Match Report 2

Yesterday morning we set off for a training session at the South African Cricket High School (SACS) followed by a T20 match against them.
Following the 3 hour training session which included nets, target bowling, high catches, and fielding in the slip cordon, and after some lunch, we lost the toss and were sent in to field.
The opposition immediately took the attack to opening bowlers John Oliver (4-0-26-0) and Arman Khan (4-0-50-2). First change Adam McMurray brought things under control with a brilliant 2 over spell: 2-0-15-0. However, the lack of a wicket meant that with the opposition set, they could take on our spinners. Both Jamie Percival (4-0-32-1) and Greg Macmillan (2-0-21-0) were targeted but both set fields to counter this. Nevertheless, with the opposition looking to threaten with a 200+ score, frustration and disappointment set in. Whilst Ruairidh Russell (3-0-29-0) did well to restrict the opposition, and Ross Heginbottom's solitary penultimate over (1-0-9-0) helped make sure that SACS were kept to 188/6, the fielding side looked a bit down after a hard day in the field.
That is not to say that there were no positives: Fayz Siddiqui impressed behind the stumps with a very solid performance when he finished a run out, and made an amazing direct hit.
Nonetheless, when Heginbottom and Khan strolled out to the crease, they knew that 190 was more than achievable given the fast outfield and flat track. Heginbottom immediately took the attack to the opposition by striking the ball very cleanly and sending the bowlers to all parts of the ground. However, when he found himself unfortunately run out on 12(8), the innings lost a sense of impetus. Our entire top order struggled and only John Oliver (48(46)) was able to make a score. We finished on 95/6, and lost the match by 93 runs.
In the end, there were things to be happy about, and things to improve on. In their post-mortems, both Mr Pearce and Mr Hariharan captured it perfectly: we were playing some of the top cricketing schools in an elite cricketing nation. What was important was that we had given both teams a run for their money and moreover, learnt a lot about the game.
Thanks to both our coaches for their helpful advice and constructive criticism, and to SACS for their warm welcome to us and an invitation to have dinner with him.Read more