U13 DIV1 vs Blackheath

It’s not a win, BUT we are setting up some winning ways.

We’ve been struggling for form this season and have taken some large defeats, and on paper this looked the same but it definitely represented a change I believe. First though I want to thank parents for getting the boys down to the ground, because for most it’s a case of rushing madly from one activity to the next, it’s been a crazy season so far.

We played against a solid Blackheath team which looked at full strength, however we were 2 short and took to the field with 9 players. The advantage was that our best 4 bowlers would get 3 overs to bowl instead of two which we normally give every player. It should be said however that Blackheath don’t share out the overs evenly and give their best players 3 overs at the expense of the weaker bowlers, so we gained no advantage from that. There were also 2 big holes in the fielding for us which we had to compensate for and this is where the boys really stepped up.
We started with a team talk where the boys quickly changed gear, no more messing around and good focus on the game ahead. The boys raised some great points on how we would deal with two down which included placing the right players in the right roles such as fast boys on the boundary to cover more area and listening to the captain when he was setting the field.

We had a pretty bad start with quite a few extras but the boys worked hard to get the score back to a run a ball which we knew was attainable on that field. We were on track right up to the 16th overs when we lost the plot slightly. An over of loose bowling and probably about 10-15 balls where we did not properly adjust the field to the batsman, saw the final score move to 7 an over which while being possible to chase down, was always going to be challenging.
It must be said however, this was the best performance I’ve seen from the boys this season in the field, a lot of focus and commitment. It should also be mentioned that Harry had his best bowling spell to date with 1 wicket for 13 runs off 3 overs. Also what I loved was Charlie who went for 11 off his first over, came back and bowled a great second over conceding just 3 runs and that was all about attitude. It’s this attitude which is what excites me and what I describe as “winning ways”.

A little chat before going into bat and it’s a real pleasure to see how the boys are progressing in their attitude. There is a whole lot less of, “when do I get to bat” and “I don’t want to open” and a lot more of “everyone has a role to play and you need to go out, be positive and play your part for the team”. Staring with Riley and Arnav who look so comfortable opening and really help to set things up. Unfortunately neither got to retire which is our goal but Riley ’s dismissal was came when he was rightly looking to push the run rate and Arnav went out (just) to some freakish fielding by the keeper, not sure off it was brilliant skill or fantastically good fortune.
In came Noah and what we were hoping for were some lovely deft touches and running between the wicket which we have started to see from him lately, but it just was not his day and 5 balls later he was making way for Max who really shone. Scoring 12 from 14 deliveries and going out to a slower ball which kept low (might be something to do with that big hole in the pitch) really impressed me! He is another reason why I’m positive about how the team can improve with guys like him in the team. He started the season slowly but is really starting to come into his own. In steps Suhaan and the next reason for optimism having his best innings in an OE side. It was not just the 18 off 16 deliveries (not out) which I loved, but the way he got there. A real step up in the positivity and ambition, moving in his crease and hitting 3 boundaries which in matches gone would quite likely have been left. Charlie came in next and did not stick around long but absolutely brought the same level of intent. At the start of the season he was afraid to run at all and what I see is the mind getting in the right place and it’s just a matter of time and a bit of practice before the body follows. He was also quick to let me know that he got the highest strike rate of 200, albeit from just two deliveries. Harry in next hitting a terrific 12 off 7 followed by George and Jack, both of whom can certainly contribute but need to build up the confidence and the shot selection, we know they can do it, we just need to work on that.

In the end we fell at 90 but once you get to a certain position behind the run rate, you have to just roll the dice and go big to give yourself a chance and then there is always the real possibility of loosing all your wickets cheaply and it looking like a spanking, but I can assure you if they come out in every match with this attitude, it’s just a matter of time before we return to winning ways.

Next match is Wednesday against Chislehurst and if we do manage to get a full team together, I rate our chances!