Effingham U12 beat Leatherhead

Two standout performances from Sam Partridge and William Burbidge helped give Effingham U12s a win in their first game of the season against their local rivals Leatherhead.

Effingham batted first, but some good bowling from Freddie Harris and Craig Sheffield kept the Ships in check. Although runs were hard to come by, both batsmen applied themselves well and avoided unnecessary risks. A change of bowling gave Leatherhead their first wicket with Joshua Plasto bowling Aryan Chudasama for 12, and Sam Cobb soon followed being caught for 10 off Harry Linke. Raymond Wing hit two quick 4s but then chased a wide one and was caught off Jayden Wilde. Some consolidation was needed and both Ollie Nicholl and William Burbidge delivered, putting on 62 together. Ollie played the anchor role whilst William hit six lovely 4s in his knock of 30 before retiring. Effingham finished their innings with a respectable 110-5.

Effingham knew they had to bowl accurately as too many wides would cost them dearly. Thankfully, it was a disciplined performance that brought early rewards for Sam Partridge (4-12) and William (1-9). More early wickets could have gone down if catches had been taken. Sam Cobb dropped a tough one at deep mid-wicket and then grounded the ball off his own bowling later. However, he made up for it with a great run out from a direct throw. There was also a comical spill from Joe, when it looked like he was about to take a sharp chance at slip from an edge onto the batsman’s helmet; only for him to be knocked off balance by Aryan going for the same ball. The tumble of Leatherhead wickets at 27-4 led to some over exuberance in the field, but thereafter the batsmen consolidated with some hope of victory after putting on a further 41 runs. Aryan managed to break the partnership, but Leatherhead were now going for their shots, and the field spread to try and stop the boundaries coming. The sensible re-introduction of Sam P for his 3rd over proved decisive and he struck two more time with some pacey balls to finish with 4 wickets. In the final over Thomas Stratten picked up an eighth wicket for the team with a well taken running catch by Aryan at long leg.

So overall, a great result, and it was pleasing to see some accurate bowling with good backing up in the field. The batting was positive but also measured with some decent running between the wickets. A special mention has to go to Ollie Nicholl who kept wicket for the first time in a league match. He performed extremely well, and with the prospect of further development of knowledge and experience in the role, it looks like a timely discovery for the club.

Darren Wing