CTCC U14s vs Eight Ash Green

U14s - The Show Rolls On

The U14s kept up their winning momentum with a good natured win against an Eight Ash Green (EAG) / Coggeshall XI on Friday.

With Eight Ash Green bathed in sunshine and a strong batting line up, it was no hardship for Coggeshall to be batting first on a nice track, although one where swing was very much evident after the humid day.

Jonjo McCabe and Louis Gibson reprised their steady opening partnership off last year motoring to 38 off seven overs, against a good opening bowling attack with real pace and bounce at one end and swing at the other. The first casualty off the opening bowlers was in fact the EAG wicket keeper who hurt his thumb and had to retire. With no obvious replacement in their team, we offered them up one of our bona fide keepers to step in (this becomes relevant later) and Ben Speakman took the field.

Louis was first to fall as the EAG bowling changes brought a varied attack and Louis holed out to mid off from a ball that perhaps should have cleared the ropes. That brought Maxi Brassington to the crease who took a single, then hit a stunning cover drive and after a quick two, also holed out to a ball that perhaps should have found the boundary. Ben Ather then came in and he and Jonjo kept the scoreboard ticking over taking it up to 85 before continuing the theme Jonjo holed out to a ball that should have been more comfortably dispatched. This necessitated a fielding change as Ben S was due a bat, so in stepped Louis Gibson to don the gloves for EAG just as his pal Toby Brown was coming to the crease. Toby and Ben took the score to 120 with Ben doing the sensible thing and taking singles and doubles to get to 21 before he was bowled by the returning opening bowler McDonald who was straight back with speed and aggression. Toby put on a good display of crisp hard hitting quickly racing to 29 before becoming McDonalds second victim after a tumbling catch to his right and a very enthusiastic appeal by Gibson behind the stumps. The vociferousness of the appeal and the sound of Toby's bat striking the ground were enough to perhaps harshly send him back to the hutch to stew on how he could get his revenge on Gibson (to be continued no doubt). Speakman and Thomson added a handful of runs for the last over and Coggeshall closed on 134 with Toby top scoring with 29. A good all round batting performance.

In a moment of weakness it was decided that having done such a good job behind the stumps for EAG Ben Speakman would keep for Coggeshall allowing the much talked about but seldom seen Toby Brown bowling to be unleashed. Jacob Ford did what he does best with a great opening spell with figures which belied how well he bowled, with three edges in his first two overs evading Gibson at slip (he can only catch with Gloves now) and running down to the boundary. McDonald the beneficiary of the good fortune was all intent and kept looking for the big hit and soon EAG had reached 23 after four overs before Brown claimed the wicket of Spicer with a caught and bowled (giving the impression he can catch without gloves). With a decent total to defend and in the spirit with which EAG had played, Captain McCabe gave his younger players a chance to turn their arm and amidst the obvious nerves and coping with a longer pitch than they are used to, the boys of Cousins, Wright and Thomson did well against a McDonald who was by now getting going. Then Thomson struck as he had himself predicted that a straight one would be missed by someone going for a heave ho and Coggeshall had a break through with EAG well ahead at 85 - 2 in the 11th over.

Deciding it was getting too close for comfort Jonjo then brought Gibson on to stem the runs. Runs stemmed the Captain then brought himself on and with his second ball saw mcDonald edge one to Ather who took a great catch. Very next ball the new batsman mistimed a drive and the ball looped to Wright at mid off, but before he could claim it, the rampaging Brown called for it and calmly dropped it, proving that perhaps he can only catch with gloves on!. No real regrets for Jonjo who made no mistake when a catch was offered back to him on the last ball of the over and suddenly the momentum and the game had gone from EAG. With EAG two men short in batting, some more jigging around saw John Barber and Jacob Ford go off to pad up as their 10 / Jack partnership but their batting skills were not needed as EAG ran out of overs with their score on 109.

So a good win for the boys and a match with some good performances and moments of stunning fielding, take a bow Callum Thomson along with some sloppy fielding where perhaps over exuberance had got the better of the concentration. That said, it was good game where a few people found some form, some got good experience and all gave their best. All that and a lovely sunny day.