Since my last report the under 13's have played three fixtures, one in the cup and two in the league.
Unfortunately all three resulted in losses but in certainly two of the games we were competitive even with an under strength/inexperienced side.
Our first loss came in the cup to Cuckney at the end of June, batting first in a 15 over a side game we only reached the meagre total of 35 for 7, 16 of which were extras! Five batsmen being bowled was yet again concerning, the only positive to be gleamed was that we did bat out our allotted overs. Bowling was slightly more respectable, keeping Cuckney at the crease till the 10th over, all bowlers being economical although Josh Santos was the lone wicket taker.
 
Our next fixture was against Welbeck on a balmy night at GLA, when for the first time in my cricketing career both playing and coaching drinks were required after 10 overs of the first innings! Batting first in the baking sun we reached a respectable 96 for the loss of just two wickets, although 45 of them came in extras, 34 in wides and no balls. An additional nearly 6 overs possibly should have seen us reach nearer 120 but 96 was undoubtedly something to bowl at, Ryder scoring 25* and Logan 17 in the total. It took Welbeck only 14.3 overs to chase down the score due to some lusty blows and the ability to reap maximum rewards of a bad ball. Erika and Sam Lincoln playing in his first under 13's game picking up a wicket a piece.
 
Our most recent fixture was away against Mansfield Hosiery Mills on yet another scorcher! With both a young/inexperienced side and only 8 players available due to an under 15 fixture we were already up against it even before we took the field. MHM to their credit played the game in a great spirit though, providing us with excellent fielding cover and mixing their batting/bowling order so that a competitive game was possible. Batting first Hosiery Mills reached a total of 79-3 of 16 overs the Cregan brothers taking a wicket a piece. In reply we closed on a respectable 56-4 with Ethan Scully top scoring with 16. A good effort by the 8 boys who made the journey.

After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Sherwood in the rain, the under 15's came up against Hucknall on a contrastingly pleasant summers eve at GLA. Having already defeated them in the under 13 age group and with a side close to full strength, I was hopeful the boys at the very least could do themselves justice and put in a performance with both bat and ball and potentially continue our push for the title, alas it was not meant to be! Although not through trying.
Batting first Hucknall got off to a flier being 30-0 after 4 overs, the introduction of Charlie Bateman however had immediate success taking a wicket with his first ball, an impressive catch by Evan Poole (some may say he dived for the cameras/press present). Ryder Wyatt, also now into the attack took a wicket in his first over but with the score on 41-2 after 6 overs Hucknall were still in a commanding position. The score raced along to 83-2 after 12 overs until a combination of the retirement of Hucknall's best bat and the introduction of Ethan Wright in particular slowed the scoring rate massively, with only 25 runs coming from the final 8 overs. Ethan finishing with excellent figures of 4-1-14-2 supported by Olly Lees 2-0-8-1 and death bowling specialist Stanley Tatham bowling a wicket maiden in the penultimate over to keep Hucknall to 108 for 6 in their allotted 20, a great effort after the start they got. In reply we lost the wickets of Evan and Sam early to Hucknall's star bat turned bowler, and with the score on 15-2 after 5 overs new batsmen Ethan, and Stanley not only now had to rebuild but also look to keep up with the run rate. Ethan was dismissed in the 9th over with the score looking slightly healthier at 37-3, with the in form Jack Spafford joining Stan at the crease. Stan in particular then decided to go on the offensive, playing an array of delightful cricket shots around the ground to eventually retire on an excellent 35 and put us in with a chance of winning.
Requiring a run a ball to win with 5 overs to go was a great effort and we believed!! Unfortunately Jack watched as partners came and went valiantly chasing the target to eventually close on 100-8 after our alotted 20.
A great spectacle enjoyed by both sets of fans and the media present, the boys showed fighting spirit with both bat and ball, Claudio could'nt have been prouder!
 
