Having been made to wait a further seven days after torrential rain forced the abandonment of last week’s attempt to play The Les Sharp Cup Final, our Under 13 Squad pulled off a remarkable triumph over Port Talbot at Pontarddulais CC this evening (30th)!
Both sides had won through from their Zonal League programme during the season and duly emerged victorious from their respective play-off semi-finals.
Fielding first, all seven MCC bowlers bowled really well to restrict Port Talbot to 104-4 from their allotted 20 overs. Whether they took wickets or not, to give their own batsmen such a good chance to win at just a tad over 5 runs per over was a fine effort, make no mistake! There would have been that old “combo” of nerves and excitement..both potentially destructive at times! 10/10 for this first half performance!
However, MCC were up against a spirited Port Talbot XI who were determined to spoil things for Coach Jack Straw’s Lads!
There was an early wicket..5-1. Along with their pals, wicketkeeper Sam Martin (14, 1 four) and Joe Kaminaris (18, 2 fours) worked hard but, at 71-9 in the 15th over, the game looked all but lost..to the outsider!
What could be expected now? Well, Tommy Davies (17no, 1 four) and Charlie Scott (3no), number 10 & 11 batsmen respectively, took deep breaths and got stuck in! These young lads saw their team home off the final ball of the game, to win by 1 wicket!
Whenever such a nail-biting result comes about, everyone’s “dot ball” bowled (no runs scored from it), every run saved in the field AND every run scored during the chase becomes just as important as each other.
A true squad effort brought this coveted trophy home tonight and Jack, his assistants and each player of 2022 should each be immensely proud..well done everyone!
So endeth another excellent year for all our youngsters across the age groups. All credit must go to each coach, each assistant, each supportive parent and, of course, each boy & each girl who have practiced, performed and behaved to such high standards from early April to this evening.
See you all at the Club’s Junior Presentation Evening on Friday, 16th September!
(timings for each age group tbc asap)