Congratulations are in order for all those who won awards at the awards evening last night at the Kingfisher Country Club. First of all, the most prestigious awards:

Clubman of the Year: Ian Easton
Captains' Player Award: Stuart Walding
Players' Player Award: Jamie Crawford

Next came the playing awards:

Saturday Batting Award: Atif Mushtaq (250 runs @ 22.73)
Saturday Bowling Award: Atif Mushtaq (19 wickets @ 10.05)
Sunday Batting Award: Jack Johnson (301 runs @ 37.63)
Sunday Bowling Award: James Chantry (14 wickets @ 17.29)
Fielding Award: Stuart Walding​ (13 catches, 2 stumpings, 3 run-outs)

And finally, the Fantasy League medals:

Fantasy League Winner's Medal: Sharron Jones (Sharron's 1st XI: 7,512 points)
Fantasy League Wooden Spoon: Sharron Jones (Woodentops: 907 points)
Most Valuable Player Medal: Atif Mushtaq (1,401 points)

​Congratulations to all the winners.

Due to a couple of matches being forfeited in the Premier Division, the match was officiated by a league and home umpire.  The visitors lost the toss and Russell determined to bat first.

Castlethorpe lost three wickets pretty early in their runs accumulation but a fourth wicket stand between Mark Currell and Atif Mushtaq of 98 runs in just fifteen overs gave a great platform for the remainder of the team, which they built on.  Mark remained at the crease until the 28th over, grinding out 37 runs in support of Atif's 57 runs.  Stuart Walding secured 23 not out and Aaron Day achieved 13 not out as Castlethorpe batted out the full 40 overs achieving a total of 186-8 which meant that James Chantry did not need to bat.

After tea, provided by Ollie Hughes (thank you), the visitors set about their run chase.  They lost two early wickets, one to Atif and one to Russell, before the third wicket pair moved the score along from four to 67 in 15 overs - a steadying partnership.  Runs were not easy to come by though, and nor were wickets.  In the end Evenley also batted out their 40 overs though they finished 77 runs short of the Castlethorpe total.

Though the match did not affect the league position of either club, the match was full and enjoyable, taking us happily in to the end of the league season.  (If anyone is wondering, Castlethorpe finished in sixth position out of ten - solidly mid-table - finishing with 193 points.)

In spite of weather forecasts to the contrary, we arrived as the heavens opened, resulting in a delayed start and a reduction in overs to 38 per side.  Castlethorpe lost the toss and were put in to field.

The bowling was tight making scoring progress difficult for the home side but they stuck at it doggedly, with the opening stand putting on 38 and not being broken until the 16th having seen off the opening bowlers.  Whilst Castlethorpe took wickets every few overs, Dunchurch & Bilton kept the strike rotating and taking opportunities to score runs when they could and ultimately scored 167-6 from their allocation of overs.  It should be said that the damp conditions, as play continued through the intermittent showers, made keeping the ball dry and not losing footing whilst fielding pretty tricky.
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After tea, Castlethorpe set out to bat, again with dampness in the air that became intermittent showers.  The scoring rate was quicker for the visitors but too, sadly, was the rate at which Dunchurch took wickets.  Russell was out in the first over for nought and Aaron for nought in the second, which was a hard position to come back from.  Ollie Hughes was at the crease for all but ten balls of the innings, a valiant effort, but it was not Castlethorpe's day.  It was only possible to accumulate 75 runs in total.  Fortunately, our league position was not dependent on the result so though it was disappointing, there was ultimately no consequence to it.

As Russell was on holiday, Garry captained the side.  The home side were put in to bat by the visitors when they won the toss.

The opening stand between Alex and Ali got Castlethorpe off to a good start but this innings evidenced the saying "one wicket brings two" in triplicate, with the first and second, fourth and fifth and eighth and ninth wicket stands.  It was strange but true.  There were however stands of 57 (Alex and Ali) and 61 (Syed and Atif) which, with the couple of stands of over twenty saw Castlethorpe bat out all forty overs and reach a total of 187-9, with Ian hitting his second career six.

After tea, the visitors set about chasing down the total in a bid to keep their promotion hopes alive.  However, in spite of their third wicket stand of 89 they were unable to secure the required total, finishing on 164-9.

