Monday 7th July... the evening that saw the Under 11 Cup Team travel to Rochester Cricket Club to play Ropley for in the Semi-Final of the Northern Cup.

Ropley won the toss and chose to bat (we would have done the same). But immediately they were under pressure with our opening pair getting wickets. The fielding was tight and everybody worked hard to stop any boundaries. This pattern remained unchanged and ultimately restricted Ropley to a lowish score of 240. Notable was the fact we bowled our fewest wides and no balls of any match this season. Likewise thanks to the Whitchurch Wall behind the stumps...no byes.

So now it was our turn to bat. Credit where it is due, the Ropley bowlers were fast and accurate. But some very brave and determined and intelligent batting meant every pair added to the score. Sensible running (no run outs), good batting (no catches given) and seizing every opportunity for a bye (15) was the key. The three wickets that did fall (bowled) were all a reflection of fast straight bowling.

So, as we entered the final pair, the result was almost guaranteed. As the final pair walked off...the result was confirmed. An exciting but well deserved win for what was the team's standout performance from the season. Thank you to a good Ropley team for a great match

The only thing left to do was to choose heads or tails for the virtual coin toss that was set to happen later in th evening to decided whether play the final at home or away....#tailsneverfails