Senior School
Cricket
Senior school cricket hit the ground running with training and matches throughout the age groups. Individual match reports can be seen on SOCS and the scorecards are available to see on the Queen’s College play-cricket website. This report offers an overall summary including our highlights.
The First XI christened the new Mizuno T20 coloured kit with first and second round cup matches. Given each ball is a new event, we showed the value of competing each ball and winning as many events as we could. Performance improvement was evident from the first to the second game and we take our mini-wins with a healthy perspective of tough oppositions in the overall contest. Next up Millfield for our U17 35 Over cup.
Elsewhere in cup cricket, the U14s proved victorious against Taunton School U14b. This win built on their platform of cricket against Wellington on Saturday. Not every team was as fortunate to get the game in as away pitches proved unplayable. The Queen’s cricket pitches however, looked glorious and naturally gave challenge to batters finding their feet on grass. Munesu took an early lead in run-scoring by bringing up a half-century in the first match and hitting forty more in the second. Another bat was raised by Max whose fifty not out helped the U12s win convincingly against Wellington. The U12s remain unbeaten having played St Peters too.
Bouncebackability credit goes to the U13s who struggled to amass a total on the first day of the season with low bounce. A great fight in the second innings saw them take five wickets while defending a low score. Then choosing to bat first in their next game and making 80 runs in 14 overs has opened up their scoring potential while retiring batters got the whole order involved. Well done Oli and Tom for top-scoring.
It was a shame to see a sunny Saturday go to waste when the Girls away matches were all cancelled in the first weekend, but since then the Year 7 have been introduced to hardball pairs, and the U13A and U12/13B teams also hosted Mount Kelly in competitive battles to get the season going. After hitting 25 not out for the U15s on Tuesday Livi let her U13 teammates take on the batting engine roles of being in the top 6. There were fine performances despite falling 12 runs short of their first win, but huge success in fuelling the love of batting with good runs for Willow, Tori and Charlotte. There are promising signs everywhere on the cricket scene and with so much more to come. It will be the Girls First XI’s turn to play in their new Mizuno T20 Coloured Kit on Saturday, hopefully in front of a home crowd to clap more runs, wickets and smiles for Queen’s.
Prep School
Boys Cricket
U11A
A superb team bowling performance set the tone for a strong showing this week. The entire squad contributed with the ball, showcasing a wide variety of styles and approaches. It was particularly pleasing to see many players developing new skills and finding success in match conditions. Our fielding remained sharp and committed throughout, with plenty of learning moments embraced by all. A special mention goes to Arthur B. for a standout display that lifted the team.
U10A
A super first game for U10A. The whole team were enthusiastic and fully enjoyed the experience, as evidenced by the crowd’s encouragement from the pavilion whenever a boundary was scored! The main work on is the non-striking batsman backing up and looking for a run every ball. Some excellent bowling from our boys, especially given the minimal practice so far this term. Well done, lads.
10B
A good first outing for the U10 side this week. Performing well in the field to create some run-out opportunities, and always being positive with each other and encouraging. Theo bowled on a consistent line and length to cause the opposition batters some real issues and Barry’s keenness to run between the wickets definitely gave us a boost. Moving forward, the team will be looking at timing the ball and remembering they don’t need to hit the skin off the ball to score runs.
Girls Cricket
U10 Teams
What a wonderful start to the cricket season, with amazing weather providing ideal preparation for our first matches against Wells.
The U10 teams travelled to Wells and enjoyed fantastic first match experiences, with both squads growing in confidence as the games progressed. The A team demonstrated good running between the wickets but would benefit from increased alertness in the field and more confident bowling. Similarly, the B team needs to focus on maintaining a straight arm while bowling and carefully watching the ball onto the bat when batting.
U11 Teams
The U11 girls also had some great games. The A team displayed early-season confidence and looked well-drilled, showcasing some effortless batting and bowling. The B team were involved in a tight contest where losing a few wickets to run-outs and not watching the ball closely when batting proved costly. However, a dramatic last over saw Poppy G take a crucial wicket and Elizabeth prevent a boundary, resulting in a narrow victory.
