Youth Cricket 2016

Swanage U15 v. Bransgore U15 26th July 2016

This was the third occasion this season that these teams had met, with the very evenly matched sides having won one match each. Hit by the absence of several players on holiday, the visitors managed to assemble a team, kindly assisted by Noah and Lewis playing up 2 and 3 year groups. The team finally beat the weight of traffic, two hours after leaving Swanage, and arrived at the distant ground. Captain for the first time, Charlie called correctly at the toss and elected to bat first. The evening was overcast and a little muggy with little wind. The match was played on a grass wicket, making a pleasant change as it would offer more of a challenge with its irregular bounce.

Callum and Matt opened the batting and with sharp running they raced to 21 runs off the first 2 overs before Callum was cleanly taken by the bowler with a return catch. The ball occasionally kept very low and Sam was pinned back on the crease and given out LBW. This brought skipper Charlie in to bat. He was facing the same bowler who had just extracted Sam. The pre-match talk had emphasized the importance of playing yourself in, but Charlie dispensed with such formalities and laced his first four balls for four in the mid wicket area. All of these shots were struck in the middle of the bat would have reached the boundary on a pitch twice the size. Shot sir! Meanwhile at the other end, Matt had been starved of the strike, whilst admiring the ball sailing over the boundary. Matt was caught on the back foot as a low ball crept through his defences. Timber! Matt made 24 runs. Charlie soon after retired on 37, including a brace of 6s. The question now was who could maintain the momentum. Ali and Ben were the next pair and progressed well before Ali was run out. Meanwhile, Ben struck 5 boundaries in his 23, before being very well caught above the head at mid on. The last pair Lewis and Noah did well to see out the innings against some pacy bowling in the final over. The final total was 142/5. Swanage had been hoping for a score over 150 runs, but tight final overs prevented that.

The total of 142 looked like being enough, but the home side’s number one batsman put bat to ball very powerfully. After 3 overs the home side had reached 32 runs, making a bit of a mess of the figures of opening bowlers Sam and Ben. There was a run out and then a change of bowling, bringing on Matt and Charlie, who used his pace to clean bowl the number 3 batsman. This left batsmen one and four at the crease. They both reached retirement scores, bring 2 fresh batsmen for Charlie to bowl at, on one occasion cartwheeling the middle stump back towards keeper Ali. Callum had a bowl and then Noah bowled a tight over, with just one ball scored off in his over. Birthday boy Ali did well to collect the ball behind the stumps and saved boundary byes on several occasions. Matt picked up a wicket LBW, but the home side only needed 13 runs to win off the last 2 overs. Charlie bowled a very tight penultimate over for three runs and a wicket, leaving the home side to score 10 runs off 8 balls. But now the fading light was making it difficult to bat, bowl and field. It fell to Ben to bowl an over containing no wides, no balls or to concede any boundaries. The final over was indeed tidily bowled and Swanage restricted the home side to 137/5.

A closely-matched game was won because Swanage had again posted enough runs when batting first, with three batsmen making decent scores. The home side also had three decent scores from batsmen, but they conceded more extras. The Swanage fielding was satisfactory and it was apt that an evenly matched contest could have been won by either side on the very last ball.

Swanage 142 - 5       Bransgore 137 - 5      Swanage won by 5 runs

 

Swanage U13s v Bournemouth 25th July 2016

Swanage faced a tough Bournemouth side on Monday without 6 of their regular players and were made to struggle in the field as they bowled first. Benjamin and Ryan opened the bowling and started well but their second overs were more expensive. Ryan's did contain a wicket though as he had one of the openers caught by Noah. Another good catch, this time by Adam Field making his debut for the U13s, off Lewis's bowling saw Bournemouth 2 down but the score was racing along. This pattern continued as wickets fell but the score increased rapidly. Noah's second catch off his brother Jacob's bowling (another debutant for the U13s) was a real highlight especially when Jacob was able to repay him later by taking a good catch off Noah's bowling. A wicket by Benjamin at the end after a great spell by Harry saw Bournemouth finish their 20 overs on a mammoth 194 - 5 and it would have been more without some good stops by our third debutant Andrew behind the stumps.

Swanage got off to a terrible start losing early wickets including all their experienced batsmen. It was left to the determined Jude and the increasingly confident Harry to take the score forward. Jude batted the entire innings for a battling 18 not out while Harry struck 3 boundaries in an excellent 19. It was never going to be enough though as Swanage ended their innings on 74 - 6

A disappointing result but lots of positives with excellent catching, and good performances by the younger players stepping up.

Bournemouth 194 - 5     Swanage 74 - 6      Bournemouth won by 120 runs

 

Swanage U9s v Winton 25th July 2016

Swanage U9s had reached their second cup final in two years and were hoping to go one better than last year as they played Winton for the second time in three days. This time they had to travel to a neutral ground at Parley. 

Batting first Swanage began with their usual opening pair of Max and Regan who as so often this season gave Swanage a great start, this time with a partnership of 28. Regan scoring 16 including 3 fours. The 2 Josh's came next and despite a terrible start with Josh Titley out first ball they kept the runs coming and score rising. Dylan and Jasmine ran well with Dylan scoring 10 runs. Sadly a few wickets meant that Swanage needed a good finish from George and James to end up with a reasonable total. No need to worry as they carried on from Saturday's match running well, defending the good balls while adding to the total. James scoring 15 runs to leave Swanage at 260 - 6 a few less than Saturday but a good total nevertheless.

George got Swanage off to the perfect start as he took a wicket off his third ball Regan taking the first of his 4 catches. Max followed this up with a second wicket but it was Jasmine's first over that really but Swanage on top as she took 2 wickets one a brilliant stumping by Regan once again. Winton began the slow climb back to 200 before a brilliant caught and bowled by Josh Titley saw them pegged back again. A run out soon followed before Winton were finally able to climb back above the 200 starting point. A great final partnership by Kaitlin and Reuben gave Winton some hope as the scored 21 between them. Swanage fielded well throughout and kept their cool happy to let Winton have the singles and ran out winners by 28 runs.

A fantastic end to a wonderful season for the U9s who played 10 games and won them all doing the league and cup double

Swanage 260 - 6      Winton 232 - 8       Swanage won by 28 runs and win the U9s Softball cup

 

Swanage U9s v Winton 23rd July 2016

There was all to play for in the last U9s league match against Winton. Unbeaten so far in the league they wanted both to win their final league game and win the title. Captain Josh Wood won the toss and put Winton into bat. George once again opened the bowling and carried on his recent good form by taking a wicket in his first over as Regan took the first of 2 catches behind the stumps. Another wicket by James and a run out from Dylan saw the score kept down before George took his second wicket helped by a brilliant high catch by Jasmine. She then turned bowler and took the first of her two wickets. Regan finished the innings off with a wicket off the last ball leaving Winton on 218 - 7. Another excellent bowling and fielding performance by Swanage.

A great opening over by Kaitlin would have proved too good for many batsmen but not for Regan who took 2 fours off the first over. He and Max carried on form last week with only a single wicket and at the end of the first four overs Swanage were already ahead. The game remained tense though as the 2 Josh's scored some good runs but in one disastrous over both got out. Josh Wood calmed the nerves as he score 5 off the last over and 10 all together as Swanage were 19 ahead. Jasmine and Dylan carried on in the same way with runs and wickets but 3 fours by Dylan helping him score 15 and his best score of the season saw Swanage to 254 and 36 runs ahead with James and George to bat. They started well scoring 11 off both the first 2 overs James hitting 2 fours in a row. A run out was a reward for some good Winton fielding but with James scoring 12 runs and George 9 runs Swanage kept moving ahead to score 279 - 6 and run out winners by 61 runs.

