Under 11s cup run continues with win in local derby
Avoncroft’s fledgling Under 11 side travelled to local rivals Droitwich in the Worcestershire County Cup, emerging victors by 33 runs.
Having been asked to bat first, Croft got off to a flyer with openers Harvey Shaw and Ben Huxley looking to be very aggressive early on. After two overs, Croft had reached 29-0 but they hit the skids once Flynn Hatfield-Evans had removed Shaw for 14. Young came on to dismiss Huxley for 9, then followed this up with three further wickets as Croft slumped to 59-5. Rohan Levy was looking to hold the innings together but it wasn’t until number 8 Oliver White joined him at the crease that he found a willing partner. With 10 overs to go, Croft were 64-6 with only two wickets in hand but the batsmen batted very sensibly, blocking the good balls and taking advantage of the extras that came along. Although White made only 1 run off the bat, he hung around with Levy for 5 overs, putting on 29 runs in the process. Levy was then joined by Aidan Sahota, who showed a similar level of grit and determination to see out the remainder of the overs. The final pair took Croft all the way to the end of their innings with an unbeaten partnership of 22 allowing Croft to reach 115-7. Levy’s final score of 15* undervalued his contribution to a total that would otherwise have been out of Croft’s reach had he not carried his bat for 15 overs.
In reply, Croft’s bowlers showed great consistency, with tight bowing forcing Droitwich to manufacture the runs required. Although their openers batted sensibly and solidly early on, Croft kept the run rate in check which started to ask more and more questions of the host’s batting. Ben Huxley (1-10) picked up the first wicket, bowling Dyson for 10, but Droitwich held out until the 12th over before a quick short ball from Neeson induced a loose shot from Holliday (5). Hatfield-Evans batted through to his retirement score of 30 but the run rate continued to rise as Croft squeezed the opposition batting with Olly Shelton possibly the pick of the bowlers despite not getting the wicket he deserved. Harvey Shaw (1-4) and Rohan Levy (1-7) picked up wickets before Ben Athey (2-7) returned to dismiss two further Droitwich batsmen in his final over. It was left to Oliver White (1-4) to end the innings with his first wicket for the club, dismissing Droitwich for 82.
Match Report by Paul Athey, 25/05/18
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