With the exeat looming, following commitments on Saturday, here is the programme for this week. Enjoy the exeat, and we look forward to seeing the boys in Games on Tuesday.
Please note the venue changes for our 1st, 2nd 3rd and 4th XIs following re-shuffling arrangements to accommodate many pupils sitting scholarship and entrance papers this week. Westbourne have kindly agreed to play down a level. For example, our 1sts, originally at home, are now playing their 2nds away, the 2nds fixture being away originally.
Please also note our 2pm starts on Friday and Saturday.
Enjoy the exeat.
Team
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Opposition
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Venue Details
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Start
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Return
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Wednesday 01 May 2024
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Multi-Sport
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home | Main School
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14:00
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14:00
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Boys-U13A
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Fly-fishing
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Home | Winchester College
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14:00
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16:30
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1st XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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2nd XI
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Westbourne House
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Home | Bailey
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14:30
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17:00
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3rd XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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4th XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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Colts A XI
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Westbourne House
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Home | Wolvesey
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14:30
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17:00
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Colts B XI
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Westbourne House
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Home | Gater Field
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14:30
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17:30
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Colts C XI
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Westbourne House
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Home | Gater Field
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14:30
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17:30
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Foals A XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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Foals B XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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Foals C XI
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Westbourne House
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Away
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14:30
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18:00
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Year 4 Games
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Year 4 trip to Milestones
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N/A
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N/A
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Sailing
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Sailing at SWAC
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Neutral | SWAC, Southampton. SO14 3FL
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14:30
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18:30
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Tennis
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home | Warden's Garden
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14:00
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15:15
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Athletics
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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14:00
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15:30
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Friday 03 May 2024
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All U9
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Farleigh School
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Away
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14:00
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16:40
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All U8
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Farleigh School
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Away
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14:00
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16:40
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Saturday 04 May 2024
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1st XI
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King Edward VI, Southampton
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Away | Wellington Sports Ground
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14:00
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17:45
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2nd XI
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King Edward VI, Southampton
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Home | Bailey
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14:00
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17:00
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3rd XI
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King Edward VI, Southampton
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Neutral | Gater Field, Winchester College
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14:00
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17:00
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4th XI
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King Edward VI, Southampton
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Home | Wolvesey
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14:00
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17:00
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5th XI
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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14:00
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15:30
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All Colts
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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14:00
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15:30
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All Foals
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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13:00
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14:15
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All U9
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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13:00
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14:15
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Athletics
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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14:00
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15:30
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Multi-Sport
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GAMES - Coaching
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Home
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14:00
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15:30
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Match Reports
Wednesday 24 April
1st XI vs Farleigh
Farleigh 171/6 (Finn R 3-12)
Pilgrims’ 74/6 (Barnaby D 20*)
Farleigh won by 97 runs
The cricket season is upon us! Clearly a few cobwebs in this afternoon’s display from both teams, but encouraging signs throughout. Pilgrims’ won the toss and elected to field. Our opening bowlers got the ball moving early, and kept to a consistent line. Farleigh rotated the strike well, pushing singles where perhaps on another day, they would not have got home. Rhian D took two catches, setting the standard. Pilgrims’ looked fairly tidy in the field, up until the 17th over. Farleigh’s runrate jumped up in the last few overs, with a combination of great striking and a couple lapses of concentration in the field.
Pilgrims’ looked composed when batting. We were just lacking a bit of tempo to our innings. This is something to build upon as we get into the season. Scoreboard management and manipulating the ball into gaps will help us build momentum and keep the pressure on the opposition. Barnaby D looked good for his 20* cameo. He punched the ball into gaps and put away loose deliveries. We fell well short today, but this is a great platform to build on. MTG
2nd XI vs Farleigh
Pilgrims’ 61 for 8 from 20 overs
Farleigh 62 for 6 from 20 overs
Farleigh win by 4 wickets
A very interesting game this one, and a solid start to the season for the 2nd XI. With only a net session behind us, it was a rusty start. However, batting first, we kept the scoreboard ticking over. This was especially pleasing as the ground conditions were so difficult; with muddy patches and long grass, there was hardly full value for your shots! Ben A batted well at the top of the order and was ably supported by Jacob H and then Sammy P. When Ben and Sammy got out in quick succession, we struggled a bit to keep the score moving, but 60 for 8 off 20 overs on that pitch was not a bad effort.
