SNCC U15’s win first Day/Night T20

Fresh from a victory at the weekend over Capel (friendly) the SNCC U15’s assembled at the club for their first home league match of the season, hoping for a similar result.
The weather forecast again failed to be correct, with a light drizzle falling and a thick blanket of cloud across the sky, making things rather dull and everyone crossing fingers hoping that the light didn’t fade too fast.

After losing the toss and being put into bowl (it was actually the result we were hoping for as we prefer chasing) the team eagerly took to the field and commenced the match.
Kieron’s first over was very tidy and kept the batsmen relatively quite with a near run out opportunity providing some excitement off the second ball.
The breakthrough came in the second over when a good throw in from Archie allowed Liam to effect a run out at the bowlers end.

Some loose fielding in the third and fourth overs dented the bowlers figures somewhat and the Kenley opening batsmen were off to a flying start - 33/1 off 4 overs.
Joseph Q came on in the fifth over and immediately made an impact by claiming the scalp of batsmen no 3 (went by the name of Messaih) when he was found out with his cross bat style of batting, sending one directly to William who took a great catch to send him on his way.

Kyle persisted with his packed ‘on side’ field placements throughout the match because it seemed that the Kenley batsmen had only one style and that was to pull everything across the line to the on side.
Shaun and Jack joined Joseph Q in the attack to take it up to the 9th over with the Kenley batsmen scoring steadily and taking it to 72/2 off 9.

Advaith finally got the breakthrough in the 10th when he forced the Kenley opening batsman onto his stumps with a sharply rising delivery. With the danger man back in the hut and the SNCC captain opting to keep changing the bowlers every over so the set batsmen didn’t get too comfortable, the runs dried up and Archie snaffled the wicket of the Kenley captain, courtesy of a great catch at square leg from Joseph Q - Kenley on 99/4 off 15.

The wickets continued to tumble when Advaith managed to clip the top of the middle stump with one of the bails nearly going over the fence for a six - 101/5 off 16.
Some tidy bowling and fielding to end the overs saw Archie bowl a maiden in the 18th and two batsmen being run out in the 17th (Shaun/Robin) and 20th (Joseph) to bring the Kenley innings to a close on 120/7.
A very good effort indeed to bring it back when it looked as if a score of 140+ was highly likely.

After a hurried snack and drink we took to the field again to try and beat Kenley and the rapidly fading light. The opening duo of Kyle and Archie rock solidly set about keeping the score above the rate with some decent running between the wickets and some powerful stroke play.
I was only called upon to intervene once in the 10th over, when I saw Kyle squaring up to the ever so chirpy sledger, who didn’t miss an opportunity to continuously try and get in the batsmen’s heads with a barrage of noises and insults just audible enough for the batsman to hear.
The moment of the day for me was when the sledger bowled a multiple bounce no ball which Kyle came down the wicket to meet and disdainfully despatch past the bowler for 4.
The steady flow of runs continued on to the end of the 13th over when Kyle retired on 52 - SNCC 99/0.

With 7 overs left, 22 runs to win and the light fading fast we were hoping we could bring a quick end to the match. Unfortunately this did not go to plan as it was getting increasingly difficult to see even the pink ball in the fading gloom. Wills and Archie battled on and managed to score 9 runs in the next 3 overs taking us on to 108/0 off 16.

It was at this point that I requested that Kenley only bowl slower / spin bowlers for the remaining overs and not to bowl their fast bowlers. However this request went unheeded as the manager/coach/captain on the sideline was shouting orders to his on field captain to unleash his fastest bowler, which he duly did. With 2 runs coming off the 17th the score was now 110/0 - still 11 required off 3 overs.

The Kenley captain then took a hat-trick in the next over, bowling spin, after the first three balls were hit for 4 runs, leaving us on 114/3 after 18 - still 7 runs to get off 2 overs, Archie first to fall, caught after scoring a very respectable 34.

Again the cries came out from the coach/manager/captain on the sideline for the on field captain to bring on his quickest bowler, so again I requested that he only bowl slow bowlers due to the very poor light. The captain did not know what to do as my request was opposite to the orders being screeched out from the sideline.

So again he obediently brought on his quickest bowler and told me that he had no more slow bowlers but his fast bowler would ‘slow’ down his deliveries.
After William dispatched his second delivery for 4 the very sporting bowler mumbled that it was ‘unfair’ and he was ‘not going to bowl slow anymore’, a sentiment supported by his captain who told him to ‘bowl normally’.
This led to a further two wickets falling in the over with William departing for 7 and Jack for 0 - 118/5 off 19, 3 needed off 6 balls - ‘Anyone have a torch’.

This left the Kenley captain to bowl spin in the last over, Robin, facing roughly in the direction of where he thought the bowler would be coming from, and Liam at the non-strikers end softly whistling so that Robin could face in the direction of the ‘sound’.
Four balls were all that were needed for Robin to score a 2 off the 3rd delivery of the over and a single off the 4th, to send the SNCC spectators and players into celebration mode as the two fuzzy white shapes crossed ends to where they thought the stumps were - 121/5 off 19.4 overs.

I don’t think my heart can take much more of these close games, but all in all a great effort against a team whom we have never beaten, so there is always a first time.....Well done SNCC U15’s..