Youth Cricket 2017

Match Reports

 

13^th August Swanage U8s V Ellingham - Plate Semi-Final

 

Unfortunately Swanage only had a team of 7, which included 2 six year olds, for the Plate Semi-Final. However on arrival at the Ellingham pitch it was discovered that they were a player short too, making for a fair match.

 

Captain for the day, Alex, won the toss and elected to field first. He opened the bowling and got Swanage off to a good start. Josh was wicket keeper and he along with the 5 fielders worked brilliantly together to keep runs to a minimum. Thomas and Zac bowled tight overs and then Eric clean bowled one of Ellingham’s openers. Swanage continued to work together with great communication and backing up and at the halfway stage Ellingham were 245-1.

 

Eric then began his second over. He took a great catch off his own bowling, which began a spree of Ellingham wickets. Josh took his first wicket for Swanage, followed by Alex getting 2 in his next over, 1 bowled and the other a run out due to excellent fielding by the whole team, leading to much confusion from the Ellingham batters. Josh then stopped a ball off Zac’s bowling and got another run out. At the end of their innings Ellingham were 253-6.

 

Thomas and Josh opened Swanage’s innings. They batted well  and were 232-0 at the end of their overs. Next in were Zac and Cameron. Runs were difficult to get as Ellingham bowled many wides and no balls. The score was 270-0 at the halfway stage. Cameron then came back into bat with his brother, Jenson. They defended some more accurate bowling and also ran some quick singles, moving the score on to 297-0. This left Alex and Eric to face Ellingham’s more experienced bowlers. Alex was unfortunately bowled out in the first over but went on to score 13 runs, Eric also made 12 not out and at the end of the game Swanage were 326-1.

 

A well deserved win from a side whose teamwork and also individual skills have progressed significantly since they first played Ellingham at the beginning of the season.

 

Swanage now go on to play Parley in the Plate Final on Tuesday the 5th of September at Broadstone.

 

Swanage           326-1

Ellingham         253-6

Swanage won by 73 runs

 

 

16^th July Swanage U8s V Poole Town

 

Swanage lost the toss and were put into bat first. Alex (22) and Thomas (8) were up first and got off to a flying start. Alex hit a succession of five fours before being caught by the Poole captain. At the end of their overs the score 239-1. Next in were Josh (9) and Aaron (1). Due to lots of wides and no balls from the Poole bowlers and also two superb fours from Josh, Swanage were 273-1 halfway through their innings. David (14) and Cameron (2) were in next and moved the total on to 310-1 with David hitting three fours. It was left to Captain for the day, Eric (19) and Jamie (5) to bring the innings to a close. They did this with style despite both being bowled out by the Poole captain. Eric hit four fours to all areas of the pitch so Poole were constantly changing their field. At the end of the Swanage innings the highest total so far this season was posted at 334-3.

 

Captain, Eric, opened the bowling and sent the zinger bails flying on his first ball. He followed this up with five dot balls for a wicket maiden. Jamie was in next and bowled a tight over with only one run scored. Alex then bowled a maiden leaving Thomas to finish the overs for the first batting pair. He got a wicket  moving the score to 192-2. At the half way stage Poole Town were 226-2. Aaron took a wicket in his second over leaving Poole’s final pair the enormous target of 94 runs to win. With Alex getting a wicket with the first ball of his second over, this task seemed improbable. Poole Town finished on 253-4.

 

A well deserved win for Swanage on their last league game of the season.  Confident batting and running between the wickets saw the runs flowing and huge improvements in their fielding and bowling restricted Poole Town to scoring only 19 runs off the bat.

 

Swanage            334-3

Poole Town       253-4

Swanage won by 81 runs

 

 

15th July Swanage U11s v Ferndown

 

Swanage entertained Ferndown in their last league match of the season. Ferndown won the toss and decide to field first.

 

Swanage lost an early wicket but runs soon started to come with opening pair Seb (6) and Freddie (12) whose innings included 2 crushing 4’s over mid wicket. At the end of the first four overs Swanage had scored 215-1. Next in were Anthony (1) and Joe (0), despite them finding it difficult to score against the Ferndown bowling they remained not out and moved the score along to 236-1 at the end of 8 overs. In came Tia (12) and James (4) who immediately went on the attack with Tia cracking  her first ball for 4. Tia hit a second four and James also hit a no ball for four to finish their four overs  on to 276-1. Swanage’s last pair of Tom (5) and Jasmine ( 6) were looking to push Swanage on to a winning total but unfortunately in the search for quick runs, wickets fell with both Tom and Jasmine being bowled and Tom being run out. Notwithstanding this, Swanage still posted a competitive score of 283-4.

 

Ferndown’s reply was steady although few runs came from the bat. At the end of the first 4 overs Ferndown were 213-1 with Freddie bowling a tight spell and Seb clean bowling their opening bat. The next 4 overs were bowled by Jasmine and Joe. Jasmine was unlucky not to take any wickets and although Joe hadn’t scored any runs this week, he gave the ball some “air” and clean bowled Ferndown’s number 3 to claim his first wicket for the club. At the end of 8 overs Ferndown were 241-1. Anthony and James bowled the next 4 overs. They both bowled well, Anthony conceded only 4 runs off the bat and James only 2. At the end of the 12^th over Ferndown were 263-1 and slightly behind the run rate. Ferndown required 20 to win off the last 4 overs. Tom and Tia knew they had to bowl well as Ferndown had left their best batsman to last. Their spell started well with a run out in Tom’s first over which limited Ferndown to just 4 runs. Ferndown still needed 16 off 3 overs. Unfortunately for both Tom and Tia, Ferndown’s star batsman went on a rampage and smashed the next 3 overs  for 16, 16 and 16. Ferndown finished on 315- 3  thanks to one  batsman who scored 42  not out including five 4’s a five and a two 6’s.(it was a fantastic innings and something Swanage players can learn from and aspire too)

 

On the whole a good season finishing 4th having played 5 won 3 lost 2

Well done everyone, I hope you enjoyed this seasons matches and during the winter we have to practice as next year real cricket starts and “if you’re out you’re out!”

 

8th July Swanage U9s v Ferndown

 

With captain Max losing the toss Swanage were in the unusual position of batting first. A steady start by Dylan (13) and Seb (1) saw Swanage progress to 222 - 0 after the first 4 overs. Josh was unlucky to be bowled early on as he batted with Sam (5) but some excellent running set up an explosive final over as he struck 3 boundaries to reach 15 and a place on the honours board. India (4), fresh from fantastic performance in the final of the inter schools competition and Max were in next. More good running along with a few wides and no balls kept the score ticking before max started to hit out ending with 13 whilst the score neared 300. James and Alex(2) were the last pair and it was James who took control smashing 5 fours in an impressive 29 which left Swanage with their best score of the season of 344 - 2

 

Sam opened the bowling finding his length and line straight away to get Swanage off to a great start. The first of Max's 2 maidens meant Ferndown were already behind before Alex bowling leg spin took the first wicket with a caught and bowled first ball. Tight overs by Josh and James kept the score down but it was Dylan who made the game safe with 2 wickets in 2 balls after a run out from Josh. Having kept wicket for the first 8 overs India emerged to bowl her best spell for the U9s and was unlucky not to get a wicket. With Seb also unlucky as he came back after a wayward first over Swanage were well in charge. A third wicket from Dylan  and 1 from James left Ferndown 225 - 6 and Swanage with an impressive win.

 

Swanage 344 - 2

Ferndown 225 - 6

Swanage won by 119 runs

 

8th July Swanage U11s v Verwood

 

Swanage resumed league action this week way to Verwood.

 

Swanage won the toss and elected to field first. Despite wickets from Sid and Anthony, Verwood’s first pair played well and at the end of the first four overs the score was 225 -2. Swanage continued to bowl well and increase the pressure on the batting side and wickets soon started  to fall regularly. James bowled well, in his first over there was a run out by Freddie and then James clean bowled their No4 middle stump. Joe also bowled well and in his second over he took his first wicket for the club thanks to a catch by Anthony. Freddie returned and bowled a wicket maiden to finish with figures of 2 overs 1 for 6. Seb also picked up 2 wickets in his second spell to finish with figures of 3 overs 2-17. Another run out, this time by Sid (who also held two catches) and further wickets from Anthony (who finished with figures of 2 overs 2-15) and James (who finished with figures of 3 overs 2-0), Swanage’s bowlers had reduced Verwood to a final score of 230  in their 16 overs. Josh also kept wicket really well.

 

Swanage felt victory was with in their grasp. Freddie and Seb opened Swanage’s innings and batted sensibly with Seb (5) hitting a four over square leg. At the end of their 4 overs they had moved the total on to 214 with out loss. Next in was Anthony and Josh, Anthony (1) was unlucky to be bowled off his pads but 2 fours from Josh (10) including a great pull shot meant the score had still moved on to 229-1 at the end of 8 overs. Next in were Joe (7) and James. In Joe's first over he took control and cracked a straight drive for 4. James and Joe continued to amass runs and by the time their four overs had ended the score had increased to 252-1. Swanage’s final pair of Sid (10) and Tom (20) immediately dominated the bowling with Tom hitting 4 fours in the first over. Sid joined the party with 2 more cracking 4’s and Swanage finished on 295-1.

