HENLEY-ON-THAMES, 26 July 2026 — Henley Cricket Club's Under 15s were crowned Oxfordshire Performance League champions on Sunday, beating Aston Rowant CC by 42 runs in the final at Bicester and North Oxford CC, having earlier seen off Cropredy CC by 81 runs in the morning semi-final. In a magnificent day of cricket, the spectators saw a total of 991 runs scored and 29 wickets taken over 3 matches from Oxfordshire’s finest.

Henley's day began at the Akeman st ground, where the side won the toss, elected to bat, and posted 186 for 5 from their 20 overs against Cropredy. An early wobble saw Henley slip to 25 for 4, but u13 draftee Henry Manwaring (36) began the recovery before Taimoor-Ali Baig (known as a bowler) anchored the innings with an unbeaten 48. Oliver Ward then provided a stunning late flourish, striking 39 not out from just 15 balls to power Henley past 180.

Cropredy's reply never got going. Accurate fielding and disciplined bowling put pressure on them from the start. Lanky Harry Monahan (3 for 17) and the tenacious Toby Oseman (3 for 15) shared six wickets between them as Cropredy were bowled out for 105 in 16 overs, with George Foster's 30 the only real resistance, handing Henley an 81-run win.

In the other semi-final, Aston Rowant CC eased into the final with a nine-wicket win over Cumnor CC, chasing down 159 with more than five overs to spare on the back of an unbeaten 84 from Muhammad Ali Sultan and 63 from Kaian Eaton.
That set up an exciting final at 16:30, where Henley batted first again after Aston Rowant won the toss and chose to field. Aakansh Naik led the innings with 64, before Toby Oseman added a brisk 37. It was captain Jethro Kock, however, who set the final alight, smashing an unbeaten 50 from just 22 balls — including five sixes — in a rapid stand with Oliver Ward (24 not out) that carried Henley to 196 for 3, their highest total of the day.

Aston Rowant fought back in reply, with Muhammad Ali Sultan (55) and Kaian Eaton (46) again the main threats, but Henley’s committed fielding and ferocious bowlers — led by Aakansh Naik and Henry Manwaring, who each took a wicket, and Joseph Raymond, who removed Sultan — restricted the chase to 154 for 4, sealing a 42-run victory and the league title. An amazing performance by both teams, with 350 runs scored.

Team manager Henri-John Kock praised the strength in depth that got Henley through a demanding Finals Day:
“I am over the moon, and proud of what these children have accomplished. To score 382 runs against opposition of this quality is incredible. Henley CC's youth development creates a lot of depth, and it was evident from the team's performance today. We were missing some regular players and had drafted three under 13s and one or two players who weren't regular starters. They slotted in seamlessly. It’s been a lot of hard work, all credit to the vision of our Director of Cricket, Bjorn Mordt, and excellent coaching by Chris Ellison and his team.”
The win completes a dominant Finals Day for Henley's age-group cricket and caps a season built on the depth provided by the club's junior coaching pathway.

SCORES IN BRIEF
Semi-final 1: Henley CC 186-5 (T Baig 48*, O Ward 39*, H Manwaring 36; R Andrews 3-18) beat Cropredy CC 105 all out (G Foster 30; H Monahan 3-17, T Oseman 3-15) by 81 runs.
Semi-final 2: Aston Rowant CC 160-1 (M A Sultan 84*, K Eaton 63) beat Cumnor CC 158-6 (J Harvey 47*, O Tappin 38, C Spicer 34) by 9 wickets.
Final: Henley CC 196-3 (J Kock 50*, A Naik 64, T Oseman 37, O Ward 24*) beat Aston Rowant CC 154-4 (M A Sultan 55, K Eaton 46; A Naik 1-25, H Manwaring 1-25, J Raymond 1-13) by 42 runs. Henley CC win the Oxfordshire U15 Performance League.