Actonians Cricket Club

Scorecard

Actonians Cricket Club Under 15's Girls v Beaconsfield on Fri 17 Jun 2022 at 6.00pm
Actonians Cricket Club Lost by 5 wickets

Match report Beaconsfield brought our 2022 national cup campaign to an end. Having reached the third round by virtue of a bye and a walkover we set Beaconsfield 94 to win. They chased this total down and won by 5 wickets in the 19th. All reasonable observers will say they deserved it but some excellent late bowling , especially from Valeria, came close to turning round a game which was looking well out of reach at the three-quarter point. Had we had ten more runs in the bank we could have grabbed an unlikely win.

As was often the case we had worries about the weather in the run-up to the game. More unusually, on this occasion it related to the heat rather than the rain. The temperature was forecast to be above 30 degrees until after eight and the competition rules did not allow for drink breaks. One of the Actonians players, on being told of the forecast temperature a few days before had responded with something approaching horror, and I had some sympathy. While game day was as warm as predicted there was a slight breeze which took some of the edge off the heat, and the umpires and game managers took the pragmatic decision to allow a drinks interval.

For the first time in about four matches there were no gremlins with the positioning if the wickets, but there was an interesting sub-plot relating to the boundary. After feedback from our previous opponents, I decided to make the boundary several yards wider than in earlier matches. This was to rebound on us slightly given we have several players who combine slower than average running with harder than average hitting : on several r occasions we hit shots which would normally have resulted in four but which, in this ‘Tracey boundary’, only registered a single.

It is worthy of note that had this game been played 1,200 years ago then Beaconsfield would probably have had to cross the boundary between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex. The scale of this journey did not prevent them from arriving in good time, whereas the Actonians team arrived at a range of times between 5.20 and just after 6.00. We have to be grateful that Beaconsfield didn’t insist on a timely start. It was of note that when they arrived they made a beeline to the nets to practice their bowling, and it is possible this may have some links to the outcome of the match.

Actonians batted first. Our line-up was Maisie, Calla, Siena, Riya, Valeria, Alice, Meghan and Hannah.

**** The Game ****
The Beaconsfield bowling line-up made an impressive start. They were reasonably quick, accurate and difficult to get away. We had 8 runs after 3 overs and were on 23 in the 6th when Maisie was caught and bowled for 8. Calla was bowled in the following over for 10 and we were 27 for 2. Siena tried to drive things forward with a 4 and a 2 but was bowled for 6 off her third delivery. At 33 for 3 we were looking at a shaky start, and the consistent strength of the Beaconsfield bowling was suggesting we might end with a very low total.

Riya and Valeria steadied the ship. Valeria ran well and Riya hit several characteristically well-timed 4s, and when we reached the 10 over drinks break we were 58 for 3 and starting to recover. Unfortunately the break may have ‘broken’ our concentration and Riya was bowled in the 11th for 22. The innings could have subsided to this point, and our younger players deserve considerable credit for holding things together. For the second time in 5 days Valeria played an innings which combined some hard hitting with a more sensible approach to the good deliveries. Along with Hannah, Alice and Meghan she was able to bring the score up to 94. The innings came to an end when Meghan was bowled in the 19th. Well done to Hannah and Alice for facing up to some fastish bowling well above their age group.

While 94 was some way short of what we were hoping for, it was a defensible total and not a bad one given the consistency and accuracy of the bowling. Beaconsfield are probably one of the strongest bowling units we have faced, and certainly they had greatest strength in depth with all seven of their outfield players putting in an impressive performance with the ball. Their coach had been heard to say before the game that they were stronger at bowling than batting so, with that in mind, the girls retook the field. The game restarted at after 7.30 which opened up the possibility of a twilight finish.

The first half of the Beaconsfield put paid to the idea that they might be a weak batting side. The first over was a maiden, but after that they scored steadily and were soon ahead of the run rate. They reached 35 in the fifth over, and although Maisie got the first wicket in the 6th, Beaconsfield were on 71 for 1 in the 11th over immediately after the drinks break. By this stage the patio had filled up with scorers, coaches, club officials and parents of players who were in the game or who had attended Friday training. The sun was drifting towards the west fence and there was some lively chatter from the crowd as people closely followed the action.