 

A great game well done.

 

Verwood 230 - 11

Swanage 295 - 1

Swanage won by 65 runs

 

3rd July Swanage U13s v Poole

 

In their latest match Swanage had another another close game losing narrowly to Poole. Swanage batted first with Archie (5) and Jacob (10) hoping to carry on their recent good form for the U12s. They got off to a brisk start and a partnership of 24 before they both fell. Needing to rebuild Ella (13) and Harry (21) showed great skill as they put together an excellent partnership of 73. Extras helped but some great running along with 5 boundaries got Swanage back on track. With Andrew (20 not out) playing some great shots including 3 boundaries towards the end of the innings Swanage ended on 124 - 4 in their 20 overs.

 

Swanage got off to a great start with Safia taking a wicket first ball as Lily took the catch. With Lily taking a second wicket soon after Swanage were looking good. A fine innings of 37 retired by Ansch along with the returning curse of the wide made Swanage's task difficult but as usual they kept trying and Harry took the third wicket. A great spell by Tia including another wicket kept Swanage in the game. With James and Archie next to bowl, the retirement of Ansch suddenly had Swanage within grasping distance of a win. A wicket by Archie left the game in the balance but sadly it wasn't to be as Poole got over the line with 2 wickets left.

 

Swanage 124 - 4

Poole 125 - 5

Poole won by 3 wickets

 

30th July Swanage U10s v Hamworthy

 

A great bowling performance saw the U10s put league leaders Hamworthy under real pressure in their latest match on Friday. Sid and James opened the bowling but Hamworthy got off to a blistering start, Swanage pulled the game back in dramatic fashion. First Sid then Jack took wickets but it was a brilliant run out with a direct hit from the boundary that really fired the U10s up. At 121 - 3 plus 2 retirements Hamworthy were still looking good before 2 wickets from Dylan turned the match on its' head. With Alex taking a wicket with his first ball, Josh Wood taking the catch, suddenly it was all over and Swanage were left to chase 123.

 

Jack and George got Swanage off to a steady start with some good defence and letting the wides go by. A tumble of wickets saw Swanage 29 - 3 with tight and accurate bowling.  Sid (22 not out) and Josh Wood (13 not out) first steadied the ship, before hitting out later on as Swanage made a valiant effort to reach the Hamworthy total.

 

Hamworthy 123 all out

Swanage 69 - 3

Hamworthy won by 54 runs

 

 

26th July Swanage U13s v Wimborne

 

Swanage travelled to Wimborne for their latest game. Oscar and Jacob(14) opened the batting and benefited from wide bowling to get Swanage off to a flying start. Great running put Wimborne under pressure but the speedy Harley struck twice to peg Swanage back. A succession of quick wickets left Swanage in trouble and with Regan having to retire hurt (with what proved to be an already fractured wrist) it looked as if Swanage would be unable to post a decent total. Andrew (26) joined Jacob and they steadied the ship. Andrew's innings included four 4s and a 5 as Swanage moved towards a 100. With James and Spencer together at the end some sensible batting and running got Swanage to 116 before Harley returned to claim his third wicket.

 

Harry opened the bowling along with Tia who had been allowed to replace her injured brother. Like Swanage, Wimborne got off to a flying start until a great caught and bowled by Tia got them back in the game. Tight overs from Freddie along with a wicket for Archie gave Swanage a chance but with Harley hitting an aggressive 36 with 9 boundaries the game slipped away. Another good performance by the U13s who were beaten by the better team.

 

Swanage 116 - all out

Wimborne 118 - 2

Wimborne won by 6 wickets

 

 

25th June Swanage U8s V Winton

 

 

Captain for the day, Thomas, lost the toss and Swanage, the home team, were put in to bat.  Jamie and David opened and did well against the Winton bowling only losing a wicket on their penultimate ball. Next in were Zac and Cameron who met the same fate, losing a wicket on the second to last ball after batting well for their first time together. At the half way stage Swanage were 223-2. Next up were Alex and Thomas who both hit boundaries. Eric and Harry completed the innings without losing any more wickets and with good calling and running between the wickets moved the score on to 276-3.

 

Captain, Thomas opened the bowling and with a superb run out by Harry, Winton were 200-1 at the end of his over. Left armer David was next, all the practise he has been doing showed as he only bowled one wide in his 2 overs. Wicket keeper Eric took a great catch of Alex’s bowling in the third over and then Zac,  bowling the seventh over took a wicket with his first ball, his accuracy saw him repeat this and half way through their innings Winton were 224-4. Harry got another run out with some quick fielding off Alex’s bowling. Winton’s last batting pair tried in vain to make the runs needed to win. Tight bowling by Thomas, Eric, Jamie and Harry and excellent fielding by the whole team with two more run outs saw Winton end the game on 256-7

Swanage       276-3

Winton          256-7

Swanage won by 20 runs

 

 

23rd June Swanage U12s v Ferndown

 

The U12s finally got their reward for all the hard work over the last couple of months, with last man James hitting the winning runs against Ferndown. It had been a hugely improved bowling performance, with the wides falling dramatically. This backed up by some brilliant all round fielding got Swanage into that winning position.

 

Archie and Brandon opened the bowling but it was Jacob who got the first wicket with an excellent caught and bowled. Freddie bowled 2 tight overs before Tom took the second wicket. James got the third helped by a fabulous diving catch by Archie and despite some boundaries towards the end Ferndown finished on 119 - 3 in their 18 overs. 

 

Feeling this was a score they could chase down, Swanage started positively with Oscar and Archie (25 ret), before Oscar was the first to go. He was soon followed by Freddie which brought Jacob (28 ret) to the crease. They struck the ball to all parts, hitting 5 fours each and putting Swanage firmly in charge. Everything seemed on course until they both had to retire and as the light faded batting wasn't as easy for the incoming batsmen. With first Andrew then Brandon falling cheaply the pressure was back on Swanage. The cool head of Tom held it together but with Spencer run out Swanage needed 10 to win with their last pair at the wicket. A four by Tom eased the tension along with some well run singles before James coolly drove the ball through point to take Swanage to victory.

 

Ferndown 119 - 3

Swanage 120 -7 

Swanage won by 1 wicket

 

 

19th June Swanage Girl's U11s v Winton

 

At last the Girl's U11s managed to play their second game this week as Winton came over to Swanage for our first home match. Jasmine won the toss and decided to field first. Nati opened the bowling along with Evie - one of 3 players making their debut - and they Swanage off to a good start. Sky improved as her over progressed but some good batting from the strong Winton side along with a few wides kept the score ticking along. With the experienced Caitlin in next she scored an explosive 35 with 4 fours and a six. But she didn't have it all her own way as Katie got her out as she took her first wicket for Swanage on her debut. Heidi's first over was excellent and she was unlucky not to take another wicket. With two tight overs from India, only conceding 6 runs, Swanage kept the score in check. A wicket for Evie, who bowled 2 overs for just 5 runs, meant Swanage were well in the match as Winton ended on 295 - 2.

 

Heidi and Katie opened the batting against some excellent Winton bowling but they kept the score going upwards as they ran quickly between the wickets. With Nati and Sky in next the Swanage total kept rising as Nati(8) hit her first 4 and Sky a 3. India and Evie ran some quick single one of which turned into an unusual 5 as an overthrow went all the way to the boundary. With Jasmine and Dani to bat last Swanage needed a good partnership to end the match with and they got it. Despite a wicket first ball they raced between the wickets and struck the ball well. Jasmine led the way with 18 including 4 fours whilst Dani matched her sister Nati with 8. Swanage fell short by 27 runs a much closer game than last time and lots of positives for the future. Safia umpired the whole match helping the girls with their batting and bowling when necessary as well as giving those vital decisions. 

 

Winton 295 - 2

Swanage 268 - 5

Winton won by 27 runs

 

19th June Swanage U13s v Parley

 

Swanage under 13 played spirited cricket to challenge the opposition at Parley. Harry, Freddie, Tia  and Archie  were the bowlers who reduced Parley to 34-4. However, Parley still had good batsmen left and scored heavily later on to reach 145-4. In reply, Swanage lost three quick wickets as Andrew, Spencer and debutant U9 Regan fell early. Captain Harry was joined by his brother Freddie. In a fine partnership, they carried the score to almost 100 before, trying to hit out, both were caught for 25 and 22 respectively. There was time for a couple of four shots from Tia and Archie before Swanage were all out for 117 with two balls to go, leaving James not out on 2 at the end.

