As
can be seen from the league table the U-11's had a marvellous
season, remaining undefeated in the league (& friendly) games
played, thereby finishing joint U-11 League champions with
Cleeve, the only team we failed to take 2 points from in a
nail biting game in which a draw was probably the fairest
result. With the League's approval both Clubs now share the
Championship for the 2000 season & the trophy for 6 months
as it proved impossible to arrange a play-off in the close
season.
What has been the difference this season??. Well, we benefited
from an influx of new players (in bold) of whom 3 or 4 were experienced
players & unlike previous seasons, give or take the odd incident,
we batted, bowled & fielded with much more consistency, always
able to score runs without loosing wickets prolifically, bowling
more accurately & fielding in a much more team orientated manner.
Immense credit most go to our joint team captains Ben Lyons &
Rhys Davies, who shared the duty equally during the season, in
leading from the front & instilling a good team spirit in the
side. All players, listed in the squad below, made their own invaluable
contributions at various stages through the season, when they
had their chance to be part of the team (see game results/reports
for details). It was all the more creditable that the results
were achieved without us ever being able to field our strongest
team!! A special thanks also to the Mums & Dads who assisted with
the refreshment duties, transportation & scoring. It has been
a memorable season & one which we shall be celebrating at our
Dinner & presentation evening on Friday 13th October at the Hand
Stadium - Clevedon, (together with the 1st team who also won the
B & DCA League Division 1 Championship), when we hope to see you
all & at which the squad will receive individual medals & the
League Cup will be presented to the Captains.
Next season we unfortunately loose 10 of the squad (in red) as
they will no longer be eligible to play in the U-11 age group,
but what a prospect we have with them to hopefully reform our
U-13 team & mount a strong challenge in that league too in 2001,
perhaps more honours beckon yet !!
Blagdon C.C Youth Organiser - K.K.Board : Team Manager - Lionel
Harrison
Blagdon C.C. U11 Squad :- Name - Games played
Ben
Lyons - 6
Archie Stead - 7
Jack Lyons - 5
Anton Lovatt - 6
Rhys Davies - 12
Chris Goldsbrough -10
Lloyd Davies - 7
Alistair Palmer - 7
Tom Bond - 10
George Powell - 7
George Bond - 5
Simon Hill -10
Aaron Ford - 5
Garth Tiley - 11
Jo Ford - 5
Tom Hendzel - 3
David Eagon - 6
William Day - 2
Laurie Croker -2
Oliver Payne - 5
Henry Towler - 1
Game results/reports
Sunday 7th May - Clevedon - Home
Blagdon 257-4 ; Clevedon 177-10. Won by 80 runs
The first home game of the season produced a convincing win as
a result of a disciplined batting performance in which only 4
wickets were lost. Ben Lyons (12) & Rhys Davies (8) provided a
real flourish at the end to the innings with a quick fire partnership
in the last four overs to take the score past 250. This was followed
by an excellent bowling/fielding display with Archie Stead leading
the way in his first over with 2 wickets, from which Clevedon
never recovered. Archie finished with impressive figures of 4
overs; 2 maidens; 6 runs; 3 wickets. He was ably supported by
Ben Lyons whose figures were 3 - 1 - 2 - 2. Clevedon were always
behind in chasing the target & did not help themselves with several
unnecessary run-outs/stumpings by some smart fielding. Blagdon
finished well on top with a good all round display.
Sunday 14th May - Cleeve - Away
Cleeve 251-5 ; Blagdon 251-4. Drawn
This was a nail-biter &, as it has turned out, the game of the
season that determined the League Championship being shared by
our respective clubs. It had been agreed by both Managers that
we would play 12 a side for this game, to try to satisfy our players
keen interest. Cleeve batted steadily & confidently with the intention
of not loosing wickets & falling below the 200 run start point,
which they successfully managed to do, gradually building to a
good total. Fielding was tight by Blagdon who restricted runs
well but the bowling was a little erratic & more wides than we
would have liked were conceded & in fact were Cleeve's highest
scorer, no batsman having been able to reach double figures. A
251 target was well within our batting potential !!. However,
we also found runs difficult to come by due to the more accurate
Cleeve bowling, although we too doggedly held onto our wickets.
