Wednesday 5th June 2024 marked Pelham CC’s voyage into competitive cricket: 10 of our boys and girls embarked on the route 269 to Hurstmere School.

 

We arrived and marvelled at the fields and grounds over at Hurstmere, zigzagged through the expectant parents and spectators (thank you to the parents who came to watch!) and took our seats for the introduction and rules. All of our dedication and practice climaxed to this occasion; a particularly poignant moment with the children all in high spirits. 

 

We played two games, the first being against a spirited Days Lane side. We took to the field first, led by confident Arnav and Aarav who placed our field thoughtfully. The bowling was opened by Arnav, who, with his pace and accuracy, kept the scoring rate to a minimum. This is a testament to his skill: the talented cricketers on show from the other schools tested our guile and resilience. 

 

In came Daiya, who  picked up a wicket on her competitive debut with accurate and composed bowling. Well done Daiya!

There were some great performances in the field from Nivan and Ali, who both stopped boundaries with courageous and nifty fielding. Days Lane scored a very respectable 54 runs from their 40 balls. 

 

It was our turn to bat and chase down a defendable 54 runs. Arnav and Ali opened the batting for Pelham. From their 10 deliveries, Ali scored 5 runs and Arnav an incredible 27 not out from only 7 deliveries. 

 

Ethan and Elliot came out to bat, and took the total to above 60 runs after only 20 balls. The final 20 balls saw us home with a majestic 85 runs from 40 balls. We won the first game by 31 runs: well done everybody!

 

The second game was against an Upton side with talented and well-versed cricketers. Batting first, Upton scored a seemingly insurmountable 115 runs from their 40 deliveries; we learned the importance of field placings and accurate bowling during this game. Elliot particularly impressed with the ball, picking up 2 wickets from his 10 deliveries. Talha bowled with tenacity and persistence, partnered with Aarush, who complimented each other superbly. 

 

Not only were Upton talented with the bat, they bowled with pace and consistency which we found hard to compete with. With that said, the resilience on show by all led us to a very respectable 45 runs from our 40 deliveries. Aarav watched the ball very well to defend his wicket. Jovan, who has been practicing the fine art of cricket in his own time at the park, joyfully hit some boundaries and was extremely supportive of  all of our team, and the opposition. 

 

Giving our children the opportunity to take part in wider opportunities and competitive sport is something that cannot be understated. I am extremely proud of each and every member of our team who represented Pelham with pride. Well done!

 

I am overjoyed to say we are going to be doing it all again on Friday 14th June, where we will be going to the borough finals at Sidcup CC!

 

Mr Boulton