U13 EAGLES START NEW CAMPAIGN WITH VICTORY AT HERTFORD

After almost 8 long months, what a pleasure it was to see the boys back playing cricket. And what a fine venue it was to start the season - the main pitch at Hertford CC, for our very first U13 game of the Summer.

Our hosts Hertford won the toss, electing to bat on a dry but outstanding early season track. The Eagles bowled generally quite well, with both Max Foster and Daniel Pickup getting a wicket with their very first ball of the season!

Ultimately Hertford scored a fairly healthy 95-8 off their allotted 20 overs, a score which was as much down to the lacklustre and lifeless Eagles fielding performance, than it was good batting from the home side. Both Foster and Luca Livermore picked up 2 wickets apiece to stem the tide somewhat, whilst Frank Partridge bowled the only maiden of the match.

A target of 96 in 20 overs would generally seem relatively straightforward, but when it’s just 8 degrees centigrade in late April, with the sunlight fading rapidly and after 8 months indoors …. it was certainly all to play for!

Thankfully our openers Tom Foden (30 not out) and Will Richardson (17) set the platform, whilst Krish Fernando (23 not out) finished the job, to ensure a comfortable 9 wicket victory (96-1 off 17.1 overs).

The message at the end was clear; Our fielding MUST improve; we must bowl LESS extras and most importantly, the boys need to SUPPORT each other more as a group. More energy, more focus and more encouragement please.

But overall, a solid enough start to what should be another exciting Summer of cricket.