At the end of the Lent term, the Captain and Vice-Captain of Cricket were announced as Ollie M and George C respectively. They have been joined this week by joint Captains of Athletics; Rory D and Thomas E.
It has been a busy half term for cricket with just one fixture lost to the weather. In amongst all this, we have had IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools) competitions in clay pigeon shooting and fencing, with sailing and athletics meets to come. The U11 sailors have just had the bad news that their regatta at the Andrew Simpson Sailing Centre in Portland has been postponed due to unfavourable weather reports. As yet, the U13 regatta on Thursday remains on.
The cricket matches tomorrow are listed below with further details on SOCS. With Stroud, we are aiming for 1415 start times and the away matches with them are at their Wellington Sports Ground.
The 1sts and 2nds are in action against teams from Winchester College, on their pitches opposite the Queen Inn on Kingsgate Street. These starts are late, at 1630. Subsequently, the finish times will be towards 2000.
Wednesday 25 May
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1st XI
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Winchester College
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Away
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2nd XI
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Winchester College
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Away
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3rd XI
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Stroud School, Romsey Boys-U13A
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Away | Wellington Sports Ground
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4th XI
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Stroud School, Romsey Boys-U13B
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Home | Bailey
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Colts A XI
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Stroud School, Romsey
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Away | Wellington Sports Ground
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Colts B XI
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Stroud School, Romsey
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Away | Wellington Sports Ground
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Colts C XI
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Stroud School, Romsey
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Away | Wellington Sports Ground
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Foals A XI
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Stroud School, Romsey
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Home | Wolvesey
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Foals B XI
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Stroud School, Romsey
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Home | New Piece
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IAPS Fencing
Five Pilgrims travelled to Millfield to attend the IAPS Fencing championships over the weekend. They were Bertie C, Teddy E, Kevin G, Leo L and David L. Bertie, whilst disappointed not to make the final, did exceedingly well to gain a 3rd place bronze medal. He lost to a boy who had been unbeaten all day and number one in the national U11 Boys' rankings.
Leo in his first fencing competition and one of the youngest fencers kept his cool throughout and steadily progressed into the quarter finals finally finishing 7th.
Kevin was unlucky not to make the quarter finals, however there was a fight in the last 32 that he was unexpectedly losing and eventually won 10:7 having been 4:0 down after the first break! Kevin eventually finished 9th.
It was also David's first competition and being one of the youngest, he fenced well and gained some valuable experience. David finished 28th. Unfortunately he was knocked out by Bertie in the last 32!
Teddy, fenced well and tried very hard using the experience gained at the British Youth Championships. He finished 30th. Well done to them all.
The Pilgrims’ Fencers
Bertie with his bronze medal
Match reports from Wednesday 18 May
1st XI v Walhampton, Away at Pylewell Park C.C.
20 Over Match
Pilgrims’ 90-7 Ollie M 52*, Hugo S 21
Walhampton 87-4
Pilgrims’ won by 3 runs
Put into bat on a softish grass wicket the boys made a complete dog's dinner of the first few overs. This was possibly the worst start to a game of cricket that I have ever witnessed; after 4 overs we were 5 wickets down for only 5 runs. Straight bowling from Walhampton and loose front foot technique exposed our skill sets in the most dramatic way. However, Captain Ollie M played with assurance through this early carnage ably supported by Hugo S (21) as they constructed a valuable 58 run partnership. Ollie carried his bat for 52* from 60 balls faced as we posted, incredibly, a respectable total of 90-7.
In reply Walhampton ticked over untroubled at 4 per over for the first five overs. Silas K and Ollie M then bowled extremely well to only concede 12 runs in 6 overs and taking one wicket. This pushed the required run rate up to 6 per over for the last 10 overs. With tension mounting, Walhampton responded the best as they hit 30 from the next four overs. A tight spell at one end by James Z, 2 overs for only 3 runs, sadly was not supported at the other end as we leaked two more expensive overs leaving Walhampton needing 9 from 12 balls. James then produced the over of the season, bowling a maiden over under huge pressure including a run out from the last ball. With 9 runs required from the final over, Ollie took control as he pushed the field back to protect the boundaries and then bowled full and straight to deny any big shots, great captaincy and leadership. The result, wonderfully after 39.5 overs, was still in the balance as Walhampton needed 4 from the final ball. They didn’t get it! Pilgrims’ held their nerve to win by 3 runs; which is crazy when you think we started the game and were 5 for 5. Funny old game. AW
2nd XI report to follow.
