2009 Review
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Under 13s
XI Report
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A
team’s fortunes at age group level generally fluctuates year on year as
the senior players from the previous year move up to the next age group.
One year you will be blessed with a team that has a number of players that
have played together the previous year, whilst the following year you will
have a very young, inexperienced side. 2008 had been a difficult year but
with a number of players returning for their second year at Under 13
level, coupled with some new recruits, the prospects for 2009 were good.
The
season started with an abandoned league fixture at home against Penarth
which meant that the team’s first outing was against local rivals Llantwit
Major in the Under 13 National Knockout Cup. Captain Sam Wood won the toss
and elected to bat first. In their 20 overs, Cowbridge amassed a total of
141 for 2 with notable contributions from Sam (30 retired), new signing
Ted Johnson (31 retired) and Chris Brace (30 retired). In reply, Llantwit
were all out for 74 with Chris Brace taking 1 for 3 from 2 overs and Jack
Griffiths finishing with the excellent figures of 3 for 6 from 2 overs.
Cowbridge had got off to a winning start in the Cup Competition. However,
the start of the league campaign was not so successful. Playing away
against Pentyrch, Cowbridge batted first and were dismissed for just 74
with Sam Wood (29) being the only batsman to make a contribution. Pentyrch
won comfortably by 7 wickets.
Fortunes changed for the better as the team won their next two league
games. Playing away against Cardiff, Cowbridge batted first and scored 92
on a difficult batting wicket. Sam Wood (33 retired) and Chris Brace (29)
provided the majority of the teams runs. In reply, Cardiff were restricted
to 52 for 8 from their 20 overs with the star of the show with the ball
being Harri Collier taking 4 wickets for 4 runs from his four overs. The
second league victory was over Penarth at the Athletic Ground. Cowbridge
batted first and set the opposition the formidable total of 185 to win.
All of the top order scored heavily. Sam Wood (33 retired), Harri Collier
(31 retired), Ted Johnson (30 retired), Chris Brace (30 retired) and Harri
Williams (32 retired) were the main contributors. In reply, Penarth were
restricted to just 100 runs from their 20 overs with Jason Sami taking 3
wickets for 4 runs.
The
following week saw Lisvane visit the Athletic Ground for the second round
of the National Knockout Cup. Cowbridge won the toss and again elected to
bat first. Sam Wood, Ted Johnson and Chris Brace continued their good form
with the bat, each retiring having passed 30 runs and Jack Faulkner scored
a valuable 21 in the middle order helping Cowbridge reach 155 from their
20 overs. Economical bowling, backed up by some excellent fielding
restricted Lisvane to just 94, resulting in a convincing win for the team.
Unfortunately, Lisvane were to get their revenge as they returned to
Cowbridge the following week for a league match. Despite Cowbridge being
reduced to 9 players (as two fell ill moments before the match), the team
were confident that they could win. Cowbridge batted first and scored 133
for 4 from their 20 overs. Again Sam Wood and Ted Johnson both passed 30
runs. In reply, Lisvane batted sensibly, taking advantage of the gaps in
the field and punished the occasional poor delivery. Despite only having 9
players, the team battled hard and were unfortunate to lose the match as
Lisvane passed the Cowbridge total with just 2 balls remaining.
Cowbridge’s
cup run came to an end the following week as they once again faced
Pentyrch. Cowbridge batted first and scored 91 from their 20 overs; Sam
Wood top scoring with 38 retired. Pentyrch had no difficulty in passing
the Cowbridge total, winning by 7 wickets in the 15th over.
George Gibson was the pick of the bowlers taking two of the three wickets
to fall. – Time to focus on the league!
The
next four matches showed how strong the Cowbridge team really was as they
secured convincing wins over Radyr, St Fagans, Llantwit Major and Penarth.
In each game, the bowlers bowled accurately, the fielding was of the
highest order and the batsmen scored heavily. At Radyr, Cowbridge batted
first and scored 141 for 3 from their 20 overs. Archie Yates making his
debut for the Club, scored 27 and Ted Johnson (30 retired) played some
excellent shots. However, the highlight of the innings came from Harri
Collier who scored 30 retired from just 17 balls, which included 3 sixes
onto the pavilion roof. Radyr were dismissed for just 54 with the pick of
the bowlers being Harri taking 3 for 6 in 4 overs.
Against St Fagans, Cowbridge were triumphant by three wickets. Having
restricted the opposition to 101, Cowbridge passed the total with three
overs to spare. Despite the top order scoring the majority of the runs,
the most pleasing thing about the batting performance was the
contributions made by the late/middle order, namely Alex Arnot and Elis
Davies, particularly given the limited time they had spent at the crease
during the first half of the season.
Llantwit
Major away was the next decisive victory. Batting first, Llantwit were
restricted to just 48 runs from their 20 overs with Chris Brace taking 2
for 5 and Archie Yates taking 2 for 9. It took just 6 overs for the loss
of 1 wicket to pass the opposition’s total. This was followed by another,
almost as a convincing win against Penarth. Batting first, Penarth only
managed to score 59 runs. Again Chris Brace was the pick of the bowlers
taking 2 wickets for 2 runs. In reply, Sam Wood top scored with 32 retired
and Archie Yates scored 17 not out as Cowbridge passed Penarth’s total in
the 9th over.
The
following week, the team faced their bitter rivals, Pentyrch for the third
time and the hat trick was complete – we lost again! Cowbridge scored 108
for 7 with Harri Collier (30 retired) and Sam wood (28) being the main
contributors but this was not sufficient as Pentyrch won by 6 wickets.
This
blip in form was only minor as the following week Cardiff were well
beaten. Again, excellent bowling restricted the opposition to just 64.
Both Harri Collier and Archie Yates took 3 wickets. In reply, Sam Wood top
scored with 33 and Cowbridge were victorious by 9 wickets.
The
results in the league – played 10, won 7, lost 3 meant that Cowbridge had
finished top of The Cardiff and The Vale Junior League and had therefore
qualified for Finals Day to be held at St Fagans.
On a
beautiful Sunday morning, Captain Sam Wood won the toss and inserted the
opposition. His decision was a good won and his bowlers performed as
requested. Lisvane were on the back foot from the outset as Chris Brace
bowled superbly taking 3 wickets for just 2 runs from his 4 overs. After 8
overs, Lisvane had only managed to score 9 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
The run rate did not improve as wickets continued to fall at regular
intervals. Despite managing to bat their 20 overs, Lisvane had only
managed to score 37 runs. In reply, it took just 5 overs to secure victory
by 9 wickets with Archie Yates top scoring with 17 not out. The only blip
in the performance was Captain Sam Wood running himself out – Another
£20.00 to your dad!
Click on picture to enlarge
Under 13s Winning Team
Getting
to and winning the final so convincingly was just reward for the team that
had played so well throughout the summer. The commitment and enthusiasm
from the squad was excellent and this made the season thoroughly enjoyable
for the players, parents and coaches alike – Thank you lads!
Jonathan Smart
Under
13 Coach
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