Youth Cricket 2015

The Under 15's won 1 of their 4 games with Charlie Dyke, Jack McDermott, Ryan Stearn, Tom Wollen, Alex Wood and Steve Wooley all making their senior debuts for the Sunday side.

The Under 13's also won 1 of their 4 games with some excellent contributions from Reuben Bennett, Isaac Christmas, Ryan Lander, Archie Ramsden, Mia Wensley, Lily Wood & Benjamin Wright.

The Under 11's recorded 2 victories out of their 6 matches with Lewis Cartridge, Andrew Hancock, Oscar Lander, Harry Long, Safia Nadaf, Tia Norman, Holly Pankhurst, Jacob Pope, Jake Streams & Brandon Werndley all making significant contributions.

Finally, the Under 9's won 6 of their 8 matches to finish runners-up in their League just behind a strong-team from Bournemouth who they also played in the Cup-Final at Dean Park. The team performed admirably against an experienced team and can be immensely proud of their efforts in their first season despite losing. The whole squad have all made excellent contributions/progress this year especially:- Joe Diffey, Freddie Long, Seb Lyons, Sid Nash, Regan Norman, Max Pankhurst, Riley Silverton, Jess Stearn, George Taylor, James Taylor, Thomas Wells & Benji White.

Swanage U9s v Bournemouth U9s - Softball Cup Final at Dean Park

In their last game of the season the U9s travelled to Dean Park to play in the league cup final against Bournemouth. With nearly 40 parents and supporters watching, Sid won the toss, decided to field and then opened the bowling with Freddie. Bournemouth got off to a good start but Sid was able to put the brakes on when he took Swanage's first wicket. As Ben and Jess took over it was Ben who got the second wicket and with an excellent run out Swanage were able to keep the Bournemouth score down. Joe and Seb were next on as wickets fell regularly throughout the innings Seb, Regan and Tom all took wickets and kept the high scoring Bournemouth side down to 274. With man of the match Saathvik opening the bowling Bournemouth got off to a great start as Swanage lost early wickets. Ben and Sid turned things around and managed to get the total back above 200. Swanage found it difficult to score throughout the innings and despite a determination not to get out, wickets fell regularly and Swanage never really looked like getting near the Bournemouth total.

Despite that, they smiled throughout, made sure everyone had a chance to bat and bowl and enjoyed their first experience of a cup final. As throughout the season they did everyone proud, collecting their runners up trophies in front of the pavilion in the footsteps of such famous players as England's Michael Carberry and Owais Shah and Australia's Matthew Elliot.

Bournemouth 274 - 7 Swanage 185 -12 Bournemouth won by 89 runs

Swanage U9s v Ferndown U9s - Cup Semi Final

A week off from the league as Swanage once again travelled to Ferndown for a cup semi final. Hopes were high after the recent 103 run win against the same opposition. After a slightly delayed start due to overnight rain Swanage won the toss and bowled first. As so often Sid got them off to a great start with a wicket maiden. Things got even better as opening partner Freddie also took a wicket. It was 3 in 3 as Jess took a wicket leaving Ferndown in trouble at 189. As the bowling changed first Ben, then Riley and Seb kept Swanage on top. With Tom taking a further wicket it was then left to Regan to finish the innings first with a maiden and then 2 wickets in the final over. Swanage bowled well throughout as they took 7 wickets and bowled 4 maidens leaving Ferndown on 225 - 7 from their 16 overs. Swanage wanted to get off to a good start and Sid and Ben gave them exactly that as they added 36. Sadly a couple of wickets left Swanage just behind the Ferndown total so it was left to Jess and Riley to steer Swanage into the lead as they added a further 23. Tom got off to the worst start getting out first ball but he soon made up for it as he hit 6 fours (including 4 in a row) as he made 29. He was well supported by Seb who also hit a four and both of them ran well between the wickets to get Swanage to 292. Comfortably ahead Swanage's final pair of Freddie and Regan could enjoy themselves. They did just that as they hit 4 fours and ran some great singles to get Swanage past 300 and up to an impressive 326 - 3 and a victory by 101 runs.

Their reward is a trip to Dean Park to play Bournemouth in the cup final on July 28th.

Ferndown 225 - 7 Swanage 326 - 3 Swanage won by 101 runs

Swanage U9s v Bransgore U9s

Swanage finished their league season with a victory over Bransgore who had to scratch being unable to raise a team for their trip to Swanage. This gave Swanage the full 20 points leaving them on 98 points at the end of their league season.