3rd XI v Walhampton
20 over match (Pairs)
Pilgrims’ 279
Walhampton 217
Pilgrims’ won by 62 runs
Pilgrims’ lost the toss and were put in to bat. With a relatively short leg side boundary and the pairs format, the scene was set for some exciting hitting and some big overs. This wasn’t really the case as it turned out! Monty W got us off to a good start, but the runs dried up somewhat in the middle, before Gabriel D and Toby L got some runs on the board in their allocated 4 overs. 279 felt like a small-ish total to defend given the short boundary, but it would come down to our performance in the field. And this was where it was won; Monty W, Gabriel D and Hector W all took wickets early on to check Walhampton’s progress, although all bowlers managed to have some success. Charlie P had a hat trick ball opportunity and Rohan T produced a marvellous bit of fielding for a run out midway through the innings. It was comfortable enough in the end, but finding the gaps (and the boundary rope!) is the focus now, as meaningful runs still seem difficult to come by. A good match, played in the right spirits by both teams – well done to all. WD
4th XI v Walhampton
20 Over Match
Walhampton 53-2
Pilgrims’ 44-7
Walhampton won by 9 runs
Captain Santiago won the toss and elected to field, Walhampton batted modestly, Pilgrims' fielding well. Two wickets fell: a lovely catch from Alex A at mid-wicket and Oliver K bowling a decent line and length. In reply, the run rate ran parallel with Walhampton’s for much of the game, so it was always going to be a tight finish for these two well-matched teams. In the end, the fact that Walhampton took seven wickets to our two, going at minus five runs a piece in this pairs game, was the difference. Onward to our match with Stroud! AJS
Colts A XI v Walhampton
20 overs
Walhampton 91 all out from 19.5 overs (Edward B 3-24; Aditya S 2-1)
Pilgrims' 94/6 from 15.3 overs (Aditya S 38*; Sam Q 23)
Pilgrims' won by 4 wickets
Pilgrims' immediately took control of this match with two quick wickets in the opening over from Aditya. Walhampton found scoring tricky, which bolstered the Colts fielders even more! With energy levels running high in the field, Pilgrims capitalised on some shaky batting to restrict Walhampton to 37/9 from 12 overs. However, a last wicket stand of 54 mean Pilgrims had to stay focussed in their reply. Losing a wicket first-ball was not the best start to the chase, but a handful of 15/20-run partnerships saw the scoreboard tick along above the required run-rate without any scares along the way. Sam batted well for his 23 runs, whilst Aditya played a true captain’s innings with some very powerful and well-timed straight drives which were a delight to watch. This was a comfortable victory, but had Walhampton grabbed a couple more wickets, then it could have been a much tighter contest. AA
Colts B XI v Walhampton
Pairs 12 overs
Pilgrims’ 80 runs off 12 overs (Neil C 13; Ben A 18)
Walhampton 47 runs off 12 overs (Neil C 2/4; Tristan Z 2/6, Fraser N 1/5, Lucas B 1/8)
Pilgrims’ won by 33 runs
The Colts gave a very sound account of themselves in this pairs match and posted a commendable 80 runs for Walhampton to chase. Notable contributions with the bat came from Neil C and Ben A, who posted 13 and 18 runs respectively. Each scored a number of boundaries which added a bit of excitement to the innings. Walhampton replied with 47 runs, and all the Pilgrims’ bowlers must be commended for their contributions. The Colts Bs therefore won this fixture by 33 runs, securing their first win of the season. CXC
Foals A XI v Walhampton
Pilgrims' 151 (18 overs)
Walhampton 104 (18 overs) (Rian D 3-2, Ike C 2-6, Rupert B 2-5, Teddy E 2-6)
Pilgrims' won by 47 runs
The Foals A travelled to the New Forest to play Walhampton in a pairs hardball match, under shortened conditions. We batted first, with some good partnerships, all making a positive number of runs. We ended on 151 in our 18 overs (starting on 100) which was a good target to set, as we only lost 4 wickets.
In reply, we took plenty of opposition wickets to leave them reeling, the best of which was Rian's hattrick - all bowled! They never recovered, and we limited them to 104. All the bowlers did well and the fielding was excellent. A good victory. MDS
Foals B XI v Walhampton B (Pairs Match)
Walhampton 261-4
Pilgrims 245-5
Pilgrims' lost by 16 runs
Some more good experience for an ever-developing Foals B team who adapted well to Walhampton’s form of the game, hitting the ball off the tee when an extra is bowled. Some accurate bowling and sharp fielding (especially Zain on the boundary) kept the opposition to a modest total with the match all square at the half. However, our inexperience started to show on the batting front, although some good shots were played by Charlie, Ennis and James B which shows a bright future once the boys have a bit more practise in the nets. Well done all. Onwards! CAL
Foals C XI v Walhampton C (Pairs)
Pilgrims: 273-0
Walhampton: 316-0
Losing the toss, Walhampton elected to bowl first. Pilgrims’ first batting pair, Johnnie B and Harrison E fared well scoring a top score for the batting team of 24 in their partnership. All the pairs faced the ball well, with good decision making between the stumps. Pilgrims' scored 73 after 10 overs. Walhampton came in strong scoring plenty of boundaries. In the field, too many extras helped them gain the win. JU
Match reports from Saturday 24 May
1st XI v Twyford
25 Over Match
Pilgrims’ lost by 6 Wickets
Pilgrims’ 109-6 Ollie M 28, George C 23, Thomas R 18*
Twyford 110-4
Batting first, Pilgrims’ made a fantastic start against a strong opening bowling attack; Guy P (15) and Ollie M (27) put on 53 together for the first wicket from 10 overs. However, both were dismissed within an over of each other. George C (23) and Thomas R (18*) continued, putting on 40 runs in the next 10 overs. I was really impressed with the top four as they applied themselves doggedly. The bowling was always tight, so the run rate was below what we really needed to post a challenging total, 109-6 from 25 overs was 20 runs under par.