 

Parley 145 - 4

Swanage 117 all out 

Parley won 28 runs

 

18th June Swanage U8s V Wimborne

 

On a hot and sunny Sunday morning the under eights were hosts to Wimborne on only their second home game of the season.  Swanage were put into bat first and captain for the day, Alex, opened with Aaron. They faced some accurate bowling and some amazing fielding from Wimborne resulting in the loss of three wickets, one bowled, one caught and a run out. Next in were Jamie and David who met the same strong fielding side. Halfway through the innings with a much needed drinks break in soaring temperatures, Swanage were 200-5. Back on the field Eric and Josh began their partnership, refreshed from the break Wimborne continued to dominate in the field and at the end of 12 overs Swanage were 201-7. Harry and Thomas finished the innings with Harry being the outstanding batsman of the day with 13 not out, leaving Swanage 214-8.

 

Swanage carried on their improved performance in the field with only a run apiece scored off Alex, Harry and Eric’s first over. Aaron then got a wicket maiden with Harry taking a great catch. At the half way stage Thomas and Jamie had also taken wickets and Wimborne were 221-3. At this point Wimborne had had a drinks break, unfortunately both umpires were so engrossed in the game they forgot to offer this to Swanage. Jill takes full responsibility and apologises to the team for this. As the temperature rose the game began to slip out of Swanage’s reach, although there were two more wickets with Eric taking an a fantastic catch off David’s bowling and Harry sending the zinger bails flying. Wimborne finished on 273-5.

 

The team should be proud of their performance in the field, the bowling was tight, catches were taken and backing up was greatly improved.

 

Swanage 214-8

Wimborne 273-5

Wimborne won by 59 runs

 

17th June Swanage U9s v Broadstone

 

It was the beginning of the second half of the season for the U9s as they travelled to Broadstone for their first return match. After a dramatic 1 run win last time out and no U10s game the night before, they selected Regan, James and Max to bolster their team. James won the toss and decided to break with tradition and bat first. It proved a good decision as Regan (35) and Sam(3) got Swanage off to a flying start and well on their way to a big total. Dylan(16) and Max(12) came in next and there was no let up for the Broadstone bowlers as they hit the boundaries and raced through for the singles. At 253 Swanage were looking good for 300. James (12) and Seb(3) carried on the attack with James hitting a 6 before being unlucky to hit his own stumps whilst hitting another 4. Josh (27) and Charlie (4) have so often felt the pressure of being the last pair, but with 284 on the board they could enjoy themselves. Josh struck 5 fours in a row as Swanage raced into the 300's eventually finishing on an excellent 311 - 5.

 

Sam opened the bowling before James took the first wicket. Regan followed up with 2 more and sent Broadstone below 200. Regan took a third with a caught and bowled, before Max took his first wicket. At the half way point an Broadstone on 205 Swanage could relax a bit. As everyone tried their luck with the ball Swanage kept the pressure on. Dylan bowled a couple of tight overs and also managed to follow up his one handed catch of last week with another spectacular catch. The catching all round was excellent and the wickets kept falling. Max returned to take 2 more wickets before a run out by Regan. As Josh bowled the last over Swanage were the clear winners but there was no holding back as he got a wicket off the last ball of the match as Regan took his second catch. A fantastic team performance with so many highlights and appearances on the honours board.

 

Swanage 311 - 5

Broadstone 231 - 9

Swanage won by 80 runs

 

17th June Swanage U11s v Poole

 

On a really hot morning in Poole Park Swanage won the toss and elected to field first. The decision seemed a good one as Swanage had 2 run outs (Tom and Tia) in the first four overs and with tight bowing from Freddie, Poole’s opening pair were restricted to 209-2 at the end of the first 4 overs. From then on Swanage found wickets hard to come by and solid batting from Poole’s second pair saw the total move on to 240-2  at the end of 8 overs. Anthony and Josh ( in is first outing for the U11’s) both bowled well and the pressure eventually got to Poole with Josh making the breakthrough, clean bowling Poole’s number 5. At the end of 12 overs Poole had moved the score on to 268-3. Poole left their strongest pair to last and with some classic cover drives over a fast outfield with a small boundary, Poole finished on 301-4 with Tia claiming her second run out of the match. George also making his U11’s debut kept wicket well (and also got very hot under his helmet).

 

Swanage’s reply took an early set back with their star batsman Freddie (12-2), whilst trying to hit boundaries, being caught and then bowled in successive overs. Against accurate bowling Anthony (1) protected his wicket but found scoring more difficult and at the end of the first four overs Swanage were on 206-2. Next in were James (1) and Joe (1). Joe nearly hit his second successive four in as many weeks but it was just short of the boundary. James was resolute in defence and the pair kept out everything Poole could throw at them and they progressed the score on to 216-2 at the end of the eight over. Next in were the debutants of Josh and George. They both coped well but also found runs difficult to come by due to good accurate bowling and tight well organised fielding. At the end of the 12^th over Swanage were on 210-5. Swanage’s final pair of Tom (7-1) and Tia had a mountain to climb needing 91 runs from 4 overs to win the game. They both tried  to hit hard and beat the in field but the boundaries didn’t come. Tom was bowled going for a big hit but Tia remained (5 no) at the end.

 

Poole were the best all-round team the U11’s have faced this season, they had no weak links and were not dependant on any one person. Swanage kept battling and should not be too disappointed, Poole are a good side.

 

Poole 301 - 4

Swanage 229 - 3

Poole won by 72 runs

 

16th June Swanage U12s v Wimborne

 

The U12s travelled over to Wimborne for their latest game and having won the toss decided to field first. After good opening overs by Brandon and Andrew the spectre of wides and no balls soon reared their head. Luckily wicket keeper Oscar was in fine form as he made numerous stops down the leg side and really helped keep his team in the match. A long partnership by the openers made it difficult for the Swanage bowlers, especially as it was for many, their first game on grass. As usual Swanage persevered and fielded well to keep the runs down. The introduction of Freddie helped, as he bowled 2 tight overs. Joe and Anthony joined the attack but all to no avail. It was only when both openers had retired that the returning Jacob took an excellent caught and bowled. Freddie followed this up with another wicket as Wimborne ended on 154 in their 18 overs. A big total but with small boundaries and a fast outfield winning the chase was not out of the question.

 

Andrew and Spencer opened cautiously until Andrew was bowled for 2. Spencer gave the innings some impetus with 2 fours in his 9 before he was run out. With James(3) in support it was Jacob who gave Swanage a chance as he hit his first 2 balls for 6 and 4. Once James had been bowled Jacob was joined by Freddie and they ran well as well as scoring the boundaries. With Jacob out for 20, Freddie(21 not out) carried on first with the hard hitting Brandon who scored a seasons best 10 and the more subtle Oscar (3 not out) who cleverly scored the singles. They saw Swanage through to the end. An excellent chase but sadly 30 runs short of their target. Once again Swanage outscored their opponents with the bat but lost on extras something we continue to work on as we search for a victory.

 

Wimborne 154 - 2

Swanage 124 - 5

Wimborne won by 30 runs

 

 

13th June Swanage U15s v. Verwood

 

A distant pitch was again the venue for the fourth match of the season for the Swanage U15 side. This time we found ourselves visiting the Verwood ground at Potterne Park for the second year running. Battling heavy traffic, we found we had a full team, lost the toss and took the field to have a bowl at the home side. Lily and Ryan opened the bowling on a fine summer evening. Swanage were a little slow to get up to speed and this allowed the home side to race away to 71 for 0 after just 5 overs. Their opening bat retired at this point, coinciding with the awakening of the visiting side. Noah immediately struck in his first over. His first ball went for an amazing 6 wides, but then he effected a run out and had two catches excellently taken by Safia in the gully, all in the same over. Ben bowled a tight sixth over and in the next over Noah clean bowled their keeper. Next over Safia took 2 wickets, with a fine catch by Harry and a clean bowled effort, and the home side had slumped to 111 for 6 of 10 overs. Soon after Harry wrapped up the innings by bowling the last batsman and the home side were all out for 113. This seemed a reasonable total and was achieved by decent batting from just one batsmen and an overly generous offering of wides and no balls.

 

The visitors set about their chase slowly. The home bowling was fairly straight, but shouldn’t have presented many challenges. The outfield was small and fast and runs seemed easy to come by. However, Ben was bowled in the second over with the score on just 7 runs. In the same over, Harry was caught for just one run. Ryan quickly followed, being run out for a duck in a communication mix up with Jacob. At the end of the third over we were staring down the barrel at 16 for 3. Skipper Ali was well caught behind next over, leaving us 24 for 4 after four overs. The next partnership was Swanage’s best of the innings, featuring 30 runs shared by Lily and Jacob, who started to cut loose and displayed a fine range of shots, including several boundaries carved over the top of point. Eventually Jacob was out, having scored 24 runs and top scoring in the innings. Lily was next out, before Noah thrashed 12 quick runs. Safia struck an excellent boundary down to fine leg and then Ella was once again left not out. The final Swanage total was 73 runs.

