The U11s have seen mixed fortunes in their two most recent matches. First came the home fixture against local ricals Ealing and it fell to Jessica Spencer to take up the mantle of captain for the first time. From all accounts, it seems she took to the role like a professional and was a worthy leader. However, this time around, it was Ealing who emerged the victor by 15 runs and the U11s had to face their first defeat of the season.

That said, there were more positives than negatives to take from the game. Some of the batting pairs were formidable in their running and calling, with Grace T and Holly ending their partnership with no wickets taken and a run tally of 12, and Jess and Beth racking up 14 runs and no wickets. Ultimately, it fell to a few too many extras conceded on the day, but the girls can take pride in the fact that they took more wickets than their opponents, with fantastic results for Annie (2 wickets), Grace T (2 wickets), Beth (1 wicket) and Ananya in her first league appearance for the U11s.

With their first defeat under their belt, the girls would have to dig deep as their next match was less than a week later against Richmond. After a controversial start due to pitch mix-ups and a dodgy bounce on the Flikx pitch, captain Erin G won the toss and put the girls in to bat. Again, the girls were formidable in their running and calling between the wickets, with notable partnerships for Jess and Claudie (9 runs, I wicket), and Erin and Rosie (13 runs, no wickets).

After securing a target of 278 runs, the girls took to the field in the hope of tightening their bowling since the Ealing match. The bowling was accurate, the wickets tumbled and the match was won by BPG by 26 runs in the end, with notable wicket tallies for Claudie (1 wicket), Beth (1 wicket), Jess (1 wicket), Rosie (2 wickets) and Erin (3 wickets).

The girls can be proud of overcoming defeat and bouncing back into winning form and, with one more match left this season, we cannot be prouder of them. As always, we have to thank our parent helpers for umpiring, scoring and managing in the two matches: Ted, Damian and Rahul. Also thanks to Ealing for a close encounter as always and to Richmond for their understanding in a difficult logistical situation.