Twyford openers looked comfortable during the early overs putting on 37 before Laurie S bowled their No 1 middle stump. Another wicket in the following over from Ollie M put the brakes on for a while. We could not maintain enough pressure on the batsmen as we served up too many loose deliveries that were punished. The boys stuck to their task and picked up two late wickets but by then Twyford had the game under control and reached their target with three overs to spare. AW
2nd XI report to follow
3rd XI v Twyford
Pilgrims' - 37 all out
Twyford - 38 for 3
Twyford win by 7 wickets
This was an unfortunate day to have our worst performance of the season against our local rivals! We won the toss and elected to bat first. What followed was not pretty. Wickets fell at regular intervals, and despite Ollie R looking classy and Ray C showing good promise early on, we capitulated to 37 all out inside 10 overs. With the result a formality, the boys showed good determination to make inroads into the Twyford line up and Ollie R bowled very nicely for his 2 wickets, and Gabriel D continued his good form this season with 1. Ultimately though, until the boys are prepared to play straight to straight balls and go after the bad ones, we are going to struggle to post targets that intimidate or are competitive. Lots to work on, but hopefully we can put things right in our next match. WD
Colts A XI v Twyford
20 overs
Pilgrims' 76 all out from 18.3 overs (Aditya S. 22; Barnaby D. 14)
Twyford 77/8 from 19.0 overs (Aditya S. 2-5; Olly P. 2-10)
Pilgrims' lost by 2 wickets
Coming off the back of three consecutive wins, one expected confidence would be running high in this exciting team of players. The team had one target in the first half of the match, bat the full 20 over allocation. Frustratingly, the run-rate was slower than expected with some batsmen giving away their wicket cheaply which affected the run-rate. With 4 overs to go, the score was in the 60s and the batsmen were given an achievable target of scoring 40 from the remaining 24 balls; they only managed 15 from 15 balls before the innings closed. Having fallen short of the 100 target meant every run was vital, and the boys were reminded to believe they could win. Twyford never took full advantage of the match situation and, following a miserly spell by Aditya, Pilgrims’ clawed their way back into the match. And one or two boys could be heard saying, 'we could win this!' The match was finely poised going into the final over with five runs needed form the last over, but it wasn’t to be. One wonders how much the boys really believed they could win until the reality presented itself. It was a shame to lose, but equally rewarding to make Twyford work so hard chasing such a paltry total. AA
Colts B XI v Twyford
Pilgrims’ 84 all out (17.2 overs)
Twyford 85/1 (Fraser N. 1/9)
Twyford won by 9 wickets
The much-anticipated match versus Twyford took place in beautiful conditions on New Piece on Saturday. Pilgrims’ lost the toss and were sent into bat. The Colts Bs batted solidly but the early loss of two wickets in the second over, slowed down their momentum, and led to the boys playing more conservatively. Pilgrims’ managed to set a total of 84 off 17.2 overs for Twyford to chase, with Fraser N playing a very responsible innings to make18 runs.
Twyford responded ruthlessly, and were able to reach the target of 85 in 10 overs, for the loss of only 1 wicket. The match was played with great sportsmanship and both teams must be commended for the generosity of spirit in which they approached this fixture. CXC
Foals A XI v Twyford
Twyford 119 for 8 (Freddie S 2-18, Jacob H 2-22)
Pilgrims' 78 for 8 (Charles N 32)
Pilgrims' lost by 41 runs
An excellent bowling and fielding performance saw the Foals put some real pressure on Twyford. Although two of their batsmen score heavily, everyone else was very much under control, and regular wickets helped this along. Charles took two catches and assisted in a run out behind the stumps, and Chenhan took a fine catch in the field. Sam and Bertie bowled superbly in a high-pressure situation.
We batted brightly to start, with Charles again shining, but as we lost regular wickets, run scoring became increasingly difficult. Twyford had a team of excellent bowlers and there was no respite. However, we were not bowled out, as the lower order batsman showed fight and resistance. A pleasing performance, both for individuals and as a team. MDS
Foals B report to follow
Under 9A X v Twyford
Twyford 324
Pilgrims' 200
Pilgrims’ lost by 124 runs
Pilgrims’ bowled first with Archie W and Rufus M leading the attack. The team bowled and fielded well, applying pressure to the Twyford batters. Boris H took a fantastic catch in the deep. Twyford kicked on with their last two pairs, accumulating a strong total. Despite our efforts and scoring 100 runs we were undone by the number of wickets lost; a realisation of the format we play. MTG
Under 9 Sandstorm report to follow
Under 9 Seawolves X v Twyford
Pilgrims' 329
Twyford 342
Pilgrims lost by 13 runs
This was a fine contest on a gorgeous afternoon. The players put their cricket skills to the test. Bowling on both sides continues to need practice for line and length but the fielders were lively and the batters looked to run when they could. A fun match – well done everyone. AJS
Andrew Short