 

A match that had the potential to be won by Swanage, we took our catches very well and there was fine batting by the youngster Jacob. Noah and Safia were the stand out bowlers. But sadly we fell just short

 

Verwood 113 all out

Swanage 73 all out

Verwood won by 40 runs

 

11th June Swanage U8s V Bournemouth

 

The Swanage U8s had another away fixture this week.  Once the correct pitch had been located it was discovered that we were a player short. Cameron’s brother Jenson, who is only 5, willingly became part of the team. Swanage lost the toss and were asked to field first. Captain for the day, Jamie, opened the bowling. Again the players were encouraging and supportive of the debutants, Jenson and David. Some great bowling saw Jamie take one, Eric two and Harry three wickets and Alex bowling a maiden over. Bournemouth however were very strong running between the wickets and at the end of their innings posted a score of 272-6.

 

After a break with lovely home-made cupcakes provided by Bournemouth, Jamie and David opened the Swanage innings. With the Bournemouth bowlers keeping things tight and a slow outfield the score at the end of their four overs was 209-1. Josh and Jenson were next in. They faced some excellent bowling with only one wide being bowled. The score was 206-4 when Alex and Cameron came in. With some great calling by Alex and some fast running between  the wickets,  the total was moved on to 219-5 leaving Eric and Harry to finish off the innings. They batted well together taking quick singles and leaving Swanage with a final score of 233-6

 

Bournemouth   272-6

Swanage            233-6

Bournemouth  won by  39 runs

 

 

10th June Swanage U11s v Ferndown

 

Swanage U11’s hosted Ferndown in the second round of the cup. Swanage won the toss and elected to field. Ferndown got off to a flying start despite accurate bowling from Freddie and Seb. At the end of the first four overs Ferndown had progressed to 239 without loss. Swanage needed to take wickets and tight bowling from Tia created the required pressure and Anthony (1 wicket) cleaned bowled Ferndown’s number 3 with the first ball of his over. Tia and Anthony continued to bowl well and at the end of the 8^th over the score had move to 249-1.

Swanage’s bowlers, James, Jasmine and Joe continued to keep the pressure on Ferndown, which resulted in a run out in one of Jasmine’s overs. At the end of the 12th over Ferndown had moved the score along to 260 -2. Ferndown’s final pair took to the crease looking to push the run rate on. Although Tom (1 wicket) clean bowled one of their batsman, the final pair pushed the score to a respectable 283-3 at the end of their 16 overs.

 

Swanage’s reply got off to a shaky start loosing 3 wickets in the first over, Anthony (1) and Freddie (13) took control and Freddie finished with two fours. At the end of the first four overs, Swanage’s total stood at 198-3. The next pair in were Joe (7) and  Jasmine (5). They both batted very well with Joe hitting his first ever 4 with a classic straight drive. The score progressed onto 216-5. Swanage’s third  pair was Tia (16 including 3 fours) and James (4). Tia’s attacking batting, dominated the bowling and supported by James, the score moved on to 238-6. Swanage’s final pair of Tom (22no including 4 fours) and Seb (11no including 2 fours) continued to push the score along with 12 runs coming from their 1^st over. Ferndown, concerned about loosing, brought back their opening bowler but Tom dispatched him for 2 straight drive fours in his last over.  Unfortunately, Swanage fell 11 runs short on 272-6.

 

Despite the defeat, our bowling improved with less wides being bowled and our batting was much more positive.

 

Swanage 272-6

Ferndown 283-3

Ferndown won by 11 runs

 

10th June Swanage U9s v Christchurch

 

Swanage travelled to Christchurch for their first away game of the season. The ground proved a bit hard to find so it was agreed that Swanage would bat first. Captain for the day Dylan (8) opened the batting with Sam (6) and they got the game off to a great start. Dylan hit the first ball for 4 only to be followed by Sam doing the same on the third ball. They continued to play well and built the score steadily. Despite the loss of 1 wicket they reached 222 after 4 overs. With their full team now assembled India (2) and Chloe (1) were in next and showed great determination to keep out some great bowling. Only a run out which was Tim's fault spoiled their 4 overs as they both scored some single and ran well between the wickets. Barney (9) and Seb(4) started as they meant to go on with great running between the wickets and determined defence against more accurate Christchurch bowling. The score continued to grow but at 243 Swanage were in need of a boost. There was no need to worry as Josh and Charlie came into bat. They started slowly and then preceded to dispatch the ball to all parts. Josh hit 29 - his top score - including 5 fours and Charlie gave great support with 8. A partnership of 41 gave Swanage the boost they needed and a final score of 284 for only 2 wickets.

 

Sam opened the bowling and after a couple of balls to get it right he settled down to another accurate spell his second over being another maiden. Barney bowled next but it was Josh who continued to to turn the game Swanage's way. An amazing over saw him bowl 2 players and with a run out in the middle saw 3 wickets in an over and Christchurch fall back towards 200. After an over by Seb, including what we though was the highlight of the day as a wide ball hit the flag marking the crease, Dylan came onto bowl. The third ball proved to be the real champagne moment as he stretched to take a fabulous one handed catch. With the help of a catch by Josh it was another great over for Swanage. After all the drama the game settled down with good overs from India and Charlie. Chloe having kept wicket with increasing confidence and skill then came on to bowl. Like her keeping she was nervous to start but with each delivery she improved and bowled 2 accurate overs. With Dylan taking his third wicket Swanage were firmly on top  when India's second good over saw another run out Swanage had victory in their grasp. A wicket from Barney before Josh bowled the final over saw Christchurch 262 - 8 giving Swanage a victory by 22 runs.

 

Swanage 284 - 2

Christchurch 262 - 8

Swanage won by 22 runs

 

 

Friday 9th June Swanage U10s v Bournemouth

 

Swanage batted first and Regan carried-on from where he left off the previous week and again hit a rapid (27) before having to retire. Swanage continued to bat resolutely against some excellent bowling with Sid making 16 not out, he was well supported by George & Josh Wood. This enabled Swanage to reach a total of 68.

The very strong hosts batting line-up had few alarms reaching their target. Despite some excellent bowling by James, Regan & Josh Titley. The highlight was a fantastic piece of bowling by Jack. The fielding and commitment put in by George, Jenson and Vinnie  was exceptional, however, this could not prevent the hosts from reaching their target.

 

Swanage 66 - 3

Bournemouth 67 - 2

Bournemouth won by 6 wickets

 

 

Tuesday 6th June Swanage U15s v. Wimborne 

 

Gales were blowing all around the south coast, but we were able to dodge the rain to play this fixture. The Swanage team was without some of our regular players because of school engagements, so we fielded a younger team than usual. The match was being played at Colehill and the odd shower passed through the ground during the first innings. Wimborne won the toss and elected to bowl. Spencer and Jacob began steadily. The second over was probably the fastest bowling any of our players had ever seen. Jacob played well against this, picking up a wide full toss and carving it to the cover boundary for 4. However, he was unlucky when the last ball over over stuck in the grass pitch and he spooned a catch back to the bowler. Harry came to the crease and began his innings carefully. At the other end, Spencer was run out attempting a quick single, bringing the season’s top batsman, Ryan, to the crease. Ryan took advantage of the change of bowling and struck 5 powerful boundaries on his way to a score of 24 until he was clean bowled when attempting to make room to cut the ball into the covers. Skipper Ali came in next and tried to up the scoring rate, but was bowled, as was Freddie next ball and then Andrew was the victim next ball, completing a hat trick for the bowler. They thought it was all over at this stage, but there was time for one last hurrah from Reuben, who faced 3 balls for his 5 runs. Harry was not out on 20 runs. The final total for Swanage was 98 runs, a good total considering the accurate bowling and the lack of extras given.

 

After a quick turnaround, Ryan and Freddie opened the bowling. Ryan bowled accurately and Freddie bowled a difficult length, with the batsman not sure whether to come forward or go back. However, the opening batsmen were a class above, playing regularly for the Wimborne mens third and fourth teams. Harry and Archie Fenech bowled well. In Harry’s first over he gamely put his hand out to stop a fiercely struck ball and was down on the ground for a few minutes. Fortunately the opposing umpire was a doctor and pronounced the hand undamaged. Harry bravely continued bowling and in his next over he bowled their pace bowler first ball. Before this, both openers had retired on 35 runs. In the eighth over of the Wimborne innings Swanage dared to believe that victory was close. Andrew came on to bowl and he assisted in a run out and then bowled another batsman. Swanage were just 2 wickets from victory, but by the time Reuben came on to bowl the home side needed only 3 runs to win and they duly completed their win.

 

This was the best performance of the season for Swanage. They faced the best bowling, the best keeper and the best batsman. Swanage did very well to score 98 runs, with not many extras to help. The Swanage bowling was tighter that it had been in previous matches. The difference in the teams was a couple of standout players on the opposing side.