Whilst Castlethorpe cannot make a promotion spot this season, they definitely will not be relegated.  The match next Saturday against Dunchurch & Bilton will be interesting as just a few points separate the teams in the table.

The weather forecast had again been doom and gloom but we arrived with the weather holding.  Radway won the toss and elected to field.

The home side got off to a cracking start, taking two wickets in two overs for just one run, the first falling with the first delivery.  It was a day where Castlethorpe's batsmen would have to block or play their shots knowing there would be a ball with their name on it.  Garry and Matt played their shots and made a fifth wicket stand of 77, taking the Castlethorpe score from 41 in the seventh over to 118 in the seventeenth over.  Both played some great shots, including losing a ball with one of Garry's sixes.  Garry finished with 62 and Matt with 38 from the final Castlethorpe total of 140 all out in 21.3 overs.

The Radway innings was delayed by a passing shower.  Though we saw two forks of lightning at the end of the Castlethorpe innings and heard one clap of thunder, the storm missed us and Radway started their innings before tea.  The opening batsmen played their shots against the four bowlers used in those twelve overs and pushed the score on to 58 at the tea interval.  After tea they continued to score steadily with Radway reaching the required total in the 27th over for the loss of just one wicket.

The rain stayed away allowing a full match to be played.  It was disappointing for Castlethorpe not to secure more points but it was a good match and it was excellent to watch Garry and Matt scoring with such fluidity.

Match report by Sharron Jones

With the weather better than previously forecast, Russell won the toss and elected to bat first due to four members of the team being in transit having not been aware that Bodicote was a long trek into deepest Oxfordshire.

The innings started steadily but was jarred by the loss of Russell in the sixth over. Again runs accumulated steadily until the loss of Syed then Garry in the same over. Alex Sear, on league debut for the club, joined Ben at the crease and together had a stand of 51, taking the score to 98, two runs short of a batting point, with six wickets remaining. Unfortunately we then lost three wickets for three runs in the following two overs. We had secured one batting point but a second looked ominously out of reach. James Chantry joined Ian Easton, who was on one not out, and together they had a 19 run stand, with Ian scoring 14 runs by hitting two 4s and a mighty six (his first). Sadly the last two wickets fell for the addition of just two further runs leaving us 122 all out, three short of that second batting point.

After tea, the Bodicote openers headed to the middle and immediately demonstrated their intent to win.  Russell used five bowlers, including himself, but they could not get to grips with the pitch and the batsmen reaped the rewards, completing the run chase in 18.5 overs without the loss of a wicket, winning by ten wickets and leaving Castlethorpe with just their solitary batting point.

Next week is an even further journey than this week, to Radway in Warwickshire.  Let's hope we travel better for that match.

Match report by Sharron Jones

Castlethorpe won the toss and elected to field first, hoping that the rain forecast from 12pm would not arrive before the conclusion of the match.

Croughton's first wicket fell with the score on eight but the batsmen held firm for 41 runs before the fall of the next wicket, seeing off the opening bowlers, Ali and Syed. Once the second wicket fell, to Russell in his first over, he and Garry saw off the remainder of nine man Croughton for the addition of just 28 more runs with the innings lasting just 15.3 overs.

Castlethorpe went out to bat immediately under increasingly darkening skies. In the first over, both Garry and Russell lost their wickets.  In the fourth over, Syed lost his wicket and as Adesh joined Ali in the middle the steady drizzle gained momentum and at the end of the fourth over, the players left the pitch with tea declared early.

After almost two hours of waiting for the rain to stop and the pitch to dry, the rain eased to spitting, the pitch was inspected and a start time of 17:35 was agreed. Castlethorpe were on 30-3 and keen for a chance to get the remaining 48 runs for victory. Unfortunately the forecast weather arrived as players took to the pitch and the match had to be abandoned with both sides taking 10 points plus their bonus points.

Match report by Sharron Jones

At the start of the day, Castlethorpe were in 6th place in Division 1 on 112 points and Greens Norton were in 2nd on 172 having won their last four matches or more. We arrived under heavy skies with intermittent drizzle, lost the toss and were put in to bat.

