It looked and felt like a shorts day! Sadly the bar was not available so a cup of tea had to do instead. The weather was set fair so we agreed to go for the full 20 overs. A T/20 I believe?  

Emily, our stand in captain, lost the toss. It was OK though because she had a good explanation:- "He called "Heads", it landed heads so he won". We were asked to bat. Coach Grimmers pointed out that etiquette indicated the toss should have taken place on the pitch rather than randomly where their captain was warming up but it was clear Emily was going to captain Emily's way. And she did. Very well too!     

The innings kicked off very quickly with Eliot and Jake. Eliot knocked a quick fire 17 whilst Jake made sure the scoreboard was ticking over nicely building an innings around which we could develop a big score.  

Hucknall had a very young side whilst we had many of last year's players able to use their experience.   Jake retired on 35 off 29 balls - slow start but some good boundaries later on - a fine knock.   It's fair to say that we were helped by Johnny Extras who contributed 48, but the pressure we put them under contributed to this. Good running this time round as well.  

Our bowling and fielding went equally well. Josh and Emily started very nicely. Then Ruth produced a tremendously accurate spell alongside some pacy overs from Zac. Eliot came on and bowled very well and as the light started to fade Joe A came on for his spell culminating in a final over of "spin" from Jake.  

Well done to Greg for having a go at keeping for only the second time. I think he enjoyed it?  

The ball was moving a lot and so 23 wides was not a big surprise although we do need to watch this.  

Bowling :- Josh 1-8, Emily 0-16, Ruth 1-4, Zac 3-17, Eliot 3-9, Joe A 0-15, and  Jake 0-9   All contributed to restricting Hucknall to 91-8 off 20 for a convincing win. Well done to everyone.  

Team
Emily Stutchbury
Eliot Checkley
 Jake Saleh
Joe Stutchbury
Rob Brown
Zac Ashworth
Rive Malik
Greg Behl
Ruth Sprawson
 Josh Cottam
 Joe Ashworth  

Thanks to Stuart for umpiring.  

PS Jilly asked "Who's Johnny Extras?" #stilllearningthegame a la twitter speak :-)
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It was glorious, sunny and unseasonably warm! For the 7 days prior to our first match of the season that was. Needless to say, Top Ground's opening fixture of 2011 gave a cloudy, cold (freezing according to Jilly) and breezy welcome to our Under 15 team for the visit of Calverton
 
But cricket was back and it felt good - didn't it?
 
We had a pretty strong side out given it was the holidays. Considering the conditions both sides agreed that a reduced 16 over a side would be more practical -  is that an S/16?
 
We were asked to field and were conscious of their key player, Ryan Evans - captain of Notts for this age group. Given the lack of practice it was a decent performance with the ball overall. Captain Evans retired on 36 with a fine knock but we restricted the other players well, leaving them to a total of 72 for 3 off 16. Fielding was good under the circumstances. Bowling highlights were Zac 3 overs 0 for 2, Joe Ashworth 3 overs 2 for 8 and Jake Saleh 3 overs 1 for 11. One area to improve was in the wides department. 13 has now been set as the maximum for the season.
 
As always we like to make things a little more difficult than we should.  Wickets fell regularly, only Matty Bowles looking remotely dangerous. He eventually fell for 34 off just 25 deliveries which included two 6s and three 4s. Extras helped our cause tremendously with 28, but Zac and then Emily were able to help Matty through nearly to the finish. Eventually we reached the victory target of 73 with 6 wickets down off just 11.4 overs.
 
A couple of Run Outs indicate one area we need to look at but a good win in difficult conditions and one on which we can build through the season.
 
Team:
 
Johnny Butler
Matty Bowles
Ruth Sprawson
Rob Brown
Jake Saleh
Zac Ashworth
Emily Stutchbury
Joe Stutchbury
Rieve
James Stevenson
Joe Ashworth
 
Thanks to James Johnston for umpiring
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This was the first U15 vs.. parents encounter and the weather was glorious to set us up for a great evening. Planning had not included the fact that the match turned in to a day/night fixture. Due to floodlight failure (i.e. we didn't have any) the match had to be stopped 4 overs early but, as you will see, the result was not in doubt at that stage.
 
