The girls U14 side gathered for a competitive indoor tournament at North Kent Collage on Saturday. It was their first outing as a team this year and they welcomed a new player, Kamna, to their Hayes CC squad.
They played two 8 over games, with everyone putting in a great effort throughout. The event proved a good opportunity for the players to get to know each other and blow the dust off from the winter break.
The first game was against Penshurst, who batted first scoring 87. Everyone bowled well, especially Kanma on her team debut. When it came to batting, the chase was on with Nicole and Lydia in first. After this initial paring, Emily and Nicole batted well and helped Hayes to move the score along. It was a valiant effort from the team but they fell just short with 75 runs.
In the second game against Sevenoaks Vine, Hayes won the toss and batted first. Having lost the early wickets of Annabel and Kamna, Lydia and Emily formed a solid partnership, with Lydia scoring 15 not out and Emily making 20 not out. Other team members had contributed to edge the score up to 72. When we went into the field, Amelia kept wicket for the first time in a match and did well – she might have even got her first catch if the ball hadn’t got stuck in the roof! Everyone fielded well, with Lydia getting a run out and a catch off the wall. Unfortunately, Sevenoaks made the total with one wicket left, which was disappointing after the effort put in by our ‘new’ team. It was as if Hayes were just warming up at this point, but with two losses, their cricket was over for the day.
All in all, it was a good day, getting everyone in the mood for competitive cricket again and the upcoming outdoor season. With more training time together and learning through matches, the season ahead looks like it could be a great one for the U14 side.
Craig Westmacott
