Wanstead's U13s took on Woodford Green on Sunday in the Len Stentiford Trophy. Batting first, Wanstead hit 150 for 2 with impressive knocks from Anay & Hayaan, both 30 retired, Jacob 27, & Jack 23 not out.

An excellent bowling and fielding performance, including figures of 3-1-8-5 from Bala, including a hat trick, resulted in a comfortable victory, with Woodford Green bowled out for 65. Victory secured top spot in the group.

Wanstead U13Bs v West Essex U13s - 7th July

The U13Bs travelled to West Essex in their final Len Stentiford match on Sunday morning. Despite the torrential rain on Saturday and the unpromising weather forecast, we managed to get a full game in.

Wanstead won the toss and made the sensible decision to field. There was some good bowling from the Wanstead team, with two wickets from Charlie on his debut being the highlights. Unfortunately there was also some less good bowling, with 46 runs being conceded in wides and another 22 in no balls, as West Essex accumulated a daunting total of 167 off their 20 overs.

Wanstead started well in reply with Moosa and Shaurya giving the innings a solid platform. Shaurya in particular excelled with a fantastic 33 retired. Sebastian carried on the good work with 20 not out and for a while an unlikely victory looked possible, but the team couldn’t quite keep up with the run rate and eventually fell 34 runs short.

Plenty of positives to take from the performance and also plenty for the coach and players to work on.

Wanstead U13s v Newham U13s - 1st July

Wanstead's U13s played their final Len Stentiford group game on Monday on a drizzly evening. Batting first, despite a slow start, Wanstead posted 157 for 8 with contributions from Anay 30 retired (including 28 from one over), Hayaan 24 & Jack 24 not out.

Some strong batting from Newham, aided by some below par bowling and fielding meant they were always in the game.

The die hard fans who braved the weather were treated to an exciting finish, with 40 required off the last 4 overs.

Skilful death bowling from Hayaan & Toby ensured that Newham fell 5 runs short and secured a 100% record in the group for Wanstead. A tough Quarter Final tie against South Loughton awaits!

Wanstead U13s v Loughton U13s - 30th June

Wanstead's U13s played Loughton in the Len Stentiford cup on Sunday. After winning the toss, Wanstead decided to bat and made a solid start. Anay made an aggressive 30 before having to retire, dispatching any short deliveries into the bushes. A cluster of wickets fell, leaving us in a precarious position, but an assured 29 not out from Nihal anchored the innings and got us to 118.

This was always going to be a tough score to defend against a strong batting side. Excellent bowling from Jacob, Rafe and Nihal upfront kept the scoring to just under the required 6 an over. Loughton were really well set with 6 overs to go, still requiring only 6 an over with 8 wickets in hand. Some impressive, disciplined bowling backed up by excellent fielding led to a flurry of wickets and Loughton needing 9 off the last over. Up stepped late replacement Toby, conceding only 4 runs and wrapping up the victory for Wanstead. Rafe took 3 for 10, Jacob only conceded 5 runs off his 3 overs and it was a good bowling performance all round.

The match was a lot tighter than it should have been had we performed better with the bat, but a great experience and confidence booster for the players to get over the line in such a close game.

Wanstead U13B v Fives & Heronians U13s - 30th June

Our U13Bs travelled to Fives & Heronians on Sunday in the Len Stentiford cup. In overcast conditions, it would’ve been a good toss to win, but luck was against us and Fives predictably invited us to bat first.

Against tidy bowling, Wanstead’s batting line-up played some good shots but had a tendency to follow those up with some bad shots, and wickets were falling too frequently to build a convincing score. Heath top-scored with an entertaining cameo, scoring 18 before falling to an excellent catch at cover. The Wanstead innings eventually ended on 84 all out.

The Fives openers then got off to a flying start, racing to 31 for 0 off 3 overs. With rain falling steadily, the slippery ball made life even harder for the Wanstead bowlers and fielders. An excellent over from Moosa saw him bag 2 wickets and give brief hope to his teammates, but unfortunately it was not to be and Fives reached their target with 10 overs and 7 wickets to spare.

The team stuck to their task well in difficult conditions and played the match in the right spirit. No doubt they will take the lessons from this result and come back stronger.

Wanstead U13a v Aztecs

A good win for Wanstead's U13a team against a potentially dangerous Aztecs side. We bowled them out for 68 in 16 overs, with 2 wickets apiece for Joseph & Jack and some excellent fielding resulting in 5 run outs! We knocked off the target in 10 overs for the loss of 1 wicket, with Anay scoring 23.

Wanstead U13B v Frenford U13A

The U13Bs had a tough start to their Len Stentiford campaign this morning. Playing away to Frenford A, who have 4-5 county or district players and likely to be group winners, we lost the toss and were asked to field. Despite some decent bowling at times there were also quite a few wide deliveries, and the opposition batters were also in form, posting 190 for 4 off their 20 overs.

Our innings got off to a shaky start with a wicket off the first ball and another by the end of the first over. Soon after we were 10 for 4 but then commenced a very resilient and determined rearguard action, led by Shaurya (12) and Hari (30 retired), the latter making a very promising debut. The baton was then picked up by Sebastian, Oliver and Heath as we made Frenford work for their victory, finishing on a valiant and creditable 91 for 7.

It was this group’s first time playing together as a team and they showed some promising signs, not least with an excellent attitude in adversity. I look forward to seeing them develop in the remaining games.