 

Swanage 98-5

Wimborne 99-3 

Wimborne won by 5 wickets

 

Sunday 4th June Swanage U8s v Parley

 

It was another sunny Sunday morning when the Swanage U8s travelled to Parley. Captain for the day, Harry, won the toss and chose to field first. Aaron, Thomas, Eric and making his debut, Josh, all took turns in wicket keeping for 4 overs each. The fielding was again greatly improved with good communication between the players and lots of encouragement for Josh and other debutant, Cameron. Parley were moving along nicely until the 8th over when Alex took a catch off Aaron’s bowling, Two more wickets fell shortly after , both claimed by Thomas. It was left to the captain to bowl the last over and with more accurate bowling, another wicket fell. Parley finished on 274-4 

 

Eric and Josh opened the batting. At the end of their 4 overs the score was already 243 with Josh scoring 20 runs, which included 4 fours. Next in were Thomas and Alfie who moved the score on to 265. Aaron and Cameron followed and at the end of their innings Swanage were 270-0. The last pair Harry and Alex batted sensibly and at the end of the match the score was 297 with no loss of wickets.

 

A well deserved win for a team who have been improving each week and who play every game in the true spirit of cricket.

 

Parley      274-4

Swanage 297-0

Swanage won by 23 runs

 

Saturday 3rd June Swanage U9s v Hamworthy

 

 

A cup game gave the U9s their first opportunity to play as a team in a hard ball match. Playing against Division 1 Hamworthy, they fielded a strong side featuring Regan and James who have been playing for the U10s. Regan won the toss and decided to field and Sam (2 overs for 3 runs) opened the bowling. In a brilliant first over he conceded no runs and Swanage also managed the first of 4 run outs, all swiftly thrown to Regan behind the stumps for him to take the bails off. James carried on the good start as Swanage found themselves well on top in the early stages. More accurate bowling by Seb (2 overs for 6 runs) and Dylan (2 overs for 2 runs) kept the scoring down and Dylan also added a wicket. At the half way stage Hamworthy were 209 - 3. Swanage kept the pressure on and more run outs and a wicket from Josh meant despite some big hitting at the end Hamworthy only reached 238 - 6.

 

Swanage needed a solid start from Regan and Sam but they took it a step further. Regan blasted 38 including 3 sixes and 4 fours while Sam supported with good running and runs of his own. Despite a couple of wickets and unfortunate run out Swanage had raced to 227 after only 4 overs. Josh and Charlie (8) did as they always do and batted to the situation. They eased past the Hamworthy score, keeping the wickets in tact with great defense and sharp running. Dylan and Barney carried on in the same way and a rush of wides saw Swanage well ahead with James and Seb to bat. They calmly watched the wides and no balls go by took the singles on offer leaving James to hit a boundary in the final over to seal a fabulous victory by 51 runs.

 

Hamworthy 238 - 6

Swanage 289 - 4

Swanage won by 51 runs

 

Saturday 3rd June Swanage U11s v Winton

 

Swanage travelled to Winton in league action. Winton won the toss and elected to field first. Winton’s opening bowlers were quick and accurate but Freddie (5) and Anthony (3) battled well but found runs hard to come by. At the end of their 4 overs they had moved the score on to 206. Next in was Jasmine (4no)  and CJ (1) who were both making their U11 debut. CJ tried to hit the ball back over the bowler’s head but was unfortunately caught.  Jasmine played a lovely pull shot for four. At the end of eight overs Swanage were on 221. Swanage’s third pair was the experienced Sid (10) and Tia (5no). Sid hit a glorious cover drive for 4 and Tia kept the score board ticking over with short singles. At the end of twelfth over Swanage had moved to 238. Swanage’s fourth and final pair was Tom (11no) and Seb. Swanage finished on 239.

 

Winton opened with their big guns and were soon in the driving seat. At the end of the first 4 overs Winton were on 230. Swanage were a little “sleepy” in the field and were given a demonstration on running between the wickets. Swanage watch and learn! All Swanage’s bowlers bowled well with Freddie (I wkt), Sid (2 wkts), Tia (1 wkt) and Tom (2wkts) the pick of the bowlers. Although Jasmine did not get a wicket, she also bowled very well.

 

Swanage 239

Winton 271

Winton won by 42 runs

 

Friday 2nd June Swanage U10s v Parley

 

The visitors batted first and got off to a solid start despite some good bowling by Sid and James. The game changed with a brilliant catch on the boundary by Josh Titley. Swanage continued to bowl well with Dylan & Titley excelling, however, the outstanding performer was George who claimed 2 crucial wickets. The bowlers' were well supported by some excellent fielding by Regan & Sid - who both took 2 catches, as well as, Jack, Vinnie & Josh Wood. The visitors finished on 144.

In reply, Swanage got off to a 'flying-start' with Regan retiring with a quick-fire 27. The momentum of the innings was maintained by Sid - who also retired on 27. This still left Swanage with some work to do, however, an exceptional unbeaten 23 from George and some very useful extras saw the hosts reach their target in the penultimate over to record a memorable, first victory.

 

Parley 144 - 5

Swanage 146 - 4

Swanage won by 4 wickets

 

Saturday 27th May Swanage U9s v Winton 

 

In another tense game the U9s long unbeaten run finally ended with a dramatic last ball defeat to Winton. With Swanage just ahead Caitlin took a vital wicket with the penultimate ball meaning Swanage needed 1 to tie off the last ball. As the ball looped in the air Josh and Charlie raced through for the single only to have their hopes dashed by a brilliant one handed catch.

 

Earlier captain Samuel had won the toss and the U9s fielded first. An early run out saw Winton off to a slow start. Two more run outs were to follow with Dylan getting both of them. With 2 wickets from Seb, the Winton score was kept down and after 12 overs there was only 231 on the board and Swanage were well on top. Despite wickets for Tae and Josh, some great hitting at the end saw the shoot up and Winton ended on a very competitive 271 - 8. 

 

Alex and and Samuel opened the batting and got Swanage off to a solid start. With the in form Dylan in next, first with debutant Jessie and secondly with Bill, Swanage were able to stay in front. Tae and Seb ran well and watched the wides help the score mount before Josh and Charlie needing 19 to win took to the crease. A quiet first over gave no hint of the drama to follow as Swanage edged closer to the Winton score. The next proved crucial as Charlie (11) hit 2 fours and Josh hit 1 to put Swanage 1 run ahead. With Winton's 2 best bowlers to finish it was still all to play for and after a cautious 15th over the dramatic final over saw Winton snatch victory at the end of a brilliant game.

 

Winton 271 - 8

Swanage 265 - 5

Winton won by 6 runs

 

Friday 26th May Swanage U11s v Swanage U12s

 

With their last two games scratched the U12s were riding high in the table but lacking cricket. An opportunity to play the U11s again was not to be missed especially after last years' defeat. Jacob won the toss and decided to field first and then opened the bowling with Archie and Brandon. Freddie and James got off to a great start with Freddie hitting 2 early boundaries, It all changed in the third over as first Archie and then Brandon took 3 wickets between them in 9 balls. Not to be deterred Freddie (20) and Alex kept attacking leaving the U11s on 212 - 3 after the first 4 overs. After such an explosive beginning to the match it all calmed down as U11s captain Anthony and Riley played watchfully. A wicket from Jacob saw the score pegged back but at 222 - 4 the U11s were well in the match. With debutant CJ and Joe at the wicket the score continued to climb and crucially losing no wickets meant the U11s had reached 242. With Tom and Seb at the crease there were high hopes of a big score especially after Tom hit his third ball for 4. Next ball he tried to repeat the shot only to be well caught by Spencer. Undeterred they kept the scoreboard moving with boundaries, well run singles and a few extras eventually ending on a competitive 268 - 5.

 

The U12s were determined not to make the same mistakes as last year when they lost too many wickets to lose the game. Spencer and James opened up for their 3 batting overs. They ran well as the score mounted. At 216 - 0 they were just ahead in the early stages. Joe and George carried on the good work as they carried the score to 234 - 0. A brilliant run out, after a mix up, saw the U11s still well in the game. But some good hitting by Brandon and Archie started to take the game away and at the end of the 9th over the U12s were 250 -1 highlighting the need to stay in. It was the next pair Andrew (22) and Jacob (26) who really started to take the game away from the U11s and after 12 overs the score had reached 264 - 3. A wicket from Freddie and great fielding had once again kept the U11s in the match but they still needed more wickets to force a win. With Oscar solid at one end and Andrew and Jacob striking out at the other suddenly the U12s were ahead. As they passed the 300 mark the game was won but Tom showed the U11s were still worthy opponents as he bowled Jacob with the final ball of the match.

 

A great evening and honours even after last year

 

Swanage U11s 268 - 4

Swanage U12s 313 - 4

Swanage U12s won by 45 runs

 

 

 

Monday 22nd May Swanage U13s v Christchurch

 

On Monday Swanage travelled to Christchurch for their latest U13s match. Batting first Swanage got off to a great start as U12s Andrew (10) and Spencer ran quick singles to get the score moving. Some great bowling by Caspar Fry reduced Swanage from 17 - 0 to 23 - 3 and the prospects looked bleak. Swanage began to rebuild with Lily holding the batting together able supported by first Safia and then Tia but it wasn't until U11s Freddie came in that Swanage could really start to move forward. After Lily fell for 11 and Swanage one player short, Freddie (11) batted on as last man. He showed great skill and determination to keep out the returning Fry and guide Swanage to 88 all out.

