05/08/2025
Loxton’s Blistering Ton Overshadowed as Emmbrook Held to Another Draw
A stunning captain’s innings of 158 by Matt Loxton lit up Lowther Road on Saturday, but Emmbrook were once again left to rue missed opportunities as they were held to a draw by local rivals Binfield, despite posting a mammoth first-innings total of 324.
Returning to the side after a two-week absence, Loxton led from the front after losing the toss and being asked to bat. He and opening partner Will Wells gave Emmbrook a dream start in front of a lively home crowd, putting together a commanding 212-run stand that appeared to have set the foundation for a long-awaited victory.
Loxton announced his intentions early, driving Moffat's second ball of the match through the covers for four. Wells was equally assertive, cracking a boundary off King’s third delivery in the following over. The early onslaught continued when Loxton took King apart in his second over, hammering a six and two boundaries to plunder 14 runs. After just four overs, Emmbrook were flying at 25 without loss.
Binfield’s bowlers briefly regained control with tighter lines, but the Emmbrook openers remained composed. The 50-partnership was reached in the eighth over, and by the 17th, the pair had powered their way to a century stand, Wells raising the milestone in style with a towering six off Rahul Gupta.
Loxton brought up his half-century early in the 18th over from 55 balls, with Wells matching that effort in the 21st — also in 55 deliveries. As the runs continued to flow, Wells found the boundary again to bring up the 150 partnership at the start of the 22nd over. Loxton soon followed suit with a flurry of boundaries, reaching his century — his first of the season — in the 29th over with back-to-back fours off King, the second of which took him to 100 from 96 deliveries.
Binfield, under pressure and increasingly desperate for a breakthrough, finally found relief in the 30th over. Wells, looking to accelerate further, mistimed a shot off Gd Celliers and offered a simple catch to Cameron Ireland at point. His 86 came off 87 balls and included 13 fours and two sixes — a superb supporting knock to Loxton’s dominance.
Jason Middleton joined his captain and wasted little time, racing to 22 off just 15 balls before he was trapped LBW by King. The middle order, however, failed to capitalize on the strong foundation. Alex Cobb (7), Andy Lazenbury (14), and Puru Lingaraju (3) all fell cheaply, as Emmbrook lost three wickets in the space of 36 balls.
Loxton’s masterclass finally came to an end in the 38th over. Having batted for over two hours, he was dismissed for a brilliant 158 off 136 balls, having struck 22 boundaries and seven sixes in a knock that will long be remembered by the home supporters. His departure left the score on 317 for six.
The innings then fell apart alarmingly. In a dramatic collapse, Emmbrook lost their last four wickets for just seven runs in the space of eight balls. Jake David (1), David Healey (2), Theo Auty (0), and Charlie Sawyer (4) all fell in quick succession, with Emmbrook bowled out for 324 in just 43.5 overs — a disappointing end after such a dominant opening stand.
For Binfield, Rahul Gupta finished with excellent figures of 4 for 34, while Ben Clark chipped in with 3 for 58 to lead the fightback.
In response, Binfield were given 56 overs to chase 325, thanks to the early finish to Emmbrook’s innings. Openers Gd Celliers and Dan Humphrey made a cautious start against the opening attack of Middleton and Sawyer. The first wicket came in the eighth over when Celliers was trapped LBW by Sawyer for 10, with Binfield on 31.
The visitors reached 50 by the 11th over, but Middleton struck soon after, removing Mikey Allan-Canty for 13, caught in the deep by Healey after a well-judged running catch. At 56 for two, Binfield’s chase began to wobble.
Emmbrook introduced young paceman Theo Auty in the 17th over, and the change paid immediate dividends. He trapped Muhammad Basit LBW for just 4, then clean bowled Ireland (2) in the 23rd over as Binfield slumped to 89 for four.
With the required run rate steadily climbing above eight runs per over, pressure mounted on Binfield’s batsmen. Humphrey, anchoring the innings, tried to keep pace with the target but was eventually undone in the 33rd over when he attempted a sweep against Lazenbury. The mistimed shot looped up to gully where Jake David took the catch, ending a gritty 72-run innings.
Emmbrook sensed victory when Healey bowled Luke Taylor in the very next over for 14, reducing Binfield to 128 for six, still 197 runs adrift with just 22.3 overs left. However, what followed was a dramatic shift in momentum.
Rahul Gupta, fresh from his four-wicket haul, returned to the middle and joined Sebastian Atkins in a counter-attacking partnership that took the game away from Emmbrook. The pair dismantled the hosts' bowling with aggressive strokeplay, finding gaps with ease and clearing the ropes when needed. Their seventh-wicket stand added a stunning 154 runs, with boundaries flowing and Emmbrook’s bowlers running out of ideas.
As the overs ticked down, and with a win slipping out of sight, Emmbrook finally broke the stand in the last over. Wells, returning to the field after his earlier exploits with the bat, produced a moment of brilliance to run out Gupta for a well-made 56. But by then, the result was done.
With one ball remaining, Binfield needed 42 to win. Bill Moffat swung at the final delivery and found the boundary, closing the innings at 286 for seven, 38 runs short of Emmbrook’s total, but with enough resistance to secure a draw.
Auty was the most economical of Emmbrook’s bowlers, finishing with 2 for 29, while Middleton, Sawyer, Healey, and Lazenbury each claimed a wicket.
Around the Grounds
Elsewhere in the division, Eversley secured a 74-run win over Newbury, while top-of-the-table Bracknell were held to a draw by second-placed Fleet in a tense encounter. Shinfield comfortably defeated Wargrave by 8 wickets, and Finchampstead continued their push up the table with victory over Wokingham.
The standings after this round see Bracknell atop with 274 points, followed by Fleet (257), Finchampstead (244), and Binfield (225). Newbury and Eversley are level on 196 points, with Shinfield close behind on 193. Wokingham sit in 8th on 179, Emmbrook in 9th with 164, and Wargrave remain bottom with 118 points.
Next Week’s Fixtures
Next weekend sees another crucial round of matches as Wokingham travel to Binfield, league leaders Bracknell host Shinfield, and Finchampstead welcome Eversley. Fleet visit Newbury in a second-versus-fifth showdown, while Emmbrook make the trip to bottom side Wargrave in a must-win encounter for both clubs.
