The win earned the team a trip to Arundel Castle for Finals Day in the last week of the Summer Term. Despite a strong start by Poppy, 46 runs from 43 balls, and Kat (LM), 42 from 43 balls, the semi-final ended up becoming a reduced overs game and their opponents managed to chase down the total with an over to spare.
Progress in the girls’ game continues to be prolific and clearly reflects the growth of the game in the Prep Schools. Pupils have been inspired by the achievements of their heroes in the professional game and Old Bradfieldian Lauren Bell (J 17- 19) has shown them that it is now possible to make a career in cricket through new and exciting developments in the women’s game. 1stXI Co-Captain Poppy is taking the first steps on that route; her unbeaten 136 for Berkshire Women against Oxfordshire demonstrates the impact she can have in adult cricket and we look forward to seeing what she can achieve in the months and years ahead.
The boys’ 1stXI are learning to make intelligent decisions and take responsibility for their performances; on their day they have played fantastic cricket with a number of great wins. This included an excellent 149 run win in a 50-over match against Clifton College. After winning the toss and electing to bat the boys scored an assured 255 runs thanks to a 113-run third wicket partnership between Crofton (C), 61 runs off 54 balls, and Andrew (A), who went on to score 95 runs off 85 balls. The performances with the ball were just as strong as the Bradfield boys bowled the opposition out for just 106 inside 25 overs. Having toiled away as Clifton reached 70-2, an excellent display of bowling meant the remaining eight wickets were taken for just 36 runs. Ben (D) took 4 wickets for 19 runs from his five overs while Nick (C) took 3 wickets for 28 runs from his seven overs. The first team also came to within one victory from earning a place in their National T20 Cup Finals Day.
The leading boys side were the U15As who won all of their John Harvey Cup fixtures and also came within one victory of a place in their National T20 competition Finals Day. Their T20 run featured some excellent victories including a tense win over Stowe which went down to the final ball. Heading into bat first, Bradfield set a target of 131 for victory thanks to an outstanding 62 runs from 43 balls from wicket-keeper Charlie (A). James’ (D) excellent 3 wickets for 16 runs from his four overs helped restrict the opposition, helping Bradfield close out victory with the last ball of the game. They then fell just short against King’s College, Taunton in the final regional round. A quickfire 38 from Louis (G) helped Bradfield set a total of 135 but it was chased down for the loss of just two wickets.
However, the boys can be proud of their achievement and this has been remarkable progress from a group of boys who struggled in their first year. A pre-season tour to Dubai in March completed a busy winter of training which also included weekly 100 ball fixtures on the hockey pitches where temperatures in February got down to -3°C. The boys have worked extremely hard with the team of coaches to develop their individual and team skills and have a bright future ahead.
