Radlett reduce Banbury to 0-3 before strolling to a seven-wicket win

HCPL Division One

Banbury 102

Radlett 104-3

Radlett won by seven wickets

A DEVASTATING opening spell from Shane Burger and Matt Corran set Radlett up for a seven wicket win at Banbury on Saturday.

Radlett captain Burger won the toss and chose to have a bowl, a decision vindicated when the visitors reduced their hosts to a remarkable 0-3.

First Corran had 16-year-old opener Lloyd Sabin caught behind by wicket-keeper Tom Jenkins and Banbury’s number three Craig Haupt faired no better succumbing to the same pair.

Burger got in on the act dismissing Damian Shirazi, caught by Shil Patel, and all this before Banbury had got a run on the board.

Nathan Hawkes and John West managed to break Banbury’s duck but could only get the score upto 18 before West was clean bowled by Burger.

Spurred on by his colleagues’ success Heath Paynter got in on the act removing Hawkes (6) as Banbury slumped to 20-5. That soon became 21-6 as Banbury skipper Ian Hawtin (1) became Burger’s third victim, Robbie Crocker pouching the catch.

Ian Tew was ploughing a lonely furrow for Banbury with Luke Ryan’s dismissal for 9, caught by Robbie Crocker off the bowling of Paynter, giving Radlett just the hosts’ tail to bowl over.

Tew found some support from Ashley Blanchard, the pair putting on 50 for the eighth wicket, but Tew’s resistance was ended on 33 with Burger claiming his fourth victim and Robbie Crocker his third catch.

Blanchard (28) followed four runs later falling to Paynter thanks to a Mike Crocker catch and the innings was wrapped up when Jenkins ran out James Phillips (2).

Banbury’s innings had produced just a paltry 102 runs and having lasted just 40.5 overs gave Radlett plenty of time in which to knock the runs off. Burger finished with the remarkable figures of 14.5-10-17-4 - his figures were 10-9-1-3 at lunch.

Radlett lost Patel (7) early on but James Lewis and Kabir Toor got Radlett within touching distance of victory.

Toor fell to James Phillips for 36 and there was a scare when Burger was dismissed for 5 but Lewis (43*) and Jenkins (8*) guided Radlett home to a comfortable seven wicket win.

Burger’s side welcome Oxford to Cobden Hill this weekend, the action getting underway at 11am.