16 June 2022
Having not played them for a long while in a block fixture, Bedford School were our opponents last weekend. The 1st XI lost the toss and Bedford elected to bat, and with two wickets relatively cheaply, it was a promising start for the visiting side. However, a magnificent 156 from Bedford’s no.4 batsman gave them an incredible platform to launch from in the final 10 overs, finishing on 347 for 6, with George Owen taking 4 for 70. In response, Abingdon made a steady start, but wickets fell a little too regularly with no major partnerships established throughout the innings. Jack Veal and Charlie Hunt batted maturely for 34 and 41 respectively, but the innings finally came to a close with the score at 200.
The 2nd XI batted first on War Memorial and set a good total of 140 for 7 with Alastair Gray making 65no and Jamie Wickens 36. Bedford were never in the chase, with Jamie Wickens and Ollie Sutton taking 4 for 3 and 3 for 11 respectively with their wrist spin. Bedford were eventually bowled out for 83 in response. On a small pitch at Bedford, the home side set a challenging 185 for 8 in the 3rd XI fixture, with Jasper Furniss taking 4 for 17. In a well-crafted chase, Tom Murkett made 42 and Archie Leishman 44 to help the visitors reach the target for the loss of just 4 wickets.
The U14 As found it difficult to manipulate the ball into gaps in the field, particularly against the slower Bedford bowlers, and in trying to increase the run rate started to lose regular wickets towards the back end of their innings, scraping themselves to 101 for 7 from 30 overs. In response, Bedford batted sensibly, taking few risks, and reached their target for the loss of just 2 wickets. The U15 B match at Cox’s was almost an exact replica of this, with an Abingdon score of 102 all out and a successful chase for the loss of 2 wickets by Bedford.
The U15 As made 128 for 6 at Cox’s Field, with Ethan Barksfield making 63 and Sam Siriwardene 33no. The Bedford chase ebbed and flowed, with a good start followed by a tight middle period of overs. Eventually, Bedford were able to scrape themselves over the line for the loss of 8 wickets in a very close contest. Batting first in the U15Cs match, Bedford set a high run rate despite losing regular wickets, reaching 151 for 9 with Freddie Clark taking 3 for 19. In response, Abingdon’s innings never gained the necessary momentum, falling 59 runs short for 92 all out.
The final two fixtures at Bedford were the U14 B and C matches, with both Abingdon sides having excellent records so far this season. Sadly, the Bedford U14 B side scored too many with 170 for 5, with Will Walters taking an excellent 4 for 30. In response, Abingdon came up 38 runs short on 132 (Ryansh Anand 45no). The U14Cs had a very exciting encounter on a pitch with very short boundaries. Bedford, batting first, made 178 for 8 (Arjun Bystrom 3 for 35). There was a clatter of early wickets in response for the visitors, but some excellent batting by Josh Bromley (88) in particular took Abingdon close, but not quite over the line, finishing 6 runs short on 172 for 9.
