County Under 15: Last season

As in previous seasons the Under 15s played in two ECB Competitions, the 50 over cup and ‘Time’ Championship. After a successful season last year and with several players coming into the side from the Under 14s, hopes were high that the side would compete well in both competitions. In all, 12 games were played, including the friendlies, but only three victories were achieved, against Gwent, the Isle of Wight and Herefordshire.

In two Time games, against Cornwall and the Isle of Wight, we were well on top needing just one wicket for victory in both games, yet on both occasions our opponents survived with their last pairs at the wicket, batting out the final few overs. It was disappointing too that in the Cup game against a strong Wales team at Margam we lost by the close margin of 20 runs and even more disappointing to lose to Oxfordshire in a Time game at South Wilts, when in a very tight, low scoring affair, we went down by 2 wickets. Another very narrow defeat occurred against Gloucestershire at Warminster in the Cup, this time going down by just 3 runs.

In the Time Championship, our victory over Herefordshire was a notable achievement. However, in the final two games of the season we were soundly beaten by Berkshire and by Wales.

James Vince led the side in a capable manner. At times he batted magnificently, scoring centuries in the opening fixture against Cornwall and later against Herefordshire. However, Rob Pittman was the side’s most consistent batsman with 6 half centuries from just 9 innings, a remarkable achievement which earned him selection for the Under 15 Bunbury Festival in late July. Our batting relies heavily on these two, as there were few other innings of note. However, Courtney Earl did score two half centuries and Martin Sawyer one.

In bowling, our attack was led by Tom Davies and Courtney Earl who both performed creditably. Tom Davies’ final figures of 10 wickets was not a reflection of how well he bowled as he suffered more than most from dropped catches at crucial moments. As with the batting, Rob Pittman was the most consistent, taking 20 wickets with his off spin. Shaun Dixon (an under 14) showed promise for the future with his leg spin.

In terms of fielding, Steve Bullen (another Under 14) came into the side as wicket keeper and after an uncertain start improved his all round game as the season progressed. He proved that he has the ability with the bat too, making an excellent 74 against Oxfordshire at Great Tew.