MOM- Stan Tatham

Thursday evening in my absence saw Jarrod take the helm away at Southwell. Batting first we reached a decent but not insurmountable total of 86-2, Jack Spafford bringing his good under 15 form to the crease retiring on 35 of 37 balls, supported by Logan Wyatt 24 and Ryder Wyatt not out for 10. My spies inform me the combination of a low skiddy wicket and a leg side line from the Southwell bowlers restricted our ability to push on to a big score. Southwell reached the total with an over to spare for the loss of 3 wickets, one of their batsmen also retiring on 35. Wickets for Teddy Cregan, Ethan Scully and under 11 Cameron Andrew. Sources tell me at times fielders were a little deep and not walking in which made the run chase easier but still a decent fielding effort from a side in their first season together.

Tuesday night saw the under 13's travel to Kirkby Portland in a re arranged league fixture. Only being able to muster 8 players due to a school performance, injuries and various other reasons we were promised the opposition would provide us with fielding cover, so the decision was taken to fulfill the fixture on a rare pleasant evening. Batting first we got off to solid start with Jack Spafford and Logan Wyatt seeing off the new ball with 19 runs on the board. The introduction by Kirkby of very slow, loopy spin proved our undoing though, as senior players Jack for 9 and Ryder for 0 were dismissed in identical fashion. Logan remained, as partners came and went until he was eventually dismissed for a top score of 18. John Kirkby was the final wicket too fall, not before playing the shot of the night, a delightful cover drive Joe Root would have been proud of. A final score of 50 was never going to be enough, although with 8 batsmen we always were up against it, losing 5 wickets bowled though from a coaches perspective was a little concerning and something we had discussed before the start of the game. Kirkby reached the total in the 15th over with one player alone contributed 32 of the 53 runs they scored, all bowlers were economical, Logan with the only wicket. If only we had scored another 20 or 30 runs!!

Since reporting/masterminding the giant killing of MHM, Claudio and Calverton under 15's have played a further 3 games, unfortunately resulting in 2 losses but also a victory, tactically stolen(backed up by some tight bowling!)  from the jaws of defeat.

The first of our two losses came at the hands of Cuckney, on what can only be described as a bleak, cold, wet and windy night. Having cancelled a home match the night before due to similar conditions in the interest of the players, spectators and the tinker man himself we ended up having to travel north on this night with a very young and inexperienced side for a reduced overs game. Batting first Cuckney went on the rampage amassing 118-3 off their 15 overs Olly Lees and Ethan Wright picking up a wicket a piece plus a run out, a couple of catches were spilt but this was not a night for fielding. Batting second we reached a respectable 84-4 off our 15 overs Sam Waghorn, Stanley Tatham and in particular Jack Spafford making notable contributions.

Our second loss of the season came at the hands of Papplewick in the cup.... as we all know though Claudio's eyes were only ever on the league! Batting first 93-7 off our 20 overs was always going to be below par against a strong Papp side, with some very miserly bowling and an inability from us to rotate the strike being our downfall. Only Evan Poole (24) and Jack Spafford (23*) towards the end of our innings showing the impetus required. Batting second Papplewick soon chased down the target for the loss of only two wickets with a couple of bowlers particularly being put too the sword.

