Match Centre

SmashIT Girls Battle the Breeze but Fall Short on a Tricky Jigsaw Track

On a cold, windy British “summer” evening — the sort where parents question all their life choices — the Girls U11 SmashIT squad travelled to Cobham Stoke D’Abernon for an away fixture that proved every bit as challenging as the weather forecast suggested.

The heavy rain of the previous two days had finally stopped, but what awaited was a drop‑in Jigsaw pitch that behaved like a warped trampoline. For a softball game, it offered almost no bounce at all, and with boundaries set somewhere near the county border, batting was always going to be a test of patience, technique, and optimism.

Harriett — our ever‑calm captain and resident Quiet Storm — stepped up for the toss, which was settled via rock, paper, scissors. Sadly, the Stoke D’Abernon skipper won and sent us in to bat. Given all our wins this season have come while chasing, this was not the omen we were hoping for.

Batting

Elise and Emilia opened proceedings, followed by Abi — the Bookham Express — and Ellie, then Lily and Charlotte, before the final pairing of Issy — the Precision Panther — and Harriett.

Despite the pitch behaving like a rogue Lego baseplate, three players still managed to find the boundary: Eilia, Issy, and Harriett, who played with crisp, confident technique to tame the pitch demons. In the Issy/Harriett partnership, it was Harriett who took charge, timing the ball sweetly and keeping the scoreboard moving.

But the pitch claimed victims. Nine wickets fell — a number that tells you everything about the surface and the challenge it posed.

Mid‑Innings Warm‑Up (Literally)

With hands frozen and spirits wobbling, the team retreated to the clubhouse for snacks and squash. Several players asked if they could simply be declared the winners so they could stay inside where it was warm. Sadly, cricketing regulations do not yet allow this.