Another Fantastic Week of Cricket

Pupils from Years 3 to 6 enjoyed another exciting round of cricket fixtures against Hereford Cathedral School this week, with matches taking place across Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite some uncertain weather conditions, pupils showed fantastic enthusiasm, teamwork, and resilience throughout every game.

Well done to every pupil who represented King’s St Alban’s so positively throughout the week.

Tuesday 12th May 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

KSA U9/8s continued their excellent start to the season with another superb all-round performance away at Hereford Cathedral School. 

Bowling first, KSA built brilliantly on last week’s performance, showing huge improvement in both the field and with the ball. The team bowled with excellent line and length throughout, producing plenty of dot balls and making scoring very difficult for the opposition. A fantastic maiden over from Wilf set the tone early on, while Theo produced the moment of the innings with a superb wicket that smashed into middle stump. Archie M also bowled extremely well and communicated brilliantly in the field, helping keep the pressure on throughout the innings. Thanks to the disciplined bowling and sharp fielding, KSA restricted Hereford Cathedral to 276. 

Going into bat, KSA approached the chase sensibly, batting with maturity and keeping the scoreboard ticking over nicely. The game remained close until Hugo and Gabe came together and completely changed the momentum of the match. In their three overs together, the pair scored an outstanding 36 runs, with Hugo striking four superb boundaries and Gabe adding two more with some brilliantly timed shots. Their excellent partnership helped drive KSA to a fantastic total of 291 and another well-deserved victory. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

KSA U8/9 team produced a fantastic all-round team performance to secure an excellent 16-run victory over Hereford. 

After bowling first, KSA started the match with great enthusiasm and energy in the field. Geoffrey and Sam opened the bowling superbly, combining for 10 dot balls in their opening 18 deliveries to immediately put pressure on the Hereford batters. The team fielded brilliantly throughout the innings, showing great focus and teamwork in every area of the field. 

The standout moment of the innings came when Geoffrey took an excellent catch off the bowling of Phoenix to claim KSA’s only wicket of the innings. Teigan and Hibah then finished the bowling innings strongly, bowling with good control and accuracy to keep the Hereford total as low as possible. Across the innings, KSA’s bowlers showed impressive discipline with their line and lengths. 

Chasing the target, KSA made a steady and confident start with the bat before Phoenix and James took the game on in the middle order. The pair shared an excellent partnership worth 28 runs, including five boundaries between them, with several superb shots played through the leg side. Their positive batting helped push KSA into a very strong position. Ben and Magson then closed out the innings brilliantly. Looking to rotate the strike well and making sure they took every run available to keep the scoreboard moving. 

One of the most pleasing aspects of the performance was that KSA did not lose a single wicket during their innings, highlighting the composure and teamwork shown by all the batters. Combined with the accurate bowling and excellent fielding display, it was a great afternoon of cricket for the team! 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

The King’s St Alban’s U9/8 Team produced a spirited performance in a closely contested cricket match this week. Although the result did not quite go our way, the team showed fantastic determination, teamwork, and enthusiasm throughout the game. 

There were some standout performances with the ball, particularly from Molly and Ivan, who both bowled excellently and kept the opposition under pressure with accurate and disciplined spells. 

With the bat, Ivan and Finley impressed everyone with some superb boundary hitting, both striking excellent fours and keeping the scoreboard moving in an exciting contest. 

The whole team should be very proud of their efforts in such a competitive game, with plenty of positives to take into the next match for King’s St Alban’s. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral – CJ 

On Tuesday afternoon, fourteen children from Year 3 and 4 walked down to the playing fields at Slingpool Walk to take on Hereford Cathedral School in a friendly pairs cricket match. Although the rain managed to stay away, a strong breeze swept across the ground and certainly helped to keep everyone alert throughout the afternoon’s play. 

Representing St. Alban’s were Ben, Leen, Maren, Milan, Olivia and Rosa, with Olivia captaining the side. After winning the toss, Olivia elected to bat first. 

Ben and Milan opened the innings confidently, scoring 23 runs from their three overs. Maren and Olivia followed with an excellent partnership worth 25 runs, including the only boundary of the match – a superbly struck four from Maren. Leen and Rosa then added a further 13 runs, despite the loss of a wicket after a late change of mind while running between the wickets. 

As the format allowed each pair an additional over, all of the players returned to the crease once more. With batting teams awarded two runs for every wide or no-ball and losing five runs for each wicket, St. Alban’s finished their innings on a very respectable 76 for 1. 

The bowling innings began strongly, with Ben and Milan restricting Hereford Cathedral School to just 15 runs from their two overs. Maren and Olivia continued the pressure superbly, conceding only 14 runs, before Leen and Rosa produced an excellent spell which limited the opposition to just 7 runs and included the first wicket of the match, taken by Rosa. 

