Written by Stu Connop

Despite the wet winter and spring, the rain had relented enough to let the HBBH ground dry out. Helped by some glimmers of sunshine during the day, the match was on under a cloudy sky ideal for bowling.

A young Borstal team won the toss and opted to bat, giving HBBH the prospect of a tricky run chase in fading light and cool conditions. Charlie and Tom opened the bowling. The first ball pinged off the bat from a lovely shot, making that familiar sound to signal the season was underway. We were treated to a cagey opening spell with four overs of very pacey bowling. The Borstal batsmen weathered the storm with a blend of nice strokes and play and misses. After the 4th over, the Wills (H & C) were brought on to try something new. Their in-swinging combination made an instant impact. Three wickets in Will C’s opening over for no runs put all the pressure on Borstal. Wickets then fell regularly with several HBBH bowlers getting in on the act (Will H – 3 (including one from around the wicket, much to his Dad’s incredulity), Sahil 1, Patrick 1, & Teddy 1), and the bowlers that didn’t get a wicket very much kept the batsmen on their toes. The quality of the bowling was matched by the quality of the fielding with energy levels high, all catches taken (Charlie, Divesh & Ethan), Ethan excellent behind the stumps, and runs hard to come by for the batsman. After the final ball of their 20 overs, HBBH had limited Borstal to 47-9.

Over to the HBBH batsmen to see off the run chase. The opening bowling was excellent and, with a bit of nets rustiness and murky skies, the Wills (H & C) took a couple of overs to settle. Once they did though, they played some lovely shots, seeing off the run chase in the 6th over with both not out. Not the batting practice that the rest of the team were hoping for, but a very comprehensive victory from an impressive team (even leaving time for some fun cricket on the field before the night set in). Well done U13s, a great start to the season!