 

Lily and Safia opened the bowling and got Swanage off to great start with accurate bowling and a wicket apiece. Some brilliant fielding particularly by James and Spencer kept Swanage in the match. A wicket and two catches by Harry put Swanage in a strong position before Tia bowled a wicket maiden. With the game in the balance  it was Fry now as a batsmen who finished Swanage off as he struck 4 boundaries in his 21 not out. 

 

Swanage 88 all out

Christchurch 89 - 4

Christchurch won by 4 wickets

 

Sunday 21st May Swanage U8s V Broadstone

Swanage U8s were a player light, when they travelled to Broadstone on a sunny Sunday morning. Captain for the day Aaron, won the toss and elected to field first. The 7 players formed a cohesive team remembering all they had learned in training. Thomas, Alex, Aaron and Zac took turns and did a great job of wicket keeping with the new gloves. Thomas and Harry took 2 wickets and Alex 1. At the end of their innings Broadstone finished on 266-5

Aaron and Eric then opened the Swanage batting with Eric scoring 4 off the first ball. Next in were Thomas and Zac. At the end of their partnership Swanage were 225-3. Harry and Bethany then moved the score on to 251-3 with Harry getting 16 not out and Bethany backing up well and defending some accurate bowling.  Zac then came in to bat again, partnering Alex. With one ball to be bowled Swanage were 271-5. After bowling a number of wides and no balls in the final over the Broadstone bowler then found the wicket and Swanage finished on 265-1.

 

Broadstone 266-5

Swanage 265-5

Broadstone won by 1 run

 

Saturday 20th May Swanage U11s v Wimborne

 

Swanage began their league campaign this week hosting Wimborne at Days Park.

Swanage won the toss and elected to field first. It wasn’t long before Freddie took the first wicket in the 3^rd over of the match. Tight bowling from Sebastian, James, Anthony (who’s first over was a maiden) and Joe, linked with positive fielding restricted the opposition’s runs.Tia added to Wimborne’s woes with a fantastic spell of 2 overs 2 for 4 which included a double wicket maiden. Wimborne finished their innings on 267 for 3.

Swanage’s reply got off to a flying start with Freddie and James putting on 44 runs in the first 4 overs. Freddie’s innings of 17 included 3 fours coming from classic cover drives and pull shots. Next in were Joe and Tia who maintained the momentum by taking quick singles wherever possible. At the end of their spell in the middle the score had progressed to 268 without loss. The next pair was Anthony and Ben. The score continued to increase steadily with more quick singles until Ben unleashed 2 pull shots which both went for four and followed by four byes, they took 14 runs off their last over losing only one wicket. The score was now 285-1 as Swanage’s last pair of Tom and Sebastian walked to the crease. They started positively with Tom pulling his first delivery for four. Tom followed this up with two further lofted cover drives for 4 and after their first over the score had moved to 301. Sebastian batted well, picking up singles and protecting his wicket to avoid losing runs. Tom finished on 17 (including 4 fours) and Swanage coasted to victory on 324-1.

Wimborne 267 - 3 

Swanage 324 - 1

Swanage won by 57 runs

 

Saturday 20th May Swanage U9s v Ferndown

 

Swanage had an inexperienced team as they faced Ferndown with Chloe and Tae making their debuts and India playing in only her second match for the U9s. The match was also played on grass an new experience for all the players. Captain Seb lost the toss but Swanage were asked to field first anyway. Barney opened the bowling and set the tone as he bowled an accurate first over. Despite tight bowling Swanage struggle to get the breakthrough until Barney struck with his last ball of his second over before he took over from Dylan as wicket keeper. Dylan then took another wicket before getting a run out. Despite that the score kept rising with the bowlers finding bowling on grass difficult. Ferndown ended on 280 - 3. 

Not losing wicket was the key to the Swanage reply and they began well with Josh and India giving them a solid start. After an early run out, Seb and Chloe continued the same approach as they left the wides and played the straight ones getting Swanage to 244 at the half way point. If next pair Dylan and Tae were worried it didn't show as they took on the bowling. A four from Tae got them going before Dylan once again showed his value to the team with 19 runs including a six off his last ball. With Swanage in front Barney and Sam played sensibly not to get out but still played some good shots. Barney scored 2 fours in his 10 while Sam hit the final ball of the match for 6 to leave Swanage on 317 - 1 and a victory by 37 runs.There was just time for Zac to bowl an over at his brother after he had fielded all 16 overs for Ferndown.

 

Ferndown 280 - 3

Swanage 317 - 1

Swanage won by 37 runs

 

Friday 19th May Swanage U10s v Winton (Cup)

 

In their latest match the Under-10's travelled to Winton in the Cup. The hosts won the toss and got off to a very positive start through their 2 district players despite some brilliant bowling by James Harding and Sid Nash. This was followed up by some excellent bowling by Jack Battrick, Jenson Cartridge, Josh Titley and Josh Wood. Despite their best efforts and some great fielding from Alex Alcock and George Taylor the hosts reached a formidable total of 143-3 off their 18 overs.

 

In reply, Winton's 3 district bowlers made early-in-roads into the Swanage batting order. The visitors stand-out batsman was Nash who made a very disciplined 20 not out with some fine cut-shots - he received good support from Vinnie Thurgood. Despite this, the hosts completed a comfortable victory to progress to the next round.

 

Winton 143 - 3

Swanage 44 - 5

Winton won by 99 runs

 

Tuesday 16th May Swanage U15s v Ellingham

 

The early season climatic drought had broken a few days before this fixture and the greatest concern was if we would be able to squeeze the match in between the rain. Careful interpretation of weather apps enabled the match to be given the cautious go ahead and we completed the whole match with lightly increasing rain in the final overs. Ellingham were the visitors on this occasion and seemed very pleased that the match was on. They called correctly at the toss and elected to bat with the clouds parting to deliver a few minutes of sunshine for the opening overs. Lily opened the bowling for Swanage, quickly finding her length, bowling the opening batsmen and conceding just one run in her first over. This brought the opposition’s captain to the crease. Powerful striking, mostly through mid wicket, saw him reach his retirement score of 35 in quick time. However, the other batsmen were not able to score so freely and it was only the excessive number of wides bowled by the home team that kept the scoreboard ticking along. Ryan was bowling from the other end and then the opening pair were replaced by first change Archie and Harry. Archie began with a wide on each side, completely fooling the batsman next ball by powering a full and fast delivery to demolish the sticks. A couple of run outs were effected and then Ben and Saffy came on to bowl. Wayward in his first over, Ben came back strongly with successive clean bowled wickets but was unfortunately unable to complete a hat trick. Saffy bowled economically as usual. Swanage were looking good until the last batting pair managed to score 27 runs off the last over, turning an ordinary score into a competitive-looking 131.

A tasty selection of cake and biscuits was served at the interval, re energizing both sides for the contest ahead. The sun had long been hidden by gloomy clouds and occasional light drizzle. It was time for skipper Ali to step up to the plate. He opened the batting with newly-drafted-in Tyler. Cautious at first, Ali began to reveal a range of shots and become the anchor of the innings. When Tyler was bowled in the first over, for a single, Harry came to the crease to continue where he had left off last week. He scored rapidly and was unlucky to be bowled for 31, just shy of his retirement score. There would be no respite for the bowlers, though, as this brought last week’s top-scorer in to bat. Ryan began with a few air shots, but then quickly found the middle of the bat, helping the home side to score around 12 – 15 runs per over, quickly closing the deficit. With 3 overs to go, Swanage needed a very manageable 30 runs to win. Ali was given the message to press the go button, realizing that he still had Ben in the hut. Unfortunately Ali missed what looked like a certain 4-ball and was bowled off his legs. He had compiled a very tidy 25 runs. With Ben at the crease with Ryan and 32 needed off the last three 8-ball overs, victory was within grasp. However, a swing across the line saw Ben back in the pavilion. Lily struck her first ball down to long leg for a boundary. With 2 overs to go the target was an on-track 22 runs. However, the penultimate over saw the wickets of Lily and Saffy, both bowled, and just 3 runs scored. An almost-impossible requirement of 19 runs from the last over saw desperate running from Ryan and new batsman Archie. The opposition most unhelpfully failed to bowl any wides, leaving Swanage 6 runs shy of the visiting team’s total. Ryan finished strongly with 35 not out. Ella did not bat.

Another enthralling game, which could have gone either way in the last over. The home side batted better and the visitors bowled more accurately. Ultimately the difference was the runs conceded by the home side in the final over of the first innings. 

 

Ellingham 131

Swanage 125

Ellingham won by 6 runs

 

Sunday 14th May Swanage U8s V Wimborne

Captain for the day, Thomas, lost the toss and Swanage were put in to bat first. Thomas opened with Zac and batted well against some accurate bowling. Next in were Alex and making his debut, Alfie. Alex scored 12 not out and Alfie backed up well and also got 4 runs. Aaron and Eric moved the total on without losing a wicket. Wimborne elected to give their more experienced bowlers the maximum 3 overs, which meant the last pair Harry and Jamie faced some difficult balls. Two brilliant ‘caught and bowled’ by the Wimborne captain in the final overs, left Swanage with 230-4

Thomas chose Aaron to open the bowling. Everyone then had their 2 overs with Zac, Eric and Jamie taking a wicket a piece. Despite much tighter fielding than last week,  Wimborne finished on 291-4.

