Somerset Oakes

The Oakes hosting The Forty Club today, follow the action on below link.

https://youtu.be/aiUu94ogwQw
The link for today’s game

ECB Friendly - South Africa Tour - Somerset West CC v The Forty Club https://thefortyclub.play-cricket.com/website/results/5588547

Somerset Oakes vs Green Point Gullies
On Sunday the 16th of October the Oakes hosted the Gullies for the first time at Radloff Park in Somerset West. A stunning day which at times felt like we were already in February due to the scorching sun. By mutual agreement the Oakes batted first.
The Oakes scored 201/8 in their 35 overs. Highlights of the innings:
A solid 41 by Ally Simpson, a quick fire 36 off 19 balls by debutant, Henrico Viljoen. Jan- Dirk van Zyl 36 and Corne Briedenhann 34.
For the Gullies, Wayne Voss took 3 wickets and only conceded 9 runs in his 4 overs and Jacques Malan, 2 wickets for 23 in 5 overs.
The Gullies went in to bat and fell well short of the target, being dismissed for 107 in 32 overs. Jacques Malan scored a patient 31 of 60 balls and Will Botha 32 off 36 balls.
For the Oakes, Nico Furno bowled a superb spell to bag 4 wickets for 13 runs in his 7 overs.
After the game we shared a few cold ones and “boeries” as we reflected on the game and stories of previous seasons. All the best for the rest of the season gents and thank you for an enjoyable day. See you next season in Green Point!

Somerset Oakes vs WPCC
On Sunday the Oakes played their customary season-opener against the W’s away. Curtis Fourie and his team hosted us at the picturesque Vineyard Oval, in immaculate condition as always.
The Oakes won the toss and elected to bat on a track that proved to be a batting paradise.
Johan (Silo) Els and Alistair (Ally) Simpson opened the innings and at drinks (18 overs) the score was on a steady 80 without loss.
Silo departed soon after drinks, bowled by Clyde Rossouw for a very well-played 50 off 55 balls.
Bobby Londt then joined Ally at the crease., They shared a partnership of 38 before Bobby was caught for 14 (18), Matt Hart-Davis claiming the wicket, with the score on 119.
Enter the Big Show, Lloyd Simpson…
Lloyd scored a destructive 77 off a mere 42 balls (8x4 & 5x6) before being caught in the final over of the Oakes’ innings. He a partnership of 106 with his cousin, Ally, who was not out on 77 (95). The innings closed on 225 for 3.
Wicket takers for WPCC: Clyde 2 for 56 in his 7 overs and Matt 1 for 31 in 4 overs.
Saul Alperstein and Brendon Jack opened the Innings for WPCC. Brendon (2) was trapped LBW by Corne Briedenhann in the 3rd over. Nic Slabber joined Saul & –at drinks The Oakes was staring down the barrel with WPCC cruising towards the target at 118/1 after 18 overs.
Nic was eventually caught on the fence by Juvan Londt off the bowling of Nico Furno for a well-played 46 (43). The Oakes dropped 6 catches in total up to that point, so was relieved with the fine effort of the youngster, showing the rest how it should be done.
Nico and Stoffel Botha (debutant for the Oakes) slowed the scoring of the W’s, which left Corne and Bobby 32 runs to defend in last 5 overs. Corne’s extra pace added some pressure as he claimed the wicket of skipper, Curtis Fourie, for a well-played 42 of just 36 balls.
This time it was The Oakes’ chance for bragging rights, edging the W’s by a mere 3 runs in a very tight affair.
Special mention to Soul Alperstein who scored a magnificent 107 (120) for WPCC – well batted young man!
Wicket takers for the Oakes were: Corne 2 for 21 in his 7 overs, and Nico Furno – 1 for 36 in 6 overs.
The day produced 448 runs in 70 overs with only 6 wickets falling at a run rate of 6.4. Overall a good day of Friendly cricket!
To Curtis and WPCC, thanks for a brilliant day out. As always, it’s an absolute pleasure sharing a field with you guys. Thanks for the hospitality & all the best for the rest of your season.

The Oakes hosted the Spin Doctors at the picturesque Radloff Park oval.

