Sports Reports

Tuesday 27 April: U8 Kwik Cricket v St Bernard’s (a)  Report by Gurmehar Sumra

It was a lovely sunny day at St Bernard’s for the first U8 cricket match of the summer.  St Bernard’s won the toss and chose to bowl.

Ravin and Amar opened the batting with Ravin scoring the first 6 of the game.  Gurmehar and Hassan continued the batting with some fine shots and without losing a wicket.  Then the fireworks arrived with Kanvir and Captain Raghuv, with Kanvir scoring 5 sixes in one over – amazing!  Further fine batting from Ali, Isa, Vishal, Rhianna and Darlene took the total up to a commanding 272.

Darlene got a wicket with a 4^th ball of the innings followed quickly by Ravin.  Gurmehar with his spin and Raghuv with his pace got more wickets and completed by a brilliant final wicket from Rhianna.  St Bernard’s finished on 215, a big super win for Long Close.

Final Score: Long Close 272 beat St Bernard’s 215.

Wednesday 28 April: U10 Pairs Cricket v St Bernard’s (h)  Report by Mr David Sargeant

Score St Bernard’s 264  Long Close school 224

This was a valiant effort by our schools up and coming cricketers given that the main cohort of the team were drawn from Years 3&4 and set against Year 5’s from St Bernard’s.

Although technically very adept in bat - our boys struggled to bowl effectively on such a large wicket and ended up loosing the game to an abundance of wide and no balls.

There were some moments of inspiration however. Big hits from Thomas and Kanvir as well as astonishing catches from Raghuv and Gurnoor.

Wednesday 28 April: Colts Cricket v Langley Manor (h)  Report by Mr David Brazier, Master in Charge of Cricket

The Colts Cricket Team this year is in many ways the summation of what I have been trying to achieve at Long Close in the last four years. The aim has been to provide basic, technical, coaching over the winter for pupils in year 3 and 4 which will enable the standard of cricket played to develop in years 5 and 6. 

Cricket is such a technical game that requires proper coaching and failure to master the basic prevents later development and playing the game at a higher level. These winter sessions have proved to be invaluable and the effects of this time spent are now clear to see in terms of performance. There is huge enthusiasm for cricket amongst Long Close pupils and this energy is now being directed in a positive way. Investment in new cricket nets, cricket coaching equipment and a bowling machine have all helped to further development.

Our first match was a gentle warm-up of 16 overs against Langley Manor. We won the toss and elected to bat. Our opening pair started well striking the ball hard, but the foundation of our total came from an excellent innings from Crawford Wilson, our Berkshire under 10 player. Crawford is technically excellent and has a patient temperament. He scored a carefully constructed 18 not out and Shamir Ahmad was 12 not out at the other end. Our total of 95-2 was considerably boosted by the number of wides Langley Manor bowled – totalling 36 in extras! Our calling and running between the wickets was particularly pleasing.

Our opening bowler and captain Sohil Mangat is formidable and the Langley Manor opening pair had no answer to his straight thunderbolts. He removed two batsmen in his first over and finished with figures of 2-2-0-3 - an outstanding contribution. If we had left him on for his full four overs the match would have been over very quickly. At the other end Crawford Wilson also bowled tidily with figures of 2-0-3-1. The pick of the other bowlers was Kabir Bahia with 2-0-3-1. Our fielding was good – apart from a couple of dropped catches and Oliver Hussain was tidy behind the stumps. Langley finished their innings on 37-6 – Long Close Victory!

Next week we are away to Milbourne Lodge which will be a sterner test of our mettle!