Swanage U13s v Poole U13s

Swanage played host to Poole on Monday with hopes of a second win. Batting first they struggled to get the scoreboard moving as Poole's opening bowlers kept it tight. Alistair was first to go and it was Archie and Ryan who tried to get things moving. As their partnership grew they both fell within a few runs of each other, putting Swanage on the back foot. The second bizarre run out in two weeks saw Reuben unable to reproduce his great innings of last week and left Swanage in trouble at 31 - 4. It was left to Benjamin and Lily to bring Swanage back into the game and once Lily was out Benjamin was joined by Isaac. They took the score to 93 before Benjamin had to retire for the third time this season for a well made 35 including 7 fours. Isaac held the rest of the innings together with his top score of the season as he and the debutants Morgan and Noah got Swanage up to another competitive score of 110 all out. Poole got off to a flying start as leading wicket taker Reuben felt the pressure of bowling against various school friends. He redeemed himself in the next over as he took Swanage's first wicket and his 11th of the season. With a much improved spell by Benjamin things were looking up. Archie's first wicket of the season was aided by a good catch by Ryan. Some big hitting saw Poole race ahead until Isaac once again gave Swanage hope. Sadly he was unable to repeat his amazing 3 wickets in an over and Poole finished victorious.

Swanage 110 all out Poole 112 - 3 Poole won by 5 wickets

Swanage U9s v Bournemouth U9s

Having suffered their only defeat earlier in the season against table topping Bournemouth, Swanage were hoping to improve in the reverse fixture. Sid lost the toss and for once Swanage batted first. Sid and George started things off and Sid was able to continue his good form from last week as he hit 3 fours amongst his 19 runs. Crucially neither batsmen got out and with some good running between the wickets, Swanage ended the first 4 overs well placed on 228. Two U7s James and Max were next in both batting well but finding runs hard to come by as Bournemouth bowled well throughout their 4 overs.

The tight bowling continued as Swanage tried to increase their total with Joe and Anthony at the crease. They did keep the score moving forward though with more good running to back up some good shots. The loss of early wickets for the last pair Freddie and Regan meant Swanage needed to bat well to recover. They were able to do that leaving Swanage on a final score of 245 - 5.

Good opening bowling by Sid and Freddie got Swanage off to a good start and a great caught and bowled by Freddie meant that Bournemouth were on 214 after their first 4 overs. Even with Joe and George keeping up the pressure on the Bournemouth batsmen the score edged up so that wickets were vital. They came when Max and James took up the attack both getting a wicket as Bournemouth ended the 12th over on 242 - 3 and all to play for.

With their 2 best batsmen at the crease Bournemouth got off to a great start to get ahead but with a real determination Swanage kept fighting taking 3 wickets in the last 2 overs as first Regan and then the returning Sid struck. Despite this Bournemouth were just too far ahead and ended 274 - 6 from their 16 overs. A great game with Swanage giving Bournemouth their closest game of the season.

Swanage 245 - 5 Bournemouth 274 - 6 Bournemouth won by 29 runs

Once again Swanage were able to have a friendly at the same time as the league match taking 19 children in all over to Bournemouth. Swanage batted first and scored well ending up on 316 and only 2 wickets. Bournemouth with the help of Riley and Buzz batted second and it was close throughout. Bournemouth just scraped through ending on 330 for 3 wickets. Another great day for Swanage U9s as they continue to move forward.

Swanage U11s - Inter Club match

Due to the opposition cancelling, there was an opportunity to get a large number of players to take part in an in-club game. After selection, there was Team Mia v Team Jake, Mia won the toss and opted to field. Team Jake’s only debutant was Yaseen Ali, with the ‘over-age’ players were Adam Ayres and Mikey Walker. Team Mia’s debutants were Spencer Grygiel, Lewis Cartridge and James Rowley, their ‘over-age’ players were Sam Hayes and Noah Pope.

Both Oscar Lander and Spencer Grygiel completed a spell as wicket keeper during the first innings. Runs off the bat were hard to come by, with the exception of a lovely shot for 4 from Adam. Some good bowling from Team Jake, particularly from Harry Long, Holly Pankhurst and Sam Hayes meant that Team Jake finished on 248 for the loss of 4 wickets.

Team Mia took to the middle to start the chase and were met with a maiden over from George Ramsden. That set the tone for the rest of the innings, with some very tight bowling on display. There were flashes of excellent batting, most notably from Lewis and Noah, who both hit nice looking boundaries, but 2 wickets from Andrew Hancock, and one each for Jacob Pope and Brandon Werndley (who had swapped wicket keeping duties between them), meant that Team Mia fell 20 runs short of the total. There were a few really impressive catches taken in the innings, one from Jake, one from George and one from Noah, just to add to the highlights.

All in all, it was a very productive day for the players, who will have gained valuable match experience.