Firstly can I thank Andrew and Lisa Smith for helping me to finalise the players over the past 2 days. Additional thanks to Andrew too as it was his idea to play this and he also organised Ben, the DJ, to help make the evening "rock". Thanks also to Jane Butler and her several helpers for the BBQ and Margaret for the cakes. Finally thanks to George and Alan for umpiring.
 
And so to the cricket.....
 
We were a bit concerned about some spot fixing rumours. This was fuelled further as I am sure I heard a cry of "No ball" at the toss. Or did I just dream it?
 
Johnny Butler won the toss and elected to bat first. The fielding side looked keen, a few creaking joints -certainly from myself, and maybe some rust needed to be removed quickly as some of us had not played in over 20 years.
 
Johnny strode to the wicket to "Beautiful Day" and Jake had the Worzels' classic "I am a cider drinker" - the atmosphere was all set and the music continued as wickets fell, 4s were struck and new batsmen walked in.
 
The younger team started well and the momentum was rarely lost. Jake made a quickfire 15 before Joe Ashworth took a great catch looking straight in to the sun.
 
Runs from Johnny (33), Dev (36 retired) and Zac (24 not out) helped the U15s reach a creditable 135 for 5 off their 20 overs. Wickets for Richard Stevenson (2) and one each for Garth, Pete Yates and Derek Sprawson but there were plenty of wides (20) and Byes (7 - sorry team) which meant this total would take some chasing.
 
And "chase" turned out to be a generous word to use as the older team crawled their way to just 34 for 6 from the 16 overs that the light allowed us to play. Dan Sprawson top scored with 14. 2 wickets for Dev, 1 each from Jake, Zac and Greg plus one run out summed up some great bowling and fielding from the team. No extras were recorded either! Well played all of you - it bodes well for next season.
 
There were some delightful combinations throughout the match.
Jerry Butler opening the bowling against Johnny - so close to getting his wicket (or at least that's what I was chirping from behind the stumps doing my best to imitate Matty Bowles. Lots for me to learn still)
We also nearly had a catch which would have read Sprawson (Ruth) caught Sprawson (Dan) bowled Sprawson (Derek) in the scorebook. It dropped just short of Dan.
Zac bowled his hardest at brother Joe but the little fella was resolute in defence. Joe finished 5 not out and to my personal delight I was able to bat the last few overs alongside him.
Dev decided his Dad would enjoy some of his pace bowling and the smack of leather on thigh from one delivery could be heard throughout Southwell. Garth would not show any sign of pain but the bruise must be a corker now.
Richard Stevenson took 2 wickets in 2 balls and who came to the crease to defend the hatrick ball?  Son James of course! What happened? Leg side wide - shocking :-)
and Andrew Smith had son James bowling to him, this time without success - always next year though!
 It was great for everyone to enjoy the BBQ, cakes and a few drinks afterwards, where the consensus was that the evening was a great success with promises of making it an annual event. Watch this space. Thanks again to everyone for playing, watching, helping and having fun. Hope you all enjoyed it Teams: U15s - Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Dev McCarthy, Zac Ashworth, Greg Behl, Ruth Sprawson, James Smith, James Stevenson, Archie Rayner, Ben Smith and Joe ShaylerNot U15s - Dan Sprawson, Derek Sprawson, Andrew Smith, Garth McCarthy, Joe Ashworth, Ted Behl, Pete Yates, Andy Ashworth, Marcus Short, Richard Stevenson, Jerry Butler
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I've not seen snow at a cricket match in August before and today was no different.
 
With injuries and holidays we were forced to field a very young side with 6 U13s or younger. Hucknall were in a similar position and it should be noted that the spirit in which they played was probably the best we have seen all season. It was a very enjoyable game.
 
We batted first and, against a lively opening attack, did start off reasonably confidently with Elliot and Jake (sponsored by Magners) opening. However we soon lost three of our more experienced batters for not many which brough Emily Stutchbury and Joe Ashworth to the crease. They managed to stay together to form a decent partnership with Emily scoring a fine 20. The highlight for me was hearing their inter-over chats with Emily patting Joe's head saying "I can't believe how short you are!" every time.
 
Dan Jones hit a nice 14 and although we continued to lose wickets we managed to reach 82 for 8 off our 20 overs. Something to bowl at, at least, and a good effort from the team.
 
