GDST Select Sport

Senior Cricket

Written by Jenny Dawson

My time at the GDST select cricket match was one that will stay with me. We all met at South Hampstead Cricket Club for our match against the esteemed MCC team for later on in the day. Even though the team had never played together before, we all managed to rally around one another in a way I haven ’t seen before in the sport which was amazing to be a part of. I was named as co-captain later on in the day, which was a great accolade to receive playing within such a talented team. After a positive training session and a few interviews, we enjoyed our lunch and discussed tactics for the game at 2pm.

I then took part in the toss, in which the MCC won and elected to bat. Going on to the pitch was a great feeling, with such a strong team behind me and amazing opposition, I knew it was going to be a close match. I opened the bowling and bowled three overs in my first spell, looking to bowl my last later in the match. Our fielding was exemplary and with a few dives on the square, my white trousers were a grassy mess. We had managed to keep the MCC well under 50 runs in the first 10 overs which, in itself, was a great achievement. In the 19th over, I bowled my final over and, thankfully, got a wicket caught and bowled. The MCC scored 99 overall and I was extremely happy we had kept them under 100, which was our initial aim. I had bowled 4 overs, with one maiden, for one wicket and 4 runs. We then went on to bat and set off from ball one. Our openers gave a great performance and I prepared to bat at number 7. It was a great experience batting in this match and, despite getting stumped, I really enjoyed my time batting. With the last over to go, it was incredibly tight between the two sides as 9 runs were needed off the last 6 balls.

We unfortunately lost by 6 runs but it was the closest result achieved against the MCC by the GDST, so this was definitely something to be proud of. I loved my time co-captaining the GDST team and being able to lead such a talented team is something I won ’t forget.

U15 Football

Written by Sylvie Todaro

I was selected to play for the GDST Select Football Team. We had our first weekend away last week together which was very exciting. We had a match on Friday night and one on Saturday morning. I arrived at Oxford High School and we took part in some bonding activities followed by lunch.after receiving our kits we went out to the training ground to prepare for the match ahead. Afterwards we had to travel to the Travelodge, where we would be staying overnight. Once we got settled in our rooms we had some free time.

Our first match was a late kick off at 19:30 Vs oxford Ignite FC, they were a tough opponent as they were a very physical side but we managed to maintain our formation and utilised our pace against them which carried us through to the second half where we had settled into the game much more meaning we were able to score some goals. The whistle blew and we had grabbed the win just beating them 3-1. Waking up the following morning,I ate breakfast and we went shopping around Oxford before our final match. We were playing the Oxford United shadow squad, knowing this match was going to be an easier win, we played our best and couldn't have gotten a better result, we won 9-1. A fantastic end to a brilliant weekend.

Overall, I met some great people and it's an experience I will by no means forget.