With every player returning to bowl another over, St. Alban’s maintained their focus well. Ben then claimed the second wicket of the innings with a perfectly delivered ball. At the close of play, Hereford Cathedral School finished on 61 for 2, meaning that St. Alban’s secured victory by 15 runs and one wicket. 

This proved to be a closely contested match, with the final result largely decided by the number of wides bowled by each side. As a result, the team will continue to focus on bowling straighter and more accurately as they prepare for their remaining fixtures this term. 

Well done to Ben, Leen, Maren, Milan, Olivia and Rosa, who all gained valuable experience and showed great teamwork, enthusiasm and determination throughout the afternoon. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

A thrilling U8/U9 cricket match against Hereford Cathedral School ended in an incredible draw, with both teams finishing on 289 apiece. It was an exciting, closely fought game full of standout performances. 

Kate led the bowling brilliantly, delivering five dot balls and conceding just one no ball in a highly controlled spell. A sharp run-out from Edward’s bowling highlighted excellent teamwork in the field. Luna also impressed and was deservedly named bowler of the match. 

With the bat, partnerships were key. Kate and Lakshmi produced a superb stand of 36, while Edward and Xander added a valuable 32. Luna and Rory contributed an important 21 to keep the innings flowing. Xander’s performance earned him batter of the match. 

Overall, it was a fantastic team effort, with determination and skill. 

Wednesday 13th May 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

KSA U11/10s produced another strong all-round display against Hereford Cathedral School in a match that very nearly fell victim to the weather. 

With the forecast looking far from promising, the decision was made to try and get the game played — and thankfully, apart from a short break in the middle, the sun shone for most of the match and allowed for an excellent game of cricket. 

Joshua won the toss and chose to bowl first, and KSA picked up exactly where they left off from last week. The fielding was sharp throughout and the bowling was consistently accurate, with the whole team hitting excellent line and lengths to make scoring extremely difficult. 

It is hard to single out individuals when every player contributed so well, but there were several standout performances. Romi bowled superbly, finishing with figures of 2 overs, 5 runs and 1 wicket, while Joshua’s spell of 7 balls for just 2 runs and a wicket kept the pressure firmly on the opposition. Pip was incredibly economical, conceding only 2 runs from his over, and Thea delivered an excellent spell, taking 2 wickets while giving away just 3 runs. Nell also deserves a special mention for a fantastic wicket maiden over. The disciplined bowling and excellent fielding effort saw HCS bowled all out for 61. 

In reply, KSA made the chase slightly harder than it perhaps needed to be, but still reached the target comfortably with overs to spare. Max led the scoring with a classy 22, Haadi with a solid six runs, and Romi finished unbeaten on 14 not out. There were plenty of good shots, positive running between the wickets and another strong team performance that gives the side lots to build on heading into next week. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

KSA U10/11 team were involved in a thrilling contest against Hereford in what proved to be a real nail-biter, despite a very wet-looking forecast threatening play before the game. 

Bowling first on a ground with very small boundaries, the team knew they would need to keep their line and lengths extremely tight throughout the innings to which they responded brilliantly to the challenge. Every player contributed with the ball, delivering plenty of dot balls and building pressure on the Hereford batters. The fielding effort was equally impressive, with the whole team showing great energy by chasing down every ball and stopping anything hit in their direction. 

KSA claimed six wickets during the innings, with wickets shared between Ben, Dylan (2), Max C and Harvey. One of the standout moments in the field came from Jack Cox, who produced a superb direct-hit run out from the boundary which created a fantastic moment for the team. 

In reply, KSA began the chase steadily, rotating the strike well and showing excellent running between the wickets. Contributions came throughout the batting order with Zac, Jacob, Bertie and Hugo all playing some excellent shots and finding the boundary at important moments to keep the chase on track. 

The match went right down to the final over, with Harvey and Jack Clift at the crease needing 8 runs to win. In a tense finish that came down to the very last ball, KSA unfortunately fell just short, losing by only 2 runs. Credit must go to Hereford, whose disciplined bowling remained tight throughout the innings and made scoring difficult at key moments. 

Although the result did not quite go KSA’s way, the boys should be extremely proud of their efforts in such a close encounter. It was fantastic to see the progress being made in all aspects of their game and hopeuflly come back on the winning side! 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

The King’s St Alban’s U10/11 Team put in a strong and determined performance in an enjoyable match against Hereford Cathedral School this week. 

It was a particularly memorable game for Hannah, Elizabeth, Imogen, Martha, and Daniel, who were all playing their first ever hard ball cricket match. The group showed great confidence and enthusiasm throughout, stepping up brilliantly to the challenge. 