The visitors won the toss & elected to bat on a sweltering hot day. Richard & Mike got the Doctors off to a steady start with a solid 46 run partnership, before first-change bowler Schalk “the Legend” hit the top of Richard’s off-stump with the first ball of his spell. Schalk (7-27-1) & Eugene “Omo” (7-25-1) contained the run rate nicely, with the visitors taking drinks at 66/2 after 16 overs.

After drinks 60-year young Tengo (76) took a liking to the Oakes’ bowling & together with Mike (50) put up a 105-run partnership, taking the Spin Doctors to a very competitive 188/6 on a low & slow deck. Stand-in Skipper for the day (Lloyd) bowled brilliantly at the death, returning figures of 4 for 11 off his 4 overs. Unfortunately, a dropped catch (one of a few for the Oakes…) deprived him of a well-deserved “five-for”.

Regular opening pair (Silo & Schalk) started off nicely, but both lost their wickets for 8 each, with the score on 28 after 5 overs. Johannes (one of two debutants for the Oakes on the day) came & went, before stalwarts Lloyd & John steadied the ship for the Oakes with a 46-run partnership for the fourth wicket. John was the first of four scalps for slow left-arm spinner Zakes (7-46-4). Les & Dewald fell soon thereafter with consecutive balls, leaving the Oakes reeling at 94/6. Man of the Match Lloyd (56) & Jan-Dirk (36) batted sensibly for a 58-run partnership, before Lloyd walked past a straight one. Another twist to the game ensued when Jan-Dirk was dismissed, with the Oakes still needing 20-odd runs with only 2 wickets in hand. Our other debutant, Willie (19*) kept a cool head and together with Eugene (10*) nudged the singles & two’s to take the Oakes over the line in the 31st over.

A great day of cricket played in true FCA spirit was rounded off with some cold beers & boerie rolls. Thanks to the Spin Doctors, till we meet again next season…

A chase to remember… – Oakes v Scorpions

The Scorpions won the toss and elected to bat first on a scorcher of a day in Stellenbosch. Proceedings were started off with the left-arm seam twins, Andre “Lefty” Lombard and Herman Pretorius, bowling beautifully in tandem, regularly beating the bat. The first wicket fell by way of a run-out, Johan “Silo” Els taking full advantage of a “Yes, No, O F@ck ” call from the batsmen. Soon thereafter Lefty delivered a peach to remove the dangerous Dave Bakker without scoring, claiming his off stump.

At drinks the home side was 69 for 4, AD Visser (80) and Hennie stabilising the ship after Ally Simpson claimed two wickets before the break.

Although one or two very difficult chances were grassed, the Oakes stuck to their task on a batting friendly wicket. The Scorpions closed their innings on 209 for 5, scoring an impressive 130 odd runs after drinks.

The regular Oakes pair of Silo and Schalk vd Merwe opened the innings. Silo was first go, bowled for 8. Ally Simpson joined Schalk at the wicket, but did well to play all around a straight one… bowled without troubling the scorers.

Lloyd Simpson and Schalk formed a formidable partnership, scoring at a healthy rate & taking us to drinks (18 overs) with the score on 101 for two.

The batting side struggled after drinks, and fell behind the scoring rate. Lloyd lost his wicket for a well-played 35, bringing to an end a partnership with Schalk of 68 runs. Schalk was stumped for a very well-played 53. Ettienne (“Hamstring”) vd Westhuizen and Les Morkel brought us back into the game before Ettienne too ran past one to also be stumped by the evergreen Hayden for 17. A few l***y blows by Les gave the Oakes some hope, but he too fell on his sword as he was caught on the fence, agonisingly short of a maximum, for 24.

Jan-Dirk played an immense innings, creaming his first two deliveries through the covers for four to get the Oakes back on track. He eventually ended up on 28* off 17 balls. The youngster also broke two (not his own) bats in the process…

Needing 20 off 12 balls, Herman Pretorius quickly settled the game, smashing a six and 2 fours in the penultimate over to bring down the deficit, leaving 3 runs to get in the final over. The Oakes winning this close encounter with 4 balls to spare as Herman scored 15 runs off 5 balls, to complement his magnificent figures of 0 for 13 runs off 7 overs in a high-scoring game.

A few beverages and laughs were shared afterwards as the two teams concluded a great day of cricket.

Many thanks to the Scorpions for the game & being great hosts, we look forward to our next encounter!