Tuesday 4 May: U9 Cricket v Milbourne Lodge (a) (Win for LCS)  Report by Mr E Jones

On the 4^th May Long Close travelled away to play Cricket against Milbourne Lodge. The toss was won by LCS and Captain Rahul opted to bowl. Rhaguv came in like a rocket to take his first wicket. He went on to take a staggering 5 wickets in total. His accuracy, pitch and tactical bowling should be commended. Great bowling was also seen by Kanvir, an all-round sportsman who takes to any sport. His conviction and attitude is second to none. Everyone jumped for joy and amazement in his effort of taking his first wicket – the middle stump looked like tumbling into next year. Milbourne Lodge finished their innings on 67 for 9.

LCS were determined to win. Rahul and Raghuv opened the batting after tea. Mrs Holland looked on with anticipation, unsure, I’m sure, of whom to support the most. When Thomas and Kanvir came in to bat the match started to hot up. Kanvir settled into his usual assertive style and began to accumulate his runs. Thomas equally assertive demonstrated his passion for excelling and played some great coordinative strokes. Kanvir scored 30 runs. Well done Kanvir. With 5 wickets taken by Milbourne Lodge and a strong innings of batting this proved too much for Milbourne Lodge. Victory to LCS was well deserved. Well done to all players.

Wednesday 5 May: Colts Cricket v Milbourne Lodge (a)  Report by Mr David Brazier, Master in Charge of Cricket

T/20 – each bowler restricted to 4 overs / Milbourne Lodge won by six wickets

I said this would be a sterner test of our mettle … Milbourne Lodge had two district players and a Surrey opening bowler in their team; to defeat them we would have needed a modicum of luck and to have played at the top of our game.  The setting was lovely, Mrs Hollands’ new school nestled in some beautiful grounds in Esher.

We lost the toss and were asked to bat on a damp wicket where the bounce was variable. It was important that our two best batsmen made a good start, but sadly Sohil Mangat fell for 4 and Crawford Wilson 0, both boys received excellent deliveries from the Surrey bowler and could have done little to avoid calamity!  Shamir Ahmad and Kabir Bahia attempted a fight back, Kabir producing the shot of the day – a crashing cover drive. But by-and-large we lacked patience and no one gave themself a chance to really get in and make a big score. Too many batsmen were stumped and not aware where their bats should be in the crease. Milbourne Lodge’s support bowlers were poor and they bowled numerous wides which gave us a score of 58 all out. It was about 30 runs short of a decent total.

Our bowling attack performed better than our batsman had: Sohil was again aggressive and accurate bowling a maiden to start with and taking a wicket in his second over. Kabir also began with a maiden. Crawford bowled an excellent spell and finished with figures of 4-1-7-3 – his three wickets were all bowled. Our forth bowler Shamir was variable, but his spinners have potential. Our fielding was variable under pressure and we dropped two fairly difficult catches, but these are the sort of chances we must work to pick up if we are to defeat good teams.

So match lost; the boys were very disappointed with themselves and a few tears were shed. I was very proud of them and think it good that they had been tested and took defeat in a serious way. We will take the learning away from this match and move on; we are a young team featuring six players from Year 5. The team looked very smart, most had the school cricket jumpers on and their behavior was immaculate.

One of the reasons I love cricket so much is that it teaches you so much about yourself, there is no hiding when you do not perform well and it teaches you to confront the truth about yourself – as my wicket keeper said to the rest of the team after the match, ‘Sorry everyone, I wasn’t very good today!’ I admired his honesty and strength of character.

Wednesday 5 May: U13 Cricket v Thorpe House (a) (Win for LCS)  Report by Mr E Jones

On Wednesday the 5^th May Long Close School visited Thorpe House for a game of Cricket where undoubtedly the underdogs would need a great deal of skill to win. Captain Callum Carter won the toss and elected to bowl first. Cameron Dhanywar was given the honour of the first over. On the 4^th ball he bowled the opening batsman middle stump. Alexander King was then asked to resume this steady start, although a few wides were given. In the 6^th over Amrik Bachra picked up two wickets. Callum Carter bowled well with some quick deliveries and scaring the batsman. Vishal Kumar bowled some economical bowling and picked up spin. Thorpe House eventually ended up with a score of 57 for 8.