Bowling and fielding would need to be spot on for us to have a chance. We were without a recognised keeper so Joe A stepped up to the task, his lack of height probably hampering what was a fine effort for his first time behind the stumps.
 
It was good to see Elliot back and looking quite sharp even off his short run. Hope we get a full season from him next year.
 
The bowling was tidy and the fielding, in the main, supported the bowlers well. However, as has been the case for much of the season, we had set a target just short of being really defendable. They scored the winning runs in the 19th over which proved a creditable performance from a very young side. I hope they all enjoyed it despite the result.
 
This was the last competitive game of the season. We will be losing only 2 players to age next year so thanks to Dev and Emily for their great contributions this year.
 
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first season involved so thanks to every player, parent, umpire, scorer and drink maker who helped make it so much fun.
 
Of course the BIG ONE is still to come where the parents get to show the U15s how their "coaching tips" through the season are put in to practice, or not as the case may be. If you don't fancy playing please come along to support as we will be having some fun, BBQ and bar.
 
Thanks to Zac Ashworth (injured) for scoring.
 
Team:
Dev McCarthy, Elliot Checkley, Jake Saleh (sponsored by Magners), Joe Ashworth, Emily Stutchbury, Dan Jones, Ollie Stanley, David Bates, Alex Jan, James Smith, Max Clarke
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On a wet and chilly (summer’s) night at Top Ground Southwell won the toss and elected to
bat first (partly due to latecomers!!). Skipper Greg Behl and Harry Napier saw off an accurate
opening spell. But Napier was run out going for a quick single. Step forward, Charlie Wand.
When Behl was also run out coming back for a tight second run, Ruth Sprawson (22*) and
Wand (36 retired) put on 50 for the fourth wicket, waiting for the bad balls and punishing them
to the boundary. Ruth was eventually well caught at mid on going for another big hit and when
Wand retired, Dan Jones and Max Clarke were looking to get some quick runs towards the end
of the innings. Clarke was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from the Hucknall wicketkeeper so
Joe Ashworth joined Jones and the pair took the score to 110-4.
Ruth Sprawson bowled the first over for Southwell and had a close lbw shout turned
down. But two balls later, she had the batsman plumb in front and the umpire agreed. Harry
Napier, Greg Behl, Dan Jones, Joe Ashworth, debutant James Pritchett and Alex Jan all bowled
tight spells and Pritchett took an excellent catch to dismiss Hucknall’s other opening batsman off
the bowling of Ashworth. An overall good performance from Southwell wasn’t quite good enough
as a great innings of 35 retired from Hucknall’s Lobb saw them home with three balls remaining.
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  You just can't help yourself can you. Cricket and the weather are inseparable. Driving over to Underwood the clouds were thick and grey, it didn't look promising especially after sitting at Top Ground the previous evening shivering as the people all around were wrapped in blankets. Once again the weather surprised as, on arrival, the sun appeared and we were blessed with a cloudless evening in the warm sunshine.   Our first challenge was to find our 11th player. It turned out that a typo from the coach in the team e-mail meant Helen thought that Robbie was not playing, replaced instead by Ron B. We were nearly ronned of his presence but a Richie Bowles phone call meant that Rob, now officially "Ron", managed to get there half way through our innings.   Both teams were fielding a young side. We had two U11s and 2 U13s whereas Underwood only had two players over the U13 age group.   We were batting first on an astroturf pitch and it was clear that Johnny and Jake were determined to give us a good start. Johnny building a solid platform whilst Jake pushed the run rate, they took on the fielders' arms to turn 1s in to 2s much to the "delight" of Carin on the boundary.   We were going well throughout with Jake (36 retired), Johnny (37 retired) and Ruth (37 retired on last ball) the stand out contributors. We finished our 20 overs on a remarkable 170 for 3.   It was a big target so Johnny and I agreed that we would give bowling oppotunities to our youngsters and those who did not have much of a bat, knowing we had three more experienced bowlers in reserve if needed.   Zac and Joe Stutchbury opened the bowling with Zac taking 1 for 9 in his 4 overs. Underwood had a good knock from D Buckley who eventually retired on 35, but it was first change of bowling that saw a dramatic change. Joe Ashworth, making his bowling debut at this level,  "ripped" out their middle order in a spell of 4 overs, 4 wickets for 4 runs. Underwood were not going to recover and we were able to ask Greg, Alex Jan, James Smith and Ron Brown to complete the overs which they did with great credit. Underwood finished on 72 for 5 leaving us with a 98 run victory.   