Church Eaton 2nds Claim Record Chase in Thrilling
Division 8 Victory Over Oakamoor 4ths

First Innings – Oakamoor 4ths Batting
On paper, this North Staffs & South Cheshire Division 8 fixture looked like a stern test for
Church Eaton 2nds. Oakamoor 4ths arrived sitting second in the table, their batting line-up
packed with proven run scorers, while Church Eaton, ninth before the match, were seeking a
statement result to reboost their season, even if they had already improved remarkably over the
previous few seasons.

The conditions were overcast, but there was little wind and very humid - perfect conditions to
drain fielders forced to stay out for long. Unfortunately, the toss of the coin saw Oakamoor
opening the batting, opting to open with Owen Turner and Andrew Eccles.
However, it was Church Eaton’s bowling that drew first blood. After a cautious start, Eccles was
undone by Elliot ‘Mrs’ Robinson’s seam accuracy with the first ball of the third over, bowled
without scoring after facing seven deliveries. It was a lovely ball, slightly slower, but which
drifted late to clatter the middle stump. Turner pressed on, finding the boundary three times, but
his promising innings of 14 from 17 balls ended when Stephen ‘The Power’ Taylor, bowling
around the wicket, found the gap and took out off-stump to make it 23–2 in the fourth.
Harry Bradburn strode to the crease with an air of confidence and immediately began to lift the
scoring rate. He struck four crisp boundaries and launched two towering sixes in a punchy 47
from 38 balls, his strike rate of 123.68 the most aggressive of the Oakamoor top order. But the
Church Eaton bowlers struck regularly enough to keep the visitors from running away with it.
Mason Challinor added 13 from 16 balls before Robinson claimed his second wicket in the
seventh, while Alfie Harvey’s brisk 8 from 7 balls — featuring two boundaries — was ended by a
sharp catch from Laurence ‘Loz’ Sidwell off the bowling of Harvey Sidwell - with hindsight, a
vision of the upcoming father-son brilliant partnership. At 50–4, Oakamoor meanwhile were in a
spot of bother.

The middle overs saw a shift in momentum. Bradburn continued to punish anything fractionally
short or wide, but when he eventually fell for 47 — caught by Elliot off Richard ‘Dickie’ Smith —
Oakamoor were 97–5, still some distance from a dominant position.
That’s when the innings’ defining partnership truly took shape. Holly Forrester arrived at the
crease and immediately showed grit, taking 19 deliveries before getting off the mark. In the
match situation, that patience was exactly what Oakamoor needed. She went on to compile a
measured 38 from 67 balls, anchoring the innings, while at the other end George Bradburn
unleashed a slogging masterclass—smashing 80 from 73 balls, including 11 boundaries.

Together, Forrester and Bradburn transformed the scoreboard, lifting Oakamoor from 97-5 to
228-7 in a crucial sixth-wicket stand. The resistance finally broke when Gerry “Ivan” Plant
dismissed Forrester with frankly a true pie, but Holly finally played a silly shot that should have
been left for a wide, clipping it to Josh Owen at point in the final ball of the 36th over. Just one
run later Bradburn followed—caught by Joshua Owen off Smith—bringing Oakamoor’s late
surge to an abrupt end. A truly remarkable partnership of 107, if hugely frustrating one for
Church's fielders after the early match success.

The tail offered little in the way of resistance. Gerry struck twice in quick succession—first
removing Izaac Booth for a golden duck, then bowling Oliver Jukes for 2 from 6 in the 39th over.
Then strode in new cult hero Malvern Nhachi. Brimming with confidence, panache, and the
lingering aroma of his superb BBQ, the Zimbabwean quickly won over the crowd with his style
and charm—if not with the speed at which he wrestled on his leg and thigh pads. His stay was
brief but entertaining, contributing 7 from 9 balls before falling to a sharp return catch by Smith
with the last but one ball of the innings. Mollie Jukes was left stranded without scoring as
Oakamoor closed on 237 all out—a solid total and a daunting target for Church 2nds.
From Church Eaton’s perspective, it was a truly topsy-turvy innings—opening with a disciplined
bowling display on a good batting surface, suffering through a frustrating and exhausting middle
period, and then wrapping things up with a rapid clean-up of the tail. Smith and Plant led the
attack with three wickets apiece, well supported by Robinson (2), and Harvey and Steve with
one each. Against one of the division’s strongest sides, Oakamoor’s 237 could not be
underestimated. To chase it down would require the highest successful pursuit in Church Eaton
2nd XI league history—a daunting challenge by any standard.

