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JUNIORS2009 FIXTURES AND MATCH REPORTSUnder 17 | Under 15 | Under 13A | Under 13B | Under 11 | Under 9 Under 13A's Manager: Darren McKimm (0117 962 8383 and 07956 858851)
Outdoor Coaching: Fixtures and results in League Section F
Match Reports:
20th April:
29th April:
"I just wanted to say a few words about this excellent performance and victory in the Cup. Highlights: Conor Smethurst, on debut, who took his first wicket for the club at a cost of just 5 runs from 2 overs; David Ariyan, who bagged 2 wickets for just 6 runs in his two-over spell; Henry Miller, also on debut, who went even better with 2 wickets for just 1 run; and, the pick of the bowlers, Dawud Khan who completed a tremendous hat-trick (balls 5 & 6 of his first over, and ball 1 of his second) to finish with 3 wickets for a miserly 5 runs! Other bowlers were Hiten Patel (0 wickets for 7 runs off 3 overs); Jack Millar (1 for 9 off 3); James McKimm (0 for 2 off 2); and Nathan Day (1 for 7 off 2). This was all backed up by some decent fielding and, I have to say, an excellent first display behind the stumps by 10-year-old Joe McKimm - he hardly missed a thing, and stopped a couple he really had no right to be stopping! With the bat, and a very low total to get, the first few batsmen really missed out on an opportunity to help themselves to some runs, but some well-timed lusty blows from Jack Millar (14 n.o.) and Henry Miller (10 n.o.) were more than enough to see us home with plenty to spare. So, a very fine effort, and the boys have now set the bar very high indeed when it comes to bowling, but there's no reason at all why we should not continue in this vein now for the remainder of the season - and, of course, we've earned ourselves at least one extra fixture (details t.b.c)! On this occasion, my Man of the Match award goes jointly to two players - Dawud, for his brilliant bowling, and Henry, for a fantastic debut with bat AND ball. But very well done to everyone!" Darren
5 May:
"Thought I should say a few words about Tuesday's disappointing defeat in what was unfortunately a below-par team performance (with one or two notable
individual exceptions). Darren
14 May:
'BACK ON TRACK! Tom Sayner (4 overs, 2 wickets for 15, inc. 2 in 2 balls) and Hiten Patel (1 for 5 off 3 overs) got the side off to a great start, and they were very ably backed up by Cameron Scott's mesmerising spin (2 for 19 from 4) and two late wickets in an interesting over from Dawud Khan (2 for 4 off 4 balls - the two non-wicket-taking balls being wides!!!). Jack Millar also weighed in with a wicket, and Nathan Day bowled a very tight over. However, well as the others bowled, pick of the bowlers was Tom Sayner as he had the unenviable job of bowling into a strong wind and coped admirably, almost bagging a hat-trick in the process. It was pleasing to see the stumps go down no less than SIX times, and there were two good catches off Cameron's bowling (one a caught & bowled, the other a fine take behind the stumps by James McKimm). The fielding was OK, probabaly a few more runs conceded than there should have been, but having said that it was a difficult outfield and in all fairness Bishopston also found it difficult and probably gave us a bit more than we gave them. It was also a very encouraging performance with the bat, and there were definite signs of a bit more confidence and, importantly, aggression in the batting. Jack Greenwood rediscovered his technique and touch in fine style and, together with the fast-improving Hiten, got the team off to a good start well above the required run-rate. Both batsmen showed good footwork and a number of positive strokes while at the crease. The only slight disappointment was that both got out when their concentration lapsed and they resorted to 'cross-batting'. A lesson to be learnt there! Nevertheless, a really positive, attacking innings from Nathan Day (19 not out) and some fine running between the wickets from Jack Millar saw the team home with plenty to spare at just under 5 runs an over. It was great to see a much more positive approach with the bat - and this, it must be said, against five VERY good bowlers - and perhaps the most pleasing thing of all was the positive running between the wickets which really kept the scoreboard ticking over. Something that MUST be taken forward into subsequent matches. Difficult to pick a Man of the Match from so many good performances, but on this occasion the award goes to Nathan Day for what was undoubtedly the season's most positive and aggressive (if slightly unorthodox!) innings to date. Well done everyone, and thanks to Pippa for doing the scoring and providing a very complete record! Darren
5th June:
10th June: Dancing in the rain! The U13As are back on track once again after a fantastic win over a decent Knowle side in atrocious conditions for cricket, and once again it turned out to be a nail-biting finish to the match. But before saying anything else I should make it clear that the wet conditions and a very big outfield meant that boundaries were very hard to come by, and in truth on a different day both sides' scores would have been at least 20+ runs more. Nevertheless, having been put in to bat, and in almost incessant rain, we got off to a really strong start, courtesy of some positive batting and running between the wickets from Cameron Scott and James Bolton-Jones. Cameron in particular played exceptionally well as he carried his bat for an unbeaten 36, including just one four - probably a 50 on any other day and with a normal-sized boundary! James also batted very well in his first outing this season and provided excellent support for Cameron, as they took the score to 54 runs by the end of the 10th over. The loss of two quick wickets in the 11th over slowed things up and, while Cameron continued to plug away, once again the middle order failed to provide adequate support and we only amassed 34 runs in the second half of the innings. Deceleration is becoming something of a theme, and certainly something we need to sort out! Having said that, Knowle did field very well and they executed three very good run-outs to keep things in check. So, while 88 looked a fairly modest total, it did give