Runs were hard to come by for the top order and we reached drinks with the score on 74 for four. Castlethorpe took control of the innings from the 25th over when Atif and Basher accelerated the scoring, compiling a 72 run partnership in fourteen overs. When Atif was bowled for 83, he was replaced by Ali. It was only his second match of the season but that was not evident as he hit a fifteen-ball 31 not out, including a 20 run tenth wicket partnership with Aaron. Castlethorpe had hit 188 runs in their 40 overs.

Greens Norton's reply started badly when the last ball of the first over dismissed their opener. For them too, runs were hard to come by, in spite of the increased sunshine and fast outfield. Castlethorpe's bowling and fielding standards were high. Russell used five bowlers with Syed and Ali bowling six each to open. Sam then bowled for seven overs, with Atif bowling his ten overs through. It was Garry coming in as bowler number of five who took out the middle order plus another wicket to return figures of 7-1-20-5, with Syed returning to the attack to take the tenth wicket to leave Greens Norton 71 runs short of Castlethorpe's total. It was a cracking win and an all round good team performance securing our mid-table position

​Match report by Sharron Jones

Silverstone have been having a very good season, not losing a match since their season-opener at Thrupp Close. The return fixture took place on a hard wicket under cloudless skies, and captain Russell Jones found himself at the centre of a mob of Thrupp players telling him "bat!"

He won the toss and pleased the masses by choosing to bat, a task that Castlethorpe did unusually well at. At different stages of the innings, first Martin Jones (22), then Russell Jones (39), then Garry Singh Maan (82) all batted aggressively, never allowing Silverstone to get on top. A late flurry of wickets did see Castlethorpe bowled out with fifteen balls left, but not before amassing 216 runs.

In reply, early wickets made sure at an early stage that Silverstone would not get close to the Castlethorpe total. Atif Mushtaq reaped the benefits of some excellent pressure bowling from Syed Naqvi to claim four for 32, before Martin Jones replaced him to claim three for 14 from the same end. Garry Singh Maan and James Chantry each claimed a wicket to end an innings in which only two Silverstone batsmen (and extras) made it to double-figures.

So Castlethorpe have done the double over top-of-the-table. Hopefully this goes a long way to our survival in Division One.

Match report by Martin Jones

For today's game, Garry Singh Maan stepped in as captain in place of the absent Russell Jones, but sent Ben Nightingale out to do the toss for him. This unusual strategy worked well, as Ben won the toss and chose to field first.
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The innings started well with Syed Naqvi and Atif Mushtaq opening the bowling attack and dismissing three of the Evenley top order in seven overs, two for Atif and one for Syed. Evenley steadied a little and did not lose their next wicket until the fourteenth over, again to Atif, with the score on 40. In the fifteenth, James Chantry replaced Syed for a three over spell, taking us to drinks. Garry replaced James, who was switched to bowl from the other end but this was for just one over as the heavily gusting wind stole control from him. In his place, Stuart Crow entered the attack, and the bowling was tidy but no further wickets fell until the 29th over when Garry bowled the batsman out. 93-5. The 32nd over saw Stuart replaced by Ben for a one over spell before Syed returned to complete his overs. Evenley were unperturbed by the succession of changes and pushed the score on to 142 before they lost two wickets in two balls to Syed in the 36th over. Garry took the eighth wicket in the 39th over with Ben taking the ninth and last wicket in the last over, resulting in Evenley posting a score of 163.

After tea, Ben and Matt Townsend started the Castlethorpe chase with a partnership of twenty before Matt was out bowled. Ian Easton was sent in at three and was bowled first ball. Things were looking ominous and it was only the fourth over. Syed and Ben rotated the strike, moving the score on to 43 before Syed was out lbw. Garry replaced him but was caught out first ball. Wicketkeeper Stuart Walding joined Ben but lasted only until the tenth over when he was out caught and bowled with the score on 45. Two overs later, Ben was also caught out having accumulated fifteen runs. Atif was at the crease with Aaron Day and their partnership added thirteen runs in five overs but was ended when Aaron was bowled out for four. Atif followed two overs later having scored 22, along with Luke Jeffrey-Hammond five balls after that. In spite of some solid defending, James was bowled out in the 20th over, leaving Stuart Crow not out without having faced a ball. 

So we finished on 74 all out, losing by 89 runs. Whilst the team was depleted by the absence of captains Russell Jones (Saturday) and Martin Jones (Sunday) as well as the reliable Matt Lewis, this was truly disappointing.

​Match report by Sharron Jones