A first u9 fixture in a while saw a reunion with our old coach Juan and some familiar faces at Trailfinders for this rescheduled game from the start of the season which was rained off. This fixture wasn't much better, cold, overcast with spots of rain in the air, but that did not put off the boys too much as a lovely game was played in great spirit.

Ayaan captained the side for his last game of the season before heading to India for the rest of the summer and won the toss electing to field first.

Simon set the tone with a wicket second ball which set the tone for the usual wicket haul from this side. There were plenty of maidens across the piece but Dev stood out with two maidens and a wicket. The boys relaxed a bit too much in the last two pairs and allowed them to score a few runs but at 274/8, Trailfinders set a modest chase with a net score of 234.

As has often been the case this season, Simon and his opening partner, this time Dev, set a solid foundation, which included a glorious 6 from Simon straight down the ground, to put on a decent score on a difficult pitch. Anay excelled with a top score of 24 but most pleasing was the fourth pair of Jacob with his most impressive innings of the season (to add to his wicket and maiden in the first innings) and Ayaan who ended his season on a high and set up the comfortable victory.

The biggest development lesson for the boys was on how to handle the grass pitch, which is only the second time they have played on this surface and they have to navigate a low and more unpredictable bounce. They adapted well but it is definitely something that more practice will help.

Ealing Trailfinders: 274/8 (net score 234)
Ealing U9A: 342/5 (net score 317)

Player of the match: Jacob

Ealing U9A: Aayush (wkt 2) Anay, Ayaan (capt), Dev, Jacob, Joe, Kabir, Myles (wkt 1), Shahrez, Simon