YORKSHIRE UNDER 11A REPORT 2014
This was, once again, a phenomenal and record-breaking season for the Under 11As. After the performance of the 2013 team I thought it would be a very long time before I saw their record equalled but I’m pleased to say that the 2014 team beat it to prove me wrong. We managed to play every game, albeit that the early season game against Derbyshire was rearranged for later in the season. Other than that rained-off game in May the weather was good to us and we played on some very good cricketing wickets. The team, who improved with every game, went on to register the most wins in a season without any losses. They had great depth in batting and bowling and were good at fielding, although this was their weakest discipline. Once again the highlights of the season were the Taunton Festival, which we won for the third year running and the retention of the Tony Hemingway Trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
The playing record for the season was: Played 18, Won 18*, Lost 0
(* includes 1 winning draw)
Again the Under 11s have had the benefit of having a large number of boys who had already gained county experience by playing for the Under 10s. Three of these boys also played at U11 last year (Harry Sullivan, Romir Singh and Dan Ford) and their experience, along with the experience gained by those who had played with the Under 10’s was most beneficial and helped everyone settle in quickly, including the new boys (Harry Paver, Owen Davey, Luis Adlard, Will Holmes and Ben Cliff).
As a consequence of so many boys having played together for the Under 10’s in 2013, they were quickly into their stride. At this stage it could be seen that this team had some potential but it was their willingness to learn and improve along with their determination which turned it into a truly amazing season. Over the season wins were recorded against Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Wales (3 times), Lancashire (twice), Nottinghamshire (twice), Northumberland, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire (twice), Buckinghamshire, Devon and a winning draw against Middlesex. The away win at Lancashire enabled us to retain the Tony Hemingway Trophy for the fourth consecutive season. The team completed the season unbeaten with only Middlesex at Taunton getting within striking distance of them. They can therefore claim that their 100% record of played 18, won 18, lost 0 beats last year’s record of played 17, won 16, lost 0, abandoned 1 and makes them the most successful Under 11A side ever.
In a record-breaking season like this there are many highlights but retaining the trophy at the Taunton Festival has to be one of the best. As is usual when a team goes on tour it was a great experience for the boys and one I am sure they will never forget. It was a learning experience for them both on and off the field which I believe they will take with them for a very long time. All their hard work and dedication to improve came to fruition at Taunton and showed what an exceptional side they were with the depth of batting and the depth and variation of bowling. Winning their first 4 games meant that they had retained the trophy before the final day. This was achieved by some exceptional performances with the ball that bowled out the opposition cheaply and was backed up by their accomplished batting. They succeeded in keeping their focus in the fifth and final game after losing the toss and having to bat first and then restricting Middlesex to a total well below the required target. Another of the highlights was achieving the double over Lancashire. Having retained the Tony Hemingway Trophy for the fourth consecutive year in the away fixture, they once again showed their superiority by beating them at Scarborough CC. Getting the double over the ‘old foe’ on the county ground will be something they will treasure and remember for a long time.
We were very fortunate to have good weather and played on some very good tracks and quick outfields which allowed this extremely strong batting side to either set totals which were way beyond their opponents or knock off with ease any targets which had been set. The boys showed excellent technique, concentration and application in forging many partnerships of over 50 throughout the season. The individual performances were led by Sam Elstone with a superb total of 565 runs which included 3 scores of over 50 (79*, 56*, 55) followed closely by Romir Singh with 466 runs which included 4 scores of over 50 (57, 66, 72, 70). A little further behind was Dan Ford with 433 runs and 4 scores of over 50 (50*, 51*, 57, 73) and Harry Sullivan with 338 runs including 2 scores of over 50 (67*, 50). There were also notable contributions from Leo Johnson, Harry Paver, Owen Davey and Cooper Smith who, although not having as much chance as they would have liked because of the success of the boys previously mentioned, were technically very good and reliable batsman. Overall, as can be seen from the statistics, this batting side was by far the best of any county seen this season and was extremely reliable in setting a good base and then going on to be entertaining and explosive in the latter overs with its very good depth.
