Sunday 6th July 2008 BirchVale, Home.
Rained Off. To be rearranged.
Sunday 22nd June 2008 Hayfield, Away.
The Whaley Under 11 bandwagon came to a shuddering halt against a very good side from Hayfield. There was no disgrace in this defeat, however, as a young and inexperienced team played to their full potential.
As the away side, we batted first. Jacob Holland, on his first appearance, played a couple of cut shots of the highest order, peppering the riverside boundary. He and JJ Goldfinch tried their best but the Hayfield bowling was accurate on a lively pitch and we could not make much headway. The same aplied to the following three pairs of batsmen. Ed Austin and Ben Stones put a lot of effort and good running into their partnership, as did Alex Cripps and Charlie Kitchen. Dan Mulholland and Harry Bold tried to bring the score back up towards the 200 mark, but ultimately Whaley finished on 189.
Hayfiled then made batting look much easier and all their partnerships did well. The Whaley bowlers tried their best and the fielding and catching was superb, but we simply could not stem the runs and Hayfield cruised relentlessly to a massive 314 in their 20 overs. Whaley had to accept defeat and realise that we had been beaten by a much better team.

Saturday 14th June 2008 Buxton, Home.
We finally managed to re-arrange the fixture that had been abandoned from the start of the season and hosted a Buxton side at new Horwich Park for the first time. Whilst the catering and general hospitality was to its usual high standard, our generosity did not extend to the pitch, where the Under 11's made it four wins out of four.
Buxton batted first and thanks to some good bowling and even better catching, were restricted to 229 from their 20 overs. Craig Prior was the leading wicket-taker with 3, whilst Alex Cripps had 2 and there were four others shared around. Whether it was the unusual Saturday game, or some other reason, the fielding lacked its usual enthusiasm but it was never easy on a very bouncy pitch and hard outfield.
However, the batsmen did us proud and saw Whaley comfortably home. Steve Weston and Harry Bold set us up with a good platform, which Ben Losel and JJ Goldfinch consolidated with a 29 run partnership. Alex and Craig then kept us in the game before the final pair of Dan Mulholland and Adam Laybourne were forced off by a short sharp shower. 5 minutes later they returned and flayed the Buxton bowling to all parts, Dan ending up with 24 runs as Whaley scored 252.
Thanks to Ben Stones for an excellent job as 9th man and scorer. Next stop Hayfield and let's hope the success can continue.


Sunday 8th June 2008 Buxworth, Home.
After recent thrashings handed out by Buxworth, we got our own back with a massive win against a young and developing opposition. It's always good playing at home, especially on a warm sunny morning with the smell of bacon wafting through the air!
Buxworth batted first and tight bowling by all the Whaley bowlers meant that runs were hard to come by. The fielders supported well and it was good to see attacking fielding and some of the training exercises put into practice. The Whaley bowlers shared 5 wickets, with Dan Mulholland taking 2 and another falling to a run out. Both Charlie Kitchen and Callum Barnes (on debut) took their first wickets for the club - good news for next year's team. Dan and Steve Weston bowled 3 overs and neither conceded a run.
When Whaley batted a run fest ensued. Steve Weston, given the responsibility of opening with Callum, scored 20, before Charlie and Ben Losel added another 22 for the second pairing. Charlie thumped 3 fours in 12 net runs and by that stage the result was not in doubt. Craig Prior and Alex Cripps then continued the attack with some fine shots and excellent runnnig between the wickets. Craig scored 23, and Alex 18, before Dan and Adam Laybourne rounded it off in fine style,both scoring 25 and leaving Whaley on 317.
Thanks to Harry Bold, our 9th man, who assisted the Buggy team who were a man short. Harry gets to play in the next game! 3 wins out of three means that the team takes a lot of confidence into the big games against Buxton and Hayfield.

 
Sunday 1st June 2008 Dove Holes, Away.
Because of half term and birthday parties an experimental Under 11 team played against Dove Holes. All the more pleasing, then, that a number of players making their proper debuts contributed to a convincing win.
Despite the rain in the morning, the Dove ground was remarkably dry. Whaley batted first and our opening pair made steady progress. Steve Weston did a great job in looking after young Charlie Kitchen. Ben Stones and Ed Austin then ran very well between the wickets and Alex Vann and Harry Bold consoliddsated before a quickfire 28 from Alex Cripps and strong support from JJ Goldfinch meant that Whaley finished on 261.
Bowling was not easy as the ball was greasy but everyone contributed to restricting Dove to 237. In fact, after their 3rd pair had batted Dove were up with the scoring rate. However some good bowling by Alex Cripps, who took 2 wickets, meant that we completed a comfortable second win by 24 runs. Mention must also be made of Alex Vann weho kept wicket for the first time and did a brilliant job, as did all the fielders.
Thanks also to Craig Prior who would have played but succumbed to a mystery stomach ailment minutes before the game. Craig still did a great job with the scoring.

Sunday 11th May 2008 Chapel, Away.

A fantastic start to the season for the Under 11's. It was genuinely hard to pick a man of the match as everyone played their part in this comprehensive win.
On a hot sunny morning, Whaley batted first. Dan Mulholland and Ben Losel got the team off to a flying start with an opening partnership of 18. Neither were out in their 5 overs. The next pair, Harry Bold and JJ Goldfinch batted very well and added a further 19 net runs to the score. Although the last two pairings were less successful we still ended up with 227.
The bowling and fielding were, quite simply, the best seen by a Whaley U11 side for many years. It was faultless. The bowlers were straight and took 7 wickets in the 20 overs. Steve Weston took 3 and Harry Bold 2. Adam Laybourne kept wicket very tidily and Ben Stones and Craig Prior gave nothing away with their tight bowling and enthusiastic fielding. This meant that Chapel were never able to get close to the Whaley total and we were not flattered when Chapel ended on only 187 - a victory by 40 runs.
A great effort by all the team, including Charlie Kitchen our scorer, who did a fabulous job. Lots of confidence will be carried forward to the rest of the games which take place after the half term break.
 
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