SDCA Sports Youth Leagues - Under 11
Under 11 Season Report and Cup Final
Under 11’s finally finish in exciting style

Young cricketers competing with teams in the SDCA/MGM Sports under 11 leagues finally managed to complete the 2009 competition with the KO Cup competition eventually being completed.

Hardwicke A and Cam A had waited since July to play the game but against a background of stormy skies and a sharp early autumn breeze, Cam overcame Hardwicke with a few balls to spare in an exciting final.

Earlier in the summer the two League competitions had been keenly contested with Frocester A winning the A League and the B league initially ending up in a 4 way tie.

In League A Frocester won all 7 of their games to finish with 21 points, with Cam A taking the runners up spot. Joint winners in the B league were Cam B and C, Frocester B and Hardwicke B. A major contributing factor to the unusual tie for first place had been the weather which saw a number of games unplayed. But, as League organiser Mike Waring explains, some ingenuity produced a winner.

“We decided a four way tie was unsatisfactory so compiled a mini league table based on the games played between the top four teams. This produced a tie between Cam B and Hardwicke B but as Hardwicke had won the game between the two, this was the decider. It’s a system that has been used before and although a bit convoluted, has produced a winner,” he explains.

The knock out cup final was played on September 3rd at Hardwicke. This competition is all the more enjoyable for the players because it is played as a 20 over, 11 a side game with no batsmen ‘lives’. In the final Hardwicke paced their innings well to achieve 93 runs but an opening stand of almost 50 gave Cam the early edge. A mini collapse achieved by some excellent Hardwicke fielding bought the home side back into contention but a flurry of late boundaries by the Cam middle order saw them safely home.

Another highly enjoyable season, in which many youngsters experienced their first taste of competitive cricket, always played in a good atmosphere with lots of parental support.

 

Cam win Under 11 K.O. Final

Cam's youngsters travelled to Hardwicke for the long awaited repeat of last year's closely fought final. Asked to bat, Hardwicke's talented opening pair, Ben Hopkins and Jack Hutchings batted carefully, so that just 10 runs came from the first 6 overs. Cam's pace attack, Toby Read and Henry Pritchard, bowled very accurately and leg spinner Oscar Adams maintained the pressure. It was the 9th over before the first boundary was scored and Hardwicke looked to accelerate, but then Hutchings (13) was trapped lbw by Henry Patteson's first delivery. M McDonnel (12) and W Gladding (11) supported Gloucestershire representative Hopkins (42no) who patiently accumulated runs and then unleashed some pleasing offside shots in the final 3 overs to take his side to a useful total of 93.
From the outset Cam's County pair, Ed Paddock (32) and Henry Pritchard (24), took opportunities to score boundaries with attractive strokes and for the fourth time this season took their opening partnership past 50. But, when the dangerous Hopkins tempted Pritchard to offer a catch and a good throw ran out the incoming batsman without scoring, the momentum had swung towards the home side. Fin McCubbin (18 no) responded calmly to the pressure and when Paddock was dismissed by Hutchings, steadily built partnerships of 12 with Toby Read and, in the tense final overs, 14 with Oscar Adams to steer Cam home with five balls to spare.
District Coordinator Dave Howell complemented Ben Hopkins on his skillful innings and the depth of the Cam batting that brought them victory. The Cam team celebrated knowing that they have built up a strong record of only one defeat in two seasons of cup and league cricket. Cam U11 coach Ian Dixon commented, " We have had two very exciting games against this Hardwicke team this year and all the young cricketers deserve praise for their developing skills and positive attitudes."