George Powell restisted stubbornly hitting a well timed 4, to
relieve some of the pressure in the middle order. In an enthralling
climax our last pair Archie Stead & Rhys Davies required to make
16 runs for victory in their 4 overs. Batting sensibly they reduced
the deficit to 4 runs needed to win off the last over. Archie
was facing the first ball & was tied down by a very accurate last
over spell & was still facing the last ball needing 4 to win!!
This is where the action replay is the only way to truly recapture
events but suffice to say Archie kept his nerve got bat to ball
which rocketed high over slips & towards the long boundary hotly
pursued by at least 3 Cleeve fielders. The ball was just cut-off
from the boundary, Blagdon were in the middle of their second
run. The throw came in from the fielder but because of the distance
was well short of the wicket, another fielder scrambled to retrieve
the ball & get it into the wicket but in his haste somehow managed
to miss-throw it giving Blagdon the chance to scamper home with
the all important third run to deservedly draw the game. Like
Cleeve no Blagdon batsman managed double figures but Archie (8)
& Rhys (4) as last pair had produced the goods!!
Sunday 4th June - Lodway - Home
Lodway 201-6 ; Blagdon 283-5. Won by 82 runs
Having missed the previous two Sundays fixtures due to rain the
lads were 'champing at the bit' to get back into action. Lodway
were never able to come to terms with the opening bowling attack
from Ben Lyons & Garth Tiley who finished with figures of 4 -
4 - 0 - 2 & 4 - 1 - 8 - 2 respectively & on their bowling debuts,
Anton Lovatt took his first wicket whilst Tom Hendzell bowled
2 maiden overs. With all the other bowlers contributing to an
accurate attack Lodway were restricted to 201, again with no batsman
able to reach double figures. In reply Blagdon got off to a flying
start with Garth Tiley smashing 17 runs, including a six. The
lesser experienced middle order were tied down & lost a few wickets
pegging back the run rate but an emphatic victory was achieved
on the back of a last pair partnership by Rhys Davies (17no) &
Ben Lyons (28no) including five 4's, giving both Garth & Ben the
satisfaction of an excellent all round performance.
Sunday 11th June - Claverham - Home
Claverham 209-9 ; Blagdon 247-5. Won by 38 runs
This re-arranged game from a postponement on 21st May saw Claverham
batting first. Blagdon bowlers continued where they had left off
against Lodway, exerting a tight control on Claverham's ability
to score runs, assisted by continued keen fielding. Bowling honours
this time went to Archie Stead 3 - 0 - 6 - 3 & Aaron Ford 3 -
0 - 9 - 3. Batting was not easy for Blagdon & although Garth Tiley
got us off to the now customary good start with an unbeaten 10no,
the middle order lost a few of their wickets, creating a by no
means assured outcome unless the trusted last pair could avoid
loosing theirs!! This was duly achieved by Rhys Davies (5no) &
Archie Stead (2no), aided by some wayward bowling, so gaining
another comfortable victory.
Sunday 18th June - Cheddar - Away
Blagdon 263-7 ; Cheddar 170-14. Won by 93 runs
At the corresponding fixture last season we suffered our most
comprehensive defeat at the hands of Cheddar losing by some 135
runs. It was, therefore, particularly satisfying to turn the tables
on them this season. Batting first we got off to an unusually
unsteady start loosing 2 wickets before putting runs on the board
& this became the pattern as an impressive B.Young ripped into
our batting with 3 wickets in his first over, returning figures
of 4 - 0 - 21 - 4 in the game. This was proving one of our more
sterner batting tests & for the first time this season our loss
of wickets had extended to 7 by the time our last pair came to
the crease, although despite that we had still managed to sustain
a useful run rate & were 25 runs to the good. Enter again the
indomitable duo of Rhys Davies & Archie Stead who proceeded to
construct another recovery to the tune of an unbeaten partnership
of 38 runs, Rhys scoring 11no & Archie 19no thus reaching a respectable
total of 263. Anything Cheddar bowlers could do, so it seemed
could Blagdon. Garth Tiley took 2 wickets in his first over as
too did Archie Stead & Simon Hill. All in all Cheddar's batting
was decimated by what must rate as one of the most impressive
bowling spells we have produced throughout the season, ultimately
claiming 14 wickets & it was little surprise that only 4 Cheddar
batsman had a positive score. The principle bowling honours went
to Garth 3 - 1 - 7 - 3 ; Archie 3 - 2 - 1 - 4 (Man of the Match!!)
