Another disappointing result for the U11 side but hopefully one for their batsmen to learn from. Barnet reached 104 for 5, with Jamal putting up another good display with 2 for 21 from his 4 overs with in general excellent work from all of the bowlers and the fielding, which included catches for Harry Westfall and Jessica Levy (proving to her mother that she doesn't catch like a girl!)

The reply was steady to begin with, 19 coming from the first 5 overs without loss. At this point though we saw a catalogue of run outs. All the batsmen were to blame as poor calls for singles or non existent second runs were rarely greeted with the required loud shout of 'NO'. Instead everyone just kept on running....back to the pavillion - 5 run outs in total, including 4 of the top 5. George once again top scored with 11, a pity that he played on just when he was looking to get into his stride.

In the end the side were all out for 57 in the 18th over, but it really could have been a lot closer.
 

It was a somewhat depleted Cockfosters side that travelled to Potters Bar, and that is never the best way against a side which includes 2 members of the Herts U11 side and 2 members of the Middx U10 side.

All of the bowlers and fielders stuck to their task and despite skipper George Uttley being got after by one of their county stars, wickets soon began to fall. Most impressive at such a young age was James Cassidy who took 3 for 21 from his 4 overs. In the end though a score of 139 was always going to be a tough ask.

In reply a fast start was made with the score reaching 30 for 1 from 6 overs with George looking impressive in making 17. His wicket was always going to be vital and once it fell it was left to the rest of this young side to try to bat out the overs and gain some useful experience. This they managed in taking the score on to 54 for 9 at the end of the allotted 20 overs.
 

After 2 washouts it was some sunny weather at last for the Under 11 team. They went in to this game though without their skipper George Uttley, and after losing the toss they soon found themselves on 5 for 3 after 3 overs and then 12 for 5 after 5 overs. The best batting display came from Robert Towler and debutant James Cassidy who stuck it out to put on 19 runs for the 7th wicket and therefore take the side to a respectable total - and just as importantly to bat through the full 20 overs.

In reply Winchmore Hill got off to a fast start, taking 20 from the first 4 overs. Jamal switched to bowling round the wicket and got immediate rewards with 2 wickets from 3 deliveries - a back foot leg before followed by a smart caught and bowled. This was to be the last success though as Winchmore Hill easily got to the required total in the 9th over.

Despite the margin of defeat, this was a far more promising display by the Under 11s coming up against what turned out to be a very good Potters Bar side containing a lot of players from the previous season's encounter.

Cockfosters batted first and were quickly in trouble at 0 for 2 as Morgan and Jamal fell early on. George took up the attack with an excellent 35 runs containing a number of boundaries, and he was crucially supported by Robert Towler, who may only have made 4 runs but helped George maintain the momentum of the innings and hold it together.

In reply though the Potters Bar openers showed real class in dispatching any bad delivery. Overall the bowlers stuck to their task and bowled much better than they had at Brondesbury - they simply came up against a better team.
 

Thursday April 26th U11 Cup Cockfosters 69 for 5 lost to Brondesbury 70 for 3 by 7 wickets

Despite the recent good weather Cockfosters turned up on a bitterly cold evening with just 10 players to take on what looked like a good Brondesbury outfit. New skipper George Uttley won the toss and decided to bat first on a good matting pitch.

Early on this went well as Morgan Holmes played steadily at one end while George played good shots at the other. However George was well caught for 12 and then Jamal Faisal was unfortunately run out. The innings then lost impetus with wides and extras making vital contributions. Crucially Morgan stayed around the entire innings for 11 not out and helped Cockfosters post what looked like a reasonable total of 69 for 5.

The Brondesbury innings was immediately in trouble as 3 wickets fell for just 9 runs to excellent bowling from Jamal and George. Crucially though Jessica Levy's opening over contained a dropped catch and a missed run out chance against the numbers 4 and 5 batsmen, who then went on to put on an excellent partnership to see Brondesbury home with a few overs to spare. Catches win matches as they say and this was very true here - a lot of promise though for the forthcoming league campaign with a few key players expected to return.