Wargrave U13s beat North Maidenhead U13s in the Julian Cup to progress to the next round

Bowling first, we started very well with good spells from Alex Leigh (4 overs, 1 wicket for 4 runs) and Hashim Sulaman (4 overs, 2 wickets for 15 runs). However, we lost a bit of control in the latter part of their innings and they reached competitive total of 85 for 3 in their allotted 16 overs.

In reply, we kept up a decent run rate with Matty Edgar (11) and Andrew Hattey (17) giving the team a solid start. There was a bit of a wobble in the middle with some quick wickets including a couple of rather unusual run outs, but Thomas Vonka got us back on track with a quick fire 9 runs and Alex Leigh (9) and Hashim Sulaman (10) finished off the innings with aplomb with 9 balls to spare.

There was good spirit in the field again, and the way we chased an awkward total should fill us all with confidence for future run chases. There was also some very good running between the wickets –if maybe a bit too risky at times – and some nice looking shots.

Again, things to improve on: We bowled a few too many wides again – we really need to cut back on this for future games because it makes a big difference. Also, bowlers need to be a little more careful with their field placing before coming up to bowl. Fielders sometimes wander out of position, or there may be left and right handed batsmen batting together, and the bowlers, together with the captain and the other leaders on the pitch, need to take responsibility for making sure that the field placing is correct before bowling.

But all in all, it was a great performance. Roll on the next round of the cup!

Thanks to Matty Edgar for captaining the team well in a tight match, and to Mr. Sulaman and Mr. Edgar for helping out with the umpiring.