; Lloyd Davies 2 - 0 - 6 - 2 & Simon Hill 2 - 0 - 7 - 2 , with
William Day & Tom Bond taking 1 apiece, there being one Run Out.
So a well earned resounding victory.
Sunday 25th June - Nailsea - Home
Nailsea 225 - 6 ; Blagdon 229 - 5. Won by 4 runs
This was destined to be our most closely contested game of the
summer, next to our cliff-hanger against Cleeve, & so it proved.
Nailsea's previous history in this age group has always been a
finish within the top three places. Batting first they were restricted
, yet again, by our consistently accurate bowling & fielding &
found runs hard to come by. Simon Hill returned figures of 3 -
2 - 4 - 2 & 1 wicket apiece was claimed by Garth, Archie, Tom
& George Bond. Only L Gibbard (13no) batting in their last pair
produced any resistance enabling them to post only a modest total
of 225. Well within our capabilities but they also had a 'mean'
bowling line up!!. Garth Tiley again provided us with the initial
impetus with a disciplined 8no & we held onto our wickets, whilst
gradually 'eking' the total up. The mid-innings order, where we
have 'blooded' some of our less experienced players throughout
the season, like Nailsea, found the going tough & wickets were
lost & runs hard to come by, with Jo Ford doing particularly well
in getting the only positive score. We still needed 12 runs when
the last pair arrived at the wicket. This time it was Tom Bond
(3no) accompanying Archie Stead (9no) & by the end of their third
over the Nailsea score had been overtaken & we stood at 229. In
a piece of 'mature' but potentially risky strategy Tom made up
his mind, much to the frustration of the Nailsea team, to play
out a maiden over & not go for any 'glory' strokes. It was very
satisfying to see this sort of quality emerging in our younger
players & again only losing 5 wickets to a good bowling outfit
was more & more confirming the realisation that Blagdon was a
team to be reckoned with.
Sunday 2nd July - Uphill Castle - Home
Uphill Castle 216 - 6 ; Blagdon 268 - 2. Won by 52 runs
This fixture, which was due to be played at Uphill on the 9th
July, was brought forward & the venue changed by mutual agreement,
to accommodate difficulties we both had in fulfilling the fixture
on that date. Uphill have been going through the sort of change
that occurs in all clubs at Junior level when age limits are reached
so were fielding a relatively young & inexperienced squad. They,
however, acquitted themselves well & reached a modest total of
216 for only the loss of 6 wickets, which was quite an achievement
against what from our point of view had become a formidable attack.
Rhys Davies fared the best with 4 - 1 - 6 - 2, with 1 wicket each
being chipped in by Tom B; Garth T & Lloyd D. When it came to
our turn to bat it was difficult to get amongst the runs as the
Uphill side were somewhat erratic in their bowling so our biggest
total turned out to be wides, although Rhys played a Captain's
innings & did reach double figures with a 14no to give us a winning
total of 268 & only at the expense of 2 wickets lost. Another
satisfying performance which was starting to stake our claim to
being League title contenders!!
