Boroughs' century fails to prevent Herefordshire defeat by Oxfordshire (From Hereford Times)

Boroughs' century fails to prevent Herefordshire defeat by Oxfordshire

2:21pm Wednesday 25th July 2012 in Sport By Richard Prime

SKIPPER Chris Boroughs’ 14th Minor Counties Championship century failed to save Herefordshire from defeat against Oxfordshire at Brockhampton.
The county captain battled bravely to score a second-innings 101, sharing in a fourth-wicket stand of 164 with Charlie Walker (73), but their efforts still left Herefordshire 107 runs short of their unlikely target of 398 to win.
The damage had effectively been done in the first knock when Herefordshire were dismissed for just 100, conceding a first-innings deficit of 110.
Boroughs had played a significant part with the ball after Oxfordshire won the toss and chose to bat.
The skipper returned figures of 4-57 as, with good support from Nick Powell (3-45), the visitors were restricted to 210.
Herefordshire’s disappointing reply lasted just over 30 overs with the top order of Ben Stebbings, for a duck, Steve Adshead (3) and Boroughs, bowled first ball, swept aside by former Middlesex seamer Chad Keegan (3-43).
Only Powell (23 not out) and Walker (22) played innings of any substance although veteran Harshad Patel (17) hung around long enough to become the first Herefordshire batsman to pass 6,000 runs in championship cricket. Oxfordshire’s second innings faltered early on in the face of some good bowling from Bromyard teenager Greg Leighton, who returned his best county figures of 4-47.
But, from 69-5, Oxfordshire were rescued by wicket-keeper Jonny Cater, who followed up his first innings top-score of 77 with 106 to set Herefordshire a daunting target.
Home prospects of success quickly diminished when Stebbings completed a pair and Adshead (10) and Dave Exall (4) were also dismissed with just 26 on the board.
Boroughs and Walker raised faint hopes but once they were dismissed the end came relatively quickly.