The title secure and now the cup final against the same opposition on Monday at Parley Sports Club

 

Winton 218 - 7       Swanage 279 - 6       Swanage won by 61 runs and win the U9s Softball league

 

Swanage U11s v Winton 23rd July 2016

On a blistering hot Saturday morning Swanage made their way over to Winton, with Adrian standing in as coach and scorer while Lou Pankhurst made her debut as umpire.
Winton batted first and Swanage got off to a good start with Holly taking a wicket in her first over. Swanage struggled to take on any more wickets but there was a nice tight bowling display from James in particular. Winton got to a total of 287 off of 16 overs with Swanage taking just the 1 wicket.


Swanage had an unlucky start losing 3 wickets in the first 2 overs with some very fast bowling from Winton. Brandon and Jacob then came to the crease and put on a stand of 29 runs with Brandon getting his highest ever score of 14 not out and Jacob making 15 including a fine 6 shooting over the boundary. Archie and James came in and batted carefully and then it was down to Holly and Toby to keep up the run chase. Holly in her first match as captain batted well scoring 13 runs but in a tense  last over she had to survive without getting out on the last 4 balls. She held her nerve and the result was a win for Swanage ending with 292 for 5.  It was a well deserved win for the team with great team performance by Andrew, Oscar, Brandon, Jacob, Archie, James, Holly and Toby.

Winton   287 - 1      Swanage 292 - 5      Swanage won by 5 runs

 

Swanage U15 v. Wimborne Wasps 19th July 2016

The hottest day of the year had cooled a little before play began at 18:00 on a wonderful summer evening. Wimborne won the toss and put the hosts in to bat. Alistair and Callum opened the batting on what looked to be a golden opportunity to amass a large score, especially with the visitors one player down and a lightening outfield. However, by the fourth over the openers plus Sam were back in the pavilion, all caught by the same fielder. Uppish shots were to blame, of course, which was unfortunate as there was a huge amount of space between the fielders. A rescue mission was needed if Swanage if were to reach the total they were capable of. It fell to Charlie and Matt to save the innings. Charlie scored 5 boundaries, including an enormous 6 over mid wicket, before retiring on 35. Matt played sensibly and scored 23 before being bowled. This brought Tom to the crease. His array of powerful shots started with a 6 and he ended with a season’s best of 20. Ben played some of the best shots of the night and was 21 not out, with Ryan coming in in the last over and scoring a single. Sunny did not bat.

Chasing the host’s score of 143, the visitors got off to a poor start with Sam forcing the opening batsman to sky an attempted pull shot. This was well taken by Alistair behind the stumps. Matt opened the bowling at the other end, but in Sam’s second over he clean bowled a further 2 batsmen. Charlie and Ryan bowled next. Followed by Callum and Ben, both of them bowling one of the opposition’s batsmen. The fielding was of a good standard and this was shown when Sam collected the ball smartly at square leg to run out the final batsman. Swanage posted by far their best total of the season. This was enough to put pressure on the opposition, causing the regular fall of wickets. Swanage did their best to keep the visitors in the game by conceding far too may runs. After 6 overs Wimborne had scored 36 runs, with only 9 off the bat and the rest (75% coming in extras, mostly wides). However, Swanage did well to score so many runs and fully deserved their victory.

Swanage 143 - 5       Wimborne 91 all out      Swanage won by 52 runs

 

Swanage U13s v Verwood 18th July 2016

After missing so many games this season the U13s were back n action as they travelled to Verwood for a top of the table clash. Benjamin lost the toss but Swanage were asked to bat anyway. The best opening stand of the season saw Jude and Adam give Swanage a firm basis but the runs were hard to come by as Verwood bowled really tightly from both ends. With Jude out Ryan tried to give the innings a bit more impetus but this time he fell to a good catch before he could really get started. Benjamin picked up the run rate with a quick 12 but more good bowling saw Lewis and Reuben dismissed in quick succession. With Isaac joining Adam, a partnership of 22 got Swanage back on track before Adam was run out for a patient 17 - his top score. Noah followed soon after and it was left to Sam and Isaac to bat the overs both scoring 12 as Swanage made it to 91 all out.

Defending a lower total than usual Swanage got off to a great start with Benjamin taking a wicket in his first over. A great catch by Lewis got a wicket for Ryan and this pattern continued as Benjamin bowled his second victim whilst Isaac took another great catch to give Ryan his second wicket. Verwood steadied the ship until Reuben took the 5th wicket with another cleaned bowled. Verwood's number 3 had batted steadily keeping the innings together when Noah took a stunning one handed catch off Isaac to give Swanage wicket number 6 but with just 26 runs needed it was still anyone's game.A few extras and some good runs saw the score climb to 83 before a direct hit from Isaac gave Swanage their 7th wicket. The field pressed but Tom Prince kept his head to score 2 fours and take Verwood over the line. A dramatic end to a fabulous game played in a great spirit by both teams.

Swanage 91 all out      Verwood 94 - 7      Verwood won by 1 wicket

 

Swanage U9s v Ferndown 16th July 2016

The U9s made the long trip to Ferndown hoping to continue their winning run. Captain Seb Wright won the toss and put Ferndown into bat. George bowled the first over conceding only 1 run and then a great over from Dylan finishing with a wicket put Swanage on top. James added another wicket before the introduction of Max pushed the score below 200 as he once again took 2 wickets in an over. Tight bowling by Seb and Josh Wood kept the score down but it was Josh's second over that was the most amazing as he took 3 wickets in 4 balls including a low down caught and bowled. Swanage's catching was excellent as Riley, Regan and George all took catches. The amazing bowling wasn't over as James took a second wicket and then Regan took a wicket with his first ball. Max completed a hat trick as he took 2 more wickets and ended on the incredible figures of 2 overs 1 maiden 4 wickets for just 1 run. With 11 wickets in total Ferndown's total ended where it had begun on 200.

Usual openers Max and Regan started the reply with Regan taking full advantage of the short boundaries. He hit 6 fours and a mighty 6 on his way to his top score of the season of 33, while Max just kept pushing the singles to give him the strike. An opening partnership of 49 meant the others could relax and enjoy their batting with Swanage well ahead. George and Riley were in next and the innings followed the same pattern as Riley pushed singles and George hit 4s. They added 44 with George getting his top score of 17. Josh and Seb kept up the momentum despite a couple of wickets before James and Dylan finished the innings off. James scoring a well made 23 as Swanage ended up winners by 147 runs.

Ferndown 200 - 11     Swanage 347 - 3       Swanage won by 147 runs

 

Swanage U10s v Wareham U11s 15th July 2016

Swanage U10’s were without a league fixture this week so they arranged to play Wareham U11’s in a 20 over friendly. This was always going to be a tough challenge against an older more experienced team. Wareham won the toss and elected to bat. Wareham opened with their “big guns” and despite some very good bowling from Sid Nash, Thomas Wells, Sebastian Lyons and Tia Norman, Wareham’s openers put on 40 runs in their 4 overs. Wareham continued to score at a  good rate notwithstanding wickets from Sid , Thomas, Sebastian, Anthony Ayles and 2 wickets in 2 balls from Joe Diffey. Wareham were unable to field a full side and decided to send in their “big guns” again for their last 4 overs scoring another 16 runs which was a little unfortunate. Wareham closed on 325 for 6.

