Prep school
Cricket
U10A Girls V Wells Mrs Gardner
The U10A girls enjoyed a comfortable victory in their season opener against Wells. Playing on the astro created a fast-paced environment, with the ball zipping across the outfield and offering plenty of bounce at the wicket.
With all ten players contributing with both bat and ball, it was impressive to see how much technical progress the group has made so far this term. The communication in the field was a particular highlight; Lowenna led the way with excellent calling, but the vocal encouragement from the entire team was a promising sign for the season ahead. The camaraderie was evident, with wickets celebrated with high fives and genuine teamwork.
When it came to batting, the girls were in an attacking mood, dispatching eight boundaries in total. While the tally was bolstered by 28 runs from wides and no-balls, the players did well to keep their focus. On the bowling front, QC was clinical, taking five wickets to Wells’ one. Elsie MI turned the game with an incredible three-wicket over, while Katie delivered a disciplined maiden. Further tight bowling from Elsie S and Isabel, who conceded just one run each, ensured a dominant performance from start to finish.
U10B girls V Wells Mr N Burlingham
The U10B team made an enthusiastic start to their season in a closely contested match against Wells Cathedral. It was an evenly matched affair from the first ball, with Queen’s showing great promise in the field.
Meyline, Emily, and Eleanor delivered a series of comprehensive spells, keeping the pressure on the batters. Meyline and Ariana were rewarded for their accuracy with a wicket apiece, helping to restrict Wells to a total of 73.
When it was the Queen’s turn to bat, the girls started steadily, capitalising on several extras from the opposition. However, the momentum shifted as Wells found their rhythm in the field, taking crucial wickets in the second, fourth, and ninth overs. These dismissals proved costly, removing 20 runs from the total and leaving the team with a steep hill to climb. Despite the setback, the girls showed fantastic grit and persevered until the final ball, ultimately falling just three runs short. While the result didn’t go their way, the match provided plenty of valuable lessons to take into the rest of the season.
U11A Boys vs King’s College Prep – ESCA Somerset Cup by Mr Venning
Queen’s College produced a superb display of cricket in a thrilling ESCA Somerset Cup encounter against King’s College Prep, in a match that showcased an exceptionally high standard from both sides. Batting first, Queen’s set the tone immediately with an outstanding opening partnership from Oliver and Theo. Both players looked composed at the crease, consistently finding the middle of the bat and building a strong foundation with fluent stroke play and intelligent running between the wickets.
With the ball, Queen’s raised the intensity even further. A disciplined and energetic spell from Rex, Josh and Albie brought real pace and purpose to the attack, placing King’s under sustained pressure. Behind the stumps, Jonah was excellent, keeping the game tight with sharp glovework and strong communication.The introduction of spin saw Joey make an immediate impact, delivering a sensational spell that posed a constant threat and resulted in crucial wickets at key moments. Imogen, one of Queen’s Somerset Pathway representatives, also delivered a standout all-round performance, bowling with deadly accuracy and contributing valuable runs with the bat.
Despite the tremendous effort and quality on display, it wasn’t to be, losing by a narrow margin in what was a truly nail-biting contest. It was, nevertheless, an incredibly proud performance from the team and a match played in excellent spirit throughout.
U11A Boys vs Wells Cathedral by Mr Venning
Queen’s College enjoyed another exciting and valuable fixture against Wells, with clear signs of ongoing development across all aspects of the game. With the bat, there was encouraging progress as players showed improved intent, better shot selection, and growing confidence at the crease, with partnerships becoming more assured and a stronger emphasis on building innings rather than simply playing expansively. The bowling unit matched this improvement, delivering disciplined and consistent spells that helped apply sustained pressure throughout the innings. In the field, there was a continued focus on alignment and structure, with players developing a better understanding of positioning, communication, and overall field setting. Overall, it was another highly positive experience in hardball cricket, with strong learning evident in steps forward in both individual skills and collective game awareness.
U11A Cricket Match Report vs Wells Girls Match Report
The U11A girls made the trip to Wells, gaining valuable early-season match experience. They batted with confidence and produced an excellent bowling performance, ensuring the game remained tightly contested throughout. It was a very encouraging display, and we look forward to seeing them build on this performance in their first hardball fixture next week.
U11C vs Wells Cathedral by Mr Matthews
A brilliant first fixture of the season for the U11C team against Wells Cathedral, with the boys playing with real energy and togetherness throughout. There were some excellent performances in the field, with sharp stops and strong, consistent bowling putting the opposition under pressure, while with the bat we scored confidently despite some tricky windy conditions, finding the boundary regularly and showing great intent. A very encouraging start all round and we are already looking forward to the next match.
U11B Girls V Wells Mrs Czeres
The Queen’s U11B girls played their first away match of the season against Wells Cathedral on a sunny and windy afternoon. It was a closely contested friendly match characterised by great sportsmanship and encouragement from both sides. Queen’s performed well throughout the game, ultimately losing by a narrow margin of 15 runs.