Swanage were complimented for their great sportsmanship and spirit of cricket by the Wimborne umpire after Harry shook the hand of the Wimborne captain and praised him for his bowling after he had got him out twice.

Swanage 230 - 4

Wimborne 291 - 4

Wimborne won by 61 runs

 

Saturday 13th May Swanage U11s v Parley

Swanage U11’s travelled to division 1 side Parley in their first match of the season which was also a cup match. Swanage won the toss and elected to field first. Freddie and Tia opened the bowling against a strong batting line up but held their nerve and kept line and length. Regan, keeping wicket, stood up behind the stumps to put added pressure on the batsman. Thomas and Sebastian were first change bowlers who bowled well with Sebastian taking the only wicket of the innings finishing with figures of 1-16 off his 3 overs. The first 3 Parley batsmen all retired on 25. After that, Parley’s batting was less positive and bowling from James Harding, James Alcock and  Anthony kept the score down. Parley finished on 136 -1 in their 18 overs.

 Parley’s bowling was quite different than the Swanage’s batsman have been used too. Fast aggressive bowling saw runs hard to come by but Thomas and Sebastian played out the opening bowlers before Sebastian was out. James Harding then joined Thomas and together started to take control. Together they hit 5 fours and moved the score along to 44 before Thomas was out for 17. James Harding continued to bat well with support from Anthony. After Anthony was bowled, Freddie came in with 5 balls to face and hit 2 fours. James Harding was run out for 16 on the last ball of the match and Freddie finished 9 not out. Swanage’s reply finished on 83-4 in their 18 overs.

In summary a really good positive performance by Swanage against a strong opposition.

Parley 136 - 1

Swanage 83 - 4 

Parley won by 53 runs

 

Friday 12th May Swanage U10s v Hamworthy

 

Swanage travelled to a very experienced Hamworthy side in their latest match.
 
The hosts batted first and got off to a good start despite the best efforts of Swans' opening pair - Sid and James, who both claimed a wicket apiece.This was followed-up by some excellent bowling by Jasmine and Josh Titley on his hard ball debut and good fielding by Jack, the hosts were able to post a formidable 148-2 from their 18 overs.
In reply, Swanage got off to a bad start losing 2 quick wickets against the hosts 2 County bowlers. However,  the innings was rescued by a brilliant, quick-fire 26 not out from Regan. He was ably supported by Max, George and Josh Wood who all batted resolutely against some very good bowling This enable Swanage to post a respectable total in defeat.
 
Hamworthy 148 - 2
Swanage 71 all out
Hamworthy won by 77 runs
 
Friday 12th May Swanage U12s v Christchurch

 

In their first home game of the season Swanage took on Christchurch in the first round of the cup. Jacob won the toss and decided to field first. George opened the bowling and carried on his good form of last week with an accurate 2 over spell. At the other end it was Lily who got the first break through as she clean bowled one of the Christchurch openers. Some good batting by Christchurch took the score forward quickly but Swanage were able to reduce the number of wides and no balls which had plagued their performance last week. Jacob got the second wicket as Spencer clutched a catch to his chest. A retirement and a couple of quick wickets meant that Swanage suddenly looked on top. Both wickets involved Brandon. First a great run out where he took his time to throw the stumps down underarm and then a caught and bowled.Andrew and Archie bowled well to keep the runs down but the last pair batted well and the score rose steadily. Another improved performance behind the stumps by Oscar was part of a good fielding display as Christchurch ended on 155 - 4.

 

Oscar and George opened the batting and got off to a solid start. A great 4 from Oscar gave hope for a good opening partnership but some great Christchurch bowling suddenly saw Swanage two down. Having worked on trying to be more aggressive with their batting captain Jacob showed the way as he hit 3 fours in his highest score of 19. He was well supported by James (14) as they put on 43 together growing in confidence as they went. Lily (18) and Spencer (16) carried on in the same way with a boundary filled partnership of 34. Their running between the wickets was excellent. After 2 quick wickets it was left to Andrew and Archie to bat out the last overs as Swanage ended on 116 all out. 

 

A hugely improved performance on last week, made better that the team had put their training into action with more accurate bowling and more aggressive batting. 

 

Christchurch 155 - 4 

Swanage 116 all out 

Christchurch won by 39 runs

 

Tuesday 9th May - Swanage U15s v Burley

 

The first match of the season found the under 15 Swanage team travelling to the distant lands of the New Forest, to the wonderfully scenic Burley cricket club. The road through the village caused us a few delays with cows and ponies having the right of way on the main through route. The cricket square is protected by heavy iron railings and takes 6 people to lift each side and move beyond the boundary. On beautiful sunny evening, the Burley side won the toss and elected to bat. The open batsman hit the first ball for four and then rather took a shine to the opening bowlers, Lily and Ryan. Their batsman was their top-rated player, playing for the county under 14 side. In reply, Ryan stuck in his first over, bowling the other opener for a duck. The opening bat was making hay with the bowling and quickly and inevitably reached his retirement score. This brought opportunities to the bowling side with lower-ranking batsmen. Ryan effected two run outs and Safia bowled a tight and accurate spell, including an excellent caught and bowled effort. Ryan bowled another batsman and Lilly created an LBW by pinning the batsman back on the crease. Noah, Harry and Ella also had a bowl. The lightening fast outfield gave the outlying fielders plenty of work chasing the ball. Sam kept tidily behind the sticks Ali marshalled his team effectively in his first outing as skipper. The home side finished 118 all out.

A cloud of midges had appeared in the interval and was with us until the end of the game. The Swanage innings started badly, with Jude bowled first ball. This brought Harry to the crease, with some strong shots including 2 boundaries to show for his 15 runs. Sam was also bowled early, bringing Ryan in at number four. He struck the ball strongly and created a large partnership with Harry. Ryan hit five boundaries and narrowly missed his retirement score, when bowled for an excellent 31 runs. Lily was then joined at the crease by Ali, who started brightly before having his stumps disrupted. Noah then hit an early ball for a huge four to the mid wicket boundary. It seemed as if Lilly and Noah were the pair to take Swanage home, but Noah was run out in a mix up, leaving only Ella and Safia as partners for Lily. With just 12 needed from the last 2 eight-ball overs, Lily was bowled, leaving the entire match in the hands of Safia and Ella, who was playing her first game. The crowd was brought to life by the close contest and was cheering every ball. The midges played their part by driving the aforesaid crowd into the pavilion and annoying all the players and umpires. Back on the pitch, just seven runs were needed from the final over and with three scrambled byes run to the keeper, it looked as if victory might be to the visitors. However, desperate running led to a run out on the final ball and the home side won by three runs.

A very enjoyable and close game was played in a good spirit by both sides. The match could have gone either way right up to the final ball. This was a great opening game to the season. Well done to all the players for making the effort to get the furthest ground from Swanage.

Burley 118 all out

Swanage 115 - 7

Burley won by 3 runs

 

Monday 8th May - Swanage U13s v Bournemouth

 

The first match of the season saw the U13 Swanage side welcoming the Bournemouth Leopards. The continuing early season drought made for a fast outfield and clear skies, but with a slightly chilly breeze. Lily was captaining the Swanage team and called correctly at the coin toss, electing to bat first and aiming to set the visitors a steep total. Jude and Andrew opened the batting carefully, playing sensible shots. The Bournemouth bowling was a little erratic and the runs began to flow, mainly in extras until the eight over, when Jude was clean bowled by a fine swinging yorker. Andrew was joined at the crease by Jacob, who pulled a couple of powerful boundaries before being bowled. Andrew was out soon afterwards, leaving Harry and Safia to bat out the rest of the 20 overs with some clean striking. Harry top scored with 11 runs and the team made 121 for the loss of 3 wickets.

After the interval, the visitors displayed some good running between the wickets and quickly reduced the deficit. Lily and Safia were the opening bowlers and in the third over, Lily made the breakthrough, bowling the opening bat. This brought a powerful number 3 in to face first change bowlers, Harry and Jacob. The Bournemouth batsmen began to score freely, mostly with pull shots from slightly short bowling. Meanwhile, extras reached their half century, mostly from wide bowling from the Swanage side, despite valiant efforts by gloveman Oscar behind the stumps. Jake and Andrew were brought on to bowl and then James, but there was little they could do to prevent the No. 2 county left-handed player from drawing the score ever closer to the Swanage total. He reached his retirement score and the winning team total with a fine pull for 6 over the square leg boundary. Swanage had posted a decent total and fielded well, but ultimately were defeated by superior batting at the top end of the order

 

Swanage 121 - 3

Bournemouth 123 - 1

Bournemouth won by 7 wickets

 

Monday 8th May - Swanage U11s Girls v Winton

 

 

An historic, but cold, evening for Swanage, as our first ever girl's team travelled to Winton. Bella won the toss and decided to field first and opened the bowling with Jasmine. Swanage bowled and fielded well throughout but struggled to take a wicket. Dani came close as did Luiza, our youngest player at 7. Jasmine did get one wicket bowled but unfortunately the batsmen wasn't ready. Swanage kept the score down until the experienced Kaitlin hit a rapid 21. Both wickets were run outs as Winton reached 311 - 2.

