20 June 2018
The Under 11 A XI set off for Taunton, the location of our first match at 10.30am on Friday, adorned in their tour jackets and caps. A brief stop for lunch at the Bridgewater Services and then we were back on the road headed for our first cricket match of the tour versus Taunton Preparatory School.
Upon arrival the team changed into their whites, put on their sun cream and went into a 20 minute warm-up to get the journey out of their legs.
William the Under 11 A XI captain lost the toss and Taunton elected to bat first. Taunton put on an opening partnership of over 50 runs. However, Henry made the breakthrough and took a crucial wicket. With the opening batsman retired on 52, Abingdon rattled through Taunton’s middle order towards the end of the 20 over match. William was the pick of the bowlers (O3 / M0 / R1 / W1). Henry and Tom got the team off to a good start with a 27 run partnership. However, the middle order batsman offered little resistance as the Taunton attack put Abingdon under a great deal of pressure. With runs being accumulated very slowly and wickets falling Abingdon finished 48 runs short of the Taunton Prep score.
vs. Taunton Preparatory School
Taunton Prep. 136 for 5 (William 1 for 1, Sam 1 for 8 and Henry 1 for 15)
Abingdon Prep. 88 for 8 (Tom 18)
Lost by 48 runs
Although on a Cricket Tour, the highlight of the weekend for the boys was certainly the surfing at Polzeath Beach on Saturday! The surf was a clean 2-3 ft. swell, perfect for many of the beginners in the group. By the end of the 2 hour lesson, almost all of the boys had stood up on their boards. The most outstanding surfers were Mikey and Angus. Lunch on the beach followed by a game of football warmed our boys up. We returned to our Premier Inn hotel on ‘the crest of a wave’ and keen to return again in the not too distant future. A steak and chip supper ‘washed down’ by a dose of tenpin bowling completed an exhausting day!
Following a full English breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and made our way to the Yelverton Bohemian Cricket Club. We received a warm welcome from out hosts and proceeded to win the toss prior to this 25 over match.
A slow but steady batting display with a needed injection of runs from William, Angus and Mikey allowed Abingdon to post a very respectable score of 116 for 4. Abingdon looked as they were cruising to victory with just 6 overs left. However, Yelverton’s middle order batsman managed to score 24 runs from just 9 deliveries which put Abingdon under intense pressure. Yelverton secured victory with just 4 deliveries left in the match!
vs. Yelverton Bohemians CC
Abingdon Prep 116 for 4 (William 18 Not Out, Angus 14 and Mikey 12)
Yelverton Bohemians CC 119 for 7 (Sam 2 for 9)
Lost by 3 wkts
The Year 6s were great ambassadors for the school and received many positive comments from a number of people. Both Sam and I would like to personally thank all the tourists for their great company and we look forward to touring with you again in the future!