Long Close went into tea with high spirits and proud of the total they were chasing. At tea both teams mingled with one another and Long Close came out to win. The aim was 58 in 15 overs. Vishal Kumar and Callum Carter came to open the batting and Callum saw the first over as a maiden, putting pressure in the run rate. Vishal faced some express bowling from the other end and hit the first ball for four with an immaculate cover drive. Mohsin Zafer came in at number 3 and hit some big shots. With Callum being caught by a top edged shot allowed Amrik Bachra to come in at number 4. Soon after Alexander King came in apprehensively. He built on confidence and soon notched up a great score. When Harvir Basram came in to bat he secured the victory with secure shots and through looking for the singles. It must be said that Long Close should be proud of their performance, not only through their skills but from their attitude also. Long Close really wanted to win and were inspired by each other. This was a great result. Well done to all the players.

Tuesday 11 May: U9 Cricket v St Bernard’s (a)  By Gurmehar Sumra

It was a lovely sunny day at St Bernard’s.  St Bernard’s won the toss and chose to bowl.  Raghuv was the captain and both he and Kanvir opened the batting with some lovely shots.  Thomas and Ravin continued the batting with Thomas scoring 25 runs in an over with some fine shots.  That was excellent to watch.

Aaryan, Amar, Sam, Rishi, Gurmehar and Akash continued the batting with Gurmehar especially scoring with some fine shots.  With a lot of wide balls Long Close closed with a commanding score of 281.  Raghuv opened the bowling and on his 3^rd ball got a lovely first wicket to get Long Close off to a good start.  Long Close fielded really well and got more wickets with some fine bowling.  St Bernard’s ended on 209 runs for a very big victory for Long Close.

Final Score: Long Close 281 beat St Bernard’s 209.

Tuesday 18 May: U9 Cricket v Chesham Prep (a)  Report by Mr E Jones

On the Tuesday 18^th May LCS travelled to Chesham Prep school to play hard ball Cricket. LCS won the toss and elected to bowl. Kanvir, although nursing an injury to his thumb,put himself on the front line as the wicket keeper, a very brave gesture in the circumstances. In fact, his parents were understandably concerned. Kanvir was adamant that he was going to play and not let his team down. Rhaguv’s bowling was mainly outstanding, apart from the odd 100mph ball that deviated slightly out of control to produce some byes. The wickets fell steadily with Rahul, Ravinpal, Raghuv and Thomas taking the wickets. With spectacular saves from Kanvir the opposition seemed pretty strong in bat, with one particular player from Chesham declaring at 50 runs. The total score was 159 runs for 4 wickets by tea.

LCS emerged after tea with the opening batsmen of Raghuv and Kanvir. The crowd could only watch in awe as this double act displayed some wonderful shots that adults would be proud of. Whether it was tactical or by accident one ball pitched short and Kanvir left his crease. Raghuv was soon caught out in the same manner. It was then time for the rest of the team to fight for their honour. Sadly it wasn’t our day and the wickets fell rather dramatically with LCS totalling 45 runs all out. This match against Chesham Prep was an invaluable lesson. The players have much to learn from not only the fundamental physical requirements of the game but of etiquette and tactics which are a true and strong part to the game. A special thankyou and praise must once again go to Kanvir for his fantastic team effort. Well done.

Wednesday 19 May: Colts (U11) Cricket v St Bernard’s (h)  Report by Mr David Brazier

T/10 March - Long Close 84-2 beat St Bernards - 29 - 6.  Match Won by 55 runs.