The reply was full of excitement. Sammy P bowled with pace and hostility and some good outfield (resulting in two good catches and two run outs) reduced Farleigh to 15 for 5, and they were rattling. It looked like a famous victory might be on the cards, but at the crucial moment we started to make mistakes. Some easy singles were given away and one of their stronger batters was dropped; this built Farleigh’s confidence. They made a few quick runs, and suddenly the game was over.
Lessons to learn, and a good performance to build upon. ASD
3rd XI vs Farleigh
Farleigh 196/6 from 20 overs
Pilgrims’ 116/3 from 20 overs (Chenhan Z 50*, Tim C 33)
Farleigh win by 80 runs
Despite the apparent one-sided nature of this loss to Farleigh, there were some encouraging signs here. After only one training session, this was always going to be a slight unknown, and to face traditionally strong opposition so undercooked from a preparation point of view was always going to be a big ask.
Farleigh won the toss and elected to bat first. We actually made some good early inroads into their top order with wickets to both Tim C and Tommy Q giving us early optimism. Their No. 3 batted well and got his eye in and from there, we started to leak runs. The perennial problem of the number of extras we concede will need addressing fairly quickly, as we would have been much closer to their total had we tightened up on this. However, Hobert Y bowled an absolute dream delivery to remove their danger man, and they finished on an imposing 196.
Our reply started meekly, with Louis M departing cheaply. This brought Chenhan Z to the crease and, ably supported by Tim C, contrived to play some really encouraging cricket. With the exception of one top edge, Chenhan's innings was chanceless, and he batted beautifully for his 50* retired. Tim reached a battling 33 before being bowled, but a lot will rest on his shoulders over the coming fixtures. We finished on 116-3 and whilst the result shows a heavy loss, there were hugely encouraging signs, and certainly things we can look to build on during training. Well done to all. WD
4th XI vs Farleigh
20 overs
Farleigh 184/3 (Harry K 1-16; Thomas K 1-30)
Pilgrims’ 54 all out (Seth T 17)
Pilgrims’ lost by 130 runs
It was fantastic to be back at St Cross Cricket Club for this 4th XI match. Farleigh batted first and managed a high run rate between quick ones and twos and some fairly regular boundary scoring. Bertie W, keeping wicket, took the first Farleigh scalp – run out. Charlie S took a good catch at mid-off from Thomas’ bowling but, whilst there were other catching chances, our fielding positions weren’t tight enough. Harry took the third wicket from his super bowling.
In reply, we couldn’t match the rate but batted for 19 overs before our final wicket fell. Seth was the pick of the batters on 17 runs. We look forward to the next match. AJS
Colts A XI vs Farleigh
20 overs
Farleigh 147/3 from 20 overs (Archie W 1-9; Christian B 1-17; Rufus M 1-25)
Pilgrims’ 55 all out from 14 overs (Theo W 10; Christian 6)
Pilgrims’ lost by 92 runs
Umpiring out ‘in the middle’ gives you the opportunity to become absorbed by a cricket match. ‘Catches win matches’ I could hear myself thinking, as we shelled three simple opportunities. These came at stages throughout Farleigh’s innings, and although the team responded positively, one couldn’t help but think how much they would cost us. Farleigh batted well; decisive, quick running to almost anything, whilst having the knack of keeping out most probing balls. Given the lack of contact time we have yet had, it was to be expected the boys would be a little rusty, but this was compounded by a handful of elementary fielding mistakes and lots of byes, which, going forward, need to be avoided. One hundred and fifty is a competitive score on Wolvesey but by no means unattainable, but unfortunately, the Pilgrims’ batters did not give themselves the best opportunity to succeed with poor shot selection, and far too much playing across the line. A slow start saw the run rate gradually rise to over 11 an over at 10 overs, which is when the wheels began to fall off. One cannot fault the boys as they played the game in the right spirit, and sometimes you need to accept you were beaten by a better team on the day. AA
Colts B XI vs Farleigh
20 over
Pilgrims – 111 for 7
Farleigh – 114 for 5, 5 overs remaining
An outstanding effort from the Colts B’s. With boys who have not played for 12 months and some who have never even played at all! Pilgrims chose to bat first and started well. Hal Hatto and Seb Wilson both looked confident in the early overs but were bowled and caught from some good fielding by Farleigh. Harry cook also showed promise and contributed to the score himself. Anton S, on his Pilgrims’ debut score 18 runs! A super effort from all the boys meant we got over the 100 mark into match tea.