Swanage’s reply started well. Wareham opened with their fast bowlers (who were much faster than Swanage have been used to at U10 level) but Sid Nash and Ben White batted with confidence and control. They dominated the bowling and ran well. They both hit boundaries and ended up with 9 runs each at the end of their four overs (without losing a wicket). Next in were Joe and Toby Wright. They coped well with some tight bowling and moved the score along to 222 (only losing one wicket in their 4 overs). Then came the brother and sister pair of Tia and Regan Norman. Regan wasn’t prepared to let the bowlers settle and played attacking shots wherever possible and Tia hit her first ball for 4! They added 12 runs to the score for the loss of only 1 wicket. Up stepped William Tubbs and Anthony Ayles. Both Anthony and William played well with Anthony playing a text book cover drive which deserved more than the single run it received. They only lost 1 wicket in their 4 overs. In came Swanage’s last pair of Thomas Wells and Sebastian Lyons. Although they found runs harder to come by than in previous weeks, they still managed to add 11 runs without losing a wicket. Swanage ended their innings on 255 for 4

Although Swanage lost,  the whole team should be very proud of their performance.

Wareham U11s 325 - 6       Swanage U10s 255 - 4        Wareham won by 70 runs

 

Swanage U12s v Wimborne 15th July 2016

The U12s travelled to Wimborne for their match on Friday and after a difficult week getting a team (many of whom were spread all over Europe) they borrowed to Wimborne players to make up their numbers. Not deterred they bowled first with Safia and Dylan opening the bowling. Dylan proved a great extra player as he took a wicket in his first over. Wimborne batted well throughout but further wickets from Lily and Lewis kept the score down until Jack and later Ollie played some great shots to leave Wimborne 323 - 3 after their 16 overs.

Swanage started well with Lewis and Jude opening up and were ahead at the 4 over stage. James and Andrew batted well both hitting 4s but one disastrous over with 3 wickets saw Swanage fall behind. Despite their best efforts Dylan and our other borrowed player Sam couldn't turn it around leaving Lily and Safia too great a task at the end. As so often they batted well with Lily ending on 9 and Safia 14 as Swanage finished on a creditable 263 - 9 

Wimborne 323 - 3     Swanage 263 - 9    Wimborne won by 60 runs

 

Swanage U9s v Poole 9th July 2016

It was cup semi final week for the U9s and it was first v second in the league as they took on Poole who they had beaten by the small margin of just 11 runs earlier in the season. Captain Jasmine Nadaf won the toss and decided to have a bowl first.

Jack Battrick started things off taking a wicket in his first over. Jasmine bowled her usual tight line and length before debutant Vinnie Thurgood came on. To everyone's delight he took a wicket with his very first ball. As the score started to rise James bowled a crucial maiden before Max took a wicket in his first over. It was to prove a turning point as Regan followed up with a double wicket maiden and the Poole score fell back to 227. Wickets kept tumbling as Jasmine, Josh T, George and James all got wickets. As Max got his second of the game and Regan secured a run out a brilliant bowling performance left Swanage needing only 234 for victory.

Regan and Max got Swanage off to their usual good start but with good bowling runs were hard to come by. George and Vinnie started well until going for a quick single they collided with Vinnie having to retire. Poole sportingly didn't try to run Vinnie out as he lay on the floor. Josh took over and Swanage's score rose slowly but surely with Josh carrying on his good form from last week while George gave his best batting performance of the summer. With Vinnie back at the crease joined by Jack some excellent bowling saw the Swanage score fall leaving the scores tied with 4 overs to go. With James and Jasmine at the crease the score started to rise once again until Jasmine was brilliantly caught at mid wicket. Unfazed they then ran some excellent singles before James was also caught leaving Swanage ahead by 4 runs at the start of the last over.

With a place in the final at stake and the excellent Lucas to bowl it was to be a tension filled last over. An early single from Jasmine took Swanage to 5 ahead and then solid defence by James meant it was down to the last ball. To a hushed ground James calmly drove the ball straight back passed the bowler and ran 3 leaving Swanage the winners by 8 runs. A fantastic game in which everyone played their part getting the U9s to their second final in as many years and hopefully able to go one better this time.

Poole 234 - 11             Swanage 242 - 7         Swanage won by 8 runs

 

Swanage U10s v Bournemouth 8th July 2016

Swanage visited Bournemouth in the return league fixture hoping to improve on their performance when they lost to Bournemouth earlier in the season.

Bournemouth won the toss and put Swanage into bat. Openers Sid Nash and Ben White got the innings off to a solid start, against tight bowling, scoring 10 runs and losing only 1 wicket in their 4 overs with Sid hitting one four. The next pair in was Freddie Long and Regan Norman (making his hard ball debut). Freddie hit a four and Regan played some attacking shots. Together they scored 8 runs (4 each)  and were not out in their four overs. Next in were Anthony Ayles and William Tubbs. Despite good efforts, they both found runs hard to come by due to accurate bowling from Bournemouth. They did however only lose 1 wicket in their 4 overs.  Swanage’s final pair of Thomas Wells and Sebastian Lyons came to crease hoping to move the score along. Sebastian defended the straight ball with confidence to protect his wicket and Thomas played some cover drives to pick up  singles. A four from Thomas saw this pair add 8 runs without losing a wicket. Swanage’s innings closed on 220 for 3. This was a vast improvement on the previous match against Bournemouth, by comparison Swanage lost only 3 wickets as against 8 in the home fixture and score 220 against 199.

Bournemouth in reply sent in their strongest batsman to open and Swanage found it difficult to contain the runs. At the end of the first four overs Bournemouth had scored 36 runs without losing a wicket. However Swanage fought back and wickets From Sid, Thomas, William and Regan slowed the run rate considerably and restricted Bournemouth to only 26 runs in the next 8 overs. Swanage’s fielding is improving every week and great catches by Ben, Freddie and Regan were encouraging to see.

Although Bournemouth ran out winners by 42 runs the main difference was Bournemouth’s experienced opening batsmen, without them Bournemouth would have struggled.

Swanage should be proud of their improvement. When we played Bournemouth at home ,only a month ago, Bournemouth scored 327 and Swanage didn’t take a wicket, this time Bournemouth scored 262 and Swanage took 4 wickets, which just shows the progress which has been made.

Well done.

Swanage 220 for 3            Bournemouth 262 for 4               Bournemouth won by 42 runs

 

Match Report Swanage U15 v. Christchurch B  5th July 2016 

This return fixture was played on a pleasant July evening at Swanage. The visitors won the toss and put the hosts in to bat. The opener bowled a challenging line with a little movement from his left arm pace action. Tommy and Matt opened the batting with Matt encouraging some quick running. Unfortunately at the end of the second over, Tommy was not quite quick enough to prevent himself from being run out when coming back for a second run. Two of the next three balls also saw wickets fall, both bowled by the left arm pace bowler. Matt and Callum were the victims. A period of stability was required and we then saw some sensible batting from Sam and Charlie, coming in at number 5. The boundaries started to flow before Charlie was unluckily caught by a fielder in an unusual position twenty paces behind the keeper. This brought Tom to the crease with his trademark hard hitting. He was bowled after scoring a very handy 15 runs. Meanwhile at the other end, Sam had compiled a speedy and powerful retirement score of 35 runs, with 4 boundaries including a magnificent strike for 6 over long on. The shot of the match! Alistair did what was needed and stuck around for a while, scoring 7 runs to be the last man out, after Ryan and Archie had a bat. The visitors had been set a target of 88 runs.

Archie opened the bowling with some good pace and Charlie opened at the other end, with several balls very close to the stumps. Sam and Callum came on first change. The bowling was rather wayward with too many wides being conceded and the visitors had raced to 43 for 0 off the first 5 overs. Matt and Tommy had a bowl, but it was too late for them to have an effect. The first wicket fell at 45, bowled by Callum, and the second fell at 52, well caught by Ryan off Sam's bowling. However, the visitors lost no further wickets and reached their total with 4 overs to spare. The match report from the away fixture in May read “with too many extras given away by poor bowling...”. Unfortunately it was the same story in the home fixture, with 22 runs given away in extras. This meant that Swanage could never really put pressure on the opposition batsmen. In addition, Swanage put down 4 catches. The total of 87 was defendable, but inconsistent bowling and poor catching meant that the match was lost by Swanage.