Wednesday 19 May: U10 Cricket v Langley Manor (h)

Friday 21 May: Colts Cricket 6’s (away at Davenies)  Report by Mr David Brazier

Tuesday 25 May: U9 Cricket v Thorpe House (a) – 10-a-aside pairs Kwik Cricket  Report by Mr E Jones

On Tuesday 25^th May LCS travelled to Thorpe House school to play a 10-a-side pairs windball game of Cricket. LCS won the toss and elected to bat first. With Akash and Rhaguv away with illness the team sought strength in others. Rhiana, Darlene and Vishal complemented the side very well. The simple part of the game is, of course, to make more runs than the opposition. With pairs Cricket players are given the opportunity to bat and bowl allowing a full experience of the roles of the game. Runs were notched up on the scoreboard but silly mistakes of run-outs were the dampeners on our game. With every wicket fall 5 runs from our total. Our top scorers were Thomas, who scored 10, Kanvir – 12 and Rahul – 10. The final result was 193 runs before the break.

Thorpe House went in to bat for their innings. The same number of wickets fell – 11 in total but the total kept rising and rising. The odd wicket being taken here and there wasn’t showing to be enough. Then, there was a surge of brilliance. Kanvir and Thomas made an outstanding contribution to the bowling and the match became very exciting. The team lifted their spirits and began to stop the single runs from the opposition. The spirit of LCS became so strong they believed they could win. Sadly this remarkable effort wasn’t enough and Thorpe House finished with a grand total of 231 runs. I believe that LCS pupils learnt more than winning or losing from this match. The maturity has grown over the year, especially during the summer season. Players are eager to work hard to win. They are also starting to appreciate that everyone can contribute to a team and have qualities they can bring to the team. Although winning is always nice, there is an appreciation of playing together and success achieved even when being on the losing side. Well done to all those involved. A special well done to the contribution of the girls, Darlene and Rhiana, as well as Vishal’s great bowling.  LCS Cricket v Thorpe House - Match Lost

Wednesday 26 May: U13 Cricket v Davenies (h)  Report by Mr E Jones

On Wednesday 26^th May LCS played Cricket against Davenies Prep School. Davenies won the toss and elected to bat first. This was a 20 over match. Davenies set off rather composed, notching up some clever singles and executing the odd four here and there. It wasn’t long before Callum stormed down the wicket to bowl his opposition batsman clean out. Another wicket fell with Alex King bowling in the 6^th over. There were great spirits shown by LCS players. The game was clearly on.

Davenies got back in the driving seat and LCS found their stride difficult to get back. There were some fantastic fielding from individuals like Callum, sliding along the floor to save the runs and stop the ball going passed the boundary. Rizwan’s great throws, Alex and Vishal’s positive vocal comments spurred the fielding on. Time passed and there was a concern for when the next wicket would come. With great perseverance the wickets began to fall very quickly. Vishal spectacularly caught the ball with a dive and his left hand. He almost looked like superman in mid flight. Callum caught another ball in the same over.  Two overs later Callum took another wicket through another great delivery. Sai and Cameron added to the power of the bowling. They should be proud of their accurate and fast deliveries. Although the wickets fell quite rapidly in the last 6 overs Davenies went on to score a solid 140 runs for 7 wickets. The game was played with great spirit. Callum’s face showed how much it meant to him when LCS lost this match, especially as it must be said he did everything he could as a Captain. He must be specially mentioned for his attitude and contribution, acting as a wonderful ambassador for the team, as well as for the school. We should all be proud of what pupils are achieving at LCS. Their moral has significantly developed over this year and the young pupils are beginning to aspire to the senior part of the school. Well done to all players involved and a special thank you to Mr. Williams for his efforts on the day.  Match lost.

Monday 7 June: U9A Cricket v Davenies C (h) – Windball

Tuesday 8 June: U9B Cricket v Davenies D (h) – 10-a-side

Wednesday 9 June: U11 Cricket v Chesham (a)  T/20 – each bowler restricted to 4 overs Report by Mr D Brazier

Chesham won by four wickets

This was a real thriller…  …the weather threatened showers, but we were fortunate and enjoyed a highly competitive game. Chesham is a lovely setting and the wicket true and quick. We lost the toss and were asked to bat.

