A glorious day for cricket

April 25th — A Reflection

Cricket is a funny game. Results can transform the mood in an instant, and sometimes, even the weather plays its part.

It was a glorious day for cricket, as one of the parents rightly said on our WhatsApp group.

The 2nd XI hosted Sheffield Super Kings, while the 1st XI travelled to Millhouses, both sides coming away with strong victories, backed by some outstanding individual performances. A big thanks from us to Millhouses CC for hosting our 1st team.

For the 1st XI, Dan reflected on how tricky Millhouse can be, a ground where you can never quite judge what a par score is. But the early partnership between James and Dan laid the perfect foundation, both bringing up their first 50s of the season.

From there, the innings built nicely, with Hamzah Shah and Ronald adding some firepower with big sixes and crucial runs.

With the ball, Blake stood out, picking up key 4 wickets at important moments. The captain named him the player of the match, and in the field, a moment to remember, Ronald pulling off what’s already being called catch of the season with a brilliant one-handed effort.

A quick mention from Dan, as well as a slightly rushed outing for James Bamkins this week. Stay patient, your time with the bat will come… and if not, we’ll make sure you get a full session in the net.

With the 2nd XI being put into bat first, Will and Kev gave the team a really solid start. It looked like a big score was on the cards early on. Unfortunately, Kev had to retire hurt (get well soon, Kev), but the foundation was set.

Will Sammons carried his form from last season straight into the first game, bringing up a well-made 50. At this rate, we might need to find out what’s behind those lucky stars of his.

There were important contributions throughout the middle, Jimmy(Amjad )and Rahim building key partnerships with good 30’s before Arman added a quick-fire finish to push us to a competitive total.

With the ball, Arman stood out with a five-wicket haul, rattling through the top order, and was supported by Jhangir, who always picks up wickets. But sometimes the scorecard doesn’t tell the full story. Waj Naqvi delivered an outstanding spell of 8 overs, including 4 maidens, conceding just 6 runs. Pure control, pressure, and discipline, post-game Will, who captained the side, said, ‘ Waj-that's the best I have seen you bowl’

Not everyone gets a mention, but everyone plays a part. The sharp catches, the small field changes, the unseen efforts, and even the ones making sure the team is looked after off the field — it all matters. That’s the beauty of cricket. It’s never just about a few; it’s about all of us.

Looking forward to next week