Swanage 87 - 7        Christchurch  89 - 2      Christchurch won by 6 wickets

 

Match Report Swanage U10s v Bransgore 1st July 2016

Back in league action Swanage U10’s travelled to Bransgore in search of their first win.

Bransgore batted first but were soon in trouble when Sid Nash bowled their opening bat first ball of the match. Sid  and Sebastian Lyons bowled well and restricted the Bransgore opening pair to only 4 runs from the bat in 4 overs. Sid’s final figures were 3 overs 1 maiden 1 for 1. Bransgore found runs hard to come by with good support bowling from Anthony Ayles, William Tubbs (1 wicket), Thomas Wells (1 wicket) and Riley Silverton. Swanage were lively in the field and restricted Bransgore to 263-3 in their 16 overs.

Swanage’s reply started well with Ben White and Sid Nash looking to put the Bransgore fielders under pressure with quick singles being taken from the start. At the end of the first 4 overs Swanage had progressed well to 223-2  (Sid making 9 not out and Ben 6). Next in was Toby Wright with Riley Silverton. They coped well with some quick accurate bowling and although they didn’t make many runs, they only lost 2 wickets in their 4 overs which meant Swanage were still in the running for their first win of the season. At the end of the eighth over Swanage were on 224. William Tubbs and Anthony Ayles then arrived at the wicket and William, looking to dominate the bowlers, hit his first ball for 4. A solid performance by William and Anthony saw them lose only 1 wicket in their 4 overs and they progressed the score on to 248. Swanage needed 16 runs in the last 4 overs to win. Swanage’s final pair was Thomas and Sebastian, together they gradually moved the score along and crucially did not lose any wickets. With 2 overs to go Swanage required 4 to win. Wells then unleashed 2 lofted cover drives for 4 and Swanage finished their innings on 277 for 5 with Wells 12 not out. Swanage had won their first U10 hard ball match

Well done to you all, It was great to see the excitement on their faces.

Many thanks also to the Swanage Cricket club’s equivalent of the “Barmy Army” (you know who you are!) for the continued support of the team.

Bransgore 263 - 3       Swanage 277 - 5      Swanage won by 14 runs

 

Match Report Swanage U12s v Poole 1st July 2016

The U12s welcomed Poole for the second time this season and were hoping to show how much they had improved after the 113 run defeat earlier in the year. Once again Poole batted first with Lily and James opening the bowling. The Poole batsmen played straight and took runs where they could as they began to build their score. Jude and Brandon took up the attack but neither were able to get the breakthrough as first one Poole batsmen then the next were able to reach the retirement figure of 25. Harry and Lewis really slowed the run rate down before Mia took the only wicket as Brandon took the catch for what must be Swanage's first brother and sister joint dismissal. Herbie continued to show how much he had improved behind the stumps and Poole were restricted to 136 - 1 in their 18 overs.

Adam and Jude opened the batting with Jude hoping to improve upon his well made 19 in the previous encounter. Sadly it was not to be as he fell without scoring. Harry followed soon after before Lewis and Adam began the fightback. A great combination of determined defence from Adam and aggressive hitting by Lewis got the score moving. Lewis hitting four 4s and a 6 as he retired for the second time this season on 26. Lily joined Adam who was doggedly carrying his bat at the other end until he was finally out for 8. As Herbie joined Lily she took up Lewis' mantle and hit 4 fours in a well made 22 not out as Swanage ended on their highest score of the season of 116 - 3.

A hugely improved performance by the U12s coming within 20 runs of the Poole score.

Poole 136 - 1       Swanage 116 - 3    Poole won by 20 runs

 

Match Report Swanage U13s v Hamworthy 30th June 2016

In a rearranged cup game the U13s took on Hamworthy from Division 1. Batting first Harry and Lewis opened up. A good catch saw Harry caught after some earlier great defence. With in form Ryan in at 3 Swanage hoped to push on but he was unable to keep up his recent good scoring. Benjamin joined Lewis and they pulled Swanage back into the game with a partnership of 54 as Lewis scores 16 and Benjamin 20. Once they were out Lily held the innings together to make sure Swanage batted their overs. Swanage continued to push hard but good bowling and excellent wicket keeping - 2 sharp stumpings of Reuben and Sam - kept the wickets falling. Jude - who had stepped in at the last minute for an ill Isaac - hit some good shots but with Noah run out he was left not out at the end.

Lily and Noah opened the bowling and got Swanage off to a great start keeping the runs down and Lily taking a wicket, caught and bowled in a wicket maiden. Once they had played themselves in Hamworthy's opener and number 3 took the attack to Swanage. Benjamin swapped his bowlers around but no one could get the much needed breakthrough as Hamworthy chased down the total for no further wickets. 

Swanage were beaten by the better team but hopefully the experience against a stronger side will help as they try and remain top of the table in Division 2 over the coming weeks. 

Swanage 90 all out     Hamworthy 95 - 1    Hamworthy won by 7 wickets

 

Match Report Swanage U9s v Wimborne 25th June 2016

After the quarter finals of the cup last week the U9s were back in league action against Wimborne who like Swanage were riding high in the table. Wimborne won the toss and decided bat first and Swanage nearly got off to the perfect start as James bowled their opener Harry first ball - sadly however it was a no ball. Undeterred James continued to bowl accurately and was rewarded with his first wicket soon after. Good bowling by Josh Wood, Josh Titley - who was skipper for the day and Jack kept the scoring down and put Swanage on top. The next pair batted steadily until Josh Titley took his first wicket for the club pegged them back. An inexperienced next pair gave Swanage their chance as first Max took 3 wickets in an over then James took another 2 to take him to 3 wickets in the match. With the last pair in Regan bowled his usual tight spell taking another wicket while both Riley and Seb both took their first wickets in a match as Jack and Josh T took  good catches. Wimborne ended on 221 - 10 and hopes were high for another victory.

Max and Regan opened the batting and got Swanage off to a great start as once again Regan dominated bowling. He hit 4 fours as he raced to 25 and between them they scored another great opening partnership of 37 to set Swanage on their way to victory. Riley and Seb batted sensibly with some great defence and good calling to make sure they kept the score moving and did not lose a wicket. With the 2 Josh's together the score continued to move forward with more good running and a couple of fours for Josh T who ended on 12. With James and Jack left to anchor the innings they were both ready to run the singles kept the score moving upwards. James hit a couple of boundaries to end up on 13 - his best score of the season to add to his 3 wickets. In the end Swanage ran out comfortable winners on 292 - 2.

Wimborne 221 - 10    Swanage 292 - 2      Swanage won by 71 runs

 

Match Report Swanage U10s v Ferndown 24th June 2016

Swanage travelled to Ferndown Wayfarers for the quarter final of the Cup.  Swanage won the toss and decided to field first. Ferndown’s opener, ”Freddie”, who has played U12’s cricket although aged 10, soon showed his experience by taking quick singles and playing some strong drives. Freddie had to retire on 27 not out.  Some tight bowling from Sid Nash and Anthony Ayles slowed the run rate down and Ferndown’s remaining batsman where then demolished by an inspired spell of bowling by Sebastian Lyons who took 4 wickets for 2 runs in 2.2 overs. Sebastian’s bowling was supported by some good fielding from Ben White behind the stumps, Toby Wright who saved a certain boundary (with his ankle rather than his hands!) and Thomas Wells with a catch at mid wicket and a run out. Ferndown were all out for 87 with our “Freddie” Long taking the other wicket with a good caught and bowled

Swanage found it difficult to make runs against a strong opening attack and lost early wickets to find themselves at 8 for 3 in 3 overs. The innings never really recovered from that and although Thomas Wells batted 12 overs and was well supported by William Tubbs and Joe Diffey it was not enough to see Swanage to victory and Swanage were all out for 50.