The team’s batting was a particular highlight of the day. Polly hit an impressive 6, while Aria and Bella both successfully hit 4s. Due to her effective performance while batting, Aria was named Batter of the Match.
Defensively, the team worked hard to limit the opposition’s score. Annie and Anais were the standout bowlers, each taking a wicket. Annie was also named Fielder of the Match for her consistent work in the field.
The windy conditions made bowling accurately difficult, and the team will continue to work on their technique and precision in upcoming practices. Additionally, the players identified a need to improve their reactive fielding and their verbal communication regarding when to run while batting. This was a successful first away trip for the team, and all the players should be proud of their efforts.
Senior school
Cricket
U12A Girls V Wellington and Exeter Mrs Gardner
The U12A girls enjoyed a fantastic season opener last Saturday. Every player had the opportunity to bat and bowl. For those making their match debut, it was a steep but rewarding learning curve, while the more experienced players quickly found their rhythm. Matilda delivered a standout performance behind the stumps; her sharp wicket-keeping kept byes to a minimum. While our bowling was a little loose at times with wides and no-balls, the potential is clear.
In our first fixture against Exeter, strong batting from Matilda, Eleanor, and Ruby, combined with sharp running between the wickets, secured a well-earned draw. In the second game, we rotated the order to ensure everyone gained experience. While this slowed the run rate, the boost in confidence across the entire squad was the real victory of the day.
U13/12B Boys V St Peters By Mr Knight
Queens U13/12B secured a strong 24-run victory over St Peter’s with a composed all-round performance.
Batting first, Queens posted 109 for 4, built on solid contributions from H Barlett and S Shire, who both retired on 20. Late runs from L Slottje-Pick helped push the total past 100 to 109.
In response, Queens kept control in the field, taking early wickets and maintaining pressure throughout. E Green made an impact with a key run-out, and B Milmer bowled tightly to limit scoring.
St Peter’s were restricted to 85 for 3, never quite keeping up with the required rate, as Queens’ disciplined bowling and fielding secured a deserved w
U13A Cricket vs. Wellington – By Mr Bell
Queen’s U13 kicked off their season in spirited fashion with a competitive encounter against Wellington U13 on a glorious day, as a lively boundary crowd gathered to support both sides.
Wellington won the toss and chose to bowl first, putting Queen’s into bat. Captain Harry organized his lineup with Max and Owen opening the innings. Max made a brisk start but was dismissed early for 7, and the pressure continued as number three Henry soon followed, also departing for 7.
With Queen briefly on the back foot, Freddie steadied the innings with a composed knock of 16 from 22 balls, helping to rebuild momentum. At the other end, Owen provided resilience, anchoring the innings as wickets fell around him. He played a crucial role, top-scoring with 27 before eventually being dismissed.
Late contributions from Archie (17) and Jaspar (10) added valuable runs in the closing stages, pushing Queen’s to a competitive total of 121/7.
In response, Wellington finished on 97/4, as Queen’s delivered a disciplined and well-organized performance in the field. Tight bowling and sharp field placements restricted scoring opportunities throughout the innings.
Wickets at key moments from Harry, Freddie, Tom, and Kwaku ensured Wellington never gained full momentum, despite their efforts to chase the target.
Queen’s U13 secured a well-deserved 24-run victory, marking an excellent start to the season with a strong all-round display.
U13A Girls v Wellington A & B and Exeter A – by Mr Smith
The U13 girls had a chance to put their early season training to the test in a quadrangular tournament at Wellington on Saturday against Wellington’s A & B teams and Exeter A team. The matches were 8-a-side and 10-overs in duration, allowing for lots of opportunity to develop skills through the afternoon.
In the first match against Wellington A, Queen’s elected to bat first. Molly and Poppy timed the ball well and Ria ran efficiently between the wickets but the team did not score enough runs to properly test our opponents, scoring 36 in our 10 overs and Wellington managed to pass our total with just under three overs to spare.
Against Wellington B team, the girls, through accurate bowling and energetic fielding, managed to restrict Wellington to 36, taking several wickets in the process, with Jemima in particular keeping the stumps in play in a very accurate spell of bowling. Tally also kept wicket efficiently, stopping the ball on many occasions and preventing any extra byes to be attributed to the Wellington score. The Queen’s team knocked off the runs confidently, with a standout batting performance from Sophia who struck the ball powerfully, hitting two fours in her total of 12 not out.
The last game, which was reduced to 8 overs per innings, was against Exeter A team, who possessed several county players. This was evident in their bowling where every one of them ran in from twenty metres and bowled at high pace. The Queen’s girls found it difficult to score fluently and ended on 28 after their allotted 8 overs. Whilst wickets were taken, Exeter managed to secure the victory.
The games were a great opportunity for the Queen’s girls to gain more match experience and they all agreed that working on scoring more runs needed to be a focus for the next training session.
U14A Cricket Vs Wellington – By Mr Knight
Queens College U14s faced a challenging fixture on Saturday 25th April.
After losing the toss, Queens were put into the field as the opposition elected to bat first. The visitors posted a strong total of 217/5 from their 30 overs, setting a demanding target.
