Following a hearty hotel breakfast, the U15As set off on a long journey to the impressive Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub, that is also overlooked by the Zayed Cricket Stadium where many IPL and International games are played. Despite losing the toss, we were asked to stick the pads on as we had wished to do initially. Ravin and Parth opened up and got off to a good start, scoring 47 for the first wicket. Agastya came in at 3 and put on a strong partnership with Ravin. When he was dismissed, he had scored 31 and we were in a great position at 139-2 in 25 overs. However, Tonbridge fought back, their spinners in particular bowling good spells, and we struggled to pick back up the momentum that we had due to middle order wickets falling in clusters. Having been bowled out in the final over, we had put 208 on the board. Ravin, having anchored the innings and occupying the crease for the majority of it, finished on a well made 68 that took the team to a respectable total against a strong Tonbridge attack.

To start our bowling innings, Roshan steamed in to pick up a wicket off his second ball, Eliel taking a fantastic diving catch at slip. However, Tonbridge’s captain was a talented batsman, and coming in at 3, he steered his team for the rest of the game. The second half was incredibly hard fought between two very strong cricket sides, with momentum being wrestled back and forth. Our team’s competitive drive was amazing to watch and was maintained throughout the innings. However, there could only be one winner and Tonbridge came out on top, winning by 5 wickets in a close game. Despite the result, we showed great heart and fight, learning a lot from this brilliant game of cricket. Should we meet them again this season, the result will hopefully turn out differently…

Special mentions go to Will for his superb job captaining the side and a strong bowling performance with spin twin Aarav. Roshan for a seriously rapid seam spell. Zac for yet another brilliant performance toiling away in the heat behind the stumps and his relentless encouragement.