The Oakes hosted Gardens Old Boys on Sunday at Radloff Park.

Electing to bat first, the visitors grinded out the first 5 overs before spinner Eugene (Omo) Botha claimed the first wicket in his 3rd over, the legendary uncle Rob for 4. He followed that up with another in his next over, beautifully bowling Fouche (8) around the wicket, a splendid reply to being hit for 2 fours in the preceding over.

Another wicket fell due to sharp fielding by Allister Simpson, which led to a run out. The rot didn’t stop there as Andre Lombard claimed two sticks in his 5th over, which left the visitors reeling at 22/5 after 9 overs.

The Gardens innings just couldn’t gain momentum, with wickets falling at regular intervals. Morne Nel top scored with 19* and was supported by William Izzard’s 11, before being dismissed for 86. The spoils where shared amongst the Oakes bowlers:

Andre Lombard bagging 2 for 8 in 5 overs,
Eugene 2 for 14 in his 5,
Lloyd Simpson claiming his 2 for 18 in 3 overs,
Nico Furno 2 for 26 in 5 overs,
and skipper Bobby Londt wrapping up the innings with his 1 for 3 in 5 balls.

The Oakes Innings was opened by Johan (Silo) Els and Schalk vd Merwe, a watchful start as they settled and started building a solid base to the chase. Silo was first to go, bowled by Morne for 21 off 25 balls with the score on 39 in the 8th over. Ally Simpson joined Schalk and the two safely saw the home side to victory in the 16th over.

Schalk ended up on 37* off 48 balls and Ally 20* off 22 balls
The day was concluded with a boerie roll and a few cold ones’. To Hein and his team, many thanks for the day and all the best for the rest of the season.

Lastly, a big thank you to Andreas from SWCC for a decent pitch – the even grass covering and mostly even bounce made it a good contest.

The Oakes v Craig Matthews Band

The Oakes hosted a newly formed cricket club, the Craig Matthews Band, from Cape Town this past Sunday. This fixture wasn’t initially part of our scheduled FCA games, but a welcome addition to our diary. The visiting skipper, Gary, lost the toss which led to the home side electing to bat first.

A steady start by the visitors, bowling good areas and limiting scoring opportunities that led to chances, unfortunately unconverted though as both openers were dropped within the first 5 overs. Johan (Silo) Els and Schalk van der Merwe grafted hard and patiently on a low and slow wicket. Silo however was first to go, played on for 16. Ally Simpson joined Schalk at the wicket, but was unlucky to top edge a full toss to be caught in the outfield for 5.

Enter the Big Show … drum roll please…. Conrad Lotz… Conrad and Schalk steadied the ship to drinks at 18 overs with the score on 80 odd. After drinks Schalk lost his wicket, LBW given by Silo “Billy the Kid” Els, for a very well-played and measured 46 off 49 balls!

John Hartley joined Conrad and together they took to the attack… Conrad was first to his 50 taking only 47 balls. The next 14 balls were mayhem as “Conrad the furious” unleashed all hell … echoed by a supporting Biff shouting from the side of the field “Jy kan nie daar boul nie….” Conrad getting to his maiden Oakes century (103*) off only 61 balls, after which he retired.

Anything after that was going to be hard to follow… John however did not disappoint! Bobby Londt (15*) joined him at the wicket with the sole objective to rotate the strike and watch John do his thing. He scored his 50 off 36 balls, ending up on an unbeaten 67 off 43 balls. The Oakes’ innings ended on an intimidating 264 for 3.

The second innings was led by Andre Lombard who tested both openers, but somehow, they survived. Herman Pretorius ran in from the other end and the Craig Matthew Band was having a hard time scoring runs. Herman made the first breakthrough, Andre taking a high catch on the fine leg boundary. Herman followed up a few overs later by removing the skipper Gary LBW, stuck by his “team mate” after getting hit on his pads being halfway down the track…

The Craig Mathews Band innings never gained any real momentum as the slow bowlers entered the fray, slowly chipping away at the wickets column. A special mention to Herman, our “Jonty Rhodes” of the day who was simply sublime in the field; throwing his body around like a teenager, saving runs and a direct hit runout for his efforts.

