A cracking weekend of cricket!
The U15s lost the toss so were put into bat by Leicester, we’d agreed on a 15 over match per innings. Hannah & Rhianna were the opening batsmen with Hannah taking the first balls against a very tough bowler & was under pressure straight away. Two dangerous balls & call for lbw which was going down the leg side, the 3rd ball hit the pads plumb on centre stump so unfortunately Hannah was out for a duck.
Isabella Pope followed with 3 balls left of the first over & went on the attack straight away swinging to hit the last ball of the over, which unfortunately clipped the wicket. Two batsmen down in the first over, Ellie Padmore came into bat & settled very well playing more defensive strokes & combining well with Rhianna they were able to see off the opening bowlers & start to score ones & twos. This pair formed a really solid partnership taking the score to over 50 but with just a few overs left of the 15 allowed they needed to start taking more risks & go for some bigger shots. In the 13th over Rhianna took a gamble on a big shot & was bowled out. Ellie followed again risking a big shot but bowled out on a straight ball. Lily & Abby were able to see out the last few balls & added on 5 more runs but quite a low score of 62 from the 15 overs.
Ellie & Rhianna both scored 17 runs each, Isabella 2, Hannah 0, Lily 3 & Abby 3 so we have 21 extra given to us by Leicester.
Ellie & Lydia opened the bowling & put the Leicester batters under a lot of pressure, they both had low scoring opening overs but due to the speed of their bowling the batsmen were able to pick off a few singles when they made contact with the ball. We also had a few missed balls from Sophie at wicket until she got her eye in & it took a while to get the fielder in the right place to back up so we lost some unnecessary runs. Issy Gowler & Izzy Pope bowled next & a super ball from Izzy G hit the wickets. Leicesters next batsman in didn’t look as confident. Super fielding from Kasia who was very fast onto the ball & a huge throw back kept the score nice & tight. We had several opportunities at catching the batsmen out but the chances were missed, one very high ball being dropped.
Megan & Abbey bowled next & were nice & tight not giving any opportunities to score. Abby put the stronger batsman under a lot of pressure with a couple of lbw calls but then found some swing & the ball hit the wickets, great bowling. It was now getting very tight with just 5 overs to go but the two batsmen in were not looking very confident. Kasia & Lily both bowled one over each, & going into the last two overs Leicester were on 60 so they just needed 3 runs off 12 balls.
Ellie bowled a really tight over so the score was tied going into the last over. We had about 3 opportunities to run out the batsmen but some poor decisions in the field lost these chances. All the fielders moved in close to try & stop the single & Lydia was firing down some perfect balls 4 completely missed by the batsmen. Under a lot of pressure it was really unfortunate the 5th ball was a wide so game over with just one ball left.
Although the score says the team lost by 8 wickets it was actually only a difference of two balls so the match could not have been closer.
Excellent bowling from the U15s kept Leicester from scoring a lot quicker, only 8 extras given away, we just need to improve on our fielding techniques.
As Leicester were in a hurry to leave & we overran there was not time to get a player of the match from them.
Leicester Grammar elected to bat first on a glorious evening at WGS.
The first wicket to fall was taken by Eden Chamberlain-James. All the bowlers bowled very well, with the other wickets taken by Emily Thomas, Lana Hayes, Eden Chamberlain-James and Emily Wright. The fielding was good, with Lucy Prior taking 2 catches and Emily Wright taking the other. Lucy Ludlow had an excellent match behind the wickets.
Chasing 69 in 15 overs was always going to be close and so it proved but WGS kept up with the required run rate throughout. Imogen Baines (6) and Alice Strafford (4) looked good with the bat. Lucy Pealling scored 7 runs and Lucy Prior top scored with 14, including an excellent 4 to square leg.
The game came down to the last ball, with WGS needing 1 run to tie. Lana Hayes (3 not out), held her nerve to score the required run to tie the match. The team worked hard and showed great potential. This was a fantastic game of cricket, played in a great spirit and I feel the girls learnt a lot.
Thank you to all the girls on both sides and the many supporters who came to watch. Player of the match was Emily Wright.
Due to the pressures of exams, Wisbech Grammar was forced to field an U16 team made of girls from the 3rd and 4th Forms. Fielding first, the concentration in the field was much improved which complemented the bowling attack nicely. Once again we were able to bowl seven different girls showing great strength in depth. Pick of the bowlers were Lydia Payne-English who bowled 3 overs for 11 runs, taking 2 wickets. She was well supported by Megan Culley, who recorded figures of 2 wickets, from 3 overs, conceding just 4 runs. Ely posted a score of 66, slightly high than hoped, due to a few too many wides.
In reply, although losing an early wicket the runs soon started to flow once Lily Amps and Charlotte Mair settled, the target was reached in the 10th over with Charlotte on 27 not out and Lily on 13 not out, resulting in a 9 wicket win. Yet another fine performance girls, well done.
WGS got off to a great start, with Bradley Rideout (30) and Joseph Miller (21) putting 58 on for the 1st wicket. After this opening partnership, the innings lost momentum with wickets falling regularly. WGS finished 93 all out in their 16 overs.