Our one victory came against Sherwood Colliery on what only can be described as a moist Monday evening, the entire journey there requiring windscreen wipers to help us through the Mansfield murk. For those who decided to make the effort to travel, we arrived in steady rainfall to a greasy but not boggy outfield, it was therefore decided that we would make a start in a reduced 15 overs game. After electing to bat one of Claudio's favoured motto’s being “a quick games a good game” (particularly when its raining) was literally taken to heart by some of the Calverton batsmen, playing all round straight balls, gifting catches and generally not doing themselves justice in reaching a disappointing 60 at the end of our allotted overs, Evan Poole top scoring with 16. Now the author of the piece, not only being a tinker man but also a thinker man had become aware whilst umpiring in the rain that scoring the required runs may not be as easy as Sherwood first anticipated. Emphasising this during a rousing team talk, with particular reference to the slowing outfield and a need to bowl straight but not necessarily fast a tactical decision was made to not open with the express pace of Stanley Tatham.
This reaped early rewards once we took the field with Rhyun Nagur removing Sherwood’s star player well caught at point by Erika Bell for 2. Sherwood did then rebuild and at 30-1 after 7 things weren’t looking good but captain Sam inspirationally tossed the ball to Ethan Wright who proceeded to bowl with remarkable control and accuracy for a leg spinner using what resembled a bar of soap to return with figures of 3-2-7-2. Backed up by Ryder Wyatt and Stanley Tatham and some good fielding wickets began to fall and the pressure began to build 53-4 after 12 overs became 58-5 with one over remaining the excitement was palpable. Stanley off a reduced run up had already bowled with improved control but only requiring 3 to win Sherwood were still in the box seat. Stanley however proceeded to send down some excellent death bowling to finish the game and claim victory with a double wicket maiden.
Certainly a game of two halves, we must improve our batting but the bowlers and the fielders can be proud of their resilience in the field to snatch victory from what seemed a certain loss.
 
Men/Women of the match- The bowlers and fielders

EASY RYDER
 
On a rare! delightful summers evening at GLA, Calverton under 13's belatedly began their 2016 season, in a league and cup double header against Hucknall CC. Batting first, things were looking ominous with both openers Jack Spafford and Logan Wyatt departing for ducks followed shortly by captain Ethan Scully, also without troubling the scorer. With the total on 22 for 4 after 4 overs a lot now rested on the shoulders of senior pro Ryder Wyatt and the younger less experienced members of the side to put runs on the scoreboard for us to defend. Although losing Erika Bell and John Kirkby for partners, Ryder remained resolute, ticking the scoreboard along and soon finding an able ally in Teddy Gregan, the pair batted sensibly until the 11th over when Teddy was bowled for 11. The fifth player out of 6 wickets to be bowled highlights a need for work on our defence, shot selection and knowing where our stumps are! The loss of Teddy bought Josh Santos to the crease, who helped Ryder reach the 35 runs required to retire, Josh and Harry Wood then demonstrated some great running between the wickets until Harry was run out in the 17th over trying to push the score along.
Two further run outs then saw Ryder return to the crease to join Josh and get the side to a very respectable 107-9 of the 20 overs, Ryder not out on 42 and Josh also not out on 20.
In reply Hucknall got off to a decent start with boundaries and extras costing us dearly early on. Thankfully Logan then Ryder took a wicket a piece to remove their openers followed by some tight bowling in the middle overs by Teddy, Hamish and John piling the pressure onto Hucknall. This allowed Jack Spafford (2-1-7-2) and Erika Bell to remove Hucknalls middle order in their hunt to chase down the target. A run out by Ryder and a wicket for captain Ethan curtailed any chance of Hucknall reaching our total with the overs running out on the score at 94-7.
From a managers perspective it was nice to get an early victory, whilst also progressing in the cup.
As a team though we certainly need to learn and improve in the batting department, particularly in our defence and running between the wickets.
 
MOM- Undoubtedly Ryder Wyatt

Despite it being Mid Monsoon season the under 10’s managed to complete their second game of the season on a humid but overcast “Summer’s” morning. Winning the toss Calverton opted to bat first and got off to a solid start with 25 runs from the first two pairs without the loss of any wickets. Caythorpe’s bowler’s then had a magical spell taking 5 wickets in 12 balls, which really put the brakes on the scoreboard. The last pair of Lachlan and Jacob managed some better running between the wickets and when batting straight Jacob demonstrated some excellent technique. With a final score of 197 the only chance of victory would be to bowl accurately and to take regular wickets.  In what was a game of two halves the bowling and fielding was nothing short of excellent, with only 3 byes conceded in his first ever hardball match Dan kept admirably and after the first two pairs had completed their overs we were in with a very good shout with runs hard to come by, very few extras and 4 wickets taken, Caythorpe were only on 195. Unfortunately the boys only managed one more wicket so Caythorpe finished on 229, but Jacob’s catch and Lachlans superb bowling were the highlights of a good display.  
 
