U11A v Westbourne Drew

Westbourne 150-3 dec. (37 overs)    S.Anselm’s 92-3 (18 overs) Lewis H 23       Match Drawn

We wanted to win today and needed to win. We’ve had an exciting draw (Derby Grammar), an honourable draw (Ranby House) and a draws where we were lucky to ‘get out of jail’, as we were the weaker team (Foremarke and Smallwood). I’m afraid today was none of those. It was a drawn match that one of the 22 players will remember for the rest of his life, the other 21 will have forgotten it by the end of the week. Westbourne chose to bat first. Isaac S and Oliver R started very well and Isaac was ever so close to winning an lbw appeal against Wolstenholme when he’d scored just a single. We also put down a simple chance when he was on three (he was, furthermore, dropped caught and bowled on 21). If either of these early chances had gone our way the match would’ve taken a very different course ... unfortunately, it was not to be. Elliot T bowled a brilliant first over at him (what a batsman to bowl your first maiden of term against!) and he broke the opening stand in his second over. The wickets, however, didn’t continue to fall. Indeed, each of Grubb, Pickford and Tinsley gave excellent support to Wolstenholme. These three didn’t do very much, they simply pushed down middle stump to defend the many good balls (and miss those not on target). The run scoring was all down to Wolstenholme and he didn’t disappoint! Two fours in Oliver R’s comeback over and the initiative was with Westbourne. Despite this, we continued to bowl well and Edward S enjoyed a first spell of off spin for the school where he flighted the ball well and showed good control. There were a couple of other fielding lapses, but otherwise we kept a good discipline in the field. There was little more you could do. Wolstenholme continued to bat well! If I was to be critical of the bowlers I’d suggest you bowled a foot outside off stump a little too often – nothing legside was so good to see, but Westbourne played and missed a lot. A tighter line would’ve resulted in a few more wickets. Elliot T again scored a direct hit and Harvey W’s good return to Matthew N ensured a second run out. Westbourne were looking to declare around the 120-mark, but with Wolstenholme, on 78, taking 15 runs from Theo H’s third over they understandably batted on for the personal landmark. I want to praise the bowlers again – you’ll bowl like this in future matches and take a hatful of wickets, today was just one of those days, don’t be despondent! The improvement we’ve made in the last fortnight in our consistency has been as good an improvement as I’ve seen in such a short space of time.Possibly feeling a bit guilty for batting on for so long (we were asked to score 151 runs in just over an hour!), Westbourne opened with some ‘declaration’ bowling. A strange, though perceptive move. Their idea was to ‘give’ us some runs to ‘stop us blocking for the draw’ and then, perhaps, we’d lose wickets in going for the run chase. Unfortunately Matthew N having been spared a caught and bowled from a ball bouncing twice finished his forgettable day by being bowled whereupon Lewis H and Harvey W struggled to capitalise on the gifts offered to us by Westbourne. One ball in three was a wide (or no ball), one was straight (which they correctly defended) but one was very hitable and we didn’t connect ... There’s no doubt that if we had scored runs quickly Wolstenholme would’ve been straight into the attack (so I’m not suggesting we ought to have won the game) but we needed to middle a few more lusty blows here! Harvey W did twice towards the end and Lewis H, gaining in confidence with each ball faced, struck some pleasant offside boundaries but any result from the match had long since disappeared by then. Wolstenholme was also a very quick bowler! What a talent! He broke Oliver R’s helmet but again Ollie batted very well indeed. I’ve been so impressed with the way you’ve played each ball on its merits so far this term. Alex W finished strongly and with a good bowling spell and some brave fielding (getting behind the ball very well on the uneven outfield of the old rugby pitch) you win the man of the match award. Good fielding from Theodore H and Charlie S on debut, too. Edward S, flinching at his first ball from Wolstenholme, was struck on the unprotected back of his leg and had to retire hurt (perhaps I’m wrong to say only one will remember this match by tomorrow ... Edward’s leg may still be in pain ...). A couple of fielding lapses aside, I couldn’t have asked for any more from you all today. We just lack a ‘star’ bowler to make the crucial breakthrough!