U10's The side that fought back!

On a beautiful sunny morning, Ashtead won the toss and captain Euan Mason chose to put Esher into bat.

Our boys bowled really well and managed to take 5 wickets via run-outs and a great catch by Toby Rackett - felt like those fielding drills are starting to pay off. Josh Bates and Leo Martin bowled particularly well. A couple of things still to work on include reducing the number of wides bowled and backing up the wicket keeper, particularly when there's a fast bowler. Overall, a fine performance from the boys that left us chasing a target of 281 to win.

Our first two pairs had a challenging time of it as Esher threw their best bowlers in early. This left us struggling at 180 with a massive 100 run gap to close. The third pair had an easier time of it but should still be commended for starting the fight back. In particular, Luke Horner-Long slogged two fours in his first over. The fourth pair continued the momentum and we found the gap narrowing by the time the fifth pair was in. Toby Rackett and Oliver Timpson put up a brilliant fight in their four overs with many stolen quick singles - a lesson in how to run. Olly knocked up an impressive total of 17 (excluding extras) which left Ashtead just 11 runs short of the Esher total.

Although Ashtead lost narrowly, this was a fine performance and the entire team played very well and should be tremendously proud of themselves. Well done boys!