Elstead U11 boys Tier 2 side progressed to the 3rd round of the cup after a close run win against Hambledon.

Having won the toss and electing to bowl, Elstead felt confident after restricting Hambledon to 88. While the fielding wasn’t always perfect, this was another great all round bowling performance from this side, with everyone bowling at least 2 overs. We also held on to several good catches. Harry took 4 wickets, while also taking some big hits from some very capable Hambledon batsmen. Tom returned excellent figures of 2-2 and while Tyler didn’t take a wicket he bowled with pace and accuracy, conceding just 7 runs from 3 overs. Gabe and Jake chipped in with a wicket apiece and it was great to see Charlie take 2 catches behind the stumps. Leo, Ralph, Felix and Stan all bowled very tightly to keep the runs down and Hambledon’s last pair just managed to survive the final overs and complete the full 20 overs batting.

Harry and Ralph went in to bat and it looked like Elstead were going to cruise to an early victory as they put on an impressive opening stand of 47. Ralph went for 11 and Harry batted on to retire not out at 25, but a middle order collapse meant the game quickly became closer than it should have been. Felix was incredibly unlucky to be caught out to an unbelievable diving catch and then some accurate bowling brought a flurry of wickets. Tyler came in and hit a 6 off his first ball to steady the nerves and he and Tom added a few quick runs to get us close, before Tom was clean bowled for 5. Stan entered as the last man and together with Tyler, who batted positively and really pushed for quick singles, they saw us home in a nail biting finish. Onto the next round!