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Newdigate U9s 2nds narrowly lose out to Merstham
Debut appearances all round kick off some promising cricket futures
There were nerves in the air all round as we walked down the path through the woods to the sunny enclave that is Merstham's second ground, The Ring in Earlswood.
The smell of suncream filled the air as we watched the U8s finish their game, clearly all having a lovely time, unlike the groundsman who was definitely regretting siting this game too close to the bushes on the short boundary.
We elected to bowl from the other end.
This was the first match of the season for all of the players and the first match ever for some. By the time the U8s had wrapped up we were all very relaxed with the situation as we know Merstham to be a club very much aligned with the values we hold at Newdigate and we were all determined to enjoy the experience.
The sides were well matched and we saw some excellent emerging captaincy from Oscar Butt (Newdigate) and Delilah Delwiche (Merstham).
Merstham won the toss and elected to bat. Some stunning shots from Finley (10) and Ben (22) added to Delilah's strong 14 with some excellent defensive play against some tricky bowling from Thomas and Lucia. Oscar seemed to be having the time of his life as he built his 7.
Bowling from Newdigate was strong, taking 3 wickets in total by Oscar, William and Charlie with composed debuts from Mabel and George. Libby kept the runs down only conceding 5 in total off her two overs.
Newdigate's innings was equally impressive as everyone contributed well to the score with a good few boundaries all round.
Ben took two wickets for Merstham and Finlay the other. Delilah kept the runs down with some difficult deliveries and Lucia, Oscar and Thomas just kept getting better and better.
A game at this level with around 30 extras per side and three wickets each couldn't really have been more evenly matched and the difference of 10 runs at the end was probably well within the margin of error of a very rusty umpire (me).
We'd very much like to thank Merstham for a lovely time, a great atmosphere in a stunning setting and wonderful snacks. We can't wait to host you at Newdigate very soon.