Devon Cricket Board - DCBYA Under 14s Berkshire Match Reports 2014

The remnants of hurricane Bertha accounted for our Sunday match against Hampshire but Sandy Allen, Exmouth's groundsman, was confident barring an absolute deluge that on the Monday we would play. On arrival at the ground everything was dry and Sandy had put us on the strip used on the previous Saturday as it was better than the one he had prepared which had got wet. There was a good wind blowing and so the clouds were racing by so any showers, light or heavy, would hopefully be short lived and we would see them coming; and so it turned out to be.

For our last game of the season we were royally greeted back to Exmouth and it was good to see old friends and Sandy had his posse on stand by to help if the weather deteriorated. With Nick away Trevor Griffin stepped in to help, thank you Trevor, and the pre match preparation went well. With the prospects of rain it was again a difficult decision as to what to do, normally you would bowl, but batting seemed to be the consensus as we perform better. Losing the toss and Berkshire batting was not however an issue.

As Jami and Kazi wanted to bowl the same end, Kazi opened with his now new ball partner Yabbers. Kazi struck last ball of the first over bowling a Berkshire opener and Yabbers, just for a change, opened with a maiden! After 5 overs Berkshire had 9 on the board but Malik and Davies gained in confidence and took the score to 38, Malik playing some handsome shots, when in Kazi’s last over he miss cued and chipped the ball and Mikey took yet another sharp chance at short mid wicket. The drinks break came with no more real alarms, 51-2 off 15 overs although in Leon’s first two overs he struggled to find his length. His head noticeably dropped and so a quiet word was called for at drinks. Fortunately, as it turned out, Sam chose to ignore me and the second over after drinks Leon bowled Holmes. 53-3. Yabbers then bowled his 9^th over for a miserly 23, (I’ve said that a few times this season!) - he had also brought up his century bowling 100 overs for the County this season - the first player to do so in my fifteen years! Quite an achievement. Well done Yabbers. The 19^th over was eventful - Leon with his new found confidence first bowls Bisdee; Berkshire’s established batsman Davies then takes on Lammers who whips the ball straight over the top of the stumps for Sam to take the bails off and then Leon has Murray LBW! 59-6 and the match is transformed. Willow has replaced Yabbers and unusually he does not take a wicket in his first over but we do not have wait long as in his second over he has Maskell caught by Ash. 63-7. Lathers comes on to replace Leon but can’t quite get it right although he does bowl the occasional good delivery which beats the bat. Willow who unlike Thursday has great rhythm then takes two wickets in his next two overs both bowled and his fourth wicket, bowled with the penultimate delivery of his 8^th over to finish with the extraordinary figures of 4-9. Berkshire all out 83 in 33.5 overs.

Whilst we have had the odd rain break food between innings is still some time away and the umpires decide to go out again but the weather intervenes for a short while. It clears up and instructions are quickly given about getting well forward, playing straight and taking the singles/ rotating the strike, waiting for the bad ball as we have lots of time and we do not want a repeat of last Thursday!

Lammers and Ash open. In the 4^th over Ash is bowled not really getting forward to a ball from Berkshire’s spinner which turns and keeps low, they had learnt from us; Gibbsy in given a chance at 3. We have some playing and missing and big shots and the score ticks along when in the 8^th over Lammers is bowled off an inside edge trying to force with a crooked bat. Next over Gibbsy tries an expansive sweep and is caught at square leg off Berkshire’s leggie. 25-3 off 9 and it’s not going to plan! I’m nervous let alone the lads… Leon given a chance at 4 and Kazi steady things and I was just beginning to feel a little more relaxed when Kazi hits the ball to square leg and is off, Leon says no because there is no single, Kazi then tries to turn but slips and then flounders (quite comical in hindsight but not at the time!) on the ground as the ball is thrown back to the keeper as he watches on! 29-4 off 13. Oh dear - here we go again. I was also thinking we can’t possibly have a repeat of Thursday can we - the lads really don’t deserve to finish this season like this… Glass half full again - I need not have worried as Leon and Coops, who has done this more than once this season, play as we should have earlier, straight , getting well forward most of the time and waiting for the bad ball, taking the occasional single and the partnership we need develops. I had by now done at least 3 nervous laps of the pitch and was talking to Nick Y and Gary A square of the wicket as we dare not move as the runs were coming at quite a rate. Thinking it was all over, I did think there might still be a twist, I decided to get back to the pavilion and with that Leon is bowled, 79-4 and Coops is then LBW 81-5! Sam and Jamie K are at the crease and Berkshire still think they have a chance. Jamie is nearly out LBW, more than once, play straight and Sam is bowled but it’s a no ball- it really can’t get any more tense than this! Berkshire then bowl a long hop and Jamie thumps the winning runs and there is relief all around the ground as our season comes to an end in the way it should do - a win and 4 more points - 22 points in total and surely a place in the SW A division in 2015.

Its then thanks all round, including to Exmouth CC for hosting us, Sandy for his hard work in preparing the pitch and during the day, the umpires Nick and John, Wendy for scoring and the caterers. Thank you Trevor too.

We sit down and review the match Trevor going through the Team’s goals for a final time and whether they had achieved them and if not why not and then its all over with a farewell from the parents and lads. I also had to get the ice creams in again! They never forget!!

It has been a memorial season, although last Thursday will haunt me. It was not just about winning the Festival but the way the lads had played their cricket, developed as cricketers and young men and conducted themselves along the way. I have never had a side at the Festival so well behaved and determined to do well and so it was so brilliant that they achieved their goal. It was also nice that Matt Parker was with us on our last day together to share the celebrations as he had bowled brilliantly at the beginning of the season and we wish him well with his rehabilitation- good luck Matt! Do as you are told!

Thank you lads it has been a pleasure to be your manager and to get to know you. Continue to enjoy each others company, have fun and realise how important it is to be a TEAM. Continue to also work hard not only at your cricket but in life too as you will achieve nothing if you do not do so. Remember how important the basics are, make things happen and be patient. Enjoy SA and I will watch your continued success and development in years to come.

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