Queens showed persistence with the ball despite the difficult conditions. Wickets were shared across the attack, with Pawley, Flood, Alderson, Fortune and Ciuculete all taking a wicket each. The side continued to work hard in the field throughout, keeping going against a well-set batting line-up.
In reply, Queens found it tough to build momentum and were bowled out for 87 in 17.5 overs. Speyer top-scored with 13, while Pawley added 11, but regular wickets made it difficult to form partnerships.
While the result didn’t go Queens’ way, there were positives in the effort and attitude shown throughout. The match offers valuable experience and a platform to improve going forward.
U15A Cricket v Wellington – By Mr Suppiah
The U15A side produced a performance full of character and determination in Saturday’s fixture against Wellington School. Batting first, Wellington posted a strong 153 for 3 from their allotted overs, placing Queen’s under pressure from the outset.
Despite the obvious challenge of being left short of a full playing 11, the team showed tremendous resilience, commitment and togetherness throughout the match. Every player contributed, supported one another and competed with real pride from first ball to last.
Hitting back with 111 for 7 was a superb effort and the way this group responded all day was a credit to Queen’s College. Our cricket highlights included Kirk’s half-century and Abi’s wicket maiden, but above all else the pupils proved what it means to be part of a team and should be extremely proud of their attitude and courage.
U15 Girls v Wellington in The Cricket Paper 100 Ball Cup First Round on Fri 24 April – By Mrs Foster
Queen’s U15 Girls hosted Wellington to launch our 100 Ball cup campaign. We bowled with good control and used nine different bowlers, a statistic that shows our depth of readiness to step up on the big occasions. Talya kept very tidily and we maintained great energy throughout the innings. Eliza captained the side and kept our fields quite attacking in recognition of how hard it was to find the ropes, knowing if our ring was beaten it rarely cost us two let alone 4. The team approached the game with positivity and fantastic support for one another in the field after winning the toss. Wellington scored 101/5 in their hundred balls with wickets shared between Alissa, Teniore, Eliza, Lettie, and Millie. They all dismissed batters by clean bowling them, which is not often seen on a scorecard but is testament to our strategy of keeping the stumps in play.Our KPIs centre around minimising extras and scoring off as many balls as possible. Wellington gave us 46 extras, and we conceded 52. Our scoring shot percentage matched theirs at 38%, yet we made many more multiples by pushing twos and threes with quality running between the wickets built on communication and partnerships. Juno top scored with 26, and Teniore made a valuable 19. It was their partnership of 63 that broke the back of the chase, yet no-one could sit comfortably as we started the last 10 balls still needing 6 to win. Thankfully Juno steered us home with three balls to spare, and we progress in the cup thanks to a great team performance.
First XI v Wellington on Sat 25 April By Mrs Foster
We returned to Bulford pitch on Saturday, but this time we had our year 13s on board to help address our heavy U17 Cup defeat on Thursday. Strangely we recreated a similar scoreline, yet a completely different story. Wellington won the toss and chose to bat, and it was one of the best hundreds seen in school cricket by their opener. The cricket was exactly what our First XI should be involved in. When we bowled at top of off stump we made scoring much harder, yet the margins for missing lengths were small and quickly punished by high class shots. It was excellent cricket to witness, and involved bowlers toiling in the heat to control where they got hit and at times having to accept the costly fete of good bowls going to the boundary. The fielding was brilliantly directed towards keeping the big scorer off strike as much as possible. The intensity was top draw with plenty of presence, chat and commitment from everywhere including behind the stumps, in the ring and on the ropes. The highlight had to be a flying co-captain that if caught on camera would have looked like he was playing in goal again. Digger did an extraordinary dive on the mid-wicket boundary that he elected to parry back to the field to prevent a 6, but it caught everyone’s attention for athleticism and skill.
The first innings will stand out as a highlight for being ‘proper cricket’. The pitch had decent carry, the batting was high class and it tested our attack who stuck to task well and were backed up in the field. While one batter scored at 200% the other ticked over at 50% still playing his part in keeping wickets in hand and going at 8 runs per over in the first 20 overs. They got away in the last ten at ten runs per over to take their score to 270/3 as their number 4 also enjoyed the batting-friendly conditions and hit six maximums in a sparkling 90. The total was almost identical to the U17 game, but batters played brilliantly for their runs on the board and the conditions gave us confidence to chase it down.
We witnessed an opening masterclass by Joe who navigated the new ball before extending his scoring options and dominating the spin without fuss. Digger also threatened in their partnership of 57, but sadly neither batter went on from their 60 or 24 runs respectively, and with two wickets in hand and an ever increasing required run rate upon us going into the last ten overs, the game had gone. Burhan gave us a cheerful ending though hitting three fours and one six in a 5-ball 18 not out as he and Tristan both enjoyed their time at the crease. We were all out for 152, yet competed very well for much of the afternoon and had several positives to fuel our return to the U18 T20 competition coming up on Friday night.
Photos by Millie in Year 10