WGS were always in a good position, but just as we seemed to be taking control of the run rate, we would bowl too many wides, with 38 conceded in the 16 overs. The pick of the bowlers was Bradley Burton who bowled economically, and there was a man of the match performance from Virroch Jeyakumar, who took 4 wickets for 12 runs.
Well done boys. There are still lots of things to work on, but you are showing good potential.
Our under nine girls faced their first set of matches against Brooke Priory School.
We have been working hard on our bowling technique, a difficult skill to learn at such a young age. In the A team game, Libby opened the bowling with a maiden over, delivering six good balls for no runs. In her second over, Libby went one better, obtaining a wicket maiden, bowling the opposition with a lovely action. As the game progressed Maryam and Erin also took a wicket each with their bowling. The final wicket was achieved due to quick thinking by Francesca who, during her over, fielded the ball accurately at the stumps resulting in a run out. Out of 72 balls, the team only gave away five wides and fourteen no balls; a great achievement for the first match of the season.
As we play more matches, we will work on adding a little more excitement when fielding, diving for catches, squeezing the batsman on every ball and backing the wickets up, encouraging more run out attempts.
Brooke Priory scored 29 for 4 wickets from 12 overs
Specific mentions for their bowling:
- Libby – minus five from twelve good balls (1 wicket)
- Maryam – minus three from six balls (1 wicket)
- Erin – two from twelve balls (1 wicket)
- Amber – bowled 12 good balls but was, unfortunately, was hit for two fours
In bat, the team was told first to decide the whether the ball was going to hit their wicket if it was they had to bat a forward drive, if it wasn’t, they were to hit it as hard as they could for a boundary.
Libby and Francesca opened the batting and on the very first ball, Libby hit a 6. Unfortunately, Brooke Priory had two very good bowlers (one of whom took four wickets and was awarded their player of the match), despite Libby hitting a 4 and both Francesca and Libby running a single each, after three overs, our score was minus four, the wickets were lost by 3 bowls and 1 run out. As a team we will work on deciding which balls to choose a cross bat shot for.
The second pair, Amber and Erin, faced the next eighteen balls, with nine extras, the pair had to patient, choosing which balls to hit. Despite losing one wicket through a catch on the boundary, the pair brought our total to 25, with Erin hitting a 6 and two 4s in one over – a fantastic effort.
Rebekah and Maryam were next and at this stage, with six overs left, we only needed four more runs. Between them, Rebekah and Maryam managed three singles and didn’t drop a wicket, with three no balls, the team were up to 34 runs.
With the opposition’s best bowler coming into bat, Molly and Ellie were instructed to play defensively, protecting our five-run lead. In her first ball, however, Brooke Priory’s player of the match took her fourth wicket, hitting Molly’s stumps and levelling the scores. In the final two overs, Molly hit the teams’ forth 4 of the game Ellie patiently allowed four wides to count as extras.
Our final batting total was 42 runs, conceding 6 wickets from 12 overs.
Specific mentions for their batting:
- Erin – From 7 good balls, Erin manage to hit one 6, two 4s, take one single and didn’t lose a wicket.
- Molly: Hit one 4 but lost a wicket
- Libby: Hit one 6 and one 4 but unfortunately lost three wickets.
The A team comprised of Libby, Amber, Maryam, Erin, Rebekah, Ellie, Francesca and Molly.
Libby was awarded player of the match by the opposition.
The final score: Wisbech Grammar School won by 13 runs
Well done everyone – a fantastic performance for your first game of the season!
Libby (captain for the day) wrote:
Our first match of the season was away at Brooke Priory. On a lovely sunny day, we won the toss and chose to field first. Libby opened the bowling with a maiden over, but Brook Priory soon settled and scored some runs. Everyone had a go at bowling, and we rotated the fielding positions around the pitch. Our bowling got better and better which resulted in 4 wickets from Libby, Francesca, Maryam and Erin. We need to improve on our fielding and make sure we back up our catchers more. In total Brooke scored 229 and then it was our turn to bat. We all batted 2 overs. Some great shots were played scoring a one 6 and many 4’s. Erin had a great batting inning scoring 15 runs and 8 from extras; however, we were a little inconsistent and definitely need to work on our defence against good bowlers. Our final score was 242 for 6. A great winning start to our cricket season, and we are looking forward to Beeston next week.
The B team had a fantastic match (comprising of Sarah, Scarlet, Lara, Jessica, Maja and Josie), particular mentions go to Sarah for a fantastic catch and Maja, Jessica and Scarlett for all taking a wicket thanks to their lovely bowling.
Player of the match: Scarlet
Final score: Wisbech Grammar School = 239
Brooke Priory School = 233
On a lovely sunny afternoon, Culford batted first, and a good contest ensued. Wisbech bowled and fielded very tightly, conceding only 8 extras throughout the 20 overs. Culford relied heavily on their classy opening bat who retired on 50 following an excellent innings. Yet again the strength in depth of the Wisbech bowlers proved to be decisive with the wickets and runs being shared equally.
