Disclaimer
This blog entry contains cricket, mild parental exaggeration, statistical enthusiasm, and a completely unnecessary amount of emotional investment in children throwing balls at wooden sticks. No Beaminster cricketers were permanently harmed during the making of this report, although for approximately five minutes some of them did appear to have seen the future and found it disappointing.
After the introduction of our new kitten in the previous entry, it is now time to return to the things that truly matter in the Richardt household.
No, not sleep.
No, not domestic organisation.
Sporting activities.
This morning it was cricket again, which does mean that junior parkrun is currently being treated with the sort of neglect usually reserved for New Year’s resolutions and instruction manuals. We still love parkrun, obviously. It is just that cricket has muscled its way into the calendar with the confidence of a sport that lasts several hours and requires everyone to stand in a field pretending they are warm.
Today’s fixture was a home match against Beaminster.
Earlier in the season, Ilton had played Beaminster in the opening match and won. This meant Beaminster arrived with the clear intention of revenge. Sporting revenge, of course. The civilised kind. The kind involving polite applause, packed lunches, and the occasional small child trying to hit another small child’s bowling into the next postcode.
Weather-wise, it was not warm by any stretch of the imagination. It was, however, not raining.
Yet.
In Somerset, this is considered meteorological optimism.
We had a full team available. Or at least we thought we had a full team available, which in junior sport is the same as saying “everything is perfectly organised” approximately seven seconds before discovering it is not. With ten players on either side, it was agreed to play a 20-over match. Then it appeared that Lucas could not attend, meaning Ilton had nine players to Beaminster’s ten.
Naturally, the match continued.
This is cricket. Numbers are important, except when they are inconvenient, at which point everyone agrees to carry on and someone’s dad quietly tries to work out what that means for batting pairs.
Ilton lost the toss and Beaminster elected to field, meaning Ilton were batting first.
Opening the batting were Beauden and Ethan — I think. Opening batting is never easy. It is cold, everyone is watching, and you are expected to set the tone for the entire team while your hands feel like they have been replaced by two supermarket freezer blocks.
Beauden has some experience as an opening batter, and luckily this time things went better than the previous match against North Perrott. Both Beauden and Ethan lost one wicket each, but they got through their spell and gave Ilton a platform.
Next came the two Eddies: Eddie S. and Eddie R.
The new partnership went splendidly. Between them they produced 9 runs, which was useful, but more importantly they did not get bowled out. In pairs cricket, not losing wickets is sometimes the most glorious contribution you can make. It is not glamorous, it will not make the back pages of The Guardian, but it keeps the scoreboard moving in the right direction rather than being dragged backwards like a supermarket trolley with one broken wheel.
George and Joseph were up next and looked solid, producing 20 runs between them, with George losing one wicket.
Then came Ted and Toto, who also produced 20 runs, although both lost a wicket each. This is the emotional balance of junior cricket: runs giveth, wickets taketh away.
The final “pair” was Toto and Henry. Toto had faced the fewest balls during the batting innings, so he was given more opportunity to get onto the scorecard. Henry then produced some late magic. Facing 17 balls, he defended the stumps superbly and scored 25 runs.
It was calm, controlled, and very useful.
Also, from a parental perspective, deeply appreciated.
Ilton finished on 304.
For those unfamiliar with junior pairs cricket scoring — and frankly, for those familiar with it but still suspicious — teams start on 200. Ilton scored 129 runs with the bat, but lost 5 wickets, with each wicket costing 5 runs.
So:
200 + 129 – 25 = 304.
Simple.
Unless you are watching from the boundary while trying to drink coffee, find gloves, discuss bowling orders, and work out whether the dark cloud above you is moving closer or just judging you from a distance.
Beaminster therefore needed 305 to win, which meant they had to add 105 runs from their innings.
And then Ilton started bowling.
James had done some extensive fielding training last Tuesday, and I have to say the boys were clearly listening. This is always slightly surprising as a parent, because at home listening appears to be an optional activity, usually reserved for phrases such as “ice cream” or “Nintendo”.
But today the fielding was exceptional.
The boys were alert, energetic, switched on, and moving as a team. They backed each other up, attacked the ball, and looked like a side that had properly understood the importance of not letting easy runs leak away.
But the truly outstanding part was the bowling.
Ilton took 11 wickets.
Eleven.
This is not a typo.
Eleven wickets in a junior cricket match.
Beauden took 1 wicket.
Henry took 2 wickets.
Toto took 1 wicket, helped by a superb catch from Eddie S.
Then our son took 4 wickets in one over.
Four wickets.
In one over.
There are moments in junior sport where you try to remain calm and dignified as a parent. You nod politely. You clap in a measured way. You behave like a mature adult who understands this is about development, teamwork, enjoyment, and long-term sporting growth.
Then your child takes four wickets in one over and you briefly become a cricketing lunatic on the boundary.
Ted then followed with 3 wickets.
Our son and Ted bowled back-to-back overs and took 7 wickets in 12 balls.
Seven wickets.
Twelve balls.
That is not a bowling spell. That is administrative collapse.
The Beaminster boys, who had started their innings cheering enthusiastically from the side of the pitch, suddenly entered what can only be described as grim-reaper mode. Within five minutes, the atmosphere changed from “we can chase this” to “we may need counselling and possibly a biscuit.”
To be fair to Beaminster, they kept going. They continued batting, running, and supporting each other, which is exactly what junior sport should be about. But Ilton had found one of those rare spells where everything clicks. Bowling, fielding, catching, backing up, energy, attitude — all of it came together.
By the end, Ilton had won by 79 runs.
A brilliant result.
More importantly, it was an excellent bounce-back performance after the defeat against a very good North Perrott side two weeks ago. The boys played out of their skins today. They batted sensibly, fielded sharply, and bowled with confidence and accuracy.
The whole team deserves credit. It was not just one player. It was a collective performance, and that is what made it so impressive.
Naturally, because this is the Richardt household, there is no danger of next weekend being quiet.
There is no league match next Sunday, which sounds like a peaceful development until you remember who we are.
Our son and Ted have both been invited to the Somerset Cricket Pathway Observation Day in the morning. That is in Weston.
Then, in the afternoon, our son is representing Taunton in the U10 Club Championships. That is in Burnham-on-Sea.
There are approximately 90 minutes between the two.
This means that, in theory, everything should be fine.
In practice, this will almost certainly involve a packed bag, several snacks, a careful calculation of traffic, and at least one adult muttering something about why hobbies were invented.
Still, after today’s performance, the boys can go into next weekend with real confidence.
Ilton were excellent.
The bowling was ruthless.
The fielding was sharp.
The weather held.
And Beaminster, for a brief and unforgettable five-minute spell, discovered that hope is a fragile thing when two Ilton boys decide to take 7 wickets in 12 balls.
Cricket, as ever, remains a relaxing Sunday morning activity.
Apparently.
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