Hannah impressed with the ball, bowling with excellent accuracy and control, while Martha did a fantastic job behind the stumps, keeping wicket confidently and supporting the bowlers throughout the innings. 

Daniel also had an outstanding game, producing an exciting moment with two back-to-back fours before later contributing with the ball by taking a wicket. 

The whole team showed great teamwork, effort, and attitude across the match, with many positives to build on for the rest of the season. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

Twenty-six boys and girls from Year 5 and 6 travelled across the border into Herefordshire for their latest cricket fixture of the term against teams from Hereford Cathedral School. After taking shelter from a brief rain shower just before the start of play, the sun soon emerged to provide better conditions for an enjoyable afternoon of friendly pairs cricket against our friends from the newly formed ‘Three Choirs Schools Group’. 

Representing King’s St. Alban’s were Jeremiah, Max M, Jack J, Poppy, Lillianna, Maddie, Savannah and Aria, who elected to field first. Poppy and Savannah opened the bowling superbly, restricting Hereford Cathedral School to just 14 runs from their two overs. Lillianna and Maddie followed with another disciplined spell, conceding only 12 runs, with Lillianna claiming the first wicket of the innings. 

Jack and Aria continued the strong start by limiting the opposition to just 10 runs from their overs, while Aria also took a wicket. Jeremiah and Max then kept the pressure on, allowing only 12 runs from their two overs. With Hereford Cathedral School fielding two additional players, Lillianna and Aria returned to bowl the final overs after both having already taken wickets earlier in the innings. Although 18 runs were scored, another wicket fell in the process, leaving Hereford Cathedral School on a respectable 51 runs for the loss of 3 wickets at the close of their innings. 

In reply, Savannah and Poppy made an excellent start with the bat, scoring 16 runs from their two overs, including the first boundary of the innings from Savannah with a confidently struck four. Maddie and Lillianna built on this momentum with an impressive 17 runs from their partnership, while Aria and Jack added a further 14 runs. 

With the match finely balanced, Max and Jeremiah battled hard but lost three wickets during their overs, leaving the game delicately poised, especially as five runs are deducted for each wicket lost in pairs cricket. Savannah and Lillianna returned as the final batting pair and showed great composure to score 16 runs while losing only one wicket. 

At the end of the innings, St. Alban’s finished on 47 runs for the loss of 4 wickets, meaning Hereford Cathedral School narrowly won the match by just 4 runs and one wicket. It was an extremely close and competitive game, ultimately decided by the number of wickets lost by each side. As a result, the team will continue to focus on communication between batting partners to reduce the risk of run outs and preserve valuable runs ahead of the remaining fixtures this term. 

Well done to Jeremiah, Max M, Jack J, Poppy, Lillianna, Maddie, Savannah and Aria, all of whom worked well together as a team and represented St. Alban’s really well throughout the afternoon. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

The U11/U10 team enjoyed a fantastic match against Hereford Cathedral School, despite the rain, with plenty of strong individual and team performances throughout. 

Bowling was a real highlight, with Henry leading the way by delivering an excellent maiden over, demonstrating great accuracy and control. Vicky also impressed, especially in her final over where she bowled four dot balls and claimed a well-deserved wicket. The wicket-taking continued across the team, with Cerys, Millie and Flo all contributing to a strong bowling display. Millie’s consistent and effective bowling earned her the well-deserved title of bowler of the match. 

In batting, there were positive contributions across the team, with Sophie standing out by striking a confident boundary. Her composure and shot selection saw her awarded batter of the match. 

Overall, it was a strong performance with excellent teamwork, effort, and enthusiasm shown by all players. The match provided a great opportunity for everyone to develop their skills and enjoy competitive cricket. Well done to all involved for a brilliant game. 

KSA vs. Hereford Cathedral 

The U11/U10 fixture against Hereford Cathedral School began in dramatic fashion, with heavy rain sending everyone running for cover before play could start. Fortunately, the weather soon improved, although the strong wind continued to make conditions challenging throughout the match. 

King’s fielded first, with Kasvi and Bella opening the bowling well and putting Hereford under pressure. Daisy also bowled strongly despite the conditions. The girls showed clear improvement in the field, working hard together and backing up well, while the wicket keeping continues to develop positively. 

With the bat, the girls showed real progress both technically and in their teamwork between the wickets. Iris and Amber ran particularly well together, collecting several valuable singles, while India and Daisy also scored well. It was great to see the team looking for runs from mis-fields and encouraging each other throughout the match. Bella and Sofia were awarded Opposition Players of the Match. 

King’s fully deserved their convincing win thanks to improved bowling, batting, and fielding, as well as strong teamwork and communication throughout the game.