Enfield U15 v OECC U15A

The OE boys' hunger to win was abundantly evident in the batting and the bowling performances today. It was mercifully cooler and the sky was a little overcast. Captain James won the toss and chose to bat.

It didn't take long for openers Ishan (27) and Zain (6) to get going and by the time Zain was run out after a late call in the fifth over they had pushed the score to 32. Ishan and James (34) then added another 10 before Ishan was caught. Luke (2) from the U13 squad provided some excellent support to James in a partnership of 28. Henry (28) joined James after Luke was bowled and they added another 28. The next two wickets fell in quick succession and then we were treated to the most productive partnership of the innings, 34 runs between Henry and Qasim (19*). Henry was bowled on the last ball of the innings with the score on 143.

All those who batted did so with a very positive and mature attitude. If any of them were nervous out there then they hid it very well.

The boys must have felt pretty confident about defending their total. However, there was absolutely no sign of any complacency. Quite the opposite. From the first ball of the Enfield innings to the last, they bowled well and fielded even better. The field placement was excellent and when the Enfield batsmen connected, the shots were more often than not either stopped or chased down. The athleticism was wonderful to watch.

Although they only managed to take three wickets, the bowling was nevertheless very tight, with some excellent figures from Ewan (2-0-3-0), James (3-1-3-0) and Sami (2-1-3-0). Two of the wickets were text-book run outs with wicket keeper Henry positioning himself perfectly over the stumps and the throws from the fielders landing in his gloves. The third wicket was claimed by Shivam, also from the U13 squad. He bowled wides with his first two balls before taking off the bails with his third. By the end, even though they had plenty of wickets in hand, Enfield finished on 95, a long way short of the target. Jack R carried his bat with 51*.