Gresford Under 11's Vs Malpas

Gresford Vs Malpas 

Away from home and with Gresford scoring the first blow early In the season Malpas looked to take revenge. 

An overcast evening, perfect for swing bowling was to create another chapter in Gresfords history books. 

Taking to the field first the home side awaiting the incoming openers of James Cook and Jess Jones. After taking a look at the tricky grass wicket the pair set up camp with the mantra we shall not be moved !! Putting his guide ropes out first James felt his way into the Innings strategically reading each bowlers first few deliveries before striking a sweet loose one into the outfield, his patience was rewarded throughout the innings leading James into double figures with a grand score of 10 from 4. Highlighta powerful drive right out of the coaching manual through extra cover, 4 runs thank you very much!. Jess meanwhile set about here task responding to ever swinging ball of the bowler, pad followed closely by bat gave Jess freedom of the crease returning that which was bowled back towards the opposite end. Calm, Cool and Collected minimised the damage of some thundering deliveries making for a solid performance as Miss Jones navigated her way through the fast, the slow and the spinning! 

4 overs down 213 chalked up on the board, Gresford sitting comfortable enough for now. 

Setting the scene for overs 4 to 8, best of friends and today best of batting partners Gus and Ben. Doing their homework on the bowling attack from afar, the boys had come up with a cunning plan. For the faster delivery the reoccurring theme echoed that of using the pace of the ball, and for the slower bowling confident footwork and pure strength to send fireworks left, right and centre. Ben focused his game on the latter using footwork ball room dancers would have been proud of, he found room and time to connect with big shots sending the ball racing past the under 11s and even the senior boundary line. Sweet 16 was Ben’s magic number adding extra pressure to the home team. The other half of innings was negotiated with precision, Gus switched from front to back foot with minimal effort as he pushed Gresfords run rate adding quick 1s and electric 2s. Good movement allowed Gus to adapt to a grass wicket as ankle high deliveries peppered the off peg. At the end of it all Gus had made good progress himself ensuring that Malpas were going to have an easy game. 

The start set by James and Jess was continued in the same fashion as Gus and Ben took the team to 240 of 8 overs. 

Many hands make light work, and that was certainly true in Gresfords case as batting performance after batting performance propped up a healthy looking scoreboard. The away teams next candidates for the job Sid and Josh certainly passed with flying colours. Advancing the teams efforts to the next level, Josh took control early on charging towards the bowler his intent was clear whack 4, boom 4, Gresfords ship was steered through traitorous waters with some exciting batting. Another player to reach the 10 run mark as Josh eased his way through the innings executing each shot with full concentration. Watching at the other end Sid was eager to get on strike to impress, and impress he did. Making light work outside the off stump Sid sent a message to the Malpas bowlers that width would be punished. Taking full advantage of the bad ball Sid switched effortlessly between the cut shot and drive to split the fielders rewarding him with a couple of 4s along the way. Siddant took himself to 8 runs and crucially no loss of wicket. The batting had been transitioning through the gears nicely and the latest work took Gresford to 261 from 12 with one pair still to bat. 

Taking their guard at the crease Sam and Christian looked to close up with a strong performance for the away side. Facing some top bowling Sam began to create extra runs for the scoreboard, finding form towards the end of his innings Sam punished the short ball sending it to the boundary for 4 with some exceptional wrist speed to get over the top of the ball. This linked with confident leg sided batting pushed the score towards a competitive target. Sam’s boundary linked with some defensive play guided him overthe finish line. Gresfords captain wanted to make an impression of his own with the bat, starting in a positive manner Christian targeted the spaces and was rewarded with the boundary of his own, a well timed cut shot exploiting the gaps behind the bat. Keeping the partnership healthy Christian rotated the strike well advancing his tally for the evening on, this sensible batting against some aggressive bowling led Christian to 8 runs. 

Wonderful team play saw Gresford reach 269 for 5, a strong score away from home on a grassy wicket, now the visitors needed to defend their total. 

The English weather looked to hamper Gresfords attempts to get the game started but captain Christian led his team out sleeves rolled up ready to get stuck in. 

Christian opted to open the bowling himself, making sure his line and length was on form he took to the challenge with ease his first over going for just 2 runs with no extras added. Bowling over number 9 of the game was a tricky one with rain affecting play the ball began to slip. Gresford spectators hustled around to find a rag to dry the ball and within minutes the parents of Sam, Christian and Jess conjured up a beach towel. The ball drying was entrusted to the dads who I have to say did an exceptional job, your hired! With that problem solved Christian got on with his second over again restricting the host team to just two runs, enjoying the grassy wicket Christian made life hard for the pair at the crease skidding the ball past bat on multiple occasions. 