Things started badly. Poor Shamir Ahmed was run out for 0 without facing, but took this disappointment with alacrity. This brought our Berkshire player Crawford Wilson to the wicket and, with Sohil Mangat, they set about the Chesham bowling which was pacy and aggressive.

Sohil had yet to produce this season, but he made up for it with aggressive intent. Crawford was more restrained taking some quick singles, but looked extremely solid in defense. Sohil raced to 32 before holing out; he has a great deal of ability and should have pushed on to 50 as he had done all the hard work. This brought another of our very promising cricketers to the wicket - Kabir Bahia. Crawford continued to play the anchor role, scoring a beautifully executed 17 before being LBW. After the loss of another wicket Kabir’s brother Kanvir joined him at the wicket.

I had pondered long in quiet moments whether a Year 3 should be playing in the Colts team, but such are the natural gifts that Kanvir possesses and his phenomenal enthusiasm for cricket I was confident that he would not let us down. This boy lives and breathes the great game, he is also completely fearless. There were, at this juncture, four overs to go.

Kabir is a very powerful individual and he started to unleash some big shots, including a huge six over mid-wicket. He was matched by his younger brother who rolled out a square drive for four and kept rotating the strike. Kabir finished up run out on 18 and his brother not out on 8. Our final score was competitive 1113-5. It was lovely watching the very talented Bahia brothers batting together – especially when Kanvir attempted a cheeky reverse sweep!

Chesham came hard at us after tea; Sohil bowled well but it was not until Crawford and Kabir came together that we were able to shut things down and start to take wickets. Crawford is a very good all round cricketer and swings the ball in, but Kabir is a real handful when his rhythm is good and it was in this match. He is a tall chap with long levers, he bowls back of the length and the batsman found themselves fending of throat balls! His figures of 4 overs for 8 runs speak for themselves. Crawford also bowled well with figures of 4-1-9-1. However, the fielding was very mixed, Thomas Weiss, another of our young and gifted sportsmen, pulled off a running catch and another stunning stop, but several other team members let balls go through their legs for 4! This would prove crucial at the end. We gambled on Kanvir bowling his spin and were delighted to how he responded to the pressure, turning and flighting his leg breaks and off spinners and getting a crucial wicket. He is a very exciting prospect and a delight to coach.

The final over left Chesham needing 5 to win.

This was highly pressured and some of the team looked anxious. Sadly we capitulated and lost. Those 12 runs we let through our legs were crucial when evaluating the match at the end.

However, despite losing (which I hate) the pluses were enormous - Chesham are a good side that consisted mainly of Year 6’s. We had performed brilliantly and batted beautifully, with all bar one of our main batsman firing. The Colts had now been involved in a high pressure situation (which will add to their store of experience) and we had blooded some talented young players. The boys were manful in their approach to the game and I was extremely proud of their attitude. This was a fabulous result and a cracking match played in a great spirit, but small individual errors proved crucial because we should have won!

This was a super match and a real highlight to my week.

Man of the Match – Kabir Bhaia – super cameo with the bat and very hostile with the ball.

Wednesday 9 June: U13 Cricket v Chesham (a)

Tuesday 15 June: U9A Cricket v Gayhurst (a) 11-a-side – Incrediball

Tuesday 15 June: U9B Cricket v Gayhurst (a) 12-a-side  - Softball

Wednesday 16 June: The Holland Cup – LCS v St Mary’s (Henley) v Salcombe v Dair House (h)

Wednesday 23 June: First XI (U13) Cricket v St George’s, Windsor (a)

Wednesday 23 June: Colts Cricket v St George’s, Windsor (a)

Wednesday 23 June: U10 Cricket v St George’s, Windsor (h)

Wednesday 30 June: Colts Cricket v Thorpe House B (a)

Wednesday 7 July: Colts Cricket v Dair House (h)