Match report.
Yorkshire U13A v Wales U13, held at Shrewsbury School on Sunday 17th June 2018.
Yorkshire 225-6 (Leo Diffey 62*, Elias Smith 38, Alex Cree 30) beat Wales 138 all out.
Yorkshire captain Alex Cree won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket that looked full of runs. After the early loss of Sam Spenceley (1), Matthew Hood (22) and Cree (30) began to lay the foundations for a large total. However, the Wales bowlers found plenty of seam movement and bounce, restricting the scoring rate. Both batsmen fell in quick succession, along with Zak Jahangir (1). This brought Isaac Light (24) and Elias Smith (38) together, who played cautiously at first, against an all spin attack, before becoming more expansive. With the score on 120, Light fell to a leg side hit, bringing Leo Diffey (62*) to the crease. Excellent running between the wickets and the punishing of bad balls to the boundary led to a 70 run partnership in just 15 overs. Smith eventually fell to a good delivery, bringing Lachlan Doidge (8*) to the crease. The innings ended in drizzle, with Yorkshire closing on 225-6 in their 45 overs. An impressive innings first up!
After a delay because of rain and both teams wanting to play, it was agreed to use a variation of the Duckworth Lewis rule, with Wales being set a target of 147 in 35 overs. A challenge for both teams! George Crowther (2-18) and Diffey (1-13) both made early inroads to the Wales top order. The introduction of spin in the form of Caleb Bradford (2-14) and Alex Wood (2-18) left Wales in a precarious position at 67-7 after 20 overs. However, a spirited partnership of 42 runs for the eighth wicket threatened to snatch victory away from the Yorkshire boys. The introduction of Smith (2-17) broke the partnership, but some late hitting took the Wales team within 9 runs of victory, before Man of the Match, Diffey, ran out the last man as they attempted a suicidal second run.
A hard fought victory and promising performances from all the squad.
Full scorecard available HERE.