Swanage U13s v Winton U13s

After last week's league defeat by Winton, Swanage had an immediate chance to get their revenge as they travelled to Winton for a Dorset League Cup match. Benjamin won the toss and decided to bat but the game couldn't have started any worse as Alistair fell to the very first ball of the match. Archie and Ryan rebuilt the innings with Ryan striking the ball cleanly on his way to a well made 21 - his second score of 20 or more. With Archie gone Ryan was joined by Benjamin. He also made a good start with a couple of 4s until he was run out in the most bizarre circumstances being dropped at cover only to see the ball roll directly onto the stumps. It was Ryan and Lily who really got Swanage going as they put together a 52 run partnership as Lily (14) scored her third 10+ score in her last four innings. Sadly they were both out in the same over leaving Swanage at 85 -5 with only 5 overs left. With the chance to make their best score of the season Reuben grabbed the opportunity striking 5 fours in his season's best score of 23 not out. He was ably assisted by Adam who made sure he didn't get out so that Swanage once again used their full 20 overs finishing on 125 - 5.

Reuben gave Swanage the perfect start with a wicket with his second ball as he caught and bowled one of the Winton openers. He followed this up with a second wicket in his next over. Opening partner Archie was unlucky not to add to the wicket's total. Swanage struggled to make further inroads as Winton ran well between the wickets to get the score moving and then once settled started to strike out. A brilliant partnership of 101 by Sam and Alan saw Winton nearly home before Lily took her second wicket of the season with a beautiful inswinger. Sam nearly managed a fourth wicket as Isaac almost pulled off a brilliant diving catch but as Alan hit his seventh 4 Winton ran out winners by 5 wickets.

Swanage 125 - 5 Winton 130 - 3 Winton won by 5 wickets

Swanage U9s v Wimborne U9s

On a humid Saturday morning Swanage U9s played host to not one but two teams from Wimborne so many of the younger children were able to make their match debuts.

In the league game, once again Swanage bowled first with Sid and Freddie starting things off. They both took 2 wickets as well as keeping the runs down and after the first pair Wimborne were down to 183. Swanage kept up the pressure as debutant Ben took up the attack along with Tom. Tom bowled really well, conceding just 4 runs and bowling a maiden with his second over. Ben's overs were a total contrast as he failed to find his range in his first but then came back with a double wicket maiden in his second. His first wicket helped by a brilliant catch by Sid and then a similarly brilliant catch by Freddie next ball left him on a hat trick. He had half a chance for a caught and bowled but couldn't quite get there. Toby was also making his debut and like Ben he found it difficult to get it right first time while the more experienced Seb showed huge improvement from previous games and was unlucky to not get a wicket. With Riley and Regan finishing the bowling for Swanage they were both unlucky not to take wickets. Good Wimborne batting left them at 248 - 6 from their 16 overs.

Sid opened the batting with a new partner Ben and got Swanage off to a sensational start as he hit the first 3 balls of the innings for 4. He made it 16 for the over on the fifth ball and Swanage were off and running. Some tight Wimborne bowling thereafter made scoring more difficult, but the pair ended their 4 overs at 222. Toby and Riley built on this start, letting the wides go by and playing the straight ones well. Riley scored his first 4 of the season as the pair ended the 8th over on 236. Seb Lyons and Thomas found it difficult to get the score going as Wimborne upped their game. They were lucky to get away with a near run out when they both ended up at the same end but still ended their 4 overs of batting on 242, leaving Swanage just 6 to tie and 7 to win. Swanage passed the total at the end of the next over as Regan and Freddie continued their good form from last week. They ran well and once again hit a number of fours as Swanage ended up at 277 - 3 and a victory by 29 runs.

Wimborne 248 - 6 Swanage 277 - 3 Swanage won by 29 runs

Lions v Tigers

Over on the other pitch it was the Lions against the Tigers as the players combined to play a friendly. With the Lions batting first the game got off to an amazing start as Seb Wright hit a great shot, only to be brilliantly caught. Lots of good batting and 4 fours from James saw the Lions end on 280 - 2. In reply the Tigers chased well and after 12 overs they were up to the Lions' score. Needing wickets, George got the breakthrough but that was it as the Lions got their score up to 301. An exciting game which gave many of the players their Swanage debut.

Lions 280 Tigers 301 Tigers won by 21 runs

U11s News

Swanage U11s v Bournemouth Leopards

On Saturday 13th June, Swanage U11 welcomed Bournemouth Leopards to Days Park for the 2nd time this season. Captain, Lily Wood, won the toss and decided to field. A strong opening spell of bowling from Safia Nadaf and Lily restricted Bournemouth to 201 from their first batting pair, with Lily taking a wicket and a run out and Safia getting a run out. The second pair looked to accelerate the scoring and played some lovely shots, without losing a wicket. The third pair were tied up by Tia Norman and Brandon Werndley, with Brandon taking a wicket. The last pair decided to try and have another go, but lost wickets to Lily and Tia, with some tight bowling from Holly Pankhurst and Safia to assist. Bournemouth finished on 271 with the loss of 6 wickets from their 16 overs.

