Prep
IAPS Triathlon – Mrs Gardner
Huge congratulations to Thomas and Imogen for their fantastic performances at the IAPS Triathlon event last weekend, hosted by Monkton Combe School! Both athletes gained valuable experience from the tough competition, which included a difficult swim where diving and tumble turns were not permitted, a hilly and technical bike course, and a challenging run that featured a notable incline and a tight, uphill bend. Despite these significant challenges, both excelled, with Thomas finishing 25th and Imogen securing an excellent 12th place!
U11A vs St Peter’s by Mr Venning
Yesterday’s fixture produced a thrilling contest that went right down to the final over. Both sides competed superbly throughout, with momentum swinging back and forth all evening.
After a strong all-round performance in the field and with the bat, the game was set up for a tense finish, with the result hanging in the balance until the very last few deliveries. The calmness and maturity shown in the closing stages were exceptional, with both teams competing in a superb spirit throughout.
A fantastic showcase for school cricket and an unforgettable contest for all involved.
U11C Mixed Cricket vs. St Peter’s Mrs Gardner
The clouds cleared just in time for a great game of cricket against St Peter’s. Bowling first, the U11C team got off to a flying start thanks to three superb opening overs from Noe and Austin, which yielded two quick wickets. However, maintaining that momentum proved tough. Adapting to a soft ball led to a few too many wides and no-balls, allowing St Peter’s to finish on a strong 185.
In response, our batters looked comfortable and were ahead of the game by over 6. St Peter’s fought back with some excellent bowling, leaving us trailing by 30 runs with three overs to go. A determined final partnership from Henry and Badis clawed back the deficit, finishing just 16 runs short of the target.
With a bit more energy in the field and sharper backing-up, the team will undoubtedly bounce back stronger in their next fixture.
House Cricket
This year’s House Swimming Gala was a fantastic event, with over 50 pupils taking to the poolside to represent their Houses in both the Junior (Years 7 and 8) and Inter (Years 9 and 10) competitions. The atmosphere was excellent, with every race met by loud support and encouragement from fellow swimmers. A special mention goes to Amalie, Jemima and Ruby, who showed great commitment by stepping in to compete in multiple Inter events alongside their own races. Final standings saw Woolmer finish 4th, French 3rd, Barnicott 2nd and Ray crowned overall winners. Well done to all involved!
An U14 mixed team travelled to Downside on Saturday where they played an exciting two-innings format, much like a Test match, with the result going down to the last ball!
Both teams were to bat for 12 overs each, with no bowler allowed more than 2 overs, then in the second innings both teams had to reverse their batting orders with the same rule for the bowlers. Downside won the toss and elected to bat first. Wickets fell steadily to the Queen’s bowlers although extras and the contribution of one of the opposition’s players, who scored 28, meant Downside finished on 78 after 12 overs. In reply, the Downside bowling attack were accurate but good running between the wickets meant that Queen’s finished on 80 after 12 overs, giving them a slender two run lead on first innings.
Both teams now had to bat again, reversing their batting orders from first innings. Both second innings were reduced to 10 overs due to time. Great energy in the field by the Queen’s fielders, including sliding stops on the wet grass, restricted Downside to 48, setting Queen’s 47 to win. Despite wickets falling, the Queen’s batters edged steadily closer to their victory target and with 3 overs left, needed 11 runs to win with 4 wickets in hand. The last over approached and Queen’s needed 3 runs to win with 3 wickets in hand. Surely victory was imminent! However, it is amazing what pressure can do in such situations. A run was scrambled but two wickets fell in two balls. Queen’s now needed 2 runs to win off 2 balls with 1 wicket in hand. The next ball was missed by the batter and the last was a wicket for Downside! Agonisingly the team had lost by 1 run but this was a fantastic match and to go to the very last ball with the match in the balance was how it should be. A super effort by the whole team with a particular mention to Luis who captained the team with maturity whilst also batting, bowling and fielding excellently.
U17 Cricket at Embley School
On Thursday 14 May a squad full of enthusiasm to venture beyond the county boarders faced Embley School in Hampshire. Whilst the outcome brought an end to this U17 plate knock-out competition, we left with plenty of positives, not least beating the weather forecast for a full T20 contest and an enjoyable road trip. We were asked to bowl first on a looked after wicket with a rugby-trodden outfield. The setting was wooded and the hospitality and welcome was excellent. On the pitch we created chances but also faced some fielding challenges, and offered extra balls in half our overs. The highlights included TP’s first U17 match delivering two economical overs, plus taking a catch in Max’s two wickets, who also held onto his chance in the field. Nathaniel took the lead in offering no extra balls in his 3-over spell, and Alex repaid the faith of his captain by returning figures of 2 for 27 off four overs despite 14 runs coming from his first over. Wow, what a comeback of control and destruction that helped us restrict Embley to 178/7.
The story was similar with the bat given we faced a Maiden to begin and yet hit 17 off the second over. The cricket worm was riding a rollercoaster, but the boys stayed in the hunt and stuck to their approach. Tom and Felix put on 56 for the second wicket including 7 boundaries dominated in Tom’s 43 off 38 balls. The Embley team shuffled about nervously as their target was in reach with this momentum. Victory sadly faded away with successive wickets as our middle order continued to bat for the team with aggression, but met a quality left arm spinner who took 3 for 14. We flurried late on with Kirk’s 17* off 14 balls to get us to 126/6 in reply. The deficit was 52 runs, but actually we found our match in a similar-sized school and we would happily meet again should our cup or tours ever collide. Well done boys on a great road trip.