King's Hawford
15 May
Cricket season continues with gusto!
Under 11 Boys’ Cricket Tournament at RGS Worcester
The King’s Hawford Under 11 cricket side played some fantastic cricket to win the RGS Under 11 Festival. Playing with positive intent throughout, they won each of their four games, scoring at a rate of more than 10-an-over in three. The day started with a pleasing victory by 17 runs over Warwick Junior School, aided by two excellent innings by Will N and George O. They went on to score an impressive 74 without losing a wicket against Bablake, with Henry K retiring having scored 27 not out and George O and Will N both contributing. The bowlers then restricted Bablake with some excellent fielding and accurate overs from Rhys and Henry K. Having topped their group in the morning, they were paired with the other group winners. In the first game of the afternoon, some excellent bowling from Henry W and Ismail B restricted Hereford Cathedral School to 34 off their five overs. The Hawford batters were made to work really hard for the victory as the Hereford bowlers maintained an excellent line and length, however the target was reached in the last over. This set up a final game against RGS The Grange. Batting first, The Grange got off to a positive start and, despite some excellent fielding led by wicket keeper Oliver H-S, who had been outstanding all day, they managed to score 62 in their five overs. The Hawford reply was launched by George O, who struck his third ball straight down the ground for Six. This momentum was carried on by Ismail B and Will N, who managed to score an incredible 34 off the last two overs to seal a memorable victory.
Under 11 Winterfold Athletics Competition
On Monday afternoon, a group of U11 boys and girls competed in the first athletics event of the term, organised by Winterfold School at Ryland Sports Centre in Bromsgrove. For several of the children, it was their first experience of a full athletics meet, and it was an outstanding learning opportunity. Despite the rainy conditions, the entire team performed excellently in their various track and field events, which included the 75m, 200m, 600m and Relay on the track as well as the Long Jump, High Jump, Javelin and Shot Put. The children were a credit to the School, with many of them securing new personal best scores. A special mention should go to Holly J and Harry C for their superb performances in the High Jump, recording jumps of 1m 30cm and 1m 40cm respectively.
Under 11 Girls’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
The Years Five and Six girls are a great group with which to work; they have plenty of natural sporting talent, are improving technically all the time, and are always keen to develop their game. Bowling first, there were a number of first class performances, backed by some excellent fielding. Holly J, Harriet B, Pippa P and Darcy B led the way with the ball and restricted a very capable RGS side. Lyra H deserves a special mention, keeping wicket for the first time and conceding only three byes in the face of a fast pace-bowling attack. All of our side performed admirably with the bat and were ahead in the run-chase half way through the innings. However, it was still great to see Holly J and Harriet B execute their now hotly anticipated flourish at the end, widening the winning margin of victory to 48.
U10 & U11 Girls’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
On Wednesday, the U10 and U11 girls team travelled away to RGS The Grange. They were lucky with the weather and all had the opportunity to bat and bowl to a good standard.
Sienna captained the side and won the toss, choosing to bowl first and putting The Grange under pressure. Sienna and Annabel opened, and made their mark immediately with a fantastic and accurate three overs, which included Annabel taking the first wicket of the game. Pip K and Iza stepped in next and both continued with the same form, taking a wicket each.
Mary and Sophie batted exceptionally well, stealing runs at every opportunity, and Olivia G and Elizabeth accumulated a healthy total, with Elizabeth finding the boundary twice with a beautifully executed pull-shot. Robyn and Ava had a good game all round, with Robyn’s bowling leading to a catch by Elizabeth and Ava fine-tuning her bowling skills.
The opposition nominated Robyn as Batter of the Match and Olivia G as Bowler of the Match. Pip K also deserves a special mention for her consistent bowling, and Iza and Elizabeth for their fielding. All the girls were fantastic ambassadors for the School and showed a very positive team performance.
U10 & U11 Cricket v RGS The Grange
Skipper Chloe P won the toss and elected for King’s Hawford to field first. The team were up against a Year Six RGS squad, meaning Chloe S, Chloe T, Jess, Lily and Olivia W were playing up an age-category. An amazing first over in the first innings from Ava H saw RGS lose 15 runs from a wicket, catch and Ava stumping the wicket just before the batter made it to the opposite crease. Excellent bowling followed, with Bella producing some excellent, quick bowls. Ava I certainly boosted team morale throughout the innings, encouraging her teammates, as well as asking them to “walk in” as a bowl was being delivered. Olivia W made some fantastic stops in the field, although the team as a whole need to continue practicing using the long barrier as a defensive, fielding technique. In the first innings, RGS had taken 57 runs, which was a respectable score to try to beat. The two Avas (Ava H and Ava I) were up first to bat; their close knit friendship and confidence allowed them to communicate effectively, calling for each other to run or stay. Chloe P and Bella followed, again communicating and making decisions wisely. RGS’s bowling was accurate throughout, producing hardly any wides or no balls in the first eight overs. After a feed from Miss Lake in the final over to counteract a couple of wide balls, Ava H struck the ball brilliantly, falling just shy of the boundary. Quick decision-making and good communication led to the pair adding three runs to our total. King’s Hawford fell just short of the 257 target, scoring 241, however the girls should be extremely proud of the teamwork and cricket that was on display. RGS chose Chloe P as Batter of the Match, with Bella being awarded Bowler of the Match.
U11 Boys’ Cricket v Hallfield
On Wednesday afternoon, the U11 boys welcomed three teams from Hallfield School for cricket fixtures on the top and bottom fields. Mr Hodgkins’s team pitted their wits against a strong Hallfield bowling attack in one of the hard ball games. Batting first, the Hawford boys showed an array of superb defensive shots against several fast and accurate bowlers. Luca, Sam, George, Cameron and Teddy played well down the ground but struggled to work the ball into scoring areas square of the wicket. The bowling innings started with two excellent overs from Sammy M and Cameron, who kept it tight, ably assisted by superb fielding from Luke, who was sharp in the field all afternoon, and Teddy behind the stumps. Luca and Sam B also bowled well, picking up a wicket each, whilst George kept it tight in his overs. The star moment came from Player of the Match, Palmer, who bowled with speed and aggression in his second over, resulting in a fantastic wicket with the ball cannoning into the batter’s off-stump.
U10 Boys Cricket v Hallfield
In what were definitely not prime cricketing conditions on Monday, the Under 10 side braved the inclement conditions to turn in an excellent performance across the board. Batting first, Oliver G and Arthur A got the side off to a very solid start, which was then built upon carefully by Charles C and Arthur O. Harry G and Ben B then came to the crease and began to accelerate the run-count, with Harry playing some particularly pleasing drives. Finn M-P and James B were firmly resolute against some of the opposition’s best bowling, allowing Henry K and Thomas C to score freely at the back end of the innings. Some excellent bowling and fielding, particularly some very well-taken catches, meant that the opposition needed 13 off the last over. Finn M-P proved that he is becoming a huge death-bowling asset by only conceding six runs off the last six balls. We enjoyed a win that was well worth getting a little soggy for!
U9 Girls’ and Boys’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
On Tuesday Mrs Butt’s U9 Cricket team travelled to RGS The Grange. Captained by Valerie M, the team started on a positive note right from the off, with Valerie winning the toss and opting to bowl and field first.
Johannes and Freddie opened the bowling and put down a solid start, with some consistent bowling restricting the opposition to just three runs. Johannes took a wicket in the first over, with a tremendous catch in the field from Daisy showing some great team work and communication. Robyn and Daisy, Rosie and Adelyn all continued the good run of bowling, with another wicket taken by Adelyn, who bowled straight and took out the middle stump, further reducing the opposition’s score. Valerie bowled a superb over, with every ball on target and asking questions of the batter. Johannes and Freddie came back in for the final two overs and again finished with a flourish, taking a wicket in the final over as a product of Freddie’s lovely bowling. The King’s Hawford team restricted RGS the Grange to a total of 237 runs, with those three wickets setting us up nicely to go into bat.
Johannes and Freddie opened the batting, securing 11 runs to start the innings. Robyn and Daisy gave a superb display of batting, with Robyn demonstrating a number of well-executed pull-shots and some great running between the wickets. Rosie and Adelyn then stepped in to bat with a fantastic performance, demonstrating attacking running between the wickets and making good contact with bat and ball. Valerie and Robyn batted solidly with the highest batting score of the game; they were stealing singles at every opportunity, which took the team past the chasing total by 10 runs.
King’s Hawford finished the game on a high with a total of 252. The three wickets taken in the first innings were the difference between the final scores, showing that the accurate bowling was the key in this particular game.
Mrs Butt was particularly impressed by the children’s team work and positivity throughout the game and the opposition acknowledged Freddie’s individual contribution by awarding him the Player of the Match.
U9 Boys’ and Girls’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
One of four U9 teams competing against RGS The Grange on Tuesday, Mr Hodgkins’s team made excellent progress throughout their match. It was great to see how well they all responded to coaching and advice whilst bowling, and the subsequent improvements in the consistency of both line and length of deliveries. With the bat, the children watched the ball carefully and began trying to work the ball into scoring areas by developing their footwork and timing at the crease. Jasper P was awarded Player of the Match by Mr Hodgkins due to the excellent accuracy and threat of his bowling overs.
U9 Boys’ and Girls’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
This was a free-scoring, incredible match, which hinged on a few key moments during the game. Jasmine O and Florrie W opened the batting confidently, sending the ball to all areas of the field. They were immediately supported with a fine innings by Charles H and Arthur G. Zara O and Charlotte F cleverly added to the total with some excellent running between the wickets and Austin R and Harry J both played well, particularly considering that in the innings before, Charles H and Jasmine O returned to score 20 from the last three overs. Florrie W and Charles H were the pick of a great crop of bowlers. Ultimately, a few dropped catches and missed opportunities on run-outs decided the game.
U9 Boys’ and Girls’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
The Under Nine boys’ and girls’ cricket team boarded the ‘bus excitedly for the short trip to RGS The Grange.
The team, captained by Ariana, won the toss and decided to field first. With only seven players to 10, the team managed to read the game very quickly. The bowling pair of Ariana and Maysie took three wickets and stumped two players with extremely quick reactions and the whole team showed improved accuracy, which showcased decision-making and communication skills. By the end of the innings, King’s Hawford were going into bat chasing a score of 230.
The team showed the strength that they have worked so hard on in batting and, by the third batting pair, had exceeded the chasing score.
Some highlights of the match were Ruby, Ariana and Maysie running good singles between the wickets, and Ruby hitting a Four. Henry, Ruby and Ariana all took wickets, with Louis, India, and Nicholas showing depth in their throws from the outfield. The team finished successfully and all the pairs should be pleased with their scores. Although there is still work to do on improving technique, the team showed great promise throughout the game.
Ruby received the Batter of the Match and Louis received Fielder.
U8 Girls’ and Boys’ Cricket v RGS The Grange
Miss Lake’s team won the toss, with skipper, Elise choosing to field first. Chaya and Simi’s opening two overs set the team off to a great start, with accurate, quick bowls. Rupert and Elise’s bowling in the third and sixth overs was tremendous; however, with two strong batters, RGS managed to make several runs, including scoring a Six with a strong hit that flew over the boundary line. Bruce impressed by taking on some constructive feedback about his bowling, demonstrating his ability to produce powerful bowls. Miss Lake had to give Bowler of the Day to Georgia, who has clearly been practicing her overarm bowl. Two wickets were gained from the accurate, quick bowls, knocking the bails off twice in succession.
After the first innings, it was King’s Hawford’s turn to bat. The team managed to gain some early runs, with a few wides and no balls in the first two overs. As RGS got into their stride, they made it difficult for the team to score runs, with Simi and Chaya being the top-scoring batting pair of the afternoon with 17 runs off 12 balls. As the team went into the last two overs, we were chasing 15 runs, however RGS had left their strongest bowlers until last and their bowls with spin made it incredibly difficult for Rupert and Elise to make contact. The team played excellently, only falling nine runs behind the RGS team, who also had two extra fielders! RGS’s Player of the Match went to Bruce, who impressed with his ability to stop the ball. The whole team should be proud of their achievements; the match has certainly highlighted areas that we have improved on, but also areas that we can focus upon in Games lessons as we head into the rest of the cricket season.
U8 Girls’ Cricket v Bromsgrove
Miss Lake’s U8 girls team embraced the drizzly conditions as Ffion, the skipper, won the toss and chose to field. Miss Lake had not worked with this group of girls since their very first fixture a few weeks ago and she was extremely pleased to see how far all of them had come with their overarm bowling. Making incredible progress in the last few weeks were Fearne, Elise, and Ellie M, all of whose bowling was accurate and quick. The bowl of the game came from Chaya who, after determining that her right arm was stronger and more accurate, bowled an incredible ball, taking the bails off of the stumps! The girls communicated well when fielding; however, they now need to speed up their decision-making so that the ball gets back to the wickets as quickly as possible to avoid the opposition making too many runs. King’s Hawford managed to gain some runs from stumping their players out on four occasions: well done to Sophia, Sylvie and Elise for their quick thinking.
After the first innings, King’s Hawford were left to chase 60 runs. Bromsgrove started strong, hitting the wickets three times within the first two overs from their awesome bowling. King’s Hawford found it difficult to make runs; however, they got into their stride when Sylvie and Chaya took to the crease, with Sylvie hitting a superb shot that fell just before the boundary, allowing the pair to make two runs. The batters of the game were Sylvie and Elise, who both managed to hit their ball over the boundary line, with Sylvie’s four runs coming from the penultimate ball of the innings, taking King’s Hawford two runs ahead of the 60 they needed. The girls should be proud of their accomplishments and the game certainly allowed them to practice the skills that they have learned in lessons. Bromsgrove awarded Batter of the Match to Sylvie, and Bowler of the Match to Ellie M. Well done everyone!