Farleigh had a powerful pair opening which made it tricky for Pilgrims, but they retired at 60 runs between them. Then Pilgrims’ went on a wicket spree! Taking 5 wickets in quick succession. Farleigh did however creep past the score set by Pilgrims’ with 5 overs remaining. JB
Colts C XI vs Farleigh (Pairs)
Pilgrims’: 295/7
Farleigh: 303/5
Farleigh won by 8 runs
The Colts C team made a good start to the season. Even though things were slow going with the bat in hand, there were some lovely shots played, and there is plenty of promise for the season to come. Felix displayed some daring with the bat and made 14 runs, closely followed by Ethan who managed to accrue 10 runs. The boys struggled to find the right line and length when their turn came to bowl, and a number of extras kept the scoreboard ticking over for the hosts. Alfie bowled quite consistently and managed to limit Farleigh to 9-1 from his three overs. Unfortunately, we were not able to do enough with the ball in hand to stop Farleigh from walking away victorious on this occasion. Some good lessons were learnt. CXC
Foals A vs Farleigh B (Pairs Match)
Farleigh 132-8. Pilgrims 162-2
Pilgrims' won by 6 wickets
It was great to play a pairs match for the opening fixture, against Farleigh’s B team. It gave the boys a chance to get into the swing of things and spend some valuable time in the middle without the pressure of being out in the first ball of their season. Every Pilgrims’ player bowled one over and wickets came thick and fast; some excellent run outs and demon throws from Alex and Finlay, accurate bowling from the likes of Oscar and Charlie and tight, economical bowling giving away few runs from Teddy, Rafe and Benji. The combination of tight bowling, wicket taking and positivity in the field meant that Farleigh were reduced to a final score of 132 (starting on 100), setting Pilgrims’ a likely victory if they didn’t give away too many wickets.
Batting second, the mighty Foals A did exactly this, with Alex and Rio gaining a whopping 19 runs for no wickets lost as the first pair. The remaining batters defended well and, with only two wickets falling in the innings, surpassing Farleigh’s total by some distance was inevitable. A great first game to start the season, and I was particularly impressed with the positivity and enthusiasm the boys displayed throughout the whole match. We must keep this up throughout the Summer, but there will be smiles all round during Friday’s training session. CAL.
Foals B vs Farleigh C (Pairs Match)
Pilgrims lost by 15 runs
Foals B started this Cricket Season with a closely fought match against Farleigh away. Playing a relatively short match of 10 overs each (pairs and softball format), Pilgrims won the toss and elected to field first. Everyone had a bowl. Pick of the bowlers were Daniel (3 runs - 1 wicket), Casper (3-0), Marek (5-0) and Ryan (6-0). Farleigh finished with 54 runs off their 10 overs.
Foals then batted and made a great start. The Farleigh coach was clearly getting concerned as the runs started to tot up. Marek's batting was the stand out innings scoring 2 fours, both of which were nearly sixes and one of which sought refuge from him in a nearby thornbush! Only in the dying few overs were Pilgrims' pegged back with 4 catches by Farleigh, which removed 20 runs from Pilgrims' score. We eventually lost by 15 runs, but it was very, very tight.
