number of partnerships carried the team to a total of 210-9 after their 50 overs. James Mattinson and Charlie Driver got the innings off to a strong start, putting on an opening stand of 49 and this was followed by Harry Ebsworth and Olly Mersh with the highest partnership. They weathered a brilliant spell of bowling from Shipton’s Callum Taylor, who was in fine form and had the ball on a string. Despite the tight bowling, Nathan Harris (18) and Callum Ardron (29) pushed the total forward, continuing to bat with intent. A strong final partnership between Cameron Ayris (20*) and James Mutton (13*) pushed the MLCC total beyond 200.
In reply, James Mutton and Louis Schaay-Manning opened the bowling for MLCC, working in tandem to restrict the scoring early on. Schaay-Manning was particularly impressive, taking the wickets of Shipton’s top three batters with a controlled and skilful display of bowling. However, the hosts’ middle order fought back, with notable contributions from Callum Taylor (29), Arun White (22), and their captain Jamie Nelson (45).

Mark Goodwin took three key wickets in a crucial spell and Nathan Harris also deserves an honourable mention for his tight bowling, completing 9 wicketless but economical overs that kept the pressure building. A couple of sharp catches from James Mattinson kept the fielding side on top.

As the game entered the final stages, tight bowling from Mutton, O'Brien, and Mersh meant Shipton needed eight runs from the final over. Harris was entrusted with the task, and he delivered, keeping the Shipton batsmen from finding the boundary.

In the end, MLCC held their nerve and clinched a thrilling five-run victory, defending 210. This was a fantastic 50/50 preseason friendly, played in a competitive spirit, and it stands the team in excellent stead for the upcoming season. The contributions from every player were vital, leaving the team in good form as they head into the first week of the Cherwell Cricket League.

Key Batting Performances:
- Olly Mersh: 37 runs (47 balls, 5 fours, 1 six)
- James Mattinson: 31 runs (41 balls, 5 fours, 0 sixes)
- Callum Ardron: 29 runs (30 balls, 4 fours, 0 sixes)

Top Bowling Figures:
- Louis Schaay-Manning: 10 overs, 2 maidens, 36 runs, 4 wickets.
- Mark Goodwin: 10 overs, 2 maidens, 37 runs, 3 wickets.
- Olly Mersh: 7 overs, 1 maiden, 21 runs, 1 wicket.
Follow the link in News and Results to view the full scorecard provided by our opponents. While the final scores are correct, the individual batting details may not be accurate.
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Saturday May 3rd Friendly Oxenford v Minster Lovell XI
Minster Lovell Won by 15 Runs
At Jesus College the ideal pre season game where both sides chose to give everyone a chance to bat and bowl with the Cherwell League season just a week away. Minster batted first in a 40 over match with only Harvey Yates of the top order batters able to make double figures. He did slightly more than that and scored a creditable 63 not out and batting throughout the innings. Late flurries from Felix jones and Freddie Driver took the score to 125 all out in the 34th over.
The Oxenford response followed the same pattern as the Minster innings with only Simran Singh of the top order making double figures, 50 in this case. Only one late flurry for them and they fell short by 15 runs. Freddie Driver with 3 for 17 and Felix Jones 2 for 9 the pick of the bowlers . Wickets each for Paul Ridler, Courtney Stirling, Rufus Jones, Harvey Yates and Jacob Clue completed the victory.
Follow the link in News and Results to view the full scorecard
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Sunday May 4th Friendly Isis v Minster Sunday Sharks
Isis won by 34 Runs
At Freeland Captain Tony Gardner gave up the toss for the second week to give his young side bowling opportunities. Opening bowlers Freddie Driver ( 2-12 ) and Connor ‘O Brien (0-11 ) bowled 10 overs between them producing great line and length keeping the Isis batsman very quiet . Tony himself took 2 wickets with one each for Freddie Taylor and Tom Pollard. Special mention for 400th Minster Lovell wicket for Keiren Bushnell . The rest of the young players bowled and fielded very well to restrict Isis cc to 187-7
With the temperature dropping and jumpers needed after Tea Minster the Sharks were bowled out for 153. Connor O’Brien completed a good personal weekend with a well made 28 and a partnership of 80 from Tony Gardner (45) and Seamus Rowles (28) were the batting highlights. This was, however a great effort against a more senior team. The game was played in great spirit and we look forward to our next Sunday friendly next week at Blenheim