King’s Hawford Cricketing Champions

Nine of King’s Hawford’s finest cricketers set off early to take part in the South West Regional IAPS Championship and, as you might have guessed from the spoiler alert in the title above, they had an extremely good day.  Our team of five Year Six girls and four from Year Five has performed well throughout the season and they were keen to get the action underway, competing against nine of the top prep schools in the region.

The girls performed well throughout the whole group stage, with excellent wins against Clifton College (Bristol), The Downs (Malvern) and King’s Hall (Taunton).  An algorithm that would put Duckworth Lewis to shame calculated that King’s Hawford’s superior run total and wicket taking put us as the highest qualifiers from all of the the groups and propelled our nerveless nine straight into the final, where they were to meet last year’s champions, Stroud-based Beaudesert Park.

King’s Hawford lost the toss and were put into bat.  After a slightly shaky start, the girls showed huge amounts of resilience and confidence to fight back and post a very defendable total, with some especially powerful hitting by Harriet B, who at one point hit four consecutive boundaries, and Holly J, who hit two maximums in an aggressive innings.  Beaudesert were clearly a strong side, but some excellent early bowling meant that the game was still very much up for grabs by either side at the halfway point of the opposition’s innings. The game turned on three key moments: an excellent catch in the deep by Darcy B, a fine direct hit run-out by Pippa P, and finally some phenomenal death bowling by Marnie P. The girls ended up winning the game and the Championship by a reasonably comfortable 12 runs.

All the girls made crucial contributions at key points in the tournament. Lyra H and Millie B shared the wicket-keeping duties superbly, conceding very few byes, and both made sensible contributions with the bat.  Darcy B bowled excellent line and length, limiting scoring opportunities. Jetta P was lively in the field and played a number of quality shots to gain all-important runs.  Pippa P took wickets and was one of a fearless opening partnership with Marnie P, who also bowled with fearsome pace and accuracy. Hattie D batted with David Goweresque left-handed style and was lively in the field.  Harriet B and Holly J not only showcased their unquestionable all-round ability but were also first-class leaders on and off the field.

Whilst they went home as Champions from their exploits with bat and ball, the girls were winners in so many other ways too. It was a delight to see a group of friends enjoying playing together with a smile on their faces and a hugely positive attitude. The organisers and other coaching staff remarked on how brilliant they had been throughout the day: we couldn’t have asked for more from them.