Special mention should also go to Kimi. Kimi is a new pupil at Pilgrims this week, had not played cricket before but was simply excellent with the bat. PDJ
Friday 26 April
U9A vs Thorngrove
Pilgrims’ 279
Thorngrove 215
Pilgrims’ won by 64 runs
What a great way to kick off the season for the U9’s! Thorngrove batted first, but it was Pilgrims’ who left their mark on the game. From the very first ball you could see momentum was going our way. Each boy bowled well, giving very little width for the opposition to play their shots. The boys were electric in the field, Edward N lead the way with a couple of great catches. A very comprehensive display in the field. The team pegged Thorngrove back all the way up to the last over. With half the job done, and not a big total to chase, it could be easy to get complacent. To their credit, the boys batted sensibly, rotated the strike well and batted with confidence. George and Alfred B finished off the fixture with a great display! ‘YES, AGAIN!’ was the call. On to the next, well done everyone. MTG
U9B vs Thorngrove
Pilgrims' 281
Thorngrove 243
Pilgrims’ won by 38 runs
A fantastic first game and a win for the U9 Bs. Pilgrims’ fielded first, and there was some great bowling on display. Bertie particularly had his eye in, and after a frantic first bowl, composed himself to crash the first wicket with a lovely straight, pacey ball. Winston also gave a good display of spin bowling, which Thorngrove found hard to deal with. We kept there score down well and they were finding it difficult to find any boundaries. Our fielders were also very lively and backed up the wicket well.
Our turn to bat, and we looked well up for the challenge. There was some excellent running, and we began to hit boundaries – the boys could sense a win and were chasing it! The first six of the game came off the bat of Teddy C-H with a well-timed shot. More runs followed, and Bertie and Teddy’s partnership was very productive with numerous boundaries. All the boys played a big part in this victory, a real team performance. Well done!
U9C vs Thorngrove
Pilgrims' 256
Thorngrove 212
Pilgrims' won by 44 runs
We had the upper hand from the get go, with our superior batting strength and bullish technique in scoring our runs by beating the fielders on the ground and in the air. This gave us a comfy score of 256 to defend with the ball. William C and Wilfrid E were the cherry on top for our batting performance by aiming to score every ball whether hit or not. Throughout the innings there were good moments and bad, but through them all our intent remained strong and dominant. Our bowlers could not have displayed a better performance by restricting the opposition to only 212 runs by building pressure through dots and with dots comes wickets, which were delivered by Angelos and Artem very often. Good focus and intent throughout the game gave us what we travelled for - a positive result to build off of for the remainder of the season. Congrats boys and on to the next! AZ
U8A vs Thorngrove
Thorngrove 275 for 4
Pilgrims’ 328 for 1
Pilgrims’ won by 53 runs
Pilgrims’ have started their cricket season brilliantly and are showing excellent potential. Some superb bowling from Dev in the early overs saw Plgrims’ take control of the match as Thorngrove struggled to get the ball away from the wicket. Theo and Tristan also impressed with some accurate deliveries. After the first innings, Pilgrims’ had managed to keep Thorngrove under 300. Pilgrims’ took their good form into their batting innings and Sahil scored heavily. It was a great batting performance from everyone, with great communication and decision making between the wickets. Pilgrims’ soon chased down the opposition total to take the win. Great job! JB
U8B vs Thorngrove
Thorngrove 288 for 3
Pilgrims 285 for 1
Pilgrims lost by 3 runs
This was a very close and fun match. Fielding first, Pilgrims’ managed to take three wickets from run outs and worked hard to prevent too many boundaries. In reply with the bat, Finn and Charlie top scored with 22 runs between them, including several fours each. Giving away only one wicket, things were always going to be tight. In the end, it could not have been much closer, just three runs separating the sides. Good effort boys! AJS
