U18s Boys County Age Group - 2023 Season Review & Award Winners
23 October 2023
The 2023 U18s season was hit hard by rain, pre-season fixtures were hard to come by and opportunities were very scarce. Nonetheless, the team did well to train indoors and making the most of the time we did get. We managed to only play two matches in April and one of which was 9 balls, with the rest being called which didn’t give the side the best preparation moving into the ECB T20 Cup. However, the team took on the challenge and gave it a good go – and showed great learning and development throughout the competition. There wasn’t too much team success within the competition but some great individual performances!
Some very impressive performances from Zain Syed at the top of the innings, showing a true mentality of a T20 player – striking at a rate of 130. The most memorable innings from the competition came from Tommy Boorman hitting 80 off 49 balls against Somerset showing an array of shots against pace and spin. The bowlers learnt a lot about their technical and tactical skills throughout the competition which was impressive to see them picking up these skills and adapting so quickly to differing match scenarios.
Moving into the One Day Cup, we were unfortunately knocked out of the initial cup competition in a high scoring encounter against Devon which moved the team into the plate competition. Again, the competition showed a lot of individual success, with again Zain Syed showing his class throughout. However, a re arranged fixture against Wiltshire which led to being a 5 over match affair due to the weather was the end of the competition for the team. An unfortunate way to end, however, we then moved quickly in the 3-day competition.
The 3 day format seemed was the better fit for the side, with impressive team performances on many occasions. The team managed to win 2 out of the 5 fixtures, which was a positive considering how much they were affected by rain. The players showed great team spirit to again adapt to the differing conditions throughout the competition, playing with true class and showing great resilience. The highlights were seeing our bowling attack bowl in partnerships and our batters applying a method to reach big milestones, this included Max Dunne scoring a century against Somerset setting up victory for the team. It was also brilliant to see Ahmed Syed taking 6 for 49 against Wales, beating the edge on both sides of the bat and controlling the scoreboard. Another highlight was Joe Davies’s spell against Northants. From nowhere he managed to get the ball to move off the seam and challenge the batters, taking an impressive 4 for 40 off 21 overs.
Other noteworthy performers in the team would be Zaman Shafi, taking 30 dismissals throughout the season which included 9 stumpings. As well as Max Dunne and Lysander Tarrant who fielded to an exceptional high standard which boosted the team morale.
A massive thank you to all parents and players involved this season, despite the weather it has been a brilliant 2023 season for the team.
Performance of the Year
For his scintillating 130 vs Somerset which set up the match for victory, this year’s U18s performance of the year award goes to Max Dunne
Player of the Year
This player has learnt the new craft of spin and applied it in matches where it has really counted. This years U18s Player of the Year goes to Ahmed Syed
