11. June 2026

1st Team: Cup Tests, Premier League Pressure and a Danny Leech Masterclass

Oulton Park 1st Team vs Brooklands, Ashley and Lindow | 4, 6 and 7 June

It was a busy few days for the Oulton Park 1st Team, with two tough cup assignments against Premier League opposition before attention turned back to the league, where the unbeaten run was very much still on the line.

There were losses in both cup matches, first away at Brooklands in the T20 on Thursday evening, then at home to Lindow in the 40-over Cheshire Cup on Sunday. But if you only look at the results, you miss the story.

Because across both games, Oulton Park showed just how far this team has come. Against higher-league opposition, they competed hard, took wickets, stayed in the fight, and kept both chases within reach. The difference, in the end, was probably consistency — and one big partnership in each innings that gave Brooklands and Lindow the platform they needed.

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Brooklands away: close, but not quite

At Brooklands, Oulton Park lost the toss and were asked to bowl first. The start was exactly what you want in a T20 against a Premier League side: early wickets, pressure on, and plenty of energy in the field.

Jonny Litler struck first, helped by a catch from Andrew Dufty, before Avinash Shastri removed the other opener, with George Moss taking a sharp catch on the boundary. At that point, Oulton had the game exactly where they wanted it.

But Brooklands rebuilt through Kevin Carroll and Christian Jacobs, who put on 68 in eight overs and shifted the momentum. Despite accurate spells from James Bell, Andy Dufty, Avinash Shastri and a superb four-wicket return from Jamie Sandlands, Brooklands reached a challenging 156 from their 20 overs. And then came the chase.

George Moss set the tone beautifully with a positive 55 at the top of the order, backed up by Avinash Shastri and Frazer Heginbotham, who both made 17. For a while, there was definitely an upset in the air. You could feel it around the ground — Oulton were not there just to make up the numbers.

Andy Dufty, Frank Farrington and Amjad Khan all kept the chase alive, but Brooklands held their nerve when it mattered most. The pressure told in the closing stages and the home side got over the line by 17 runs.

A defeat, yes. But a proper contest.

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Lindow at Pinfold Lane: another cup battle

Sunday brought another Premier League challenge, this time with Lindow travelling to Pinfold Lane in the Cheshire Cup.

Once again, Oulton lost the toss and were sent into the field. Once again, the start was full of promise.

Jamie Sandlands was straight into the action, taking the first wicket in the sixth over thanks to a catch from Kevin Douglas. Two overs later, Matthew Dufty held on to a Sandlands special, before Jonny Litler got in on the act with a caught-and-bowled. Sandlands struck again shortly after, with George Moss taking another catch. At that stage, Lindow were wobbling.

But, as in the Brooklands game, one partnership changed the feel of the innings. Alex Mathews and Jamieson Hedges put on 62 for the fifth wicket and gave Lindow something to work with.

It needed something special to break the stand, and Avinash Shastri delivered, bowling Mathews to drag Oulton back into it. Frank Farrington then snaffled one off Andy Dufty, Kevin Douglas chipped in with two wickets, and Oulton kept working away until Lindow were bowled out for 160 in the 32nd over. A chase of 161 was very much on.

But Lindow’s Premier League attack came out firing. Hedges, Will Espley and especially Alex Matthews made early inroads, leaving Oulton in real trouble at 58 for 6.

Then came the fightback.

Frank Farrington dug in brilliantly for 50, joined by Avinash Shastri, who made 19 in a seventh-wicket partnership worth 43. Suddenly, there was hope again. Overs were not the issue — wickets were.

When Shastri fell to Matthews, and Farrington followed soon after, caught behind by Olly James, the task became much harder. Kevin Douglas and Jamie Sandlands battled on, with Sandlands finishing unbeaten, but Oulton were eventually all out for 150 in the 32nd over. Ten runs short.

Frustrating? Absolutely. But against Premier League opposition, to restrict Lindow to a chaseable total and then get that close after being 58 for 6 says plenty about the character in this side.

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Back to the league: unbeaten run on the line

After two testing cup fixtures, it was back to league business against Ashley — and Oulton Park responded in style.

Ashley won the toss on a windy morning and chose to bowl first. It looked like a decent decision early on, with George Moss and Frank Farrington both back in the pavilion before the end of the seventh over.

At that point, Oulton needed calm heads. Enter Andy Dufty and Danny Leech.

Dufty played a vital hand with 41, putting on 74 with Leech for the third wicket and helping move the score to 106 for 3. When Dufty was given LBW to Jibran Khan, Jonny Litler took up the baton, working hard for 34 and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

Then Bradley Heginbotham arrived with nine overs left and decided it was time to join the fun. After a few singles to get going, he started finding the rope — and clearing it — as the innings moved through the gears.

But the day belonged to one man. Danny Leech.

A proper, old-fashioned, stand-and-admire batting clinic.

Leech carried his bat for a magnificent 158 not out from 173 balls, with 18 fours and four sixes. It was his best score in a long time, and it brought back memories of his club record 161, scored at home against Oxton in 2009.

That day, he made 161 out of 303 team runs. Against Ashley, he made 158 out of 300, once again scoring more than half of Oulton’s runs.

We will not hold the slightly lower strike rate against him. Not when it was played with that much class. It was a joy to watch the master at work again.

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Sandlands and Shastri run riot

If the batting innings belonged to Leech, the bowling innings belonged to Jamie Sandlands and Avinash Shastri.

Ashley had some resistance, particularly through Sukhjit Singh and Sabtain Baig, and later a very stubborn 71-run stand for the final wicket between Archie Murray and Dylan Wimbury. But by then the damage had already been done.

Sandlands was outstanding, finishing with 5 for 47 from 10 overs, while Shastri was equally dangerous with 4 for 34 from his 10. At times, the pair were absolutely rampant.

James Bell bowled well without reward, Kevin Douglas did his job, and Jonny Litler got his name on the board by taking the final wicket of the match.

Ashley were eventually bowled out for 178 in the 36th over.

Another league win. Another unbeaten performance protected. Another statement from a side that looks like it is growing in belief every week.

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A team on the rise

The cup results did not go Oulton’s way, but the performances mattered. Against two Premier League sides, the team competed, created pressure, and stayed in the fight right to the end.

Then, when league points were back on the table, they delivered the kind of complete performance that tells you something important about where this team is heading.

Runs from the top order. Wickets shared around. Big individual performances. Contributions across the side. And, above all, belief.

The 1st Team have grown a lot in the last few weeks. And on this evidence, they are not finished yet.