U11s 11-a-side local derby

A thrilling finale to the first 11-a-side match of the season, saw BSCC Team 1 (aka The Eagles) secure a last ball victory against the other BSCC under 11 Team 2 (aka The Sloggers). Having won the toss in what were Baltic-like conditions, the Eagles elected to bowl and did so with a consistent line and length throughout. In particular Tom Foden, Arthur Howes, and Max Foster all bowled with great accuracy, however some slack fielding meant far too many extras were conceded. The Sloggers total owed much to very composed batting by Will Tredgett (16) and Benji Curtis (14), however despite wickets in hand the acceleration didn't quite materialise. The Sloggers total of 71 seemed a par score and The Eagles certainly had a run chase on their hands.

The reply started well enough, with Oliver Millar holding the Eagles innings together with his 17 runs, whilst Sam Braund scored a quick fire 11 before being caught. The Sloggers bowling was consistently straight and challenging and they kept on top of the run rate with Austin Greenhill and Will Hutley picking up two wickets each and Ed Warren chipping in with 2 maiden overs and a wicket. The Sloggers kept picking up key wickets and slowly they gained the upper hand, in what was building up to a very tense finish.

Frank Partridge chipped in with a vital knock in what was his first ever game of cricket, but with The Eagles left requiring 5 runs off the final 2 balls and with just 1 wicket remaining…. it all seemed in vain. The final pair, Luca Livermore and man of the match Arthur Howes had other ideas however, as the latter hit 5 runs off the final 2 balls, for a final ball victory, much to the delight of his Eagles teammates. Harsh on the Sloggers but they will have taken much from this along with lots of losing bonus points for taking 9 wickets!

Overall this was a real advert for under 11 cricket, played in the right spirit and competitive right to the end.