Oldfield rides his luck to record

It was his first time in three figures when Rathkeale College opening batsman Andy Oldfield scored a record-breaking 167 for his side in their Umpires' Cup Wairarapa senior inter-club cricket match against Red Star at Rathkeale College at the weekend.
Oldfield, 16, had previous best knocks of 95 at junior level and 91 for the Rathkeale firsts and was delighted to get through the "nervous nineties" on this occasion.
And not only did he get through it but he went on to better the previous highest individual score ever registered by a Rathkeale player, the 165 set just a few seasons back by former Wairarapa senior rep Brent Walker.
Oldfield was told of Walker's record when he was just 12 runs short of it and admits to "going for gold" once hearing how close he was.
"I just went for it then. It was only a few hits away so it was worth having a crack."
Oldfield readily concedes that some rather indifferent Red Star fielding aided and abetted his cause during Saturday's big knock.
He was actually dropped on the third ball of the match and two more times before he reached 50
So it was very much a case of riding his luck and staying at the wicket as long as he could.
"The first 50 was pretty ordinary but the second wasn't too bad," he said.
"And once I got to 100 I just kept playing shots and it was one of those days when the risks came off."
Oldfield was quick to pay tribute to the support given him by tail-ender Anton Ross who came to the wicket with Rathkeale struggling on 120-7 and not only stayed long enough for Oldfield to cut loose but scored 41 runs himself.
"We weren't looking too good when he (Ross) came in and he did really well," Oldfield said.
The Oldfield-Ross partnership steered Rathkeale to a commanding total of 270-9 and with Red Star being all out for just 100 they won the match by a massive 170 runs.
For Andy Oldfield his first century hasn't enticed him to set lofty cricketing ambitions.
In what his first full season for the Rathkeale first XI he is simply keen on cementing a regular place in that side and maintaining it during his seventh form year in 2006.
"I enjoy playing for the school and I want to get as many runs for them as I can," he said.
"And if that means getting selected to play at a higher level then that's a bonus.".