Overcast for the season finale, and a battle for 5th position against local rivals. The opposition won the toss again (an infamous record of W3 L14 for the season for the Chearsley skipper) and chose to bat first.

N. Babington and H. Lazaruk opened the bowling against an attack and defence minded pair of batsmen; the former hit a few early boundaries before misjudging an inswinger from Harry, castled for 19. Nick bowled his perennially tight line, and at the end of his spell, the opposition were 53-1 off 18 overs. J. Wright and E. Lloyd replaced the opening pair, both bowling economically, as the Waddesdon batsmen played cautiously but sensibly for the next 10 overs, before Ed removed the surviving opener for 27 thanks to a good catch from M. Claridge at slip (98-2). F. Witcher entered the attack, the turn surprising both batsmen and keeper, but soon settling into a steady rhythm down the hill; the opposition captain looked uncomfortable and played on in slightly unfortunate circumstances to depart for a hard fought 38 (108-3). Fred picked up two further wickets, including a sharp caught and bowled to put us in a strong position (129-5 with 11 overs remaining). The game then changed, as the Waddesdon No. 6 had a day out, making the most of another excellent batting surface and shorter than usual boundaries, as 86 runs were plundered off just 34 balls. Despite mixing the bowling up, no one was spared and it was a brutal bit of hitting that came off. Harry took an excellent catch on the boundary to finally remove the No. 6, but the damage was done, as the opposition reached 231-6 off their allocation.

With a little more than 5 an over needed in batting friendly conditions, the total should have been within reach. V. Connolly set out with intent, hitting five boundaries in the first two overs and continuing in that vein thereafter, as we reached 40 without loss after 6 overs. Nick, slightly up the order from the previous week, was then bowled for 1, and Vinnie was adjudged LBW next over, out for 42 off just 27 balls (56-2). Each of the incoming middle order batsmen got a start, but wickets continued to fall at frustratingly regular intervals, as we failed to rebuild momentum or steady the ship (83-5). Fred (27) and Shaz added 32 in a good partnership for the 6th wicket, the former in particular looking fluent and set for a good score. However, both were soon gone and while the tail had a mini-wag, we were dismissed for 160. Well beaten on the day, but still enough points to secure 5th position.

Full scorecard: https://www.cherwellcricketleague.com/scorecard.php?MatchID=15805

A slightly flat end to what has been an up and down season. However, having been bottom of the league at the halfway stage, we picked ourselves up, and an excellent run, which saw us getting the better of the four teams that finished above us, saw us in contention for promotion at the business end. To secure a top half finish in our first season back at this level for over a decade is an excellent achievement, and gives us a solid platform to build on next season. The league was terrifically competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, and we can look forward to another fine season next year [TM].