Adderbury Snatch Dramatic Victory from the Jaws of Defeat

The glorious Banbury Cricket Club was once again the venue for the 30th annual needle match between Adderbury and Milton, which provided the most dramatic of matches in front of a baying crowd of rival supporters
The teams were a rich mixture of youth and old age, sibling rivalries and our boys from Adderbury Stores pitched against each other as Milton opened proceedings. Terry got through his allotted 7 overs without a break for a tidy 1-26, and Holliday, McCusker, Harley and father Brock were respectable enough, but Milton were pushing up to over 6 an over now, with a fighting 11 from Satvir, the elegant Andrew Stanley there to the end on 45 not out and a dour 36 not out from Fleming S. But now skipper Jack Lambden and 14 year old Harry Brock had tied Milton down with 2 wickets each at only 3 an over. Total 175-8 for Adderbury to chase – possibly more than had ever been asked of them!
Was it the weight of the wonderful teas, too daunting a task ahead of them, or a general lack of ability that allowed Milton to dismiss Adderbury’s top 6 batsmen for a meagre 27 runs? 14 year old Seth Parker (2-10) and mighty veteran Matt Walsh (1-9) were proving impossible to get away.
Game over? Most of the crowd (and yours truly!) were packing up to go home when it all shifted!
Archie McCusker hit 25 off an over to finish with a brilliant 33 , Pete Fleming (‘I’m hopeless at batting’) retired on a stunning 35 – and the crowd unpacked again…could we possibly win this??
So with skipper Lambden (35 retired) and old man Matthew Brock steadying the ship, it came down to the wire – 152-7 off 30 overs – 24 needed off 5 – 8 needed off 2 – and then Tom Holliday (‘I only do bowling’) the unlikely hero with 3 off the last. Amazing!
So Adderbury retrieve the Millennium Trophy after 2 losses – the raucous crowd went home happy, having witnessed a fabulous match which was a great advert for good quality village cricket played in the true spirit of the game.
Huge thanks to Banbury Cricket Club for the privilege of using their great facilities, to the ladies who supplied lovely teas and the men who provided the great BBQ -and to everyone who turned out. See you next year!
Nick Fennell
This fixture has been running since 1995. Milton Cricket has been going a bit longer than that, helping to fill the gap after the sad demise of Adderbury cricket in the early 90’s. Milton play one or two games a month on away grounds and would always welcome new players – watch out for their 2026 news in the spring, but contact Andrew Donaldson at [email protected] for more info in the meantime