the team something to work with and, much to the coach's delight, the boys brought their 'A' game with them into the field on this occasion! The bowling was very good and pretty accurate given the conditions, and Knowle were made to work hard for their runs. However, they did have a couple of canny and accomplished batsmen and for a while appeared to be cruising to their target via a series of sharp singles. Tom Sayner and Hiten Patel both bowled good opening spells, and Scott chipped in with four overs of spin that brought one wicket at a cost of just nine runs. However, at 59 for 2 after 12 overs the visitors were still clear favourites. Then, first Conor Smethurst entered the fray, bowling the first two overs of his spell at a cost of just four runs, and shortly after David Ariyan made a huge contribution as he came on and knocked over Knowle's best batsman - probably a match-winning delivery. With 17 needed off the last three overs, Smethurst, Patel and Sayner each bowled an extremely good over - Sayner in particular did well not to wilt with just six needed off the last over and the batsmen swinging wildly - and a well-deserved victory was secured. Overall. it was a very good team effort - the fielding, while far from perfect, was certainly much better than a few days ago, and on this occasion there seemed to be a much greater desire to compete - so hopefully it will rain more often, if that's what it takes! There were a number of good individual performances - Conor and James B-J certainly showed significant signs of progress - but the standout player and Man of the Match (for his batting!) was Cameron Scott. Well done Cameron. Thanks to everyone who stayed to watch - I'm sure it helps the boys to know that they've got support - and a special thanks to David Bedford for scoring.'
23rd June: Not our best performance, but a fairly comfortable win nonetheless. The most pleasing aspect was the bowling - 10 different bowlers were used, and everyone was reasonably accurate and economical. There were four different wicket-takers (Scott, Day, McKimm, and Bolton-Jones) but pick of the bowlers was undoubtedly Nathan Day, who returned figures of 3 wickets for 4 runs off 3 overs (inc. one maiden). Conor Smethurst deserves a mention for opening the bowling at one end for the first time and conceding just two runs off two very good overs, and there was also a very good debut behind the stumps for Jack Greenwood, culminating in a sharp stumping off Scott's bowling. The fielding, however, was another matter - SIX dropped (mainly 'bread & butter') catches says it all! And, once again, the batting generally underperformed with only two of the nine players who batted reaching double figures - for the second match in a row, Cameron Scott was the pick of the batsmen with an excellent 32 not out, having come in at number seven. James B-J provided good support again, and Jack Millar was unfortunate to be run out for 12 when he looked set for a big score. So, overall, a good result and some good bowling, with plenty still to work on in other areas of the game. This week's Man of the Match award is shared by two players - Nathan, as the pick of the bowlers, and Cameron, for another excellent innings. Thanks to the boys who helped with the scoring (more of that please!) and also to Pippa for another accurate record of our bowling (good job there isn't a column for dropped catches though!!!!).
1st July: Three In a Row! A few words about this excellent overall team performance, which resulted in our third win in a row - some consistency at last! It has to be said that, batting first, things did not look great in the early stages (35 for 6 off 11 overs) against a very good and very accurate Stapleton bowling attack. However, a seventh-wicket partnership between James Bolton-Jones and Nathan Day saw 57 more runs come off the final nine overs and a semi-respectable total was achieved. Once again, Nathan set about the bowling in his customary aggressive style on his way to an unbeaten quick-fire 20, while at the other end James demonstrated just how to run hard to make 1s into 2s and 2s into 3s as he steadily compiled a very good 22 runs. Both boys' efforts were an excellent example to the rest in how to occupy and work hard at the crease, and also how to maximise every opportunity. With a modest total to defend, it was imperative that the bowling and fielding was of the highest order - and it was! Each of the six bowlers used contributed something, and everyone was very sharp in the field. Tom Sayner bowled another excellent three-over spell for just 5 runs (inc. one maiden) and certainly deserved a wicket or two. Conor Smethurst also bowled very economically at the other end to keep the pressure on the batsmen. Cameron Scott and Hiten Patel then came on and ripped into the batting, Cameron finishing with figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs off 4 overs (one maiden) and Hiten taking 2 for 4 off 3 overs (also one maiden). As if that wasn't enough, Jack Millar then bowled one devastating maiden over that saw him grab two wickets, and Harry Persad finished off proceedings as he took the tenth wicket with an excellent delivery that completely deceived the batsman. There were also two excellent run-outs (including a direct hit from Hiten), and special mention should go to Jack Greenwood for a sharp catch behind the stumps and also to James McKimm for a very acrobatic catch in the covers when the ball seemed to have flown way over his head. So, all in all, a truly excellent team effort in the field and with ball in hand to back up a fine rearguard batting effort. The team as a whole deserves praise for an excellent collective effort, and once again Nathan's positive batting was a particular highlight, but on this occasion Man of the Match goes to James Bolton-Jones for a fine knock and, more particularly, for the best example to date of how to run hard and make the most of EVERY single opportunity. Well done James. My thanks to the scorers once again - some of the boys are getting involved and doing a fine job, and Diana Sayner and Pippa Millar also helped once again (although I think Andy Sayner did try to claim the credit!).
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