It was a busy week for some of the BPG girls this week with back to back fixtures. Wednesday evening saw the U14s take on a mighty Richmond U14 in an 8-a-side league match. Again, logistical obstacles meant the match start was delayed somewhat, so suitable light this early in the season would be a factor in the closing overs.

With Richmond winning the toss and electing to bat, the pressure mounted very quickly as three of the batsmen retired after reaching over 30 runs. Unfortunately, despite some flourishes from Matilda Le Frenais and Ruby Oakley and some blistering bowling from Eve Abbott, in general BPG looked a bit too casual in the field and conceded too many extras to make a dent in the Richmond batting line-up. With no wickets falling despite some valiant efforts, the target was set at 187.

However, one thing we do know about BPG is that they do not give up easily and captain Imogen Higgins opened the batting with Evie Mayhew with determination. Their partnership started boldly with many an early boundary and Evie racked up 16 runs before her wicket fell. Imogen went on to bat confidently, scoring 31 runs off 27 balls (7 fours) before reaching retirement point. It was an accomplished spell that had the supporters cheering from the sidelines.

Annie Stirling and Ananya Apte were unflinching in the face of some very pacey bowling from the opposition, but with the light falling, so did the wickets. Eve A (14 runs off 19 balls) and Erin Goodwin (12 runs off 14 balls) continued to apply pressure and bat confidently, but the target was too far ahead. However, the team’s final score of 114/5 shows how tenacious the girls were.

Thank you to Duncan Higgins for umpiring, the parents for supporting and Richmond for being understanding in light of the delayed start. BPG may not have won, but we showed our usual fighting spirit and sense of humour in the field, with smiles all round after the match.