A combination of glorious sunshine and a fantastic team effort on Sunday left me feeling really positive. Next year’s u15s continued to take their shape with a convincing and entertaining win over a spirited Cookham Dean side.

LGCC U14 139/4
Cookham Dean U14 93/9 after 20 overs
LGCC U14 won by 46 runs

Batting

We talked beforehand about adapting to the bigger field used at u15 level. Boundaries could be hard to come by, so instead the scoreboard would have to be kept ticking with good calling and running.

And the boys executed to perfection. First Oli (31* retired) and Mani (22) gave the team a great start with a big opening partnership packed with 2s and 3s.

The run rate was maintained as Henry (17) and Rufus showed great urgency scoring at a run a ball - Henry dispatching anything leg side with his trademark sweep/pull.

Finally Ben and Freddie H combined for a perfect end to the innings: Freddie taking a run of nearly every ball he faced by intelligently placing the ball into the gaps, and Ben (26 not out) smashing a few boundaries in the final overs.

They wanted to set a target of greater than 120 runs, and they exceeded it significantly. Oli, Henry and Ben all maintained strike rates of 120%. Very impressive.

Bowling and Fielding

The Cookham innings started with a really good contest between our pace duo of Ben and Freddie, and their opening pair with county credentials of their own. Their openers cleverly used the pace to work the ball down to 3rd man, rotating the strike respectfully, waiting for easier bowling to come.

But Littlewick boys are all strong bowlers, so the easier bowling didn’t come and in Jake’s first over he managed to get both openers out in 2 balls - both with neat catches (by Zack and Tejas). With figures of 2 for 6 off 2, it’s worth remembering that Jake would normally play on a 17 yard pitch, and he achieved these figures off a 22 yard senior wicket. Amazing.

But the superb bowling didn’t stop there, everyone who grabbed the ball looked like taking wickets, and most did:

Like Jake, Mani (also 2 for 6 off 2) also found himself on a hat-trick after bowling 2 Cookham Dean players in a row. Despite multiple close in fielders for the hat-trick ball, It was not meant to be, yet.

Oli (1 for 4 off 1) bowled exceptionally tidily considering he hardly ever gets a chance to bowl - teasing a batsman into chipping a ball to Henry at a short mid wicket. The result was one of the catches of the season as Henry dived forward at full stretch to get both hands under the ball.

Zack (2 for 7 off 2) had a comparatively quiet day for him, (only!) picking up 2 wickets with his well-weighted off spin: The first bowled, and the second, an easy catch to Ben at slip.

Finally, Vivaan (1 for 22 off 2) all but ended the innings with a trademark unplayable delivery, inducing an outside each that was sharply taken by Oli and then final ball chaos was ended by a simple run out by Mani.

Whilst the boys gave away too many wides and no balls (27 runs worth!) it was perhaps down to some of them adjusting to the longer pitch and heavier ball. Something to improve on next match.

However, first Tom and then Oli were superb behind the stumps conceding just a single bye between them.

The boys looked and sounded committed in the field, chasing hard and encouraging each other well. And Henry has set the standard for throwing distance with some immense returns from the boundary.

So the game left me super-excited for next year’s u15s. They’re playing at a really good standard, but most importantly they play in the same spirit we see throughout the club: Positive, inclusive, competitive and humble. They are a fantastically diverse mix of characters that fit together really well as a team.

Thanks as usual to the good crowd that came to watch and cheer and to Simon for scoring. I’m very relieved you didn’t need your umbrellas for a change!

Mike