The opening batsmen of Harry Long and Jake Streams looked to dominate early on, with Harry in particular on the offensive. Harry hit 3 fours in his time at the crease, and along with Jake, lost no wickets. The next pair of Lily and Tia carried on in the same vain, with Lily in particular playing some big shots (falling just short of hitting a six). The girls only lost the one wicket (an unfortunate run out) but set the game up nicely for the final 2 pairs to chase.

Oscar Lander and Holly went in with the instructions to stay there and make it difficult for the bowlers, which they did perfectly, not losing a wicket and adding a few valuable runs. The final pair had plenty of hitting power with Safia and Brandon – chasing 24 to win from their 4 overs. 6 runs from the first over was the perfect start, however, Safia tried to play one big shot too many, being bowled out in her 2nd over. It was set up with Swanage needing 20 from the final 2 overs. 8 from the third left Brandon trying to hit 12 from the final 6 balls. After picking up three from the first 2, 3 tight balls meant that he couldn’t score freely. Hitting a one from the final ball, which was then thrown for 4 extra overthrows meant that Swanage finished on 268, losing by an agonising 3 runs.

It was a thrilling end to an amazing game and the team should be very proud of the way they performed

Bournemouth 271 Swanage 268 Bournemouth won by 3 runs

Sadly against an excellent Christchurch side on the 20th June Swanage were unable to come up with a repeat performance losing by 119 runs

Swanage U13s v Winton U13s

A beautiful evening at Day's Park saw Swanage host Winton. Bowling first, Swanage got off to a sensational start as Reuben took 2 wickets in 2 balls in the very first over. Winton made a good recovery despite some excellent bowling by both Reuben and his opening partner Archie until it was Reuben who struck once again to take his third wicket. Good batting by Teenan until he retired at 35 built Winton's score but his retirement brought Swanage back into the match. First Isaac - with his 6th wicket of the season - and then Lily, with her first, took more Winton wickets. With Reuben back in the attack for his final over Swanage edged closer as he took his fourth wicket - giving him the best bowling figures of the season so far with 4 -25. With Mia, Ryan and Sunny all trying to get the final wicket Swanage were thwarted by the sensible batting of Ardern as he saw Winton through to their 20 overs and a total of 164 - 6. Alistair once again made some excellent stops to some wayward bowling as wides and no balls contributed far too much to the Winton total. Alistair had a new opening partner in Archie and they got Swanage off to a solid start. Archie continued his good match with a best score of 13 including 3 fours. With the openers and Ryan out, it was left to Reuben and Lily to continue Swanage's chase. When Reuben played on, Lily was joined by Isaac (12) as they both reached their highest scores of the season, Lily striking 4 fours in her 17. Once Lily was out Isaac was joined by Mikey who struck a first ball 4 as they took Swanage past the 100 mark, ending the match on 103 - 6. It was a great achievement without leading run scorer Benjamin. The teams meet again next week at Winton with Swanage hoping to get their revenge.

Winton 164 - 6 Swanage 103 - 6 Winton won by 61 runs

Swanage U9s v Ferndown U9s

Swanage U9s travelled to Ferndown for their latest game and came away with a stunning victory by 103 runs. Everybody performed well and showed huge improvement from the beginning of the season.

Jess and Freddie opened the bowling and got Swanage off to a good start. Freddie bowled a maiden and only conceded 4 runs in his 2 overs but it was Jess who got the first wicket when she bowled opening batsmen Charlotte. Sid and Joe took up the attack and once again kept the runs down, Joe only conceding 8 runs from his 2 overs and Sid only 6. Joe came close to a wicket but it was Sid who got the breakthroughs as he took 2 wickets in each over. His last 2 balls were both wickets and that left him on a hat trick for his first ball in the next game.

With the score at 212 Ferndown needed to get some runs and the next pair managed to do that despite some good bowling by Anthony and Thomas. But they were soon pegged back as Regan and George bowled the final overs, George only conceding 7 runs and Regan only 1 run in his 2 overs and taking a wicket. This left Ferndown on 241 at the end of their innings.

With Sid and George opening the batting Swanage got off to a great start as the wides and no balls piled up. It was hard for them to score runs off the bat but they kept calm and let the total rise. Thomas and Anthony batted next and added 37 to the score as Thomas hit 2 fours and Swanage's first 6 of the season.