Saturday 27 April
1st XI vs Horris Hill
Horris Hill 25 all out (3-0)
Pilgrims’ 26/2
Pilgrims’ won by 8 wickets
That was more like it! No team wants this every week, but games like this can be important to build up confidence in the ranks. Let’s not take anything away from the boys – they were superb in the field this afternoon. They were clicking from the first ball, and it was clear that this was ours to lose. We shuffled around the bowlers, giving opportunity to boys that would not necessarily turn their arm over. A very solid fielding display saw the opposition contained to 25 runs. A mention should go to Finn R who picked up 3 wickets in his one and only over, before captain Aditya S subbed him off! Despite losing a couple of wickets in our reply, it was a comprehensive victory and well deserved. Well done everyone. MTG
2nd XI vs Horris Hill
20 Over Match
Pilgrims’ 125 for 4 (Chenhan Z 30ret, Zach M 16 ret, Edward B 13)
Horris Hill 56 for 9 (Hugo C 3 for 2, Chenhan Z 2 for 2)
Pilgrims' win by 69 runs
A super performance this one, and lovely to sneak it in before the rain came. Batting first, Pilgrims’ judged the innings perfectly. After an early loss of one of our openers, Chenhan Z (30 ret) and Arthur H saw us seamlessly from 7 for 1 to 42 for 2. More sensible batting, especially from Zach M (16 ret), saw the scoreboard ticking along nicely, and some lusty hitting from Edward B in the last few overs saw a challenging total of 125 set.
Edward B and Hugo C opening the Horris reply brilliantly, reducing them to 7 runs for two wickets (both to Hugo) by the end of their opening burst. That performance was backed up by others, with the wickets shared around, until a final burst from Chenhan Z (2 for 2) nearly saw Horris bowled out. What was perhaps most pleasing was that, despite it being a cold and overcast day, the boys were alert in the field and really stepped it up from our last game.
A very encouraging step forward. ASD
Colts A XI vs Horris Hill
20 overs
Horris Hill 78 all out from 19 overs (Boris H 2-2; Lucas Jia 1-5)
Pilgrims’ 81/1 from 13.4 overs (Christian B 22* ret; Boris H 12)
Pilgrims’ won by 9 wickets
Having won the toss, our newly appointed captain, Christian, wisely chose to put the hosts into bat; it proved a shrewd decision in terms of match longevity. It was apparent fairly early on in the encounter that Horris Hill did not have considerable depth in their batting line-up which provided the opportunity for everyone who was willing to bowl at least an over. It was slow going with Horris never managing more than four runs an over. The wickets were shared evenly throughout the team, with five Colts claiming one scalp each. One aspect which needs refining in the positional awareness each player possesses, this will come in good time. In reply, Pilgrims started positively, with the first over being drilled for 9 runs. Pilgrims never looked back, and although the run-rate gradually reduced, Horris Hill could not find a way to claim a wicket until the tenth over, when the winning total was in reach. This was a sound and confident performance against weak opposition; nevertheless, it is always important to secure the maiden win of the season. AA
Colts B XI vs Horris Hill (Pairs)
Pilgrims’: 277/6
Horris Hill: 265/6
Pilgrims’ won by 12 runs
The Colts Bs gave an excellent account of themselves on Saturday, and displayed the kind of grit that one would want to see in any competitive sport. Even though runs did not come steadily with the bat, the boys took advantage of some errant fielding on the part of Horris Hill to sneak a number of singles. The boys’ running between the wickets has come along beautifully and the communication between the batsmen has seen a marked improvement. The Pilgrims’ bowling performance was very admirable. With one or two of the Horris batsmen looking quite threatening, the boys managed to hold their nerve, and take wickets at crucial times in the game. The final four overs were very entertaining and saw the boys really up their effort in the field to limit the scoring opportunities for Horris. This match was a fine lesson in learning how to keep the pressure on your opposition and choke the flow of runs. A brilliant effort. CXC
Andrew Short
Director of Sport