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COLTS SEASON REVIEW - U14s/U15s/U16s

COLTS SEASON REVIEW - U14s/U15s/U16s

Paul Middlemiss25 Sep 2021 - 08:19
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Two quarter final appearances for our oldest colts squads

While there was no silverware for our older colts teams in 2021 they did put in some excellent performances, and two quarter final appearances, in two tough competitions, showed the quality and depth within these older groups.

The new Sir Alastair Cook Trophy (T20) for the U14 age group proved a hit across the County, and that was certainly the case at Upminster.  They saw off AGHAB and Bentley by wide margins in their first two games to set up what always looked like being a group decider with near neighbours Harold Wood.  When Upminster were bowled out for 64 it looked like they would have to settle for second place in the group, but an inspired performance in the field and with the ball saw them dismiss their hosts for 61 to claim a famous victory.  When Wickford unfortunately had to concede the final group game it set up a quarter final against Wanstead and Snaresbrook for Upminster at Upminster Park.  The home side got off to a brilliant start to have the visitors in trouble early on, but Wanstead recovered to post 108 and Upminster's reply never got going as they were bowled out for 57 to exit the competition against a very strong side.  

The U15s also had a quarter final appearance as they made the last eight of the Cox and Kings Trophy (Met competition).  Their first game in this competition against Newham was abandoned due to the weather, but two wins over Hornchurch and Frenford meant defeat against Woodford Wells in their final game could not stop them making it to the knockout stages.  Despite a good performance against Loughton they were eventually beaten by five wickets.  Trevor Hebden from the Metropolitan Essex District Board once again organised this competition and we thank Trevor for his efforts in 2021.  

In the Havering League the U15s also performed well, ending the season in third place (from eight sides).  Highlights in that competition were a good performance and victory against AGHAB and another thrilling game with Harold Wood which ended in a one wicket victory.  The squad also completed in the Central League, and while they finished bottom of that table they did put in an excellent performance to beat Billericay, while in the Central Cup Maldon proved to strong as they won by nine wickets.  These competitions were great experience for the players and enabled a number of a very large squad to play in as many games as possible.  

Unfortunately the weather and the pandemic played havoc with the Matchplay competition, both for Upminster and across the County.  The U16 squad did not play a game as two games were conceded in our favour while the final group game could not be played due to the number of Upminster players isolating.  This was a huge disappointment for the club and we hope for better luck in this competition in 2022.

All in all 23 games were played by this older squad with 11 wins and 12 losses.  As well as this junior cricket nearly all of the squad played senior cricket in 2021 with players representing the club from the 1st XI to the 7th XI.  Their performances showed what a bright future the club has and we look forward to seeing them move up the sides over the coming seasons.  

This group has been led for a number of years by Andrew Berry and Dave Siggins, and in 2021 they once again put in a huge amount of work to keep things running smoothly and we thank them for all of their efforts.  As with all of our sides the managers were lucky to have the support of a number of parents who scored and umpired and we thank them all for their assistance.

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