Swanage were already ahead when Jess and Joe came to the crease. At first they watched the wides go by and then as the score neared 300 Joe opened up with a couple of 4s. With the game won and licence to hit out, Regan and Freddie firstly took Swanage passed 300 and then set about hitting the bowling to all parts. Over 14 went for 15 runs as Regan hit 3 fours in a row. This was followed by a sensational over 15 which went for 21 runs as first Regan hit a 6 and a 4 and then Freddie hit two more 4s. The last over saw another 4 by Regan as he reached an amazing 32 before Freddie hit the last 2 balls of the match for 4 meaning he had hit his last 4 balls for 4 and ended on 18 runs.

The excited 8 gathered around the scoreboard to celebrate their victory as Swanage finished on a season high score for their league at 344.

Ferndown U9s 241 Swanage 344 Swanage won by 103 runs

Swanage U13s v Wimborne U13s - League Cup Match

The U13s once again travelled to Wimborne after their cup match from last week was rained off. After the euphoria of Monday's win they knew tonight's game would be difficult as they gave all of their less experienced players a chance to shine. Batting first, Wimborne got off to a great start as Aaron Allaway led from the front. Swanage shared the bowling around and it was Callum who got the first break through as keeper Alistair poached his first catch of the season. More success was to follow as Monday's three wicket hero Isaac added to his season's tally with a good caught and bowled. Sam Hayes took the next as he bowled his second wicket of the season. Swanage's fielding continued to show improvement all around the field. Good bowling by Adam and Mia went unrewarded and it was left to Benjamin coming in faster and straighter to get the final wicket as Wimborne ended on 177 - 4. Lily and Alistair couldn't get Swanage off to the start they wanted and as Callum followed soon after it was left to Benjamin and Archie to rebuild the innings. With Archie solid at one end and determined not to get out it was once again Benjamin who took his chance against the Wimborne bowling. Striking 8 fours he raced to his top score of 37 before he had to retire, having put together a partnership of 59 with Archie. It was left to Isaac to finish his good week with a couple of boundaries in his best score so far of 9 not out as Swanage fell away at the end to 91 all out. A defeat but lots of good match practice for the games ahead.

Wimborne 177 - 4 Swanage 91 all out Wimborne won by 86 runs

Swanage U13s v Ellingham U13s

As Reuben started the game's final over, hush descended on Day's Park. Swanage needed one wicket whilst Ellingham needed just 7 runs; it was to be a tense finish to what had been a great game. A bye off the second ball took danger man Zak Leishman off strike and gave Reuben the chance to bowl at the new batsmen. He needed just one ball, as he hit the stumps for the third time in the match leaving Swanage victorious by 5 runs. The decisive over though had been the one before, bowled by Isaac. When he started his over Ellingham were 103 - 4, but by the time he'd finished it the game had changed dramatically with the score now at 111 - 7. Bowling - as he described the over himself - one bad ball then one good ball, he ripped through the Ellingham batting taking wickets with his second, fourth and final balls, leaving Reuben to finish off the game. Swanage batted first and started well despite the early loss of Reuben. Whilst Lily struck an early four it was Ryan who took the attack to Ellingham including at one point 10 runs off 3 balls. When Lily was painfully struck by a high full toss she was replaced by Benjamin and between the three of them they added 61 for the second wicket. With Ryan dismissed for a well made 19 Lily returned to the fray and preceded to hold the innings together making sure Swanage once again used their full 20 overs. With Benjamin dismissed for 20 - this innings taking him passed 100 runs for the season in only his fifth innings - Swanage struggled to score, with only Sunny of the other batsmen scoring off the bat. But with extras and another well struck 4 by Lily they got themselves up to 117 - 7 their highest score of the season. Opening the bowling, Reuben was determined to make up for his early dismissal. With wickets in his first and second over - both bowled - Swanage were off to a good start. These wickets were split by a brilliant run out by Ryan with a direct hit from the boundary. At 25 - 3 Ellingham were struggling but slowly but surely got themselves back into the game. Benjamin took a good caught and bowled and then nearly brought off a brilliant diving catch in the very next over but the score kept rising. With Ryan and Mia unable to break through, run saving was vital and everyone stepped up their game and made some great stops in the field, Adam particularly standing out. Alistair's once again kept well using both hands and sometimes feet to make a series of good stops including a diving one handed stop. The game was slipping away though until Isaac's crucial over and Reuben's third and final wicket won the game for Swanage. The U13s first victory of the season and for most of the players their first victory in a Swanage team.

