Cricket

CRICKET REPORT

WORDS BY Mr Simon Lincoln, Head of Cricket

In March we all received the wonderful news that we would have as close to ‘normal’ a cricket season as possible and considering we are still very much in a worldwide pandemic, we did manage to get a fair amount of cricket in at all age levels. This report will cover all age groups, however a specific mention for the U13s who, as an age group, only lost one game and that was against a county team. Very well-done boys.

Age Level P W D L Boys-U13A 11 10 0 1 Win Ratio 90.9%

The U13A Team have enjoyed a hugely successful season playing some fantastic cricket and always playing the game in the correct spirit. The way they have worked as a team and supported others efforts throughout the season has meant they have been a very enjoyable group to coach and their teamwork has brought them success. The side played 12 games winning 11 and only narrowly losing to a very strong Derbyshire CC U13 side. Within the team success there were outstanding individual performances and with captain Danny Chapman and Mustafa Harron leading the batting line up we were always competitive whether we were chasing or setting a target. The consistency of our bowling attack with so many options depending on what the game required coupled with some excellent fielding meant that sides were always under pressure when batting. Winning the BPS T10 competition with 3 wins against Bedfordshire, The Hall and Haberdashers Askes was a real highlight for the season with the orange balls, coloured kit and flashing stumps making the day even more enjoyable. Well done to the whole squad for their performances this season and for playing so well together. Mr Lincoln

Age Level P W D L Boys-U13B 10 10 0 0 Win Ratio 100.0%

UNDER 13B An unbeaten season for the Prep 2nd team, who were ably led by Captain Luka Illic, who also finished up as top wicket taker, with his ability to mop up the increasingly long tails of the opposition. Other notable performers with the ball were Alex ‘the Bedford Express’ Carlton-Smith, who rarely failed to take a wicket in the opening over and Henry Gillam, who deserved his call up to the 1sts. With the

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limited. It is therefore a testament to this group that they did develop their skill set and game management, as witnessed in the final two games of the season. We were blessed with some accurate bowlers and, when one had an off-day, another stepped up. In Tom Noble, the captain, we had a reliable scorer with the bat: he is an aggressive hitter of poor bowling, but equally adept in stealing runs off good bowlers. Everyone was able to produce a glimpse of their potential during the season, but they need to work on technique and focus to consistently deliver a big score. The last match demonstrated how good a fielding unit this side could be, holding on to their catches and running down the stumps under pressure. Enthusiastic, lively, frustrating at times - but they were a pleasure to manage. Mr Studd

The U13s, as and age group,had an outstanding season with wins in all but one game across the age group and the one loss by the A team was against Derbyshire CCC and until the last two or three overs of that game, we were well in front and looked like winning. Well done to all of the teams on what has to be the most successful season the age group has had in terms of games won

UNDER 12 C & D

With a regular squad of 19 players, and a few others when needed, the U12C team had a real mix of styles and techniques, from left arm bowlers to a new wicketkeeper and everything in between. The players were keen and their understanding of how to play the game, and especially the straight ball, improved over the term. With several strong batting performances, from Aryan Sohanpal, George Simmonds, Jack Sivills, Sam Millar, Muhammed Umar and Monty Lomax, backed up with some accurate bowling from Thomas Dewe, Eesa Jamil and, latterly, Tristian Julius, the team managed to secure six wins from their seven matches played over the term. All those not mentioned by name played equally important parts in the success of the team. Catching was sometimes an issue, but it does give all players something extra to work on over the close season, before starting again as U13s. The U12D team remained unbeaten in their three matches, again showing some powerful batting alongside a few impressive bowling performances, proving too strong for the opposition faced.

Well done to all the boys who represented the teams for their enthusiasm and commitment and, ultimately, for showing so much delight in being able to play the noblest of sports. Mr Phillips

Under 12A

bat, we were able to rely upon Neo Bantock, who scored 3 50’s during the season, who always got us off to a solid start before either the power hitting of Ferdie Barnett-Vincent, Alfie Redfern and Aiden Reid would drive the innings forward. Other memories that will live long will be Justin Fasanya’s hat trick against Bilton Grange and Noah Silk catching the danger man against Berkhamsted before Aiden took the match winner to be mobbed by his grateful teammates. Mr Guest

UNDER 12B At the start of term, I am not sure I would have predicted this side would register 8 wins, given the levels of inconsistency with bat and ball. Where we needed training, either the rain or the next fixture intervened, meaning opportunities to work on techniques were 1st XI (U13A)

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UNDER 11A A return to fi xtures allowed the U11As to play some exciting cricket this term. Results may have varied from emphatic victories to heavy losses, but the quality of their cricket improved steadily over the course of the season. Victories against MK Prep, Caldicott, Spratton Hall & Beechwood were secured when the boys played best as a team, batting in partnerships and bowling consistent lines and lengths. In the 6’s festival the boys played some excellent cricket, eventually making the Bowl fi nal, only losing to one team all day and beating the trophy fi nalist along the way. Mr McGregor

