Match reports.
Yorkshire U12A v Warwickshire U12 (2xT20), held at at Berkswell CC on Tuesday 24th July 2018.
Game 1
Yorkshire 123-3 (Jawad Akhtar 38*) off beat Warwickshire 121-7 by 2 runs.
Yorkshire won the toss and decided to bat on an excellent pitch, in perfect batting conditions, knowing they would field 1st in the 2nd game. Yorkshire got off to an excellent start with Rohan Ratnalingham (16) and Noah Kelly (15) regularly picking up quick singles and hitting the bad ball to the boundary. Both were out in quick succession, shortly followed by Sabir Mahmood (6). But, Jawad Akhtar steadied the ship and batted very well for 38 not out to set a challenging total of 124 to win.
Warwickshire immediately lost their 1st wicket and tight bowling had them behind the run rate, backed up by again some excellent Yorkshire fielding. Warwickshire lost wickets at regular intervals, mainly due to run outs, but were still in the game as Amir Khan (46*) held the innings together. With 3 to win off the last ball, the facing Warwickshire batsman missed the ball to seal a 2 run win for Yorkshire in another outstanding game of cricket.
Full scorecard available HERE.
Game 2
Yorkshire (Tom Burton 29, Noak Kelly 25) 117-6 beat Warwickshire 113-5 by 4 wickets.
Yorkshire bowled first in the 2nd game and Elliot Robinson got an early breakthrough with the new ball. Runs came steadily rather than quickly through Y Khalil (44) and J Jacob (56), but a total of 114 to win was very achievable, with Jawad Akhtar picking up 2 for 2 at the death.
After an early set back, Sabir Mahmood (20) and pinch hitter Louie Owens (16) put Yorkshire well in control. When they fell, the pace was picked up by Noah Kelly (25) and Tom Burton (29). But, when they fell, Yorkshire still needed 18 off 18 balls and Warwickshire were still in the game. Enter Tom Wood! Tom hit two 4s in succession in the last over to seal a very satisfying day for the U12s with two wins out of two.
Full scorecard available HERE.
Yorkshire U12A v Nottinghamshire U12, held at Acomb CC on Thursday 26th July 2018.
Yorkshire 134-2 beat Nottinghamshire 133-9 by 8 wickets
Notts won the toss and elected to bat on another sunny day, with thunderstorms forecast late afternoon. Wickets fell steadily, led by Josh Hen-Boisen (9-4-10-2); who has been the most consistent bowler of the season so far, regularly picking up wickets and not giving away many runs. Most of the Yorkshire bowlers picked up wickets before the innings finished on 133 for 9 with T Robinson on 31 not out and Jawad Akhtar finishing with bowling figures of 6-3-8-3.
Yorkshire were set a challenge by coach Mark Harrison to knock the runs off in 30 overs by playing positive cricket, with thunderstorms on the horizon. After an early set back, Rohan Ratnalingham (22) steadied the ship and set the base for Sabir Mahmood to demonstrate what a potentially outstanding batsman he is. He played some magnificent shots, especially through mid on and mid off, and finished with 85 not out and completely outclassed the Notts bowling. Sabir was well supported by Jawad Akhtar (18*) to seal a comfortable victory by 8 wickets with 19 overs to spare.