Swanage U13s 117 - 7 Ellingham U13s 112 all out Swanage won by 5 runs

Swanage U11s v Bournemouth U11s

Swanage U11’s first home game of the season was in the cup to Bournemouth. Swanage lost the toss and were put in to bat. This was the first time that they had to set a target this season, so would prove a new experience to the side. The opening pair of Harry Long and Oscar Lander found life very difficult against some good quality, accurate bowling – losing 2 wickets and finishing the 4 overs on 201. Lily Wood and Safia Nadaf were the second pair to bat and looked to try and kick the score on a bit and attempted some more aggressive shots. This included two lovely shots for 4 from Safia. However, a couple of incidents of miscommunication led to there being 2 run outs. The girls finished their overs with the score on 208. Brandon Werndley and Andrew Hancock came in third and looked to steady the ship, not losing any wickets and adding 19 runs, including a lovely hook shot for 4 from Brandon. The final pair of Jake Streams and Mia Werndley put up a strong rearguard action, losing just the one wicket and finishing with the total at 253. Following the team bowling session on the Thursday before the game, the improvement in the team’s performance was noticeable, with far less extras being bowled. However, the team faced a very strong batting line up and found the going really tough, taking just the one wicket from Mia Werndley. Bournemouth finished the game on 298, winning the game by 45 runs.

Swanage 253 Bournemouth 298 Bournemouth won by 45 runs

Swanage U9s v Bournemouth U9s

The third game for the U9s proved the most difficult so far against a good Bournemouth side. Bowling first, Sid and Freddie opened the bowling for Swanage. It was James who got the first breakthrough - which was well deserved as he bowled 2 excellent overs. As usual everyone had a bowl including debutant Anthony but all the bowlers found it difficult against some strong Bournemouth batting. There were further wickets for Sid and the bowling wicketkeeper Regan as well as a run out. Bournemouth finished on a total of 279 - 4. Swanage started their innings with James and Anthony and made steady progress against a strong Bournemouth bowling attack. Each pair took the score forward; first Riley and George and then Freddie and Seb but as Regan and Sid came to the wicket a further 41 were needed. Despite their best efforts it was too much to ask and Swanage ended up on 231 - 5 losing by 48 runs. Their first defeat but another enjoyable morning's cricket for the U9s.

Bournemouth 279 - 4 Swanage 231 - 5 Bournemouth won by 48 runs

Swanage U13s update

In their two latest games the U13s continued to show an all round improvement but sadly fell short of victory in both games. In their first home game against Wimborne they batted first and after the early losses of Lily, Alistair and Reuben it was once again Benjamin and Ryan who took the attack to the opposition. This time it was Ryan who topped scored with a well made 26 - his best score for the club- but he was well supported by Benjamin as they put together their second 50 partnership of the season, this time for 58. Runs dried up a little after their departures due to some tight Wimborne bowling and Swanage ended up 85-5 in their 20 overs. A hugely improved bowling performance saw the number of wides and no balls fall dramatically. Ryan and Reuben started off well before being replaced by Benjamin and Lily. Archie and Mia kept up the pressure but sadly despite the best efforts of all the bowlers, and a brilliant attempt at a catch by Sunny, there was no way through as the Wimborne openers got to their target without losing a wicket. The scores were not at all reflective of a good Swanage performance.

Swanage 85 - 5 Wimborne 86 - 0

After such a good bowling performance against Wimborne, hopes were high in the next match against Verwood. A long journey full of delays and a cold start saw Swanage start poorly but despite that they kept trying hard and made a number of great stops in the field. As the score rose beyond 150 Swanage finally got the breakthrough as Mikey took his first wicket, Reuben taking a great catch. This was soon followed by debutant Sam Hayes taking his first wicket and a brilliant run out by Reuben meant it was 3 wickets for just 8 runs. Buoyed by their success, Swanage improved all round keeping the score down while taking wickets - a first for Isaac and one for Benjamin. Despite this late comeback Verwood still managed an imposing 190 - 5 in their 20 overs. Swanage got off to a solid start in reply as Alistair and Reuben put together a partnership of 25 for the first wicket. Alistair continued to hold the innings together with his best score so far of 14, first with Ryan and then with Benjamin who continued his good form with another 19 runs. With Alistair out Archie joined Benjamin adding 26 together. Whilst they were never going to reach the huge target of 190 Swanage once again batted well ending with their best total so far of 107 - 6 in their 20 overs.

