Convincing win over Hertford leaves BSCC U14s only 1 win from Knockout Stage!

U14s batted first in glorious conditions and on another excellent batting strip at Crickletfield Lane.

Mitch (40*) was at his brutal best against the Hertford bowling attack, with 36 runs just in boundaries! His opening partner, Tom Moore(25) did the rare thing of not moaning when asked to open! Not just that he played the good ball well, rotated the strike and was perfect foil for Mitch in the evening. Well done Tom! The next three batters all played really well and were retired to give others a go. Alex (20*), James (29*) and Sam S (18*) all looked fluent, ran well and ensured our momentum was not lost from the excellent platform laid out by the openers. James was especially brutal on anything short. Tom C and Joe G, the latter batting despite an injury sustained in the warm-up, scored at a ~run-a-ball to see BSCC reach an imposing 190 for two wickets (Joe dismissed last ball going for it!). I was most pleased with shot selection and running between the wickets - both have improved significantly this season.

In response, Hertford batted well. They reached 80-1 and although the Stortford total was never in danger, it was good to see. Most of our guys bowled two overs and skipper Alex W rotated the field well. Wickets were shared late on between Luca, Mitch, James F, Alex W and Sam S. However well done to Jack T, Harrison, Evan, Tom C and Tom M for bowling in the earlier overs against the better batters, which sometimes gets overlooked. Tight bowling meant only 7 wides and no no balls bowled, showing that all the practice is working! From 80-1 Hertford struggled to 110-6.

A convincing win, but more pleasing was the respect shown to the opposition in a one-sided game. One more win in the last two league games and the knock-out stage awaits!

Report by Geoff Warren.