OXFORDSHIRE Under 17s made a terrific start to their season at Shropshire.

They beat their hosts by an innings and 17 runs in a Specsavers County Championship match at Bridgnorth.

Captain George Tait impressed, top-scoring with 93 and finishing with match figures of 9-103.

The hosts were dismissed for 244, Ethan Davie (4-63) and Tait (4-79) starring with the ball.

Tait was supported by Freddie Smith (79), Dan Hall (50no), Ben Cross (35no) and Prav Chahal (31) as Oxon declared on 350-6 for a 104-run lead.

Shropshire then fell to 89 all out as Tait claimed 5-23.

Oxon followed that up with victory over Shropshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup, triumphing by two wickets on the Duckworth Lewis Stern method.

The hosts posted 230 all out, but the visitors’ response was regularly interrupted by rain.

After being set a revised target of 191, the contest went down to the last ball, with Josh Taylor hitting the winning runs.

Meanwhile, Oxon A qualified for the Plate competition of the National Over 60 Championships after beating Wiltshire by 18 runs at Marlborough.

After being inserted, the visitors posted 256-5 in the South Central Group fixture, thanks to half-centuries from Mike Howat (63no), Derek Watts (60) and Steven Partington (60).

Brian Shipley then took 4-59 as Oxon dismissed their hosts for 238 in the 45th over.

The B side progressed in the 2nd XI Championship as South Central Group winners, following a

48-run defeat of Warwickshire at Atherstone Town.

Andy Haynes hit 77 as Oxon posted 227-9, before restricting the home side to 179-5.

Elsewhere, Elodie Brown took 3-7 as Oxon’s Under 13 girls beat Berkshire by 20 runs at Oratory School.

OTHER RESULTS

MEN

Oxon Over 50s 158, Staffordshire 162-7.

Oxon Over 50s B​ 98-1, Hertfordshire B 162-7.

BOYS

Oxon U17​ 267-8 (L Maslen 106, G Tait 60) Midlands Academy 127.

Mercia U12 50, Buckinghamshire Dev 52-4.

Anglia U10​ 154, Wessex U10 38 (O Briggs 5-9).

GIRLS

Saxons U13 58-2, Hertfordshire Dev 85-3.

Saxons U13 49-4, Bedfordshire Dev 80-1.

Saxons U13 26-3, Cambridgeshire Dev 66-2.

Saxons U13​ 56-5, Huntingdonshire Dev 53-2.

Oxon U11 70-5, Berkshire​ 122-5.

Oxon U11 52, Berkshire 82-2.