Verwood 190 -5 Swanage 107 - 6

Swanage U11s v Winton U11s

On Saturday 16th May, Swanage U11's played their second game of the season so far, away to Winton. Due to holidays and other commitments, the team consisted of 7 players, rather than the full complement of 8. Swanage took to the field on a sunny, but rather blustery morning and opened the bowling with Harry Long, who followed on from last week by taking his second wicket of the season. This set the tone for the innings, with Winton struggling to cope with Swanage's attack and vastly improved fielding. Harry left with figures of 4-7 from his 3 overs (the best from an U11 player since the team has been running), with Mia Werndley picking up a wicket with her mystery spin, not to be out done by her younger brother, Brandon, who picked up his first competitive wicket in only his second outdoor game, and one wicket for the ever reliable Tia Norman. The improved fielding was mentioned earlier; this consisted of 3 run outs (one each for Mia, Brandon and Harry - who tried to claim as a 5th wicket!). All in all, the team held Winton for a total of 252, for the loss of 10 wickets. Harry and Jake then opened the batting for Swans and proved dogged in defence, not losing a wicket - Harry hitting a lovely straight drive for 2 - the highlight of the opening pair. They were ably assisted by the next pair, Tia and Brandon, who decided to try and go after bowlers with a more attacking style. Tia hit the shot of the match, chasing a wide one down the leg side and sweeping it for 4. Again they did not lose a wicket in their partnership. The third pair were Oscar (wk) and George Ramsden (making his debut for the side) - both boys battled hard, but found runs hard to come by off the bat. However with the loss of only one wicket, they left the team in a strong position going in to the last pair. Mia and Jake (batting a second time) came out knowing, that if they batted sensibly, there was a real chance of a victory. Going in to the last over, Swanage were 10 runs ahead, against arguably Winton's strongest bowler. Mia was bowled out with the 2nd ball, meaning that Swanage were 4 runs ahead with 4 balls remaining. Jake confidently blocked the next 2, leaving the third. A wide on the next one meant that the worst Swanage could do now was tie the game, if Winton picked up another wicket. Jake was solid in defence again, blocking out a very good ball to ensure that the team recorded their first ever win. It was a result based on pure hard work and determination from the players, some of which have been playing in the U11 age bracket since the start nearly 3 years ago. Huge credit go to them for sticking with it, playing together and achieving the result!

Swanage U13s v Bournemouth Giants

In their first league match the U13s travelled to Bournemouth. Once again Swanage bowled first but found it difficult to settle, bowling far too many wides and no balls. Reuben Bennett did calm things down with a wicket maiden as he bowled Harry Payne. All the bowlers tried hard but no one could get a consistent line and length as Bournemouth built their score. Mia Werndley took another wicket as Isaac Christmas took a good catch while Jenson Baker batted throughout the innings for Bournemouth scoring 26. Despite a couple of late run outs it was the wides and no balls that were the biggest contributors to the total of 151 -4. A changed batting order, to give those who didn't bat last time a chance, saw Swanage off to a good start with excellent running between Lily Wood and Alistair McGregor. Quick wickets left Swanage at 22 - 3 before Isaac joined Benjamin Wright at the crease. Once again it was Benjamin who took the attack to the opposition whilst he was ably supported by Isaac at the other end. They put together an excellent partnership of 47 runs with some good running between the wickets before Benjamin had to retire with a fantastic 35 - his and the team's first retirement of the season. With victory beyond them, Isaac continued to hold the innings together as first Safia Nadaf, then Mikey Walker and Adam Ayres, on his debut, tried to get Swanage to their second total of 100. With last batter Mia Werndley at the crease, Isaac tried to take a two off the last ball and was run out as Swanage ended on a credible 99 - 7 from their 20 overs. Another good batting and fielding performance was let down by the bowling as Swanage lost by 52 runs

Bournemouth 151 - 4 Swanage 99 - 7 Bournemouth won by 52 runs

Swanage U11s v Christchurch U11s

Swanage’s U11’s played their first game of the season away to Christchurch. A relatively inexperienced side opted to field first. We had Jake Streams, Harry Long, Holly Pankhurst, Andrew Hancock, Brandon Werndley and Oscar Lander (wk) all making their competitive outdoor debuts. Facing some strong batting, the bowlers did well to restrict Christchurch to 288 (from a start of 200), with debut wickets for Holly Pankhurst, Harry Long and Andrew Hancock. Sadly, due to a short rain delay, the match was reduced to 12 overs a side, meaning that each pair would face 3 overs. Swanage found scoring opportunities hard to come by, but battled hard, losing just the one wicket in their 12 overs, to finish on a total of 234. There were some real positives to take from the game as they showed real resilience against quite a strong opposition.

