Disclaimer
This blog has not been reviewed by the ECB, the LTA, Somerset Cricket, the NHS Upper GI Department or anyone with enough common sense to tell the Richardt household that one sport per weekend is perfectly acceptable. Any similarities between an Upper GI emergency list and our family calendar are entirely intentional. While patients are monitored using NEWS2 scores, our son is currently monitored using tennis rankings, bowling figures, cricket averages and whether there are enough snacks left in the boot of the car. If symptoms of sporting overload persist, please consult your local fixture secretary rather than your GP.
After the successful U10 tennis tournament in Frome—successful from a tennis perspective, if not necessarily from an emotional one—it was time for the Richardt household to swap rackets for cricket bats once again.
The regular league season has now finished, meaning attention turns to the cup competition. Ilton found themselves in a group alongside South Petherton, North Perrott B and Lydford. As with all grassroots sport, however, nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it first appears.
Before a single ball had even been bowled, North Perrott announced that they were unable to raise a second team. One fixture disappeared before anyone had even packed the scorebook.
Ilton’s opening cup fixture against South Petherton unfortunately didn’t go according to plan. South Petherton were comfortably the better side on the day. That said, Ilton were missing two rather important players. Our son was otherwise engaged representing Taunton Cricket Club at the U10 Festival at the Somerset County Ground, while Beauden was there too. Losing two of your stronger players rarely improves your chances of causing an upset.
South Petherton then comfortably defeated Lydford, confirming their place in the finals. That left Sunday’s fixture with an interesting twist.
Originally, everyone assumed this was simply a battle for second place. During the week, however, rumours started circulating through the ancient grapevine of junior cricket administration that perhaps—just perhaps—the best second-placed team across the groups might also qualify for the semi-finals.
Notice the wording there: might.
Nobody seemed entirely certain.
Somebody knew somebody who had heard from somebody else who apparently knew the regulations.
In other words, classic grassroots sport.
One immediate improvement over Saturday’s tennis adventure was the departure time.
Instead of leaving home at 8 o’clock for a 10am tennis start in Frome, Sunday’s home fixture allowed the Richardt household the luxury of not leaving until 9:15.
Practically a lie-in.
When we arrived, Lydford were already there while around half of the Ilton team were warming up.
The first thing that immediately caught everyone’s attention wasn’t their cricket ability.
It was their height.
Every single Lydford player seemed to have discovered some previously unknown growth hormone hidden somewhere in rural Somerset. They all appeared to be towards the older end of the U10 age range and, thanks to league regulations allowing U12 girls to participate, their two female players may well have been older still.
Standing opposite them, several of the Ilton players looked positively tiny.
Apart from George.
George is ten years old but has somehow already reached approximately adult dimensions. He fitted into the Lydford line-up perfectly.
The remainder of the Ilton squad featured several All Stars graduates who, whilst perhaps lacking in height and experience, certainly made up for it with enthusiasm.
Another welcome surprise arrived before the toss.
Earlier in the week, coach James had sent a message announcing that the club’s brand-new playing shirts had finally arrived.
There is something surprisingly satisfying about seeing an entire junior team dressed identically. It gives a real sense of belonging, team spirit and unity.
It also makes it considerably easier for slightly confused parents to identify which children actually belong to their team.
Despite Ilton having ten players and Lydford arriving with only eight, it was agreed that everyone would simply play a sixteen-over match.
Sometimes common sense really does prevail.
Ilton were asked to field first and immediately settled well.
Before the game I reminded our son about the feedback we’d received during the Somerset Cricket observation day.
His bowling, we were told, needed just one adjustment.
Stop trying to be perfect.
Go for it.
Bowl with intent.
Accuracy will come later.
It’s surprisingly good advice—not just in cricket, but in life generally.
Rather than worrying about placing every delivery perfectly, he simply concentrated on bowling positively.
The result?
Two wickets.
Not bad at all.
In fact, Ilton produced an excellent all-round bowling performance, dismissing six Lydford batters and restricting them to 298 runs after sixteen overs. Under junior pairs cricket scoring, that left Ilton chasing an adjusted target of 268.
Game on.
Ilton’s reply started steadily.
The batting wasn’t explosive, but it didn’t need to be.
Partnership by partnership they quietly chipped away at the target.
Lydford also managed to claim six wickets during the innings, but pleasingly our son wasn’t among them.
That’s now two consecutive matches in which he has remained unbeaten.
As every parent knows, once your child survives one innings without getting out, the statistic suddenly becomes highly significant.
Two matches?
Clearly we’re witnessing the beginning of an international career.
Probably.
Then came the confusion.
As the match drew towards its conclusion, it gradually emerged that the final batting pair wasn’t actually going to count towards the official result.
Whether this was because of player numbers, competition regulations or one of the many wonderfully mysterious calculations unique to junior pairs cricket remains slightly unclear.
The calculators came out.
Parents gathered around the scorebook.
Children continued eating snacks completely oblivious to the drama unfolding around them.
Eventually the verdict arrived.
Ilton had won.
By a single run.
One.
Single.
Run.
It was undoubtedly the closest junior cricket match I’ve watched so far.
The celebrations were entirely justified.
What perhaps made the victory even sweeter was the context.
Several of Ilton’s players are still developing through the All Stars programme and are relatively inexperienced compared with some of the opposition.
On paper, Lydford probably looked the stronger, bigger and more experienced side.
On the field, however, none of that mattered.
The boys battled brilliantly, supported one another throughout and somehow found a way to cross the finishing line first.
Sometimes sport ignores the script.
Those are usually the best days.
And so…
We wait.
South Petherton are deservedly through.
Whether Ilton now sneak into the semi-finals as the best second-placed side appears to depend entirely upon decisions made by what can only be described as the mysterious Mid Wessex Cricket Gods.
Their ways are unknown.
Their calculations are hidden.
Their spreadsheets are, presumably, magnificent.
Over to you, James…
What’s the verdict?
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