Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club retained their Under 13 title by winning the MCA Indoor tournament at PLAY ON in Whitechapel yesterday. Four teams from Middlesex competed for the first silverware of the season including Stoke Newington CC, Primrose Hill CC and North Middlesex CC in this traditional curtain raiser.

It seemed an impossible task for Under 13 Bushy Park Girl’s manager, Mark Avery, to bring this team together after they lost their first match heavily to North Middlesex by 38 runs (BPG 21 – 59 NM). With two new players entering the fray for the first time, Ruby Wilkinson and Iris Saunders (from Teddington Town CC) here was a chance to rebuild the eight girl team.

Bushy Park Girls calmed their nerves with a 21 run win over a sporting Primrose Hill side (BPG 37 – 18 PH) but again tasted the bitter pill of defeat with a 20 run defeat against a strong and well drilled Stoke Newington team (BPG 17 – 37 SN). Not all was lost! Despite coming third in the round robin stages of the tournament the vagaries of the system meant they had to play Stoke Newington again for a place in the semi-final, and then the unbeaten North Middlesex in the final.

BPG captain Abigail Avery inspired the teammates around her in a surprising turnaround that saw her team beat Stoke Newington in the semi-final (SN 29 – 48 BPG) before turning the form book on its head with a 17 run victory in the final vs North Middlesex CC.

There were good individual performances from bowlers Imogen Higgins (equal 1st tournament wicket taker, 4 wickets) and Erin Goodwin (2 wickets). Jessamy Low was a steadying influence in the batting order (2nd highest tournament runs,48 & high score, 21). It may sound like a cliche but they wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for the team’s performance as a group and the selfless sacrifice of players like Molly Bartlett, Abigail Avery and Paige Goodwin who often batted and bowled against the opposition’s superstars.

Congratulations to the U13 MCA Indoor Champions 2016. Abigial Avery (Capt), Imogen Higgins, Erin Goodwin, Jessamy Low, Paige Goodwin, Ruby Wilkinson, Iris Saunders and Molly Bartlett.