Swanage U9s v Wimborne and Colehill U9s

After the excitement of their first ever game last week Swanage travelled to Wimborne for their second U9 game and nearly had to go home with no game played as the rain set in. Luckily, as talk turned to replays and friendlies, the sun came out and Sid Nash won the toss and put Wimborne into bat. A shortened game of 12 overs gave each pair just 3 overs and Swanage got off to another good start as Sid once again took a wicket in the opening over. Debutant Freddie Long continued the good work as he took a further wicket. By the time fellow debutant Seb Lyons had bowled, the Wimborne score was down to 192. Good fielding, tidy wicket keeping by Regan Norman, along with some poor running kept the score down and it wasn't until over number 8 that Wimborne finally passed back through the 200 mark. The final pair got the score to a more respectable 230 with Swanage taking 6 wickets including a second for the returning Freddie. Joe Diffey along with Max Pankhurst, another new edition to the team, opened the batting and Swanage got off to a steady start finishing their 3 overs on 206. Jess Stearn and Seb Lyons took the score onto 217 as Swanage neared their target with more sensible batting. Swanage were in front by over 8 as Tom Wells and Freddie took them past Wimborne's 230 before Regan and Sid stretched the Swanage lead over by over taking 11 off the final over to leave Swanage on 263 having lost 5 wickets. A second victory for the U9s with a win by 33 runs.

Swanage U9s v Ferndown Wayfarers U9s

In their first ever game the newly formed Swanage U9s beat Ferndown U9s by 34 runs. With an expectant crowd of over 100 players and parents, Sid Nash lost the toss and Ferndown decided to bat first. With the U9 games, the scores start at 200, with runs added but also taken away when wickets fall. Sid got immediate revenge by taking a wicket with the first ball of the match. He ended up taking 5 wickets, including a couple of run outs. His opening partner Tom Wells also bowled well, conceding only 12 runs from his 2 overs. Next to bowl it was Jess Stearn and James Harding who continued the excellent start for Swanage. More wickets and some good bowling kept Swanage on top at the half way stage with Ferndown on 209. Joe Diffey and Riley Silverton took up the attack, Joe conceding only 13 runs in his 2 overs, while Riley got more wickets for Swanage leaving Ferndown at 220. It would have been lower still had James been able to hold onto what would have been a brilliant diving catch. The score improved as Ferndown's best 2 batsmen came to the crease making it difficult for George Taylor and Regan Norman who had been expertly keeping wicket up to this point. A final over and a final wicket for Sid saw Ferndown end their innings at 250. Riley and Jess opened the batting for Swanage and after a couple of early setbacks Swanage steadily built their score. After the first 4 overs they were up to 207. Some aggressive batting by George and particularly Tom took Swanage to 235 and in sight of the Ferndown total. Crucially there were no wickets and this continued when James and Joe batted their 4 overs. Batting sensibly they let the wides go by and with a few well taken singles took the Swanage score to 269. Once again no wickets fell and Swanage scored a massive 34 from the 4 overs. Needing to bat out the game to win, Sid and Regan took no chances against returning Freddie, realising that Swanage only had to not lose wickets to win. They were able to add a few runs in between solid defence and eventually took the Swanage score to an impressive 284. Delight all round but the game was the winner as both Swanage and Ferndown started new chapters in their junior histories. Aa big thanks for all the support and we look forward to our next match away to Wimborne and Colehill.

Ferndown 250 including 9 wickets Swanage 284 including 2 wickets

Swanage won by 34 runs

Swanage U13s v Wimborne and Colehill U13s

The U13s season began on a cold evening with a friendly against Wimborne and Colehill. Bowling first, Swanage got off to a good start with some tight opening bowling from Ryan and Lily, with Ryan almost taking an early wicket. As the Wimborne batsmen got themselves settled in, Safia nearly took the first wicket of the match as she and Reuben took up the attack. The ball however kept landing between fielders and the score started to rise. Some good fielding kept the score down and Swanage were finally rewarded for their efforts as Benjamin took a difficult catch off his own bowling. Captain Alistair - who kept well, conceding no byes and making a series of good stops - made sure that everyone got a bowl including new comer Mikey who started his Swanage career well. Neither Callum nor Isaac could get another breakthrough. With first match of the season nerves nobody could get it quite right with the bowling and with the curse of the wide ball the total kept rising . Some good fielding saw a run out off the last ball of the innings, leaving Wimborne with a total of 140 - 2 off their 16 overs. Swanage's reply got off to a good start with Safia (8) and Reuben (9) putting together a partnership of 28 for the first wicket. They ran well between the wickets, keeping the pressure on the fielders. With both openers gone, Ryan (14) and Benjamin (29) took up the chase. They started cautiously but as their confidence grew they batted more aggressively, particularly Benjamin who hit five 4s in his 29. They put together an impressive unbroken partnership of 66 as Swanage broke the 100 mark on the last ball of the innings ending on a creditable 102 -2. Despite the defeat it was a game of so many positives for the season ahead.

Wimborne 140 - 2 Swanage 102 -2 Wimborne won by 38 runs