Ferndown 87 all out     Swanage 50 all out      Ferndown won by 37 runs

 

Match Report Swanage U15 v. Ellingham U15  21st June - cup match

The visitors this week were Ellingham, one of the top sides in the under 15 league this year. The evening was pleasant enough for June, with light wind and a little sunshine. Ellingham won the toss and decided to have a bat. The visitor's side featured the talented Turner twins, batting at 2 and 3. Both showed their class, scoring mainly in boundaries, and reached their retirement scores quickly and stylishly. Our opening bowlers, Matt and Charlie suffered from the quick scoring, before first change bowlers Sam and Ben took the pace off the ball and Ben made the breakthrough by bowling the opening batsman. Ben also had a catch well taken by Callum in the same over, unfortunately off a no ball. Alistair was sharp behind the stamps, completing some good takes from pacy bowling and having a couple of shies at the stumps. The visitors had raced to 135 runs off the first 10 overs. Tommy bowled 2 batsmen in his first 2 overs, and Archie's first ball pegged back the stumps. Ellingham's final total was 178 for 4.

At the interval, the team talk focussed on the necessity of batting out the overs, thereby picking up as many extras as possible. The mist had started to swirl in as Tommy and Alistair opened the batting with Alistair not able to follow up his double figure score from the last match. Alistair fell to a chipped catch in the first over. Tommy was bowled in the second over. This brought together the batting skills of Sam and Charlie. Both were able to show their talents, with their patience in waiting for the bad balls being rewarded. It seemed inevitable that they would both reach their retirement scores, with the ball being sent to the boundary in all directions. However, a sharp straight delivery made a mess of Sam's stumps, bringing Matt to the crease. Matt batted sensibly, while Charlie completed his first retirement score of the season. Callum also batted sensibly for his 13 not out. When Matt selflessly ran himself out on the penultimate ball, Ben went to the non-striker's end for the final ball. Sam made 24 and Charlie retired on 35. Tom and Archie did not bat. Swanage scored 116 for 4.

Swanage were outplayed in the batting department by quality players. The best way to counter their visitor's attacking instincts was to take pace off the ball, but this advice was not fully acted on. The home team batted responsibly and the running between the wickets was much improved, particularly by Matt and Charlie. The fielding was again to a satisfactory standard. Against a strong side, Swanage did well to reach their highest score of the season.

Ellingham 178 - 4    Swanage 116 - 4    Ellingham won by 62 runs

 

 

 

Match Report Swanage U9s v Broadstone U9s 18th June 2016

 

The U9s travelled to Broadstone for their cup quarter final playing at the picturesque Delph Wood Ground. Max won the toss and put Broadstone into bat. As usual he gave everyone a chance to bowl starting with George and debutant Jasmine Nadaf who both bowled tight overs getting Swanage off to a great start. Broadstone's opening pair batted well though and managed to get the score to 227 after the first 4 overs. After that Swanage really took control of the match as skipper Max once again took a wicket without conceding a run. Josh Titley followed up with a maiden and Dylan conceded just one wide as the score fell back. After Barney's second over he took over as wicket keeper and was able to show Swanage's strength as he did a great job behind the stumps. The bowling continued to keep Swanage on top as Jasmine bowled her 2 overs for just 4 runs, Josh his 2 overs for 3 runs and James returned with an over for just 2 runs. With Max back in the attack, he got his second wicket, which left him with figures of 2 overs 2 wickets and just 4 runs conceded. Regan finished off the innings with a wicket maiden and figures of 2 over 1 for 1. A great performance by Swanage with Broadstone kept down to just 235 for 4.

 

Swanage just needed to bat as they had done in previous weeks and got off to a great start with Max and Regan leading the way. Regan hitting 2 fours in his 17 before Dylan and Barney took up the chase. They kept the score going forward and Swanage ahead but a couple of run outs kept Broadstone in the game. It was George and Jasmine that took Swanage way out ahead with some good running and crucially no wickets. James and Josh kept their heads letting the wides go by and both hitting a four. It was left to James to see out the final over with some sound defence as Swanage ran out winners by 52 runs and a place in the semi finals. 

 

Broadstone 235 - 4      Swanage 287 - 3       Swanage won by 52 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U10s V Bournemouth 10th June 2016

 

This was always going to be a tough first competitive hard ball match for the U10’s. Bournemouth won the toss and chose to bat first. Even with good opening bowling from Sid Nash and Freddie long, Swanage found it  difficult  to contain the Bournemouth opening batsmen. Bournemouth’s 2nd and 3rd pair batsman coped well with some accurate bowling from Seb Lyons and Thomas Wells but the runs continued to flow. Bournemouth eventually finished their 16 overs with a score of 327 which included 10 boundaries.

 

Swanage, in reply, started cautiously against the  experienced Bournemouth bowlers. Boundaries from Sid, Freddie and Thomas were not enough to keep up with the run rate and runs were difficult to find as Bournemouth fielded well.  Ben White, Anthony Ayles , Joe Diffey and Williams Tubbs  all tried hard to hit the Bournemouth bowlers off their line but Swanage continued to lose wickets in the run chase and eventually finished on 199 in their 16 overs.

 

Swanage 199    Bournemouth 327     Bournemouth won by 128 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U12s V Ellingham U12s 10th June 2016

 

After an encouraging start in their first match against Poole the U12s made the long journey to Ellingham for their second game. Swanage arrived almost on time and then Lewis, captaining for the first time, won the toss and elected to field. He opened the bowling himself along with Harry but it was Harry that got the first breakthrough bowling one of the Ellingham openers. Against two good batsmen Swanage found it hard going as first Brandon then Jacob took up the attack. A brilliant piece of fielding by Lewis with a direct hit got a vital wicket as the Ellingham batsmen really got into their stride. At the other end the introduction of Mia saw a change of fortune as she first took her first wicket of the season and then produced one of her best ever spells as she kept it tight bowling 3 overs for just 15 runs as well as the wicket. James, Jude and Adam all had a couple of overs and with another direct hit from Lewis the Ellingham innings finished on 166 for 4. Oscar performed valiantly throughout as the bowlers made him go one way then the other all this in an oversize helmet!!!

 

It was always going to be a tough task for Swanage chasing such a big total and they got off to the worse possible start as Brandon was caught off his first ball. Things steadied as Harry joined opener Jude before he to was bowled. Lewis, in at 4, started to take the game to Ellingham and the runs started to build until Jude was narrowly run out after another determined knock. With Jacob in at 5 Swanage needed a good partnership and he and Lewis were able to provide it with a mix of good defence, big hitting and quick running. Lewis struck 5 fours as he followed up his great performance for the U13s on Monday and became the first U12 to retire for a well made 25. Jacob battled on and was joined by Adam and they showed huge determination to bat out the overs and get the U12s to 100 for the first time. The score edged slowly up until Adam was forced to retire having taken a blow to the leg and then soon after Jacob was bowled  for an excellent 14. With James following quickly afterwards it was left to Mia - not out for the second time this season and Oscar to make sure Swanage batted their overs as they fell agonisingly short of their 100 goal at 95 - 5.  

 

A great improvement on the last game which gave the U12s lots to build on, lots of individual highlights and more experience in playing matches for all the side.

