A Crackin' Day of Cricket!

Today was the Year 6 Boys' Cricket Competition at Redlands, organised by Weymouth Cricket Club. However, we had a bit of a problem... nearly all of Year 6 were in St Ives! Rather than not attending – which simply isn't an option for Southill Primary – we arrived with just two Year 6 pupils and six Year 5 pupils, ready to give it our all.

The morning began with a series of skills and drills designed to develop the children's batting, bowling and fielding. The coaches from Weymouth Cricket Club were incredibly complimentary about Southill's attitude, effort and enthusiasm throughout these sessions. Anyone who has ever played cricket will know that it is a highly technical and complex sport that requires patience, practice and skill.

Before long, we were ready for the tournament to begin. Each team started on 200 runs, with five runs deducted whenever a wicket fell through being bowled, caught, run out or hitting the stumps. With six schools in attendance, we would play five matches throughout the day.

Here's how we got on...

Southill 236 – 245 St George's

A cracking first game!

Our bowling was phenomenal from the outset. Aston claimed three wickets, Shukrullah took one and Reggie picked up two, including one that came courtesy of a brilliant catch from Wills deep in the field. Unfortunately, our batting wasn't quite as sharp and we struggled to find the gaps towards the boundary, resulting in a few too many wickets falling.

Still, it was only the first game and there was plenty left to play for.

Game 2: Southill 235 – 219 St Augustine's

The second match presented another tough challenge, with last year's champions standing in our way. Nevertheless, the boys rose magnificently to the occasion.

Ostin, Jacob, Ronnie and Aston all struck the stumps during excellent bowling spells, putting us in a strong position. A sensational start from Shukrullah saw him hit five boundaries in the first six balls, immediately putting pressure on the opposition. Reggie also found the boundary with a superb pull shot, while Wills was instrumental at the end of the innings, keeping things tight and helping us secure some valuable runs.

What a comeback!

Game 3: Southill 221 – 225 Bincombe

Feeling confident after our victory, we faced Bincombe in our third match.

Once again, our bowling and fielding were excellent, with Aston, Ostin, Ronnie and Eric all taking wickets. However, batting proved more difficult. We simply couldn't find the gaps consistently enough and, with four runs needed from the final three balls, Wills and Jacob battled hard but couldn't quite find the winning runs.

A disappointing result, as it felt like we had been the stronger side for much of the match.

Southill 244 – 239 Chickerell

WHAT. A. GAME!

In an effort to change our fortunes, we chose to bat first, knowing our bowling attack was strong and capable of taking wickets.

Shukrullah once again got us off to a flying start, smashing five boundaries and setting the tone for the innings. Wills also played some excellent shots as we posted a very respectable score of 244.

Chickerell, however, were determined opponents and punished any loose bowling. Going into the final over, Southill trailed by five runs with Aston left to bowl.

What followed was sensational.

Aston hit the stumps twice in a superb final over, taking ten runs from Chickerell's total and securing a dramatic victory for Southill. The celebrations that followed showed just how much it meant to the team!

Final Match: Wyke 256 – 216 Southill

We knew Wyke would be a difficult challenge. They entered the final game undefeated, having amassed a huge number of runs against every other team.

Although we were unable to win the match, there were still plenty of highlights. Ostin, Aston and Reggie all struck impressive boundaries, including some fantastic fours and sixes. Wills produced another excellent catch just before the ball reached the boundary, while Eric and Jacob worked tirelessly in the field to prevent even more runs being scored. Ronnie also continued to contribute with great energy and determination throughout the match.

Wyke were deserved winners of both the match and the tournament.

However, for a team made up largely of Year 5 pupils to compete so brilliantly against five Year 6 teams speaks volumes about their attitude, effort and resilience. Cricket is a difficult sport to master, yet every single player made significant strides in both their skills and understanding of the game throughout the day.

A huge thank you to Weymouth Cricket Club for organising such a fantastic event, and a special thanks to Mr Frampton for capturing some brilliant photographs of the children batting, bowling and fielding.

Well done to Aston, Shukrullah, Reggie, Wills, Ostin, Jacob, Ronnie and Eric on a superb day representing Southill Primary. You should all be incredibly proud of yourselves!