Following the abandonment of last week's game, Longridge were once again the visitors to Factory Lane for this U10s fixture. With one or two changes to the team due to availability, the team were eager to get back to the job that was started in the rain.

The visitors won the toss and put us in to bat first, an outcome that pleased Rhiannon who was eager to get some runs on the board from the first pairing. And she did just that! Opening with Issy the captain scored 17 runs, including 3 fours, for the loss of one wicket. Issy also added two but was out twice, and with a few extras the first pair walked off at 212/3. Nathan & Matthew were quick out of the trap for the 2nd pair, remaining a little more steady in their approach, adding singles where possible. Nathan scored 3/0 and Matthew 4/1, together with a good selection of wides they added 14 as a pair, leaving the field on 226/4. Next out were Elias & Danny in matching red helmets (not sure if this was intentional but they looked good!). Again they approached their 4 overs with reasonable caution, adding sensible runs when possible, and didn’t lose a wicket between them. Elias added 10 and Danny 1, and together with extras they score 19, walking off with the score on 245/4. Brandon & Hadley were next out, again playing with caution, especially when the visitors spin specialist was giving them a challenge! Hadley lost an early wicket but they still managed to add 5 runs, coming away on 250/5, a respectable score after 16 overs. Last pair out were the double act that performed so well last week, Nawaal & Hanzalah, with as many smiles as you like between them as they strolled out! Unfortunately for us, the visitors had saved their best bowling attack until the end, as their spinner Daniel took 2 maidens, and Natalie took 2 wickets off Hanzalah, giving away a single no ball in the process. So this week the boys left slightly fed up, leaving the field on 241/7 still a decent score, but within reach of the visitors.

After a quick changeover the visitors were eagerly ready to face their first over. Danny was probably first out again, ready to take the position of stand in wicket keeper, a job that once again he enjoyed, and let only 2 or 3 balls escape his grasp all night. Nathan & Nawaal, after their good showing last week, opened the bowling for us. 11 runs were given away off 3 overs, and all Nathan was muttering about in the 4th over was that elusive 10th wicket of the season. His face was less than happy when the first ball of the over was slogged for a four! Lord knows what he was muttering then, and I was stood next to him! It wasn’t long until his 3rd ball sent the bails into the air, and it was high fives a plenty for the first wicket of the innings, and Nathan’s 10th of the season. 210/1 the score after 4 overs. Next up was Issy, who bowled 2 brilliant maidens taking a wicket in her first, and then Matthew who also bowled a maiden and only giving a single from his second. 206/2 after 8 overs. Next up Rhiannon who had 5 runs then a maiden, and Elias who gave 4 runs but took a wicket in his 2nd, leaving the score 210/3 after 12 overs and the confidence levels were rising. Brandon & Hadley were the next pair to have a go, and even with a couple of fours and a few double runs, by taking a wicket each the score was kept down to 219/5 after 16 overs. As the final pair came out to bat, the smiles were beginning to break as our team sensed victory.

A sense that proved to be slightly premature, as the realisation dawned that the same pair that bowled last, were also batting last! Still needing 22 off the last 4 overs was no easy feat. Hanzalah got the 17th over away in style, taking a wicket for 6 runs, so net +1. Nathan came in for his 3rd, which went for 4 in total. Hanzalah wasn’t so lucky in his 2nd over though, 7 runs being scored including a four. So the last over was here, with the visitors on 231 needing 10 to tie. The anxiousness was clear to see, sometimes a little confused with confidence, and silly runs were gifted as concentration lapsed. I think some of the field were already popping appletize corks in their minds! The field was pushed back towards the boundary to try to keep the ball in for singles if anything, and the next ball almost fell into Brandon’s hands. But as the previous 2 opportunities bounced out of Nathan’s hands, so did this one in the last over! A sign of fate perhaps? Anyway, a couple of extras later the final ball was poised with 2 required to tie. And what a wallop it was met with ! Going out towards the boundary, the visitors ran faster than they had run all night, taking a single, the second, and our field was panicking. Just as they slid the bat over the line for their third, and the winning run, the ball was flung towards the bowlers stumps, a little too eagerly it has to be said, and whilst the backing up had been great all night, we seemed to have forgotten that the ball was still live, and it managed to find the boundary on the other side! It was academic anyway, as the victory had already been gifted to the opposition, but the final ball on the scoresheet reads “7” !

In all, what was a greatly contested match finished in appropriately entertaining fashion, unfortunately for the wrong reasons! 246/6 is what the record books will show, against 241/7 for our team.
As I climbed the stairs to the dressing room after the game, hardly a sound could be heard. When I entered the dressing room the reason was clear to see. 10 long faces, every one of them so disappointed that we had lost the game as we did. So if there is something positive to take from the game, and there were a few really, but the fact that they were all so fed up says to me that they all really wanted that 3rd win on the trot, they wanted it so much. And that is really pleasing to see for me.

There will be other games. And the smiles will be back!