 

Ellingham 166 - 4      Swanage 95 - 5    Ellingham won by 71 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U15 v Bransgore U15 7th June 2016

 

Swanage had beaten Bransgore in their away fixture just 2 weeks ago, so hopes were high for the return fixture. The visitors won the toss and put the home side in to bat. The opening pair of Alistair and Tommy survived the first over, collecting 8 extras on the way. They continued to survive some accurate bowling until the fourth over, achieving our season's highest opening partnership of 23. Tommy was caught chipping to mid off after playing some excellent defensive shots. Next over, number 3 Charlie played uppishly and was well taken at cover. This brought Sam to the crease, playing confidently and picking off the bad balls to make a quick fire 15 runs. Alistair had held out until the seventh over, scoring a couple of boundaries and making a highest score of 13 runs. Matt then came in at 5 and played captain's innings. He scored 3 fours in succession and made it though to the final over, before being run out for a top score of 20. Callum looked good before being caught for 7. Ryan, called up at the last moment, scored a rapid 15. Archie and Sunny were briefly batsmen in the final over. The home side had made a season's best score of 113-7.

 

This seemed a very defendable total, especially with Charlie's accurate bowling pegging back the stumps in the first over. Sam started with a tight spell from the other end, and when he had their number 3 batsman caught by Matt, the visitors were struggling at 16-2 off 4 overs, needing a further 98 runs off just 10 overs. However, Swanage were unable to dislodge the Bransgore number 1 batsman, who played some powerful shots and kept the visitors in the game, so by the end of 10 overs, they needed just 44 runs from the 4 remaining overs. Matt had previously taken a wicket, well caught by Callum. Archie, Tommy and Ryan all bowled. It looked like it was going down to the wire with 2 overs to go and 20 runs required, so Charlie came back for his final over and immediately clean bowled their number 5. However, the new batsman was more competent than a number 6 usually is and managed to take 9 runs from the 5 balls he faced in that over. This left Bransgore requiring 11 runs from the final over, to be bowled by Sam. In the end, 2 powerful boundaries saw the visitors home with a ball to spare.

 

The match was a highly competitive contest and could have gone either way. The Bransgore coach wrote to the Swanage club afterwards expressing his thanks for the spirit in which the game was played. Swanage did well to score so many runs, with four batsmen reaching double figures. Greater care with the fielding positions, particularly in the final overs, would have put more pressure on the opposition batsmen and could have forced a positive result for Swanage. Swanage play Bransgore one more time at the end of the season with both teams viewing it as the decider.

 

Swanage 113 - 7      Bransgore  117 - 4   Bransgore won by 4 wickets

 

Match Report Swanage U13s v Christchurch 6th June 2016

 

As the light began to fade, Safia ran in for the final ball of the match with just 2 needed in a game that had become increasingly tense over the last few minutes. She beat the bat and Sam kept a cool head to run out the final Christchurch batsman, bringing the U13s their second victory of the season.

 

What seemed like an age ago Swanage had been under early pressure as two quick wickets left them 7 - 2. Opener Adam suffered an early blow to the chest, but battled on bravely before being bowled. He was soon followed by U12s Harry. As so often with the U13s batting, it was Ryan and Benjamin that steadied the ship and then took the game to Christchurch. Some excellent running got them going and they both hit shots all around the wicket. Benjamin hit 7 fours in his 35 retired, carrying on his great form of last season. Ryan was then joined by Lewis who was making his debut and immediately set about the bowling. Ryan shared in a combined partnership of 84, before falling for a well made 19. Lewis was joined by Reuben and they continued where Benjamin and Ryan had left off. A partnership of 54 was only broken when Lewis was bowled for an excellent 22 including 3 fours and a six. Reuben stayed to the end, scoring 4 fours in his excellent 22 when he was joined by Sam who scored what proved to be a vital 5 in the last over. At 159 - 4, the U13s beat their previous high score of 149 from the previous match and looked set for victory. 

 

Swanage got off to a great start as Reuben and Safia opened the bowling. Safia took 2 early wickets and Christchurch were reeling at 20 for 2. As Noah and Benjamin joined the attack the wickets continued to fall,  Noah bowling his best spell for Swanage taking 2 vital wickets. With Benjamin adding another as Reuben took the first of 2 catches Swanage were on top. Lewis took a sharp caught and bowled before Safia returned to take her third wicket as Reuben took his second catch. At 110 - 7 Swanage were on the brink of victory but as the nerves set in they found it hard to get their bowling right and the Christchurch score crept up. Some brilliant batting by Jack Squires who scored 27 not out kept them in the game before the dramatic last ball run out. 

 

Swanage 159 - 4        Christchurch 157 all out     Swanage won by 2 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U9s v Poole 4th June 2016

 

The U9s were keen to carry on their good start to the season against Poole. Poole won the toss and asked Swanage to bat first. Openers Max and Regan who did so well against Christchurch in the last match found things a bit more tricky against some good bowling. Once they got settled their excellent running between the wickets and occasional 4s got Swanage off to a good start once again. It was over to the Josh Boys for the next pair as Josh Titley playing only his second match and Josh Wood making his debut took over the batting. Once again they got off to a slow start finding the running difficult. When they got going it all came together and the runs flowed. Josh T hitting a couple of boundaries.

Captain James Harding was next in along with Seb Wright who was also making his league debut. They crucially didn't lose a wicket as well as running well between the wickets. George and the third debutant Riley Churchill made up the last pair. George played his best innings of the season calling well for singles and hitting his first boundary. Riley supported him well as Swanage reached another good score of 267 for only 3 wickets down.

 

As usual the bowling was shared around but Swanage were not as consistent as previous weeks. With some good running along with wides and no balls the Poole score mounted. There were highlights though as Max took an early wicket and Josh T took a fantastic catch off Regan. With 4 overs to go though and the last pair at the wicket all looked lost for Swanage with the scores nearly level. A brilliant over by Max turned the game as he took 2 wickets both clean bowled. With James getting his first and Regan claiming a second the Poole innings stalled and Swanage ran out winners by 11 runs the late wickets proving decisive as the U9s secured their third win in a row. 

 

Swanage 267 - 3       Poole 256 - 6      Swanage won by 11 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U12s v Poole 27th May 2016

 

After 2 cancellations the U12s finally got their season underway as they hosted Poole on Friday. Fielding an inexperienced team containing a number of players making their Swanage debut, as well as 2 U11s playing up, it was always going to be a difficult evening for Swanage. They started well with the ball as captain Lily and Lewis bowled tight opening overs. Poole started slowly but soon got into their stride with openers Billy and Joel leading the way. It took a fine piece of fielding from Lily to break the partnership with a direct hit on the stumps. Poole continued to build their score as each Swanage player got a chance to bowl. It was Jude who finally got the breakthrough as Lily was once again involved as she took a catch off his bowling. Good overs by Mia kept the scoring at bay for a while but with too many wides and no balls the score continued to grow as Poole eventually reached 169 - 2 in their 18 overs. 

 

Jude and Jacob opened the batting for Swanage and despite the large total in front of them made a good start. Jacob carrying on his good form with the U11s before being caught for 6. Lewis joined Jude and set about the bowling straight away with some lofty drives before he to was caught for an aggressive 8. Harry also batted well before the Poole leg spinner had him caught for 6. Jude had really got into his stride by now scoring 4 fours in a well made 19 before being caught. This signalled a collapse in the Swanage batting as first Lily, then James fell in quick succession. Adam and Oscar soon followed leaving Mia unbeaten at the end as Swanage reached 56 all out.

 

Despite the defeat their was lots to build on for one of Swanage's newest teams and much promise for the future and plenty to build on.

