The top two teams in the MCA South U12 Boys League finished their season with an all out Battle Royale at Teddington CC last night (09/07/2018). Richmond had already won the league but Bushy Park Girls weren’t going to be snuffed out without a few fireworks of their own. As another day of high temperatures ebbed away the heat burned strongly in the batting blades of both teams. It was Richmond who ran out worthy winners, largely due to a brilliant century from their No.5 batsmen.
Bushy Park Girls won the toss and chose to field. Jess Low (3overs/2wickets/24runs) and Paige Goodwin (2o/1maiden/16r) opened the bowling knowing that Richmond have been the only team to beat them this year. Both had exceptional second overs, Low striking first, dispatching Richmond’s No.1 and No.3 batsmen in the space of 3 balls. Goodwin (P) cast aside her nerves and bowled a beautiful maiden to back up her partner. Simrat Khaira (2o/8r), Eve Abbott (4o/1m/2w/32r) and Molly Bartlett (2o/10r) kept the pressure on. Khaira is one of the emerging players this season, no U15 cricketer has bowled more overs than her. It was wonderful to see Eve Abbott back in bowling action after a difficult season with injury. She started with a fast and straight maiden over. In Abbott’s second over Imogen Higgins displayed her fielding prowess. A lightning throw from the boundary hitting the wicket with a direct hit. By the end of the 9th over Richmond were 69 for 3.
Richmond came out fighting like the league champions they are. Bushy Park Girls fought hard in the remaining overs but there was little they could do to contain Richmond’s Thomas Tabor at No.5. He hit six Sixes and twelves Fours in his innings of 106*. The girls had never come up against a batsmen of his calibre or confidence before yet they kept plugging away. Edie Proud (1o/24r), Imogen Higgins (2o/23r), Emily Bryce (2o/24r) and Erin Goodwin (2o/25r) all threw themselves into the breach, and they can all hold their heads high. Abbott came on for a second spell, momentarily halting the progress of Richmond by bowling two batters in her third over. Yet nothing could halt the Richmond juggernaut and they reached 203 for 5 in 20 overs. As always a special mention to wicketkeeper D’Cunha who kept brilliantly with a cool head under intense pressure.
With such a daunting target to reach Bushy Park Girls would have to attack every ball as they opened their innings. There was no point in bowing out on a whimper, it’s just not the girls’ style. Captain Molly Bartlett opened the batting with Paige Goodwin, and they took the fight to Richmond. Bartlett sweetly carved the first ball to the boundary but the do or die attitude took its toll in the second over. Bartlett was first to go followed by an attacking Goodwin (P). Edie Proud and Jess Low came together and quickly fought back against their opponents. Low’s innings was bristling with aggression and strength. She dispatched two enormous sixes that rocketed into the dying light of the evening sky. Boundaries were coming thick and fast as she put Richmond to the sword. Eventually Low’s innings of 32 runs from 15 balls ended as she picked out the fielder at Square Leg.
Kerrie-Ann D’Cunha and Amy Coppin took up the baton from Proud and Low. Both striking the ball hard and fast to the boundary. D’Cunha hit a sparkling 15 in just two overs at the crease. Simrat Khaira pushed for those extra runs to keep up with the scoring rate but fell valiantly in the 10th over. Bushy Park Girls had to dig in now, and the rearguard action of Imogen Higgins (16) and Erin Goodwin (24) brought some stability. Together they pushed the BPG total beyond the 100 mark, both played well against an accurate and hungry Richmond attack. All the girls were unselfish in their approach, playing for the team and keeping in good cheer as their target stretched out of reach. The handy Emily Bryce came in at the end to flash a quickfire 6* and together with Eve Abbott they reached 126 all out (19.5 overs).
Both Richmond and Bushy Park Girls served up champagne cricket for their supporters. BPG’s total was some distance below their visitors but was still the highest total scored against Richmond in the league this season. Richmond finished top of the league on 70 points, with Bushy Park Girls on 53 points (4 wins, 2 lost, 1 tie).
Congratulations to Richmond and batsmen Thomas Tabor on a fabulous win and the MCA South U12 Division 2 title.
Thank you to Ted and Alok for umpiring, for Ian and Alban for scoring. As always thanks to Dawn for managing the girls and to all the parents for supporting. The girls have been a real credit to the club and to the MCA South league, playing the game in a good spirit and with some fantastic cricket for us to savour.