 

The Kitcatt sisters opened the batting and gave Swanage a good start. Bella hit a couple of 4s while Luiza defended well and Swanage reached 220. Next up were Nati and Sky who carried on the good work with excellent running between the wickets. Neither pair lost any wickets and Swanage were 238 by half way. Erin and Dani were the third pair and started well both hitting boundaries and scoring 7 runs each. Sadly with a couple of wickets the score didn't rise as much as they had wanted. It was left to last pair India and Jasmine to really go for it and they did. They ran well between the wickets but a couple of wickets pegged the score back. Jasmine hit three 4's in her 16 and Swanage ended on 256 - 6 a great effort for their first match.

 

Winton 311 - 2

Swanage 256 - 6

Winton won by 55 runs

 

Sunday 7th May - Swanage U8s v Ellingham

 

 

The U8s (including two U7s) travelled to Ellingham on Sunday 7^th May for their first fixture of the season. For 6 out of the 8 players this was their first ever match.

Eric, the captain for the day, won the toss and elected to bat first, he then opened with Alex. At the end of their 4 overs the score was 234 for 1, which included 5 fours. Next in were Harry and Zac. They moved the score on to 272 for 1, a partnership of 28 including 5 fours from Harry and 1 from Zac. At the end of Jamie and Bethany’s innings the score was 292 for 3, with Jamie getting 2 fours. The last pair, Thomas and Aaron faced some excellent bowling from William and Cameron from Ellingham which they did well to defend. Swanage finished on 288 for 6.

Harry opened the bowling and got 2 run outs in his 1^st over. The whole team bowled well. Zac and Bethany only had 2 runs scored from their overs, Thomas had a maiden 1^st over and Aaron got a wicket in his 2^nd over. At the end of 12 overs Ellingham were 266 for 3 in reply to Swanage 292 for 3. Ellingham’s captain, Cameron then came in to bat and quickly scored a six and 6 fours to bring their final score to 316 for 3.

A good performance from everybody for the first game, in the beautiful surroundings of the New Forest with plenty of support from family and friends and also a herd of cows!!

Swanage 288 -6

Ellingham 316 - 3

Ellingham won by 28 runs

 

Saturday 6th May - Swanage U9s v Wimborne 

 

 

After their narrow victory last week the U9s were back in action at home against Wimborne. Captain for the day Dylan lost the toss and Swanage fielded first. He opened the bowling and took a wicket in his first over. With Jasmine taking another wicket in the next over Wimborne were starting to struggle. As usual everyone had a couple of overs with Sam bowling a maiden to keep the runs down. However there were no wickets and the score started to slowly creep up. Wickets from Barney and Seb kept it from getting too high before Charlie bowled over number 13 which proved unlucky for Wimborne. He took 2 wickets and along with a brilliant run out by Sam the Wimborne's score plummeted. Jasmine's next over real put Swanage in charge, as she took 2 more wickets to end with figures of 3 wickets for 4 runs off her 2 overs. Another direct hit by Sam meant the score had gone down by 34 runs in 2 overs. Bill kept wicket well making some great stops and with Josh bowling his usual tight last over Wimborne ended on 206 - 10.

 

If Swanage thought it was going to be easy they soon found that it was going to be much harder than they had realised. Some great bowling kept the score under 200 until Dylan and Seb came in as the third pair. After his 15 last week Dylan continued with his good form scoring 3 fours in his 18. He and Seb (7) ran quickly between the wickets and kept the score moving to put Swanage well ahead. It was left to Charlie and Josh to close out the game and they took no chances with their sensible batting, defending well to see out the game for a Swanage victory.

 

Wimborne 206 - 10

Swanage 229 - 8

Swanage won by 23 runs

 

Friday 5th May - Swanage U10s v Ellingham

 

On Friday night the Under-10's played host to a very, experienced side from Ellingham. 

The visitors batted first and despite some excellent bowling from Sid and James and brilliant fielding by Jack Battrick, Max Pankhurst & Vinnie Thurgood; Ellingham got off to a good start. Their progress was halted by George & Josh who both took a brace of wickets to help reduce the visitors to 123-4. In reply, Swanage got off to great start through Regan  and James . James played some beautiful strokes to reach 25 before retiring. Sid  & Alex both batted solidly against some exceptional bowling by the Visitors 2 County bowlers. Swanage finally finished on a very respectable 103-3; all the team can be very proud of their performance and will learn a lot from this match going-forward.

Ellingham 124 - 4

Swanage 103 - 3

Ellingham won by 21 runs

 

Friday 5th May - Swanage U12s v Wareham

 

The U12s started their season with a local derby against Wareham. Skipper for the day, Jacob, organised the pre match practise of fielding and bowling, which was a good decision as Wareham won the toss and decided to bat. A great opening over by George got Swanage off to a good start as Jacob led by example with a brilliant one handed run out. He kept everyone in the game changing the bowling regularly. Archie was unlucky not to take a wicket in his first over as was Brandon who bowled with real pace. An injury to Spencer hampered his bowling especially his second over. With 3 U11s in the team the pressure was on them to step up in their first non pairs cricket match and they didn't disappoint. First Seb then Tom and finally Anthony all came close to getting a wicket but no one could get the breakthrough. The curse of so many Swanage teams, wides and no balls, kept the Wareham score moving along whilst runs from the bat were rare as Swanage fielded well. 

 

It was Tom who got the breakthrough as he swung the ball beautifully to trap his first wicket LBW. A mix up in the running left Andrew with an easy run out before Tom struck again - this time bowled. A catch by Archie gave George the well deserved final wicket,  Only 25 runs off the bat but a total of 97 - 5 meant it was going to be hard work  to win the match.

 

Swanage got off to the worse possible start losing Brandon early to a great catch. Spencer, after a well hit 4 and Jacob were out soon after, leaving Swanage at 8 - 3. Having made a good job of keeping wicket earlier, Andrew joined Archie and they started the fightback. When Archie was out for 7 Andrew was joined by Tom and they both showed great determination in building the Swanage score. Some good running, some boundaries and a few wides saw the Swanage score double, but still they carried on. They put on a partnership of 46 before a good piece of fielding saw Tom run out for 8. As so often happens, Andrew was out soon after, also for 8, which left Seb and George to finish the innings. A good performance to start the season but lots to work on for the next game.

 

Wareham 97 - 5

Swanage 66 - 6

Wareham won by 31 runs

---

Saturday 29th April - Swanage U9s v Broadstone U9s

 

In their first game of the season the U9s faced Broadstone. Captain for the day Josh Titley lost the toss and Broadstone decided to bat. Sam opened the bowling, but with 5 players making their Swanage debut, it was always going to be a difficult game. Broadstone's openers played some great shots and ran well between the wickets. After the first 4 overs the score had risen to 235. Bill got the first breakthrough with a great delivery but the score kept rising. Despite a good over by India and good keeping by Seb at the half way stage and on 262, Broadstone were looking for  300.

 

As the confidence grew and their bowling and fielding improved, Swanage started the fight back. First with tight overs by Alex and Seb (just 2 runs), then a wicket from Dylan. Seb's next over really got Swanage in the game as he took 2 wickets, one a great catch by Dylan whilst the other saw the zinger stumps light up. Charlie kept the pressure on as Dylan took his second catch before a final over from Josh that went for just 3 runs. A final score of 274 - 5.

 

A good start by Bill and Alex got the Swanage chase underway. Alex scored a couple of 4s in his 12 runs and the score rose to 224. Next in were Sam and India who wisely watched the wides go by, hit some good shots and the score continued to rise. It was Dylan and Seb in next and they ran brilliantly between the wickets to keep the score moving. A great over number 11 for Broadstone saw 2 wickets fall but with Dylan scoring 15 the game was there to win. 

 

With the final pair, Josh and Charlie, at the wicket Swanage needed 18 to win. The first 2 overs saw a few runs and a few wides and suddenly Swanage were in front for the first time in the match. Needing just 1 more run to win over 15 was a disaster as a brilliant run out followed by a second wicket left Swanage needing 9 off the final over. A single off the first ball saw Josh on strike but 2 dot balls meant the game was slipping away. Josh had other ideas and hit the next ball for 4 leaving 4 wanted off 2 balls. A single left Charlie, playing his first match, to face the last ball and a scrambled 3 including an overthrow saw Swanage to victory by just 1 run.

 

Broadstone 274 - 5

Swanage 275 - 6 

Swanage won by 1 run