 

Poole 169 - 2         Swanage 56 all out       Poole won by 113 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U15s v Bransgore 24th May 2016

 

After last weeks narrow defeat to Christchurch the U15s were keen to make amends as they made the long journey to Bransgore. The arrival of a large container ship in Poole Harbour brought the ferry to a standstill and meant that despite their best intentions Swanage arrived a bit late. Matt won the toss and put Bransgore into bat and then opened the bowling along side Charlie. They kept things tight early on with overs 3 and 4 going for just 5 runs between them. It was however the introduction of Sam that got the breakthrough and soon Swanage were in charge of the game as Callum took 2 wickets in 2 balls the second a beauty which moved away late to bowl the batsmen first ball. Callum was involved once again in the next wicket as he took a neat catch off Archie who continued his wicket taking form with 2 wickets in his first over. With Tommy taking a wicket at the other end Swanage were well on top. Ryan struck in his first over leaving Bransgore  7 down as the last over began. They would have liked to push the score beyond 90 but Charlie's second ball ended the innings and Bransgore finished on 77 all out. Some good fielding, an excellent performance behind the stumps by Alistair but mainly the tight bowling had put Swanage in with a real chance.

 

If there was any nerves for the Swanage openers Tommy and Tom they didn't show as Tommy got the innings off to a flyer hitting 2 fours in the first over. The score raced along and after just 2 overs Swanage were well on their way to victory at 25 - 0. Tom kept the momentum up as he took 10 off the next over before failing to ground his bat as he was run out going for a sharp single. At 35 - 1 Swanage were looking good and Charlie made sure there was no slowing down of the innings as he struck 2 fours and a six in a brief yet exciting innings of 16. Sam and Matt fell as they tried to propel Swanage to the victory but it was left to Callum along the side the resolute Tommy (18 not out) who got Swanage over the line with more than 5 overs left. 

 

A well deserved first victory for the U15s in a match played in a great spirit by both teams.

 

Bransgore 77 all out       Swanage 78 - 4      Swanage won by 4 wickets

 

 

Match Report Swanage U15 v. Christchurch B 17th May 2016 

 

A last minute change of venue found the Swanage team at the scenic Stanpit ground in Mudeford with distant views of sailing boats through the houses at the southern end of the ground. On a slightly chilly evening, the sun made occasional appearances as the rain kept away and a tempting aroma drifted over from the chip shop on the green. A full strength Swanage won the toss and decided to have a bat, with skipper Matt being joined at the crease by his fellow opener, Tommy. Tight bowling saw no wides or no balls being bowled in the first 4 overs. Tommy played well to keep out several accurate yorkers. Matt unfortunately got an accurate delivery that kept low, so Charlie came out at number 3 and defended until receiving a perfect yorker. Sam and Tom were out in successive balls, leaving Callum to face the hat trick ball. Sensibly leaving this alone, Callum combined with Tommy to put on the biggest partnership of the match, 35 runs. Tommy played the shot of the innings, a delightful cut through the vacant gully area, but was then run out, having made his ground, but not grounding his bat. Meanwhile Callum was seeing the ball well and progressed to 26 runs. After he left, Ben, Alistair and Archie took the score on to 70 runs, batting through to the final ball of the innings.

 

71 runs to win did not seem a large total, but the grass wicket was very slow and the bounce low, with a largish outfield. Accurate line and length would be the key to securing a victory on this wicket. Charlie opened with Callum, who made the breakthrough in his first over, bowling their number 2 batsman. Charlie followed this by bowling the other opener in his next over. A partnership of sorts followed until the first change bowlers, Matt and Tommy, picked up the next 2 wickets. At the half way mark, 7 overs, the home side were exactly half way to their total, also having lost half their wickets, at 35-4. A finely poised match appeared a likely prospect, and so it transpired. Ben came on to bowl and his accurate action found him taking a sharp return catch, then having another batsmen caught behind by Alistair. With Archie clean bowling the next wicket, the home side were staring at defeat, requiring 17 runs from their last pair, with 3 overs remaining. However, the visitors let the pressure get to them and a dropped catch and a couple of missed run out chances, combined with too many extras given away by poor bowling at the death, allowed Christchurch to sneak home in the last over.

 

An exciting finish to the match, showing once again that you don't need a huge number of runs to make an interesting match,but you do need tight and economical bowling, which is where Christchurch had the edge. 

 

Swanage 70 all out        Christchurch 71 - 7        Christchurch won by 1 wicket

 

 

Match Report Swanage U13s v Ferndown Monday 16th May

 

 

 

The U13s were able to field a full strength team in their opening game against Ferndown and after a year where most of the team had played up when they were U12s there were high hopes for this season. Batting first, Swanage got off to the worst possible start losing both new openers Sam and Adam in the first 2 overs. It was left to the established pair at 3 and 4 of Ryan and Benjamin to restore order and then to take the game back to Ferndown. They did this with a 54 run partnership only broken when captain Benjamin was bowled for a well made 21. His disappointment was there for all to see but he didn't need to worry as Lily joined Ryan at the crease. Ryan had already hit one 6 and a 4 and he was determined to continue in the same vein. Another 6 and three more 4s and he soon passed the retirement score of 35 for the first time in his Swanage career. Lily was joined by Reuben and she in turn started to dominate the innings with some great running and boundary hitting including three fours in a row at one point. Finally out for a brilliant 29 - her top score for Swanage - eclipsing her previous best of 17 last year.  Swanage were still not done as Reuben (14*)and Safia (12*) kept up the momentum  taking the U13s to their highest ever score of 149 - 4.

 

Having set a difficult target Swanage made it even more difficult by taking 2 quick wickets. First last year's leading wicket taker Reuben and then in the next over another wicket by Lily. Things got more difficult for Ferndown as Lily struck again in her next over as Benjamin took a stunning catch to reduce Ferndown to 17 - 3. A determined fight back saw Ferndown stay in the game before Safia took a wicket with her first ball removing the Ferndown captain who looked destined for a high score. Isaac (2 0 10 2) bowled a stunning first over to take 2 more wickets, both caught with one a diving return catch off his own bowling, and the game was almost done. Noah was unlucky not to get a wicket before Safia took her second (3 0 12 2). Some strong resistance by Tom Ansell wasn't enough as Swanage kept it tight with first Lily (4 1 13 2) returning and then Ryan coming back to take the final wicket.

 

A great performance all round building on the great batting performances of last year but this time backing it up with a great bowling performance as well.

 

Swanage 149 - 4          Ferndown 102 all out          Swanage won by 47 runs

 

 

Match Report Swanage U9s v Christchurch Saturday 14th May

 



It was an early start for everyone as the U9s played their second match of the season over in Christchurch. The new hoodies proved useful as we began with a definite nip in the air. It made no difference to captain Regan who started with a 2 off his first ball and then continued with partner Max to take the attack to the Christchurch bowlers. They had a spectacular partnership of 41 runs for no wickets with Regan finishing on 32 with 6 fours. James and Dylan carried on in the same vein with James scoring an excellent 13 as the pair added another 38 to the score. With debutant Eric Wadley in with the more experienced George the score continued to grow and they took the score above 300. It was left to Sid and our other debutant Jack Battrick to finish off the innings. Sid scoring a well made 17 while Jack after early difficulties started to hit the ball well and scored his first runs for Swanage. An excellent 331 - 1 left Swanage in a great position. 

Tight bowling and then an early run out by Regan meant that Christchurch were always behind. George continued his excellent bowling from last week with his 2 overs going for only 3 runs including a maiden. Eric bowled only his second over in a match for just 2 runs before a late wicket from Sid put the game beyond doubt. James held on to his second catch of the season - this time as wicket keeper - meaning Swanage kept well ahead finishing as winners by 67 runs. 