Beaconsfield needed 24 at less than 3 an over, and with two batters well set, it seemed like the game would be over in a few minutes. But Actonians kept up the bowling pressure, and there would have been a change in the quality and strength of the light, and maybe the ground itself decided it wanted a last burst of tension. Calla, Riya and especially Valeria stopped the flow of runs and Beaconsfield added 7 in the next 3 : 80 off fourteen overs. Valeria then bowled a classic over , bowling the opener for 21 and then getting our first LBW of the season. A double-wicket maiden, and Beaconsfield were now 81 for 3 with 5 overs left : the patio held its collective breath as the impossible now seemed to be possible.

But Beaconsfield, to their credit, held their nerve. The 4th wicket partnership kept the score ticking over, and they levelled the scores with a single on the last ball of the 18th. Actonians now needed 4 wickets for zero runs, but Beaconsfield claimed the win with a wide ball in the 19th. The game came to a conclusion at just about 9.00pm.

**** The aftermath ****

Well done to Beaconsfield and all the very best to them in the next round. We made a game of it in the last few overs, but there is no doubt that they were the better side overall. Their bowling was some of the most consistent I’ve seen in the last 3 years, and they fielded with creditable intensity given the heat. They also batted well and held their nerve at a crucial time. Having said that had we scored 10 more runs or been slightly tighter in the field, then we would have set-up a genuinely nerve-racking last couple of overs. As one of the officials said, both sides played well but Beaconsfield showed slightly more focus.

Still it was a great game on a lovely evening. After the lower key atmosphere of our last couple of games, it was good to see the ground and patio crowd putting on a show.

Well done to the whole team, and a particular shout out to the 11-12 year olds who have now played several matches well above their age group.
Player of the match this time goes to Valeria. Her batting got us to the position where a win was possible, and she fielded with energy. Finally her excellent spell of bowling at the end put us in sight of an unlikely win.

Thanks to Kevin Mahoney (Umpire), Karina Lo Dico (Scorer), to Kate Winter (scoreboard controller) and to various other club members who responded to our appeal for an umpire the day before the game. And well done to the weather, ground and crowd for a fine performance of their own.

Actonians Cricket Club Under 15's Girls Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
5nb 18w 2b 1lb 
for 7 wickets
26
94		        
Maisie Moxon lbw Collett 6 17 35.29
Calla Richardson b A.Richardson 10 23 43.48 1
Siena Tracey b Collett 6 3 1 200
Riya Patadia b Batra 22 16 3 137.50
Valeria Barrocas La Femina Not Out  18 19 94.74
Hannah Winter lbw Batra 1 3 33.33
Alice Stone b G.Lloyd 1 11 9.09
Megan Cripps-Juster lbw Womber 6 19 31.58

Beaconsfield Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Georgie Lloyd4.01818.002.00
Mishna Batra4.0022211.005.50
Alice Richardson2.0010110.005.00
Darly Collett2.001125.505.50
Ella Pinfield2.001500.007.50
Lily Womber3.0015115.005.00
Grace Reeves2.001000.005.00

Beaconsfield Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
9nb 15w 2lb 
for 3 wickets
26
96 (18.3 overs)		     
Ella Pinfield ct Ct Richardson Bowled Valeria 21
Mishna Bata b Moxon 18 1
Georgie Lloyd Not Out  28 5
Lily Womber lbw Valeria 0
Poppy Lloyd Not Out  3
   
   
   

Actonians Cricket Club Under 15's Girls Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Calla Richardson4.011400.003.50
Megan Cripps-Juster1.001600.0016.00
Riya Patadia3.00900.003.00
Maisie Moxon2.0020120.0010.00
Alice Stone2.001500.007.50
Hannah Winter2.001200.006.00
Valeria Barrocas La Femina3.31824.002.29

  • Umpire :
    Dave Whear
  • Scorer :
    Karina Lo Dico