Match Report
New Forest U11 v SE Hants Festival match 1
Tues 27 May 2008 1300 start - delayed
Rain overnight delayed the start of the match and we arrived to see the groundsmen drying the run-ups with their giant hairdryers; The wicket was predictably soft. SE Hants won the toss and put the Forest in to bat.
The openers made steady progress initially but as the innings developed wickets fell too cheaply, the slow track making batting difficult. Some good slow bowling from M Hett saw off 3 of the top order. Getting value for good shots was also difficult as outfield was slow. A number of New Forest players made good starts but didn't manage to convert these into to decisive scores. Sammy L top scored with 20 while Sam J and James C put on a useful last wicket partnership to see the Forest innings end in the 39th over on 133.
SE Hants innings started slowly in the face of some impressive economical bowling and after 6 overs the score was 8 for 1. However, more wickets did not come as the batters put up solid and impressive resistance. Tight fielding kept the pressure on the batting side and by the mid point the match was finely balanced. With 5 overs to go the required run rate had climbed to over 6, well beyond that achieved so far, but the wicket was now playing considerably better after drying in improving weather. Two late wickets brought new blood to the crease with fresh intent. S Harold hit an impressive 14 of 8 balls to steal the match with just 1 ball to go. It was another close and exciting match between these teams. Tom B picked up 2 wickets for 21 runs off 7 overs while Patrick O bowled 8 overs for just 15 runs, including 1 maiden.
Despite the disappointing result this was a good team performance; to achieve such a close result with the discrepancy in batting conditions was a credit to the team. Pete N took on the role of captain with determination and enthusiasm, showing real promise. The rash of run-outs from the previous games was halted and the extras count was considerably improved.
Well done all - we'll get'em next time!
Thanks to Max for more great coaching, advice and support for the team, and to Kieran, Ben and Louise for scoring.
No photos today - unless you have any?