1st XI (Howard Wilson Shield) 2024/25

Day 1:

Day 1 started with a massive win at the toss, which immediately set the tone. But once we got out in the middle, Alex Brennan and Hudson Findlay put on a small partnership of 48 until loosing Alex for 11. Things went downhill quickly with a collapse that had the batting group under pressure. Huddo for 28, Connor for 5 and Jonty out for a duck. Gihan gave us some hope but was gone soon after for 20. Weeraman, Saveen and Wilcox all fall for a combined 5 runs between them. Thankfully, De Haas steadied the innings with some much needed resistance. Him and Mitch Fitton looked solid and gave us some confidence, but when De Haas's innings ended, so did his patience. He stormed off, having a go at his stumps in frustration. Although he missed, it was enough for the umpires to step in, and he ended up suspended. Jack Alderton was last to step foot at the middle, and him and Mitch pushed the runs out to a solid score of 177.

What followed was one of the best bowling efforts we’d produced all season. We charged in for 25 overs of relentless pressure, leaving them reeling at 5/20 by stumps. Gihan was the star of the show, knocking over their two best batters with wrong-uns that they had no idea how to play. Fox also redeemed himself with one of the catches of the year, making what should have been a regulation soda look like a struggle, juggling it before finally holding on. The energy out in the field was electric. Everyone was vocal, buzzing, and clearly under the opposition’s skin.

Day 2:

Day 2, however, was a complete washout. The rain was relentless, and even though the opposition tried their best to squeegee the ground back into play, the pitch itself had developed a water bubble underneath. There was no way we could get on, so we were forced to return the following weekend to finish the job.

Day 3:

By Day 3, the mood in the group was elite. We had around 150 runs in the bank to defend and a big crowd on hand to support us, adding to the intensity. We struck early with a couple of quick wickets, which had the opposition nervous. But the job wasn’t done, we started fumbling a few catches, which gave them some hope and dragged the contest out longer than it needed to be. Even so, there was never a moment we didn’t feel in control. The team was switched on all day, with everyone playing their role and feeding off the intensity. The noise, the energy, and the commitment were there from ball one to the final wicket, and when it was all wrapped up, it felt like a proper team performance to be proud of.

* Credits to Mitch Fitton for GF Information