Nico Furno ended up with two wickets for 32 runs in his 7 overs, Eugene Botha took 3 wickets for 11 runs in 6.1 overs and Bobby 2 wickets for 8 runs in three overs. Eventually dismissing the visitors for 94 runs.

After the game both teams enjoyed a few beers together as well as a boerie. Thanks for the game Gary & co, was a pleasure hosting you and we look forward to the return fixture in Camps Bay!

Somerset Oakes v Rondebosch Pumas

The Pumas won the toss and elected to bat on what was predicted to be a low and slow pitch. They started off with a bang as the first ball was mercilessly cut for four, add to that a couple of half volleys which were smeared to the boundary and the Pumas were well on their way. An over of miss-fields and a dropped catch didn’t help either and had Biff sneering from the one end, all of the Oakes too scared to make eye contact with the burly opening bowler! The outlook was a long day chasing leather for the Oakes.

As the cricket saying goes, “one brings two” … and as we know things can happen very quickly on a cricket field, this day proved no different as one brought a lot more than two… Losing their first wicket on 21, Biff started the collapse by bowling their opening bat, claiming his leg stump while playing a cut shot…. Andre (Lefty) Lombard followed up a few overs later, claiming his first scalp to make the total 39/2.

Then it all just happened! Chaos ensued as Andre claimed a further 4 wickets - LBW’s, bowled and catches taken, to end up with excellent figures of 5 for 20 in his 7 overs. The pumas all out for 64 in 18.3 overs.

Bowling for the Oakes: overs wkts runs
• Pierre-Henry (Biff) 5 1 23
• Andre (Lefty) 7 5 20
• Johan (Silo) 3 2 12
• Herman 2 1 6
• Nico 1.3 1 3

Chasing 64 seemed easy enough, we thought…. Our “top 3” batsmen didn’t manage to bother the scorers & at 5/3, things seemed not so easy anymore…. Our nervous debutant Jan-Dirk (20*) joined stalwart John (21*) at the wicket at 27/5 and along with our 3rd highest scorer Extra’s (18*) they managed to get the Oakes over the line in the 14th over.

The scoreboard might read that the Oakes won by 5 wickets but the nature of the pitch could have easily swung the result the other way. In hindsight the Pumas skipper Michael perhaps shouldn’t have replaced himself and Bertie so soon, as the initial damage was all done by them.

A beautiful field with an amazing backdrop. With a bit more play and preparation on the pitch this will be one of the favourite venues in the FCA in years to come!

Many thanks to skipper Michael and the rest of his Pumas team for the day. Although the game was done by 14H00, the fines and boeries afterwards were brilliant – Bertie’s secret sauce made the day even more special. Thanks for being awesome hosts and we look forward to having you guys at our fields next season.

Man of the match goes to Andre “Lefty” Lombard for his 5 wickets!

The Oakes kicked off their season with their customary game against the W’s, played at the picturesque Vineyard Oval.
Stand-in skipper Pete won the toss and elected to bat on a hard wicket & lighting fast outfield, offering the batsmen great value for their shots.
At drinks, the game was evenly poised at 77/1 after 18 overs, mainly due to a disciplined opening spell by stalwart Trevor, bowling 7 overs on the trot & taking one wicket for only 16 runs!
Schalk & Ally picked up the pace nicely after the break, steering the Oakes to a respectable 225 after 35 overs. Ally scoring 84 at a run-a-ball & Schalk retiring after scoring his maiden century for the Oakes – a sublime innings of 101* off 93 balls.
The W’s got off to a shaky start, losing 3 wickets in quick succession. Skipper Curtis (72) and Nick (32) then consolidated the innings nicely with a brisk 70-odd run partnership in not so many balls. At drinks, the W’s were still well in reach of the target, considering that our “favourite Kiwi” (Shane) was still to bat. Hopefully as with the All Blacks’ World Cup aspirations, nothing came of it as Shane was dismissed cheaply, resulting in the W’s ending a few runs short of the target after the allotted 35 overs. Notable bowling performances by the Oakes – Biff (5 overs, 1 for 10) & Etienne (7 overs, 2 for 26).
A few cold ones were enjoyed by all, reminiscing a great day enjoyed by all involved, played in true FCA spirit. Kuddos to the ground staff for preparing a pitch & outfield that will put a few international venues to shame, well done!