Ealing U15's Vs Uxbridge U15's

Match report

Ealing under 15’s season had a disappointing ending as they lost off the last ball to Uxbridge in the Middlesex league knock-out quarter-final. 

Batting first, Ealing’s innings stuttered and then fell apart as wickets tumbled.  Only Robbie White held the innings together with a sensible 39, but no-one could stay with him as Ealing were bowled out in the last over for a below-par 109.  A hand injury to Harry Britt, who had recently been in such sparkling form with the bat, was probably the key moment as it led directly to his cheap dismissal.

Nevertheless a much stronger bowling and fielding performance, with Jamie Grist taking 3 for 17, kept Ealing in the game until the final ball, off which Uxbridge scored the two runs they needed to win.

This was a season of achievement and disappointment.  A great success in the Middlesex cup by beating Finchley was followed by the unfortunate ?loss’ to Horsham in the second round of the National, when the boys went out on a countback, after a tie on both runs and wickets. 

But credit where credit is due for winning the Middlesex cup:  61 sides compete in the under 15 Middlesex area cups with the ultimate aim of being Middlesex cup winners; and this is a competition the club has won only once before at under 15, in 2009.

The team also won the south area league, beating Osterley into second place by winning 8 of the 9 league games played, most by considerable margins.

This success is reflected in some fine individual statistics.  Three batsmen stood out:  Taz Khalid, who started the season with 4 straight fifties and went on to make 426 runs (average 43); Harry Britt, who totalled 344 runs (at 49); and Louie Millman, who contributed 310 runs (at 39) and some fine performances behind the stumps and as captain.  Harry Britt’s 86 vs Winchmore Hill in the Middlesex cup semi-final was probably the stand-out innings in the competitive games, closely followed by Jamie Spanswick’s sparkling 52 not out vs the touring Melbourne Grammar School.  And six other batsmen made significant runs as well: Arthur Godsal (191), Spanswick (180), Michael Cassidy (178), Ozzie Mirza (138), and Andrew Cox (116) all made over 100 runs, and Omar Tirmizi had fewer opportunities but batted consistently and fielded brilliantly.

The bowling honours were even more spread around.  Shaneil Patel led the field with 20 wickets, closely followed by Uzair Khan on 19.  Shaneil took two hat-tricks along the way, bizarrely both vs Wembley (home and away), and even more bizarrely both would have been 4 wickets in 4 but for dropped catches off the fourth balls.  Ali Dewhurst (15), Taz Khalid (14), Sav Lotta (13), and Rob Bentley, whose 12 wickets hardly fairly represent his value to the side as an off-spinner who generally opens the bowling, all provided great support.

This was a strong Ealing under 15’s squad, and it is an indication of that strength that despite the Middlesex cup win there was a feeling of slight under-achievement in not making further progress in the nationals and in not reaching the Middlesex league knock-out final weekend.  But bad luck played a part: it’s hardly conceivable that the two crucial defeats could have been any closer ? well, one wasn’t even a defeat, but a tie.  And the team should nevertheless reflect on a successful summer and one major trophy that was well deserved and demonstrated the outstanding fielding they were capable of on the big occasions.

Charles Dewhurst

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