With his job done Christian handed the ball to his fellow opener Ben, two overs of magic ensued, whistling past umpire and both sets of batsmen Ben released each ball with demon pace, over number one, maiden over. Over number 2 just 1 run from it made sure that Gresford kept applying pressure in a close situation. Fantastic spell of bowling using the conditions well swinging the ball from right to left Ben found an enchanting rhythm that impressed even the home team spectators. Busy bee Ben raced off half way to put the pads on to show his talent with the gloves, bagging a nice catch to finish his day off. 

Gresford were on the front foot, restricting Malpas to just 9 runs from the first 4 overs this was the start they required and looking to continue this form Gus stepped up to the wicket. Following those before Gus took no time at all in finding his off stump line and with a ring set around the batting side Malpas struggled to get the accurate bowling away, in fact over number one went for no runs off the bat and over number 2 just 3 runs. Outstanding performance under growing tension Gus kept calm under pressure and executed his plan well to made for a fine spell of bowling. 

Already involved in the game with her fielding Jess took centre stage next with the ball doing what she does best. Bowling hard to play yorkers mixed in with perfect shorter deliveries Jess strung together a bowling spell that frustrated the batsmen. Ball after ball Jess put all her hard work in training to good use changing the length and line ever so slightly. This was eventually rewarded with a valuable second wicket of the innings pegging back the Malpas score even more, two overs bowled Jess had impressive figures 2 overs 1 wicket 3 runs. 

Jumping at the bit to get his bowling started Sam seized on the opportunity to take the next spell. After a few field changes Sam was ready to go, using his run up well Sam gained momentum towards the crease releasing a ball that seemed to home in on off stump of its own accord. The excellent in swing bowling came close to the stumps on more than one occasion as Sam grew increasingly hopeful of a wicket. Over number 2 saw some great all round play from Sam. Bowling in the final few overs of the game he set about his work. The first ball bowled was struck back into Sam’s hands and with some incredibly quick thinking Sam turned and ran out the batsmen before he had chance to ground his bat. Superb play to top off another great bowling performance. 

James sought to replicate his solid batting display with the ball. Over number one saw no runs scored as James posed difficult questions time and time again, the only safe reply seemed to be that of blocking, keeping the good bowling off the stumps. The importance of his second over would prove to be game changing, bowling the third to last over of the game and with Malpas still with a sniff at taking the lead everything needed to be perfect. Rotating the strike the batting side scored quick singles which wasn’t enough, boundaries were needed. Then James came up with the goods to seal his spell, second to last ball and the stumps went flying. With the pressure eased just a little James had done his job. 

The youngest player on the pitch found joy in the Malpas wicket, fast and skiddy perfect for Siddant. With his first over under way, Sid’s intent was clear get the ball down the other end with speed. Play and miss, play and miss plagued his first over of bowling as the ball teased past the off stump, then gold!! ball 5 wicket time! Beautiful delivery bamboozling the opposition batsman as Sid finished up with a wicket maiden. With a spring in his step Sid relished the idea of bowling the penultimate over, with just one run off it Sid finished up with the best bowling stats of the game, 2 overs 1 wicket 1 run a great spell showing real maturity and classic technique. Special mention for the outstanding catch aswell! 

Battle wounded Josh downed the pads for his chance to shine with the ball. After taking a nasty shot to the chest, saving his team 4 runs, putting his body on the line Josh bravely decided to continue. This would be a decision Gresford would need to thank him for later on! Coming into his bowling spell Josh loosened up and was on the money from ball one. Meaning business he bowled a fantastic maiden first over and followed it up with the last over of the game. A pressurised situation he dealt with amazingly bowling tight lines Josh further frustrated the batting pair causing a mix up in the running and a well deserved wicket to finish off his evening. 

With that, the game was finished special mention to Gresfords barmy army, I think we may have had more supporters than the home side! And the noise levels were definitely there! 

Not knowing the result of the tie, the players gathered around to find out they were victorious restricting the hosts to 233 for 5 an epic performance from all. 

Player of the match- 

This week the award fell in the hands of Sam Richardson his bowling was calm and accurate and his work with the bat added much needed runs to the scoreboard. Well done