Tuesday 18th July - W-S-M - Home
W-S-M 216 - 5 ; Blagdon 247 - 3. Won by 31 runs
Again due to problems fulfilling the originally scheduled fixture
date of 16th July a re-arranged evening game was agreed. Like
Nailsea, W-S-M have usually figured prominently in the U11 league
championship so another hard game was to be expected. With Weston
batting first we were able to restrict them to a total of only
216 runs, I.Miles being their only player to reach double figures
on 11no. The continued accuracy of our bowling has been impressive
to watch & been coupled with a keener attitude to fielding. Ben
Lyons lead the way with 4 - 2 - 5 - 2 & Garth T & David Eagon
taking 1 each. Blagdon made steady progress in reply & the only
real bowling threat was posed by I.Miles who finished with 4 -
1 - 9 - 2. However, Ben L & Garth T, as the last pair, steered
us towards another comfortable winning total of 247.
Sunday 23rd July - Portishead - Away
Portishead 172 - 11; Blagdon 323 - 5. Won by 151 runs
Portishead had difficulty in fielding a recognised side & had
drafted in some very inexperienced youngsters in order to play
the game. This was a situation that was ruthlessly exploited by
a now 'very confident' Blagdon team & gave us the seasons most
emphatic result. Batting first, Portishead were steamrollered
by our versatile attack. Simon Hill had the remarkable figures
of 1- 0 - 4 - 3 (taken off because he was doing too much damage!!);
Lloyd D 1 - 1 - 0 - 2 (likewise!!), the rest being mopped up by
Oliver Payne 4 - 1 - 7 - 3 ; Ben L 4 -1 - 7 - 2 & Tom B 4 - 1
- 7 - 1. Mayhem then reigned on the batting front as the Portishead
bowlers were taken apart in a flurry of big hitting innings by
our recognised batsmen. Rhys D unleashed the onslaught with 23
no (five 4's), after a more controlled 10no by Jack Lyons. This
was followed by what must rate as one of the most exhilarating
exhibitions of controlled hitting that I have witnessed at this
level of cricket from Ben L as he amassed a total of 43 no (ten
4's) to take our total to 323. Victory number eight, 3 to go to
match Cleeve's feat, who had already managed to finish their league
fixtures by bringing games forward, of winning all their other
games & so being undefeated in the League!.
Sunday 30th July - Congresbury - Home
Blagdon 283 - 5; Congresbury 178 - 14. Won by 105 runs
Tension was beginning to mount as the team recognised the possibility
that, on present form, they could well emulate Cleeve's record
of being undefeated. They were intent on adding Congresbury to
their gathering 'bandwagon of successes'. Blagdon batted first
& were able to negotiate the early overs through to the middle
order with the loss of only 2 wickets whilst accumulating useful
runs. It was to be down to the two final pairings to consolidate
on their hard earned spoils. There was, however, some worrying
moments & mixed fortune amongst these pairs as 4 wickets were
lost between them (I. McCann taking 2 for 7), causing a temporary
setback, but the situation was retrieved by some more big hitting
from Rhys D 22no (four 4's) & Ben L 25no (four 4's) which enabled
us to reach an imposing total of 283. Congresbury suffered immediate
setbacks as our bowling attack went straight into gear with Ben
L taking 2 wickets in his first over, as also did Simon Hill.
From that point on Blagdon took control with Simon completing
one of the best bowling spells witnessed this season with figures
of 4 - 3 - 2 - 4 . Ben finished with 3 - 1 - 6 - 3 with Garth
T supporting them on 3 - 0 - 12 - 3. Chris Goldsbrough,; William
Day & Lloyd D picked up one wicket each. This equalled our best
bowling performance earlier in the season against Cheddar & reduced
Congresbury to a 178 total. Victory number 9; 2 to go!!