Swanage 331 - 1       Christchurch 264 - 2             Swanage won by 67 runs


Match Report Swanage U11s v Wimborne Saturday 14th May

 

U11's Victory

Swanage U11s had their first competitive outing on Saturday against Wimborne and Colehill, with Yaseen Ali and Spencer Grygiel both making their Swanage debuts. Captain for the day, Brandon Werndley, won the toss and opted to field. The first Wimborne pair found runs hard to come by, with really tight bowling from Jacob and Freddie in particular. They finished on 218, having lost 1 wicket. The second pair continued in the same vein – with Jacob and Freddie both picking up a wicket. There was only one more wicket to fall, from Brandon’s bowling. Wimborne finished on 260, having lost 4 wickets.  

Swanage’s innings started steadily and positively with Oscar and Spencer being very watchful. They got through their overs, picking up 19 runs, without losing a wicket. Jacob decided to take it to Wimborne with his batting, making a quickfire 15, however his ambition did lead to him losing a wicket. Along with partner Andrew they finished with the score at 244, having lost that one wicket. Freddie came in at the third pair, with Yaseen, and showed real confidence, sweeping the first ball for a quick 2 runs. He finished with 9 runs – a strong achievement for a young man playing his first game in a higher age group. Brandon and Jake saw the innings out with some lovely shot making and crucially without the loss of a further wicket. Swanage finished on 301 for the loss of just 1 wicket, and won the game by 41 runs. 

Notable performances – Jacob Pope 15, Freddie Long 3-2-2-1

Swanage 301 - 1    Wimborne 260 - 4       Swanage won by 41 runs


Match Report Swanage U15s v Parley Tuesday 10th May

Early morning on Tuesday it seemed as if there was little chance of play in this fixture owing to the heavy rain overnight, however an afternoon ground inspection showed that the match could safely go ahead, using the artificial wicket. The Swanage side was unfortunately missing five first-pick players, but we were still able to field eight players, matching the eight that Parley provided. Matt won the toss, elected to field and gave the ball to Archie to open the bowling for the second successive time. Matt opened at the other end and quickly struck with a lovely delivery taking out the top of off stump. Parley then compiled an 93 run partnership, batting against first change bowlers Ben and then Tommy, who bowled an accurate and tidy spell, picking up a plumb LBW decision when the batsman was pinned to his crease. (Remember to appeal “Howzat” to the umpire, rather than “Out?”!). The fog was now swirling all around the ground, with the play not discernible from the pavilion. Ryan bowled with good pace and clean bowled another Parley player. However, three of the opposition were able to reach a retirement score and the final total was a huge 197 runs.
A quick change over saw skipper Matt open the batting with Tommy. Matt was unfortunate to receive a ball keeping surprisingly low on the artificial wicket. Alistair came in at number three and dispatched his first ball to the long leg boundary, but then popped up a simple return catch to the bowler later in the over. Swanage then constructed a 45 run partnership between Tommy and Ben, with both batsmen picking up boundaries. Parley's first change bowler, Sinha, then took the ball. The quickest bowler on the day, and also a left-armer, he proved too much for the Swanage players, first picking up Tommy's wicket with a stunning reflex return catch, Tommy had battled his way to a creditable 21 runs. In his next over, Sinha was far too quick and accurate, mopping up the last 4 Swanage wickets (Adam, Sunny, Archie and Ryan) in just 5 balls, to finish with match figures of 5 -1 off 2 overs as Swanage finished their innings on 61.

Parley 197 - 3    Swanage 61 all out    Parley won by 138 runs


Match Report Swanage U9s v Broadstone U9s Saturday 7th May

A dewy morning greeted the U9s for their first game of the season against Broadstone. Captain George Taylor won the toss and led a team featuring mainly U8s out into the field. He opened the bowling himself leading by example with 2 accurate overs. No wickets fell but each bowler kept it tight as Broadstone's score rose slowly.
After some near misses it was James Harding who finally took the first wicket with Max Pankhurst taking the catch - getting everything behind the ball and clutching it to his chest. One wicket brought two and James was involved again as he took a brilliant catch off Dylan Church one of 4 players making their Swanage debut. As always everyone got a bowl and they all should be proud of their efforts with very few no balls and wides being bowled and not many runs being conceded.
After a short break James and debutant Josh Titley opened the batting as Swanage began the task of chasing down Broadstone's 264. James carried on his success in the field scoring 10 runs while Josh took a while to get settled. He finished well though as he hit 2 fours in the pairs last over and put Swanage ahead by 7 runs.
Next in were George and Buzz Barnes who through some good running and determined defence kept Swanage ahead but by only 2 runs. They were followed by Max and Regan Norman. Regan started well hitting 2 fours in the first over but the introduction of Broadstone's star bowler, a county hard ball player, meant it was game on. Alternate wickets and 4's kept it close Regan ending up scoring 20 gaining himself a place on the new honours board but with both batsmen out twice Swanage found themselves 9 runs behind with just 4 overs left.
It was going to be a difficult task as two players making their debuts - Dylan and Barney Baker - made their way to the wicket. They started slowly and the gap started to narrow. Then in their second over Swanage raced ahead as Dylan hit 2 fours in a row. A tense finish saw some great fielding by Broadstone and some quick running by the Swanage pair. But with Dylan being bowled on the first ball of the last over Swanage were just 2 runs ahead. A couple of quick singles and a no ball meant it was down the last ball which happily sailed harmlessly by Barney's bat giving Swanage a narrow victory by just 6 runs.
Such a close and exciting game meant it was a brilliant start to the season for the U9s.

Broadstone 264 - 2       Swanage 270 - 6     Swanage won by 6 runs


Match Report Bournemouth U15 v. Swanage U15 Tuesday 26 April

On a chilly evening, still in April, a youthful Bournemouth won the toss and put their visitors in to bat. The pre-match talk, as ever, focussed on the importance of defending the straight ball and biding your time so as to cash in later in the innings. The coach said that he would be very happy with a first over maiden, providing that there were no wickets. Alas, this was not to be. After 10 balls Swanage had lost 2 wickets, with Tom and Charlie both caught behind. This brought Sam to the crease who was fortunate to survive early on, however he soon had his eye in and played some fine shots, punishing some poor balls very well, before playing across the line and being bowled for 29 and becoming the first Swanage Youth player on the new honour's board.
At the other end Matt had played maturely, heeding advice to play himself in and demonstrating some pleasing defensive shots. He was unlucky to be caught behind when trying to pull a ball to the leg side. Callum showed some good shot selection in his innings. Tommy, Benjamin and Archie all had brief innings. Wicket-keeper Alistair stuck around for over 3 overs, a great benefit as one bowler he faced bowled 4 front foot no balls, included bowling Alistair off one of them. At 2 runs a pieces, that’s 8 runs in no balls from 2 overs. Swanage batted through their overs, finishing with a reasonable 89 runs.

Opening the bowling for the first time, Archie showed good pace and carry and was a bit too hot to handle for the opening batters, pegging back the stumps twice in 2 overs. Sam opened at the other end and bowled a tight and economical line. Charlie couldn't quite find his line and was a little expensive. Matt was consistent, after opening each over with a wide. Callum, Benjamin and Tommy bowled one over each, with Ben taking one wicket. The next ball featured a spectacular run out with Matt throwing down the stumps at the bowler’s end from the covers. Callum and Charlie took a catch each. Towards the end the visitors dared to believe they could win as Bournemouth lost 3 quick wickets, however Bournemouth won the match with an over to spare.

Ultimately Swanage were 10-15 runs short, with only one batter reaching double figures. The fielding was fine, but the team needs to get their heads down and score some more runs so they can put pressure on the opposition’s batting.
 The new format of 14 x 8 ball overs proved to be a problem for the umpires, who both experienced difficulty counting past 6! 

Swanage 89 - 7      Bournemouth 90 - 6.    Bournemouth won by 2 wickets