As a result of its variety and diversity this bowling side is the best that I have had since I’ve been U11A Manager with its 3 main seamers and 4 top class spinners. Initially, the attack was led by seamers Cain Robb, Matthew Bird and Ben Cliff with Cooper Smith ably assisting when required. Unfortunately, Ben broke his wrist early in the season and was replaced by Luis Adlard. Luis quickly became an integral member of the seam attack and finished the season being top wicket-taking seamer with 20 wickets which included 6-10 against Buckinghamshire at Taunton. However, it was the 4 spinners who caused opponents the most trouble. Will Holmes’s off-spin claimed the most wickets with 33 which included two “4 fors”. Left armer Harry Sullivan was not far behind with 29, again including two “4 fors”. The quartet was completed with Tom Senior’s off breaks, including a “4 for” and Sam Elstone’s leg breaks including a “5 for” at Taunton. Harry Sullivan’s exceptional haul of 70 wickets in the two seasons he has played for the U11As will be a record that stands for a very long time. To emphasise the teams bowling skills, it is noted that in 10 of the games played the opposition scored less than 100 which shows their accuracy, consistency and penetration along with their good variation. They were complimented on their bowling skills by numerous coaches from other counties.
As mentioned earlier, fielding was their weakest skill. However they worked very hard throughout the season on their fielding drills and skills and improved greatly as the season went on and were a much more competent unit by the time they reached Taunton. Just to emphasise this, they backed up the bowling by getting on average one run out per game. The pick of the fielders were Cain Robb, Harry Sullivan, Will Holmes and Sam Elstone. As fielding is of great importance in today’s game they must all continue to work on their fitness, agility, balance and anticipation to ensure they achieve the very high standards required at this level. Overall the team’s catching skills are very good but improvement is needed in 2 or 3 players. The wicket keeping was shared between Owen Davey and Dan Ford who both kept very well.
Sam Elstone captained the side ably supported by Dan Ford and Romir Singh. Captaincy at this age is very difficult but Sam has progressed well through the season showing that he understands the game very well and sets good fields. He is well respected by his team mates, although I feel he could be a little more vocal on the field. Sam is a very talented cricketer and I am sure he will progress well in the future.
At the start of the season the team agreed that we would look for a 5% improvement each game. All members of the squad have worked hard to achieve this goal. This was evident by the fact that the team was a much tighter and competent unit by the end of the season manifesting itself in its excellent displays at Taunton. All of the boys fully participated in the after match analysis, taking onboard and putting into practise the comments and improvements that were discussed thus taking responsibility for their own game and improvement.
Once again I had the pleasure of managing and coaching a great set of boys. They worked together to make themselves into a team with each member contributing throughout the season. Their team spirit, sense of humour and camaraderie were second to none. This, with a will to improve, succeed and, above all, to win made for a thoroughly enjoyable season.
I believe the depth of talent in this year group is greater than normal. Although all the boys have progressed well throughout the season they must continue this progress over the winter months if they are not to relinquish their place in the team. There are many other boys out there who are keen to show their own talent.
Batting (A minimum of 5 innings)
Name / Innings / Not Outs / Total Runs / Highest Score / AverageSam Elstone / 15 / 3 / 565 / 79* / 47.08
Dan Ford / 15 / 5 / 443 / 73 / 44.3
Romir Singh / 15 / 1 / 466 / 72 / 33.29
Harry Sullivan / 14 / 2 / 338 / 67* / 28.17
Cooper Smith / 9 / 5 / 82 / 24 / 20.5
Cain Robb / 5 / 2 / 42 / 19 / 14.0
Harry Paver / 13 / 3 / 136 / 37* / 13.6
Leo Johnson / 13 / 2 / 136 / 47 / 12.36
Owen Davey / 10 / 2 / 83 / 23 / 10.38
Will Holmes / 9 / 4 / 40 / 9* / 8.0
Also batted: Gavin Whipp (2,11,6,5), Matthew Swallow (0*,9), Matthew Bird (0*,4*),
Jonny White (6*), Tom Senior (0)
Bowling (Minimum of 35 overs)
Name / Overs / Maidens / Runs / Wickets / Ave Runs per Wkt / Ave Runs per OverSam Elstone / 40.4 / 9 / 97 / 18 / 5.39 / 2.4
Will Holmes / 114.4 / 38 / 237 / 33 / 7.18 / 2.07
Harry Sullivan / 100.2 / 33 / 209 / 29 / 7.21 / 2.09
Luis Adlard / 66 / 20 / 153 / 20 / 7.65 / 2.32
Cain Robb / 78 / 13 / 193 / 13 / 14.85 / 2.47
Tom Senior / 88 / 22 / 227 / 15 / 15.13 / 2.58
Matthew Bird / 75 / 15 / 226 / 11 / 20.54 / 3.01
Also bowled: Matthew Swallow 20-2-47-4, Cooper Smith 18.2-0-73-7, Ben Cliff 8-3-18-1,
Leo Johnson 5.5-0-26-2, Gavin Whipp 4-0-25-0, Harry Paver 2-1-1-2
Wicket-keeping
Owen Davey 10 (6ct, 4st)
Dan Ford 8 (2ct, 6st)
Leading Outfield Catches & Run Outs
Cain Robb 10 (9ct, 1ro)
Harry Sullivan 10 (6ct, 4ro)
Will Holmes 6 (3ct, 3ro)
Sam Elstone 5 (5ct)
Luis Adlard 4 (3ct, 1ro)
Matthew Bird 4 (4ct)
Tom Senior 4 (2ct, 2ro)
Cooper Smith 4 (1ct, 3ro)
Dan Ford 3 (2ct,1ro)
In addition, Leo Johnson and Harry Paver both took 1 catch and 1 run out, and Owen Davey and Matthew Swallow both took 1 catch.