Monday 31st July - Failand & Portbury - Home
Blagdon 247 - 7; F & P 180 - 11. Won by 67 runs
We were due to play F & P on the 28th May at their ground but
was cancelled due to rain. This was the earliest re-arranged date
that F & P could manage & then only by changing the venue to our
ground. This was considered another crunch match by the team as
they knew many of the F & P players & their abilities. Having
batted first we did not fair well & lost 5 wickets in the first
10 overs & for the first time the tension appeared to be telling
on our players, whilst F& P with nothing to loose pressed home
their apparent advantage. It was left to the last 2 batting pairs
to try & salvage the situation. This they readily did only loosing
2 wickets in the remaining 8 overs whilst adding 28 runs, Ben
L scoring 10 & Rhys D an invaluable 13. This gave us a by no means
match winning total of 247 & one of our highest wicket losses
in league. Nevertheless, confidence was high in the dressing room
that we could prevent F& P from reaching this target, given our
bowling track record & the fact that their interpretation of the
bowling rules differed to all other clubs, whereby, they would
bowl any player up to the allowed maximum of 4 overs but not give
every player a minimum of 1 over!??. This proved to be their downfall
as we were, therefore, able to use all five of our frontline bowlers
maximum number of overs & turn the screw on their batting lineup.
Although, there was no immediate flurry of wickets, neither were
there many runs (the highest individual score for F & P being
2). The introduction of Simon Hill's accuracy to the attack became
the turning point as he returned matching winning figures, not
for the first time, of 4 - 1 - 4 - 3. He was ably supported by
Ben L 4 - 1 - 8 - 3 ; Tom B 4 - 0 -10 - 2, Oli P 4 - 0 -16 - 2
& Garth T 4 - 0 - 9 - 1. F & P struggled throughout their innings
& were only able to reach 180, Mission accomplished.Win number
10; 1 to go.!!
Sunday 3rd Sept - Wrington - Away
Blagdon 260 - 4; Wrington 174 - 11. Won by 86 runs
This game was orginally due to be played on 6th Aug but because
of school holidays & other factors we were unable to raise a team
to fulfill the fixture & neither could Wrington manage to bring
it forward to mid-week. It was agreed we would re-arrange asap
after the holidays. Because of the 4 week layoff, in order to
keep their 'eye in' a friendly game was organised on Wednesday
23 Aug versus a newly formed Winford U11 away. This was a useful
workout for batsmen & bowlers alike as we cruised to a 151 run
win. Blagdon - 341-2 ; Winford 190 - 10. Still undefeated & a
good confidence run up to the final game.
Playing on an artificial wicket at Wrington was a new experience
for many of our players & with the ground still recovering from
heavy end of week showers the outfield was still very soggy. Batting
first has not been our preferred choice but we were asked to do
so & conditions proved somewhat difficult as our openers tried
to come to terms with the conditions. Rhys had decided to open
with Oli P to try & get a 'flying' start but runs were hard to
come by against some particularly tight bowling from J. Marsden.
At the end of their 4 overs they had added 14 runs without loosing
a wicket & had played sensibly, despite cries from the boundary
of other players anxious for them to 'get on with it'. Those following
behind soon found out why it was not possible to score runs easily
so they all had to knuckle down & preserve their wickets, gaining
the odd run or two where they could. We, nevertheless, lost 4
wickets & only added another 20 runs by the end of the 16th over
when the last pair arrived. Garth T (10no), in a reversal from
his normal opening role, played a very gritty innings to force
the score along with Tom B (2 no) providing the perfect foil the
other end as they added another 26 runs without loss, aided by
some wayward Wrington bowling & we reached a respectable total
of 260, which under the conditions was a very good score. Wrington
required a good start, which they did not get as Garth T zipped
out two batsmen in his first over. The usual pattern emerged as
our bowlers applied their now familiar pressure & with keen fielding
to back it up there was no questioning as to what the result was
going to be! Wrington tried hard to break the strangle hold but
only succeeded in their desperation for runs in getting three
run outs, from some particularly smart fielding & an un-orthodox
display behind the stumps from Alistiar Palmer!!. Garth T finished
with 4 - 1 - 6 - 3 ; Chris Goldsbrough returned his best bowling
figures of the season with 3 - 2 - 3 - 2, Tom B & Simon H with
1 each. Wrington eventually finished on 174. 'Done & dusted',
win number 11, undefeated & joint top of the league with Cleeve
& a playoff in prospect!! This, however, proved impossible to
arrange & so the Championship is being shared between our two
club's. |
