Boys Cricketers Shine in the Sun

You know that the cricket season has well and truly arrived when this event comes along. Our team arrived under cloudy, yet brightening skies full of optimism and positivity.  During our first team talk, it was clear that the boys were set on having fun, enjoying the sport and supporting one another.  As the day progressed, it was clear that they would also afford their opponents the same degree of respect and sportsmanship whilst retaining their competitive edge. 

Our first match was against a strong Newbridge team who (batting first) made a strong start in the opening overs before William and Captain Archie pegged them back with two tight overs.  Paulton continued to work hard in the field but were countered by some solid striking from the Newbridge batters: our only wicket coming from a smart run-out by Jake R.  Newbridge then followed up a strong performance with the bat with some accurate bowling which ultimately secured them the win.  

Game two was against St Phillips.  This time Paulton batted first, and boundaries were flying from the bats of Oscar (Vice Captain) and skipper, Archie.  The whole team strived to retain their wickets whilst using their communication skills to pick up regular singles.  Bowling, the PJS team put together 8 consistent overs to wrap up the team's first win.  Jake D and Bertie starred with the ball, supported by sharp fielding from Josh.

With local rivals Midsomer Norton unable to attend (giving us a bye), we were through to the quarter-finals where we faced the team that put us out at the same stage in last year’s tournament: Moorlands.  As always, the Moorlands team were well-drilled and bowled with accuracy and pace - especially their wiley trio of left-armers. That said, our batters chipped away and produced a respectable total which left the game precariously poised heading into the second innings.  Wickets fell at regular intervals from the arms of Oscar and Jake R; Aaron also took a superb catch at square leg and Vinnie’s athletic dives stopped the ball from hitting the boundary on several occasions. There was no faulting the effort from the Paulton boys, and they continued to encourage one another as the innings drew to a close.  After a nervous wait for the scores to be totalled, the verdict was in. Sadly, it was a loss but only by 6 runs : a significant improvement from the 40 run defeat we suffered in the previous year. Moorlands later went on to reach the final, having defeated the impressive Newbridge outfit.

In our final match (against High Littleton), our bowlers continued to impress as our fielders launched themselves around the pitch, limiting our opponents to a tantalisingly achievable target.  Our batters batted with freedom - Jake D and Joseph chipping in with some lusty boundaries.  As the players shook hands after another strong and competitive performance, the umpires informed us that we had won.

All in all, it was a great day out and our team really did us proud.  Here’s to next year!