Second Innings – Church Eaton 2nds Batting

Chasing 238 for victory would demand something special, and Church Eaton’s reply began
cautiously. Openers Richard Smith and captain Laurence Sidwell were in no rush, mindful of
early damage undoing their hopes, all while knowing that an over rate of 6 was needed at a
steady pace. Smith played the anchor role, content to leave or defend anything outside his
scoring zones. His 14 from 48 balls may not have sparkled on paper, but it absorbed the early
threat and allowed Sidwell to play with more aggressive freedom.

Sidwell, leading from the front, showed his intent with a series of authoritative drives and cuts.
His timing on the off side in particular forced fielding adjustments, and he capitalised with deft
flicks through midwicket when the bowlers straightened their lines. The first breakthrough in the
eleventh came with the score on 57 (11.4), when a sharp piece of fielding, and slow running,
brought about Rich being easily run out at the road end.

That brought Harvey Sidwell, Laurence’s lad, to the middle — and what followed will surely
become the stuff of local cricketing folklore.

The father–son partnership flourished almost immediately. Harvey’s style was assertive, leaning
into his drives and finding the boundary regularly. He struck 11 fours and a towering six in his 78
from 79 balls, working the field expertly to keep the scoreboard ticking. His strike rate of 98.73
meant the run rate remained in touch with the target throughout.

Loz meanwhile, was compiling one of the finest knocks of his captaincy. His unbeaten 99 from
96 balls was a study in controlled and graduated aggression. He rarely looked in trouble,
punishing width with rasping square cuts and pulling anything short with authority. The pair’s
running between the wickets was sharp, putting pressure on Oakamoor’s fielders and exploiting
gaps.

The partnership reached 50, then 100, and even 150 and by the time Harvey departed —
bowled by Owen Turner for 78 (79) in the 35th— they had added a phenomenal 177 runs
together, not including extras. It was the decisive stand of the match and arguably the best in
recent memory for Church Eaton as a club, let alone the 2nd XI.

The setback did little to slow Church Eaton’s charge. Laurence advanced with calm assurance
into the nervous nineties, while Oakamoor’s bowlers searched in vain for the breakthrough they
desperately needed. Yet, in true Church Eaton style, no chase is complete without a dose of
late-innings drama. Elliot Robinson was cleaned up by George Bradburn for a two-ball duck
(36.3), and Paul “Gordon” Brown followed soon after, falling to Turner for a six-ball duck with the
score on 226 (37.3). The match, which had seemed firmly in Church’s grip, suddenly edged into
squeaky-bum territory.

Stephen Taylor joined his skipper for the final push. A crisp boundary from Taylor inched the
total ever closer, and, with the penultimate ball of the match, Sidwell guided his side to a famous
victory—unselfishly finishing on 99 not out, one agonising run short of a century, but having led
his team to the highest successful run chase in Division 8 history.

Context & Significance
This wasn’t just a win; it was a statement. Coming into the match, Oakamoor had been second
in the league, Church Eaton ninth, and chasing 237 was uncharted territory for the 2nd XI. The
manner of the victory — built on the resilience of Smith’s early patience, the brilliance of
Laurence and Harvey Sidwell’s 177-run stand, and calm execution in the final overs — made it
all the more satisfying.

For Laurence, the innings will stand as a captain’s performance to savour: match-winning,
unbeaten, and crafted under the pressure of chasing a formidable total. For Harvey, it was a

coming-of-age knock — composed, confident, and crucial in securing the win. Together, they
etched their names into the club’s records.
For the supporters and teammates watching on, it was a reminder that in cricket, form and
league position can be rewritten in the space of an afternoon — and that sometimes, the best
stories are written not just in the scorebook, but in the shared moments between father and son
at the crease.