UNDER 11B The U11Bs had an unbeaten season, curtailed as it was by Covid. Two good home and away victories over Caldicott were coupled with comprehensive wins over Beechwood Park and Rushmoor. The only ‘loss’ came against in a practice match against our own U10As, who fi elded brilliantly, taking catches and running us out. There were lots of great individual moments and each boy developed their game. A pleasure to oversee and I wish them all luck as they move up the school. Mr Roberts

UNDER 11C On an afternoon at the beginning of the summer term an ‘arrangement’ of boys presented themselves to me informing me that they were the U11C cricket team. My mind wandered back to my school days (many years ago I know) to a book that was compulsory reading called The Long and The Short and the Tall. What stood in front of me represented this book to a tee and I wondered how I would turn this motley crew into a mean lean fi ghting machine.

The fi rst few sessions did not, if I may say so, go well! A year out due to Covid restrictions and the introduction of a ‘real’ cricket ball to the boys which they claimed was hard were their main excuses. ‘We’ continued and phrases such as “that’s a run” (whilst a boy admired his shot from his crease) and ‘were you backing up’ could be frequently heard from our practice sessions. Time passed by and the boys’ enthusiasm and efforts could not be faulted as they attended every lunchtime after school and games session. Throughout the term the boys’ skills and ability to play the game improved greatly which refl ected in the teams results of winning all fi ve of their matches.

I may be sporting a few more grey hairs than at the beginning of the season but I would like to thank all the boys for a really great season. I hope you have enjoyed your cricket season as much as I have and will look forward to playing again soon.

1st XI (U13A)

RESULTS

v Caldicott Prep school- won by 10 wickets v Spratton Hall School - won by 31 runs v Quinton House School- won by 68 runs v Beechwood Park School - won by 10 wickets v Caldicott prep school - won by 66 runs

Mr Gilbert Under 10 Under 12B

UNDER 10A The Under 10A team came a long way with their development this season. The boys missed last season due to Covid and at the start of the season you could see they had some catching up to do. The boys put in a lot of work during practice and on game days to improve themselves which was fantastic. The biggest improvements they made as a team were: Backing their hands and putting their bodies on the line in the fi eld; running between the wickets and calling; rotating the strike.

As the boys improved through the season, they picked up some good wins including beating Caldicott away and then beating Bedfordshire at home to fi nish the season. Throughout the season we gave boys different

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opportunities in different roles to give them lots of experiences that will help with their development going forward. I hope the boys enjoyed the season as much as I did. Well done boys! Mr Brett

UNDER 10B The boys had two good wins against Wellingborough and Beechwood Park respectively but struggled against other teams. If they can learn to defend the straight

CRICKET AWARDS

Batsman Danny Chapman All Rounder Mustafa Haroon Bowler Alfi e James Fielder Joseph Edwards Most improved Thomas Dewe

Half Colours Ariyan Flora, Sammy Inman, Joseph Edwards, Alfi e James, Jamie Maling, George Sivills, Henry Gillham, Dylan French.

Full Colours Danny Chapman, Joe Basquille, Mustafa Haroon, Ben Ulvert ball whilst maintaining their enthusiasm in the fi eld, then they will certainly have more success in the future. Well done to Cameron Dale and Cayo Sinclair for their bowling performances throughout the term. Mr Dennis

UNDER 9A The U9A Cricket Team had an unbeaten season this year, comfortably winning with strong performances with bat and ball. Despite having had a year away from cricket due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the boys did not fail to work hard to improve their skills over the season. Stand out performances came from Freddie Gibbs with both the bat and ball, scoring many runs and taking a collection of impressive wickets. Jasper Stone defending the fi nal ball in the game vs Kimbolton Prep was a highlight with the boys then winning by 1 run. Joseph Willard continued his impressive form throughout the season, whilst Samarth Serish bowled fi ercely. A superb season by all who played in the U9A team.Mr Lee

UNDER 8 AND 9 The U8 & U9 pupils thoroughly enjoyed their cricket lessons at school in the summer term. All boys endeavoured to master the arts of the game alongside understanding how it was played. Much progress was made all round and much enjoyment was had. All boys in the year groups experienced a competitive match against another school, with all the U8s playing against Spratton Hall - also their fi rst ever away trip on a coach - and the U9s playing against Spratton Hall (all boys), Kimbolton (4 teams) and MK Prep (2 teams). We look forward to further development in their skills, which will be aided by their enthusiasm to learn and play. Mr Phillips

2020 2020 2021 2021

U12C

U9 U10 training