With the prospect of an all Finchampstead match the club prepared for 2 major fixtures on the same day – Berkshire vs Herfordshire on the main ground – and the Eagles vs the Falcons in the semi-final of the U9 BYCL competition over on the Leas.

 

As the crowd (of about 75) took their seats on a bright and sunny Sunday morning, and the teams walked onto the pitch, there was no hint of the excitement that was about to unfold. The Falcons won the toss and chose to bat first, possibly confident that they could produce one of their typical 250 plus scores and claim the initiative - but it wasn’t to be. Faced with an accurate and controlled bowling attack the Falcons found themselves on the back foot, under the sort of pressure that they had not experienced as yet in the season. Each pair of batsmen tried to push the score on but they found themselves unable to make significant progress, while wickets were lost at a regular rate. With the Eagles also applying extra pressure through fielding of the highest order, the Falcons were forced into making poor shot selection and risky running between the wickets, which resulted in a number of wickets being unnecessarily lost. There were some highlights with two excellent boundaries from Thomas that highlighted the progress he has made over the season, and Kieran top scored with 13 (including two boundaries).    For the Eagles Thomas, Dan and Brandon claimed two wickets each, with Dan producing the best figures of 2 wickets for 4 runs (two overs - including a wicket maiden). Finishing their fifteen overs with their lowest score of the season, the Falcons reached 227 for 10 – a total that had all the markings of a heavy defeat.

 

BUT…with the Eagles now batting it was the turn of the Falcons to show what they could do with the ball. In a complete role reversal, it was the Eagles who were feeling the strain of clinical and forceful bowling. Carrying on from where the Falcons left off, the Eagles innings was also littered with regular wickets. The match was soon back in the balance after six overs, with the Eagles reaching exactly the same score as the Falcons – 212 for 4! And when the last of the three overs were due to be bowled these finely matched teams found themselves tied in the same situation – 223 for 8. The question was now who would hold their nerve and snatch the precious victory? At the end of the day, it was intelligent and measured batting of the Eagles’ last pair of Tommie and Dan that saw the Eagles home. Despite facing determined bowling, including an early wicket in their partnership that made the finish even more exciting, they guided their team to a seven run victory and a total of 234 for 9. 

 

With no Eagles players breaking into double figures (and only Kieran from the Falcons) it showed that the bowling from both sides was of the highest order, but William did hit two very good boundaries in his spell at the crease. Highlights for the Falcons included; Sam L-D’s figures of two wickets for three runs (two overs) and Thomas taking three excellent catches in the field. Both teams can be proud of their contribution in making this a truly nerve-tingling and exciting match. And here’s to an Eagles victory in the final.