Another stunning summer’s evening in Bushy Park set the scene for BPG U13s to take on Richmond U13. With many of the BPG team new to hard ball cricket, the aim of the match was to give them all a taste of what it feels like to pad up. Richmond won the toss and elected to bat first, but with a number of our BPG newbies feeling unsure of bowling, a team that was one player short and captain Erin Goodwin (co-captaining with Imogen Higgins) still nursing a back injury, the formidable Richmond team quickly began to rack up the runs. Higgins opened the bowling with Sofia Stapleton-Parslow, followed by Matilda Le Frenais and Ananya Apte, both still new to hard ball cricket. The seasoned Richmond batsmen were unforgiving in their boundaries, with all four of their top batsmen reaching over 30 runs apiece before retiring. Grace Tasker, in her first appearance for BPG this season, and Ruby Oakley could also do little to stem the tide and Richmond looked to be barrelling towards an almighty target.
The Battle of the Parks pitted the mighty Richmond against the diminutive Bushy last night at the Newman Cricket Ground (05/06/2018). Richmond Boys B team top the U12 Division 2 table but Bushy Park Girls are no pushovers, fighting tooth and nail to secure a vital win in the league. It was Richmond who powered through in the 19th over to secure the win and take the Royal Park title back to their leafy hunting ground.
Last week (16/01/2017) Teddington School swept away the opposition in a dominant display of strength and skill to win the Richmond Borough U15 Indoor cricket tournament. They were joined by 3 other teams Grey Court (2nd), Twickenham Academy and Waldegrave in the Sports Centre at Teddington school.
U13 manager Mark Avery shares his Bushy Park Girls experiences in the BPG Inside Story…..
The train journey flew past with no incident apart from Imi realising at Waterloo that she had left her cricket bat on Hampton Wick Station (fortunately recovered by dragging Dad out of bed!). We arrived in plenty of time at the home of cricket, Lords Cricket ground in St Johns Wood, to watch our potential semi-final opponents, Bexley, easily win in their quarter final.
102 to win and some of the girls looked worried but they were reminded of how they had chased down a similar total against Hillingdon in the qualifiers. Abi and Ella opened the innings facing the fast paced Sonali. They stood firm taking her for 17 off the first over and continued to batter the bowlers and steal many runs they shouldn’t. They quickly passed 50. Abi retired and then Ella. Jess hit a couple of lusty blows, Phoebe was cruelly run out. But we were always ahead of the rate and Sadie and Imogen saw us home with 2.5 overs still to bowl. A comprehensive victory and at this point Richmond girls’ cricket team had progressed further than ever before in the London Youth Games. Now guaranteed joint 3rd place!
Parents, coaches, Councillors, the Mayor of Richmond and Dan our fantastic Sports Development Manager from Richmond Council watched on. I think I probably only need to copy his quote. “The bowling and fielding in the semi-final against Bexley in particular, was up there with one of the best sporting performances I’ve ever seen, at professional level as well!” He is not wrong. The girls were fantastic. They were sharp and threatening in the field. Emma stopping boundaries in the deep. A catch from Phoebe that can only be described as a worldly. How did that stick? Bowling so tight as Ella, Jess and Abi turned the screw and the pressure took its toll. In no time Bexley were staggering at 26-5. Only 1 wicket to take and she was a good bat. Phoebe bowled a tight over and then our youngest player, Imogen, came onto bowl. Dot, dot, dot and then the Bexley bat tries to play a shot. The ball lobs up. Imogen is under it. Disaster the ball goes down. Would that be our chance blown? Would little Imi be able to cope with missing such a crucial catch? Of course she would. How could I doubt her? Next ball was straight and true. A swing and a miss and the stumps went down. Incredibly the mighty BPG had taken Richmond to the final.
It was another long wait to the final. A chance to check out our finalists. Pictures in front of the famous ground and with the Mayor. Our opponents were known. It was going to be Hammersmith and Fulham some of whom we knew. We needed 6 girls for the final out of 7, all of whom had played so well in the first two games. Who would want to be a manager to leave one out
Ella and Abi finally made it to the middle and got us off to a good start. Over 20 were on the board in just the 2nd over before enthusiasm for stealing runs went a little far and Abi was run out. Next ball Ella smashed the ball into the ground and it cannoned off the floor into the hands of the H&F fielder. Hope and luck was all H&F could have and they got it in plenty as they claimed the catch and the umpire concurred. 2 wickets in two balls and suddenly it was a different game. Jess and Phoebe added a few until nerves got to the girls and another suicide run out. Phoebe was gone. No need to panic. We were still well head of the run rate required. Jess batted patiently until the ball lobbed off her foot into the hands of their wicket keeper. A half-hearted appeal for a catch. The same umpire. The same result. Maybe it was time to offer him my spare glasses from my bag. However as someone once said “The eyes are useless when the mind is blind” so not sure it would have helped
Richmond Borough girls cricket team won a silver medal in the London Youth Games final at Lords on Sunday, their highest ever placing in the competition. The girls who all play their cricket for Bushy Park Girls CC won their quarter-final against Harrow before beating Bexley in the semi-final.
Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club 