Man of the match – Lachlan Corns- 4 wickets for 8 runs from 3 overs.
 
Calverton 197 for 7
Caythorpe 229 for 5

On a bitterly cold Summers evening (you’d be easily mistaken for thinking it more 1st February to 1st June) the under 11’s registered their first victory of the season.
Opting to field first Josh and Harry both took a wicket a piece in their first overs meaning that after the first pair the score was only 7 with the loss of two wickets. The improvements in the field were particularly noticeable and this resulted in two run outs. On a cold evening with a wet ball it was difficult to keep control at times and again we gave way a number of unnecessary runs through wides and no balls, but tonight wickets were taken throughout the innings so in the end Calverton were able to restrict MHM to a net score of 210.
 
The boys were understandably pleased with their first half performance but if wickets were lost it would be in vain, so the main instruction was to keep their wickets in tact. They did this superbly and didn’t lose a wicket until the 13th over. Runs were scored throughout the innings by everyone, but particularly pleasing was the calling and running between the wickets. The improvements in this area since the start of the season have been brilliant, with understanding about hitting gaps and early calling really starting to shine through.
 
So in the end with 270 being scored and only one wicket lost the boys can be very proud of a good display, again played completely in the right spirit, if not the right temperature.
 
Well done to you all. Man of the Match Harry Beak – 10 runs and 1 wicket for only 3 runs from his two overs.
 
MHM 258 Net 210
Calverton 270 net 264

Another closely fought contest V Kirkby Portland with Calverton just falling short of their first victory of the season.  A couple of people away meant a few younger players turning out for us, but all performing admirably. Kirkby won the toss and opted to bowl first. Some solid batting throughout, but 4wickets lost in the first two pairs left the last two pairs with lots to do to post a defendable score. No more wickets were lost and Toby and Charlie batted last up amassing the highest partnership to date (20) without losing a wicket. 3 x4's from Charlie really helping the cause. This took the score up to a very defendable 230. When looking to defend a score such as this, the bowling needs to be tight, giving away few extras whilst taking the odd wicket. This was exactly how we started, with only 1 run and 1 wicket coming from the first 2 overs.
Chances came but weren't quite taken but a great catch taken in the 18th over meant the scores were all but level with 14 balls remaining. A wicket or two would swing it our way, and likewise a few runs would swing it theirs. Incredibly for the second time in two games, the stumps were hit without the bails coming off and the Kirkby batsman stood firm to keep their wickets in tact. Some massive improvements in a number of areas and again played in the right spirit. Well done to you all.

MOM- Charlie Mcnamee- very well batted.

Calverton 254 for 4 net score 230
Kirkby Portland 252 for 2 net score 240

The Under 10s had their first outing of the year and suffered a narrow defeat to West Bridgfordians on a splendid summers morning up at the GLA.
 
West Bridgfordians batted first and their first pair gave a great example of batting with intent and running between the wickets, picking up singles at every opportunity until a direct run out hit from Cameron gave us the first wicket. The bowling was tight throughout with only 4 wides being bowled in a total of 18 overs. To say that it was the first hardball game for 4 of our players they can be very proud of the bowling display, taking six wickets between them (and another two which unfortunately didn’t break the bails) meant that we would need 43 runs to win.
 
On the whole the batting was straight and the calling from Dan Lane was particularly impressive. We scored a total of 45 runs but unfortunately lost 3 wickets in the process so meant that we finished 16 runs short of the required total. When you consider we bowled another two people out and had an unnecessary run out of our own. it was an incredibly close game, played in the right spirit which could have gone either way. Well done to you all.
 
W/B 278 for 6 – net 242
Calvo 245 for 3 – net 227