Whilst the opposition were far from full strength it was still down to us to apply our skill to deliver such a convincing win which is testament to the continued improvement we have seen over the past few matches.   Well done to the whole team. Still a few things to keep in focus, particularly backing up and throwing accuracy.   With just two more home games left in the league we will then have the summer break to prepare for the U15s v. parents match on September 3rd.   I would also like to call out the captaincy Johnny Butler provided. He has really developed this season when covering for Devon and these last two games have been really excellent. In good hands for next season I feel.   Thanks to Ted Behl for umpiring and Derek Sprawson for scoring. Much appreciated.   Team :- Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Zac Ashworth, Matty Bowles, Ruth Sprawson, Joe Stutchbury, Ron, I mean ROB Brown, Greg Behl, James Smith, Alex Jan and Joe Ashworth
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   Well it only seemed like yesterday we were at Top Ground playing U15 match on a glorious evening on a fine pitch with a large boundary. But I was wrong. It was the day before yesterday!   MHM are a good side who take their cricket very seriously. Having played them twice already with two losses we were determined to try to redress the balance this evening.   Winning the toss and electing to bat it was uncannily similar to our previous match against Farnsfield. Several batters got a "start" but could not forge on to build a big score. As always MHM bowled and fielded well to make every run difficult. Rob (11),  Matty (14) and Joe (11) tipped double figures but we ended on 69 for 9 after our 20 overs. It felt 20 runs light at least. Crofts,  Bayton and Lynam were the wicket takers for MHM in a good fielding display from the visitors.   Using Monday's bowling and fielding display as inspiration we took to the field with hope and energy. Josh (4 overs for 9) and Johnny (3 overs, 3 maidens for 3) set the standard and the required run rate started to grow to give us hope. Wickets were the key and we were unfortunate to only take 2 in the end (Zac and Ruth with 1 each). Their batters kept their heads under pressure with New (19) and Lynam (21 not out) the stand out contributors. MHM were relieved to see themselves past the winning post with 2 overs to spare.   Once again our team can hold their heads up high with a fine battling performance against the odds. I know MHM enjoyed the competition we offered.   Well done to each of you despite the loss. We can concentrate on the league now eh?   Thanks to Richie Bowles and Will Powell for saving me from more than a few overs umpiring and to Ted Behl for scoring.   Team: Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Zac Ashworth, Rob Brown, Josh Cottam, Matty Bowles, Ruth Sprawson, Emily Stutchbury, Joe Stutchbury, Greg Behl, James Smith
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   Another glorious evening at Top Ground saw our local rivals Farnsfield visit us on a good looking wicket, set with a big boundary. No weather prediction from me this time.   Batting first, our first 2 overs showed some promise. However their openers, Andrew and Kilford, soon started making inroads with some fine bowling, each finishing with 3 wickets. Our usual talisman, Dev, was dismissed early so others needed to make some runs. It was hard going throughout and only Josh and Matty made double figures as we eked out a total of 60 all out with one ball remaining. First blood to the opposition with an all round good performance in the field with each bowler making a contribution.   We had nothing to lose as we went in to field. At the break we talked about fielding basics and tight bowling and that is what we got. Each and every one of the team stepped up to make the target as difficult to achieve as possible. A wicket each from Josh, Zac and Dev helped rein them back but they eventually managed to reach their target with 3 down on the first ball of the final over. Wakefield top scored for Farnsfield with a fine 24. Maybe, crucially, wides second top scored with 13.   Well played both teams in a fine game.   Thanks to Richie Bowles for umpiring and Sam "hopalong" Grimley for scoring (and Tweeting)   Team:- Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Dev McCarthy, Zac Ashworth, Josh Cottam, Matty Bowles, Ruth Sprawson, Joe Stutchbury, James Smith, Ollie Howell, and very last minute sub (5 O'clock!!) Joe Ashworth.
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Match report U15 away Mansfield and Pleasley 14th June 2010

Once again, on arrival, it looked as if the weather would win this one. And once again it stayed dry throughout so here ends my career as a weather forecaster.