In reply the Wisbech wickets fell at regular intervals. However the runs continued to flow and the pressure transferred onto the fielding side. Top scorer with the bat was Ellie Payne-English with 25 runs. The game went down to the final over, Wisbech needed 7 runs, which follow a couple wide deliveries, transferred pressure onto the fielding side. Sophie Mosedale and Lydia Payne-English remained calm and ran the necessary extras to win the game with 2 balls remaining. An excellent team performance, well done, girls!
Our U15a team consisted of mainly U14 players as a lot of the team playing in the 1st team. Thank you to Emily Thomas for helping out the U14s & also to Sophie for going to play in 1st team at short notice. We won the toss & elected to field first.
Issy Gowler opened the bowling & on the last ball cleaned bowled the opening batsman. Lucy Prior just struggled to find her range with numerous wides in her two spells. Lana & Abby both bowled extremely well & put the batsmen under all sorts of pressure both bowling maiden overs. In the 5th over Hannah caught a superb fastball at midwicket off Lana’s bowling. This rapidly followed by Abby bowling out the next two batsmen in the same over. We had quite a few dropped catches between Emily & Lucy Pealing as neither of them claimed the catch & the balls dropped between them. However, Lucy did make up for this taking another superb catch at cover off Lucy Ludlow’s bowling. Lucy L was also able to bowl one of the batsmen out. Emily & Hannah also both bowled & kept very tidy overs. There was some very good fielding from all of the players in this match especially Abby who stopped a lot of balls at midwicket & extra cover. We didn’t have hardly any over throws as the fielders made sure they were accurate & made some good decisions. The 20 overs finished with Culford scoring 62 runs.
Issy Gowler – 3 wickets off 4 overs/ 9 runs & 1 no ball
Abby Piccaver – 2 wickets off 4 overs/2 runs & 3 no balls
Lana Hayes – 1 wicket off 4 overs/ 2 runs & 2 wides
Lucy Prior – no wickets off 2 overs/ 3 runs & 6 wides
Hannah Smith – no wickets off 2 overs/ 3 runs & 2 wides
Emily Wright – no wickets off 2 overs/ 0 runs & 3 wides
Lucy Ludlow – 2 wickets off 2 overs/ 2 runs & 4 wides
After the break for tea, Wisbech went into bat with Rhianna & Abby opening & they started really well. Culford gave away a lot of wides averaging at least 3 wides per over. Rhianna hit a great boundary & Abby followed with several more. In the 5th over Rhianna was bowled out for 6 runs. Hannah came into bat next & within a few overs, they’d beaten the Culford score. We decided to carry on with the 20 overs & to try & get more of the batsmen in. Abby retired in the twelfth over not out for 21 & Lucy Pealing came in to bat. Another good partnership for a couple of overs until a very risky single & Lucy was run out for 6 runs. Next in Emily Wright & again another good partnership for a few overs & we retired Hannah in the 16th over not out on 5 runs, but she had faced a lot of balls most of them wides. Lucy Prior came in to bat next & was bowled out on her 4th ball for 1. Lucy Ludlow came in next & settled well picking off some good singles. In the 18th over Emily was bowled out for 2 runs & Issy came in. Lucy Ludlow & Issy saw off the remaining two overs & Wisbech finished on a massive score of 146. Issy hadn’t scored yet, but Lucy L was not out for 7 runs scoring one four in her innings.
This was a really good display of cricket from the U15a team the excellent bowling at the start gave them a comfortable target to work towards & they achieved this after just 8 overs. They all worked together really well as a team with great leadership from captain Rhianna & vice captain Issy. Culford, unfortunately, did give away a lot of extras with 39 wides & 6 no balls so 90 of the runs.
Player of the match went to Issy Gowler taking the 3 wickets bowling the batsmen out. A very good display of bowling with very few runs given away. Issy was also always encouraging her teammates & was a key member of the team today very well deserved POM.
A fantastic game played with great spirit by two talented sides.
Culford elected to bat and scored 90 runs in their 20 overs. The fielding was of a high standard and Alana Pritchard kept wicket really well. All the bowlers bowled well, with Martha Hoyles conceding only 4 runs in her 2 overs.
Our reply got off to a good start with Emily Thomas hitting a boundary in the first over. But stars of the show were Captain, Abigail Tucker (16) and Natasha Harris (20 not out). There were also good innings from Tia MacNab (10) and Martha Hoyles (8 not out).
This was a very exciting win as all the girls were playing a year up, apart from Emily. Well done girls. Thank you to all the many supporters who made it a most enjoyable afternoon.
A super day was had by all with a very good standard of cricket on display from all the boys.
Winners (on runs scored) was Clarkson, second Peckover, third Holmes and fourth Sparks.
Thank you to the many supporters.
A most enjoyable morning was had by all the girls on a glorious day at WGS. This was an incredibly tight affair, with three Houses winning two games each so the winner was decided by the house scoring the most runs on the day.
First place – Peckover with 212 runs
Second – Clarkson 202
Third – Holmes 201
Fourth – Sparks
Thank you to the many parents who attended.
PHOTOS FROM THE WEEKEND: