Cricket: Significant Development of Skills

U11/10 Boys’ IAPS Cricket at Oundle School

The U11/10 cricket team has had an outstanding term, showing significant development in their skills. This improvement was evident on Monday at the IAPS tournament at Oundle School, where the boys truly excelled as a team. The team’s bowling was impressively consistent, taking several wickets throughout the day. Their fielding, which has shown the most progress recently, was sharp and effective, with players backing each other up and staying alert on the field. In the batting department, every player demonstrated great technique and managed to score quickly, which is crucial in a short-format game. Reuben, Francis, Harry, and Louie stood out with their batting performances, consistently advancing the scoreboard for the King’s St Alban’s team in every match. Theo, Jonas, Arlo, and Joel bowled exceptionally well, maintaining economical rates and taking key wickets at critical moments. Two memorable highlights of the day included Rook’s direct hit from the boundary, resulting in a crucial run-out, and Sam T’s remarkable hat-trick against Laxton Prep, showcasing his impressive quick bowling that baffled the batsmen.

Every player who participated on Monday should be extremely proud of their performances and how they represented the School. Competing in a major IAPS tournament against some of the top prep schools in the country and finishing with a bronze medal is a fantastic achievement. We are incredibly proud of the boys for their efforts on Monday and throughout the season and look forward to hearing about your successes continue in the Senior School: well done, boys!

 

U11 Girls’ Worcestershire schools County Hardball Cricket Tournament

On Monday, we took eight Year Six girls to compete in a hardball cricket tournament. The event featured six teams, divided into two groups of three schools, playing in a round-robin format before advancing to play-off games for placement.

Our first match was against the RGS B Team and Lottie S, who captained our team for the afternoon, unfortunately lost the toss; RGS opted to field first. They bowled effectively, making it challenging for us to get the bat on the ball. Despite a slow run-rate, our sensible running between the wickets and avoiding any dismissals helped us reach a total of 229.

When it was our turn to bowl, the team truly shone. Every player took at least one wicket, and we only conceded three extras throughout the innings. Special congratulations go to Evie, our wicketkeeper, who secured several run-outs thanks to Helena’s precise throws. This exceptional performance in bowling and fielding led us to a well-deserved victory in our first game.

Our second game was against Hawford. Unfortunately, the team struggled and lost their composure, resulting in the loss of nine wickets and, consequently, the match. This placed us second in our group and set us up for a third – fourth play-off.

In the play-off match for third place, we faced the RGS A Team, who were also second in their group after narrowly losing to Bromsgrove by one wicket. This time, Lottie won the toss, and we chose to field first. Despite the setback from our previous match, the girls demonstrated remarkable resilience and teamwork. Their excellent encouragement and support for each other helped us restrict RGS to a achievable score, and our disciplined bowling and fielding yielded five impressive wickets.

Before batting, we discussed the importance of careful running between the wickets and clear communication. Lottie S and Evie set a strong foundation, scoring 13 runs as a pair, putting us ahead in the run-rate. As the innings progressed, our run-rate began to mirror that of RGS. The pressure mounted as Helena and Emily S, our last pair, needed to maintain their composure and avoid losing wickets. In a tense finish, Helena and Emily lost a wicket on their fourth ball, but they managed to rally and add crucial runs. Despite losing another wicket on the final ball, they secured our victory by four runs.

Finishing third in their first hardball tournament is a truly commendable achievement for our team: well done, girls!

 

U9 and U8 Cricket v RGS The Grange

Our cricket team showcased a fantastic performance in a tightly contested match against RGS. Thea, our captain, set the tone for the day by winning “rock, paper, scissors” and choosing to field first. Due to the high temperatures, we opted for a shorter format, playing eight eight-ball overs.

Our bowlers were impressive, especially considering their age group. They displayed remarkable control, conceding only six extras throughout the innings. Standout performances came from Nell and Edith, with Edith giving away just three runs in her over and Nell was even more economical, conceding only two. Despite our disciplined bowling, RGS batted efficiently, capitalizing on every run opportunity to set a formidable target of 254 runs.

Before stepping up to bat, our team discussed the importance of good communication, quick running, and backing up from the bowler’s end. Our innings started strong, nearly matching RGS run for run in the first four overs. Well done to Ben, who opened the batting, hitting a Four off the second ball. However, we faced a setback, losing a couple of wickets, which increased the pressure on our final pair, Edith and Nell. In a tense moment, we lost another wicket on the fifth ball of their partnership due to some sharp bowling, and it seemed like the game might slip away. But Nell turned the game on its head, smashing three consecutive boundaries. Heading into the last over, we were only four runs behind. Nell and Edith rose to the occasion, scoring 16 runs in the final over, securing a thrilling victory for us with a total of 266 runs, winning by 12 runs.

This match was a brilliant display of cricket from both schools, showcasing the talent and sportsmanship at this level. Congratulations to all players for their fantastic efforts!

 

U9 and U8 Cricket v RGS The Grange

On Tuesday afternoon, we headed over to The Grange on a glorious sunny afternoon for some pairs cricket. The pupils played amazingly well in what was a fantastic game of cricket. We bowled well, with Zack leading the way, bowling very consistently, and Pip taking three wickets. Henry also showed excellent improvement, really managing to keep his arm straight. Nonetheless, RGS set a good total for us to try to beat.

Towards the top of the order, Hannah and Julietta hit some nice shots, and Alban showed his skills in calling and running. Maddie and Savannah formed an excellent partnership, with Savannah hitting the shot of the day with a lovely pull for a Four. Poppy was last up and hit some great shots, scoring well.

Agonisingly, when all the scores were tallied, we were just one run short. However, this was of little concern. All the children played really well, in great spirit, and, as the cliché goes, “cricket was the winner.”

 

U9 and U8 Cricket v RGS The Grange

The sun was shining radiantly when this Under-Nine team took to the field for their final fixture of the Summer term on Tuesday. The children were all excited to play against our local, and friendly rivals, RGS The Grange. Due to the heat, the match was reduced to one over per person, which meant the children had chance to rest in the shade of the gazebo and take on board plenty of water during the breaks and whilst the other pairs on their team were batting.

The team from King’s St Alban’s bowled and fielded first and, although overarm bowling is still quite difficult for children at this age, they all tried their best and demonstrated that they have made progress with their bowling this term. A special mention must go to Daniel though, who showed great effort and concentration to field the ball really well every time it went in his direction.

After the interval, all of the children showed an increasing confidence when batting, with Greta and Millie, Cerys and Kasvika, Daniel and Max, and Bertie and Iris all scoring several runs off the 12 balls that they received in their pairs.

The children, parents and grandparents all seemed really to enjoy themselves, and with the sun shining and Worcester Cathedral in the background, this match was an enjoyable and fitting way to end the term. Well done to Bertie, Cerys, Daniel, Greta, Iris, Kasvika, Max and Millie, who all represented the School really well! Thank you to all of the parents who have come along to watch and cheer on the children, not just at this match, but throughout the year. Your support is always very much appreciated!

 

U9 and U8 Cricket v RGS The Grange

The children had a lovely last cricket match against RGS The Grange on Tuesday afternoon. However, the weather was a little too much on our side, so we ensured they had a lot of drinks breaks. We won the toss and opted to field first; our bowling was fairly accurate and the progress since the start of the season was evident. George had two good overs, only giving away a few extras. When it was our turn to bat, we did need to move towards the ball a little and really run for those singles. RGS The Grange were that bit stronger and topped our batting score. Well done to all, nevertheless, for a very successful season.

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

The boys were thrilled about the opportunity to play on the King’s Senior School Second Team pitch on Wednesday afternoon and Reuben won the toss and elected to bat first. Due to the heat, the game was shortened to 12 overs. Continuing their momentum from Monday, the team scored an impressive 91/4 in their 12 overs. Reuben, Francis and Theo were outstanding with the bat, finding gaps and hitting brilliant shots to the boundaries, retiring with scores of 23, 20 and 20 respectively. Theo really stepped up on Wednesday and he batted with confidence and skill, contributing important runs and retiring for the first time this term.

RGS came into bat and scored quickly, with three of their players finding the boundary multiple times. This was more a testament to the high standard of their batsmen rather than any deficiency in our bowling or fielding. Joel was the standout bowler, delivering an economical over that conceded only four runs. Although RGS chased down the target with an over to spare, it was a commendable performance by our boys: they should take pride in their effort and use this experience to continue building towards becoming a fantastic team in the Senior School.

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

What an amazing match this was on which to finish the season! Although Ellie lost the toss, she was delighted when RGS elected to bat first. Building on our success from Monday, we decided to stick with our usual bowling and batting order.

Millie and Lottie S bowled two excellent opening overs, setting a strong tone for the match. Laura was particularly impressive, nearly securing a hat-trick with two wickets in her first two balls. Her over ended spectacularly with a net of minus seven runs! Evie was solid behind the wickets, pairing well with Helena to provide excellent support. By the end of their innings, RGS had scored 238 runs, but we managed to take three key wickets.

Going into batting, the girls knew that while 238 was a achievable score, it wouldn’t be easy. Our opening batters, Lottie S and Evie, started strong, scoring 16 runs off the first two overs. Lottie S played what many thought was the shot of the season, sending the ball high over the bowler’s head with a perfectly straight bat. The team kept the runs coming, with Ellie batting exceptionally well and hitting three consecutive boundaries. As we entered the final over, we were drawing but, unfortunately, we lost a wicket and ended up losing the match by just two runs.

This was an amazing performance by the girls and a clear demonstration of how much they have improved since the start of the season. Despite the loss, the team’s effort and skill were truly commendable: well done, everyone!

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

Ten boys from Years Five and Six made the very short journey up The Tything to Claines to take on their friends and counterparts from RGS The Grange. This match was not only the last cricket match of the term for some of the boys, but also their very last sporting fixture for King’s St Alban’s. Therefore, they were all very keen to finish the academic year with a win! Alas, it wasn’t to be, as a number of rather ill-judged decisions to try to score extra runs, when the runs simply weren’t there, resulted in King’s St Alban’s ending their batting innings with the unnecessarily high and unwanted loss of 13 wickets! It appeared that the boys’ minds were elsewhere, given the very hot weather and proximity to the end of term.

Given that the batting team lose five runs for every wicket scored, this made an already difficult task even harder. However, after some rather stern words about their focus and concentration during the break, the boys were desperate to put on a better performance in the field than they had when batting.

Ben, Archie and Will each took a wicket in their over and, after Harry took two more wickets in his over, it looked like the team had an unlikely chance of salvaging something from the match. It wasn’t to be though, as some strong batting from RGS The Grange put the match out of reach, despite two late wickets from Joshua and Arslan.

If ever there was a pairs cricket match that demonstrated the importance of safe and sensible running between the wickets, this was it. After an important debriefing about this, the boys were able to reflect on an enjoyable and overall successful term of cricket, in which all of the children taking part in this match have demonstrated that they have made good progress with their batting, bowling and fielding skills.

Well done to Archie, Ben, Freddy, Will, Harry, Luca, Arslan, Otto, Joshua and Henry, who all demonstrated great determination and resilience after the interval to put on a strong display in the field, more in keeping with their respective abilities. Thank you also to all of the parents and grandparents who have come along to watch these boys, not just for this match, but to the other fixtures that we have played this year: your support is always very much appreciated!

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

On a sunny afternoon, our C Team faced off against RGS in an entertaining 10-over cricket match. KSA won the toss and opted to bat first. The opening pair of Sam and TJ started strongly, finding a boundary within the first few deliveries. However, RGS’s bowlers maintained tight lines and lengths, making scoring difficult. Highlights from our batting included a resilient innings from Ethan, who played some well-picked shots, along with Jack and Rory. KSA put together a “pairs” innings of 247 runs. During our bowling innings, the KSA children showed determination throughout with standout performances from Sam, Rory, Ethan and Humphrey, who each took a wicket against a strong batting line-up. The match ended in a 33-run defeat, but the children can be proud of their performance, having shown resilience and sportsmanship throughout the contest.

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

The children had a wonderful last cricket match of the season in glorious weather. We lost toss and were put into bat first. We opened with Jess and Shreya who scored a respectable 13 with their two overs. RGS returned with some excellent bowling, gaining three wickets in the next two overs. The game continued in that vein, and RGS kept us to a reasonable batting score. After a short break in the shade, it was our turn to field. George had an excellent over, gaining two wickets and giving them minus three. He thoroughly deserved being awarded Opposition Bowler of the Match. RGS were also strong in their hitting; our bowling was good but they were able to time their hits accordingly. They topped our score and were winners of the match. Well done to Ariya, who was awarded Fielder of the Match, and also to Skye, who was awarded Best Batter. this was a great match to end an excellent season: well done all.

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

In a thrilling encounter, our U11s faced our rivals in what both coaches described as their favourite game of the year. On a lovely sunny day, perfect for cricket, the match was marked by a low number of wides and no balls, reflecting the high standard of play from both sides.

The opposition voted Zara as the Best Batter of the Match, her performance standing out with a series of well-timed shots that kept the scoreboard ticking. Wilf was recognized for his outstanding bowling, consistently challenging the rival batsmen with his accuracy and skill. Fielding was exceptional throughout the game, with numerous great catches that turned the tide at crucial moments. Will was a standout, taking two spectacular catches that drew applause from both teams and spectators alike.

The day was punctuated by plenty of drinks breaks, allowing the young cricketers to stay hydrated and maintain their energy in the sunny conditions. Despite the close loss, the team’s spirited performance and the evident enjoyment of the game made it a personal favourite game for the coach.

 

U11 and U10 Cricket v RGS The Grange

On Wednesday afternoon, our U10/11s showed great enthusiasm in the heat against RGS. When batting, they all displayed good awareness and communication about when to run. Accurate bowling was demonstrated by all the children, highlighted in particular by Isaac, who took two wickets, and in the field they all effectively prevented boundaries and runs. Well done to Suzie who was voted as Player of the Match by the opposition.