Match Details
Monday 3rd June against Cumbria at Appleby Eden CC
Yorkshire 168-6 (40 overs) (D Ford 50*, S Elstone 39, H Paver 27)
Cumbria 46 (22.2 overs) (H Sullivan 4-12, C Smith 3-8, W Holmes 2-8)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 122 RUNS
Sunday 15th June against North Yorkshire at Aysgarth School
Yorkshire 196-7 (40 overs) (L Johnson 47, R Singh 40, H Paver 37*, S Elstone 33)
North Yorkshire 42 (24.5 overs) (L Johnson 2-1, H Sullivan 2-3, M Swallow 2-5,
L Adlard 2-8)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 154 RUNS
Sunday 22nd June against Wales at Colwyn Bay CC
Yorkshire 211-2 (40 overs) (S Elstone 79*, R Singh 57, D Ford 25*)
Wales 174-7 (40 overs) (H Sullivan 2-18, T Senior 2-29)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 37 RUNS
Tuesday 24th June against Lancashire at Rainford CC
Lancashire 103-7 (40 overs) (H Sullivan 2-14, M Swallow 2-18)
Yorkshire 104-2 (25.2 overs) (S Elstone 56*, D Ford 28*)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 8 WICKETS
Sunday 29th June against Nottingham at Cuckney CC
Yorkshire 184-2 (40 overs) (H Sullivan 67*, D Ford 51*, S Elstone 42)
Nottingham 148-8 (40 overs) (C Robb 4-15)
YORKSHIRE WON 36 RUNS
Thursday 3rd July against Wales at Griff & Coton CC
Yorkshire 144 (39.1 overs) (H Sullivan 34, D Ford 30, C Smith 24)
Wales 66 (30 overs) (W Holmes 4-17, L Adlard 3-3)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 78 RUNS
Monday 7th July against Northumberland at South Northumberland CC
Yorkshire 138-8 (35 overs) (R Singh 24, H Paver 22, S Elstone 21)
Northumberland 38 (32.4 overs) (H Sullivan 4-3, S Elstone 3-1, W Holmes 2-9)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 100 RUNS
Wednesday 9th July against Staffordshire at Treeton CC
Yorkshire 159-5 (40 overs) (R Singh 66, H Paver 22, S Elstone 21)
Staffordshire 62 (25.1 overs) (W Holmes 4-3, L Adlard 2-7)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 97 RUNS
Tuesday 15th July against Lancashire at Scarborough CC
Yorkshire 170-5 (40 overs) (D Ford 46, Sam Elstone 44, H Sullivan 37, R Singh 23)
Lancashire 97-9 (40 overs) (C Smith 2-5, T Senior 2-12, W Holmes 2-18)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 73 RUNS
Tuesday 22nd July against Warwickshire at Harborne CC
Yorkshire 178-8 (40 overs) (S Elstone 47, R Singh 31, D Ford 29, O Davey 23)
Warwickshire 111 (34.1 overs) (C Robb 2-15, H Sullivan 2-17, M Bird 2-18)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 67 RUNS
Sunday 3rd August against Derbyshire at Carlton CC
Yorkshire 191-7 (40 overs) (D Ford 57, S Elstone 55)
Derbyshire 110 (36.3 overs) (S Elstone 3-9, W Holmes 2-9, C Robb 2-10)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 81 RUNS
Tuesday 5th August against Cheshire at Blackley CC
Yorkshire 212-8 (45 overs) (D Ford 73, R Singh 72)
Cheshire 140 (44.4 overs) (H Paver 2-0, T Senior 2-19, W Holmes 2-22, S Elstone 2-22)
YORKSHIRE WON BY 72 RUNS