Sabin will want early home win under belt

Banbury captain Lloyd Sabin is facing his first game as captain at White Post Road

Lloyd Sabin will want to make a winning start in his first Home Counties Premier Cricket League fixture at White Post Road since taking over as captain.

Newly-promoted Finchampstead take on a Banbury side which won Saturday’s opening division one fixture at Harefield.

Sabin gave debuts to four players and they all performed well as Banbury produced a 35-run victory with Hugo Darby and new signing Kurtis Patterson impressing.

Sabin said: “It was a comfortable win in the end but at one stage it looked as though we might let them back into the game.

“Craig [Haupt] and Hugo [Darby] gave us a solid start and Kurtis [Patterson] gave us the platform to get a decent score. But then we lost a couple of quick wickets and they pegged us back.

“We didn’t bat so well in the second half of our innings but I always felt it was going to be enough. We played to about 60 per cent of what we are capable of in both disciplines but that was still good enough to win the game.

“We had four players making their first XI debuts and they all did well.”

Patterson batted at three with Sabin dropping down to four and that’s something which gives Banbury another option.

Sabin added: “Having another left-hander in the batting line-up means we can switch things around to suit.

“Originally I was going to bat at three but when Harefield brought their spinners on we decided that if Craig was out Kurtis would go in.

“But if Hugo went then I would go in at three, that meant we always had a left-hander out there.”