U11's beaten in semi final by Berkhamsted by 2 wickets

The U11 Eagles were disappointingly beaten in sweltering conditions at Welwyn GC CC yesterday by Berkhamsted in their HJL Semi Final. Having lost the toss, the Eagles batted rather naively, giving away wicket after wicket on what was a decent batting pitch. Only captain Tom Foden (16 not out) offered any resistance and the Eagles finished 'well short' of a competitive total, having been bowled out for just 68.
Most frustrating was the fact that we have faced 'far stronger' bowling attacks throughout the Summer and yesterday it simply came down to 'poor shot selection' and a general 'unwillingness to remain patient' at the crease. From a batting perspective there is 'much to work on' throughout the rest of this Summer/Winter and as the coach it's my responsibility to ensure we cut out these mistakes at the crease and improve.
To give credit where it's due, our fielding display was the best of the season, which gave the large travelling Eagles contingent some real hope. Krish Fernando set the field superbly. The real star in the field was Toby Ricketts who ran out FOUR opposition batsmen with some stunning fielding. There were wickets for Ethan Hill, Luca Livermore and Sam McGinn, but ultimately and as we all feared, a total of 68 proved not to be enough, as Berkhamsted 'stumbled' over the winning line, 8 wickets down and with 14 balls to spare.
Whilst everyone involved in the Eagles will be frustrated by the manner of the defeat, the fact that this 'new team' even reached 'Finals day' is something we should all celebrate. BSCC Eagles finished up as the "3rd best Under 11 team" in the whole of "Hertfordshire" - an achievement we can all be rightly proud of.