Sadly we lost Josh Cottam to a back injury just before our meeting time so we were down to 10 players from the start.

Dev won the toss and batting was the obvious choice. Given the recent rain we were lucky to be playing but reports from the pitch was that it was sticky. As always a quick start would be ideal but we lost an early wicket to some good bowling from the opposition. However that did bring in Dev who dominated the attack from the word "go". Scoring three 6s and four 4s he retired on 39 out of the 53 runs made so far. We were looking good if others could follow suit. Sadly it was not to be, and the innings stuttered mainly due to a fine hat-trick from M&P's Jake Parker. Ollie Howell did rally at the end with a nice few shots in his 11, but Dev did come back in when our remaining wickets fell to end on 41 not out in our total of 90 all out from the full 20 overs. It didn't feel enough but you never know.

What Dev's innings taught us was that short pitched bowling would be punished. Jake and Zac started with this in mind and a glimmer of hope was there as they were restricted early on. M&P continued to eat away at the total but at the same time wickets did start to fall. However we had a couple of overs where short pitched deliveries were dispatched easily and the winning line was looming nearer for them. Eventually they made 91 for 6 off 16.2 overs - an easier win than it looked at one stage and they agreed it was a good game. Dev with 2 for 12 and Zac with 2 for 14 off their 4 overs stood out and there was wicket each for Ruth and Johnny. Ollie also took 2 fine catches to complete a fine contribution.

Fielding was good and the team spirit is still there. If we can find a few more quick runs from somewhere it will give us something more to bowl at where bowling errors would not be so critical to the end result.

Thanks to Jerry Butler for umpiring

Team: Dev McCarthy, Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Zac Ashworth, Jams Mackintosh, Matty Bowles, Joe Stutchbury, Ruth Sprawson, Ollie Howell, Emily Stutchbury

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U15 vs Mansfield Hosiery Mills away (League) 7th June 2010

Back at their lovely ground at Mansfield Hosiery Mills, we were determined to offer better opposition to them having lost heavily in the National cup a few weeks earlier. Having 11 rather than 8 players felt like we had more of a chance.

MHM were to bat first on a cloudy evening that threatened rain throughout but thankfully it stayed dry.

Both teams looked determined, and our bowling started off very disciplined. Josh bowled his 4 overs for 6 at the start, and it was proving difficult for them to get too much momentum. We fielded well, and with good encouragement from throughout the team. Walking in together and backing up meant that all round it was a much better performance. Special note to one of our new players, James Smith, who took an excellent catch at mid off. Their opener, Joe New, stood out and he did accelerate towards the end of his excellent 36 retired. A wicket each for Jake, Greg, Zac and Ruth meant we were able to restrict them to 98 for 4 off their 20 overs.

It was nice to welcome Matty back from injury, and listening to incoming batsmen from behind the stumps, it was clear his ongoing "chats" with them were proving the talking piece for the opposition.

Our turn now and just under 5 runs an over was required so it was important to get going quickly to keep on target. MHM, however, had other ideas. Their bowling was very tight and their fielding equally restrictive (their coach agreeing it was their best fielding display of the season so far). This meant that, although never in trouble, we were only able to amass 20 odd, without loss, off our first 10 overs.

That meant we needed to get going quickly and in doing so lost a few wickets through the rest of the innings. Johnny retired on 35 - another nice knock, and Zac had a cameo 16 with a few nice boundaries. Throughout we found ourselves falling behind the pace eventually finishing on 74 for 4 of our 20.

Overall a good improvement against a very good team. Well done to MHM for keeping their focus and making it very difficult for us throughout. Well done to Southwell for a more intense performance, it was good to see.

We are due to play MHM at Top Ground on 10th in the League cup (subject to the weather improving) so another chance to see if we can step up another gear once more.

Thanks to Ted Behl for umpiring

Team - Johnny Butler, Jake Saleh, Zac Ashworth, Josh Cottam, Greg Behl, Ruth Sprawson, Matty Bowles, Rob Brown, Jack Surtees, Ollie Howell, James Smith

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