11:10am Friday 30th July 2010
By Mike Knox
Oxfordshire are sticking by their youngsters when they play Herefordshire in their Minor Counties Championship Western Division match at Banbury, starting on Sunday.
Banbury’s Lloyd Sabin, who became Oxon’s youngest player when he made his debut at the age of 16 years and 26 days away to Wales MC last week, keeps his place, despite making a duck.
Tom Geeson-Brown, the 18-year-old Oxford seamer, who received, a last-minute call-up is also retained.
“Tom bowled well and deserves to keep his place,” said Oxfordshire skipper Ian Hawtin.
“It would be unfair to leave out Lloyd, and we feel he needs another chance.
“It’s great that Oxfordshire have got such a great crop of young players coming through.
The county will be bolstering their seam attack, with Stuart Hole, who was unavailable for the Wales game, returning in place of off-spinner Jimmy Phillips.
“Jimmy’s done nothing wrong, but it was a matter of fielding a balanced attack,” explained Hawtin.
“We've got Richard Kaufman’s off-breaks to supplement the left-arm spin of Luke Ryan who has returned to the form of two or three years ago.”
In the only day’s play that the rain allowed in the Wales game, Oxon built up a winning position, but had to settle for a draw.
“It was frustrating, because if we had won, we’d have been right up with the leaders,” said Hawtin.
Herefordshire, who are just below Oxon in the table, include Steve Adshead, the former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman.
Oxfordshire: I Hawtin (capt), D Shirazi, R Kaufman, C Haupt, R Williams, C Knightley, L Sabin, D Rowe, L Ryan, S Hole, T Geeson-Brown.
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