Match Centre

Leatherhead Battle Hard in the Heat

On a scorching evening at the home of Leatherhead Cricket – and with every junior training group in Surrey seemingly squeezed into the outfield – the stage was set for a lively Smash IT Cup clash against Cobham Avorians. The crowd was large, the sun was blazing, and one member of the Leatherhead squad gave the spectators a withering review, describing them as “pathetic” for their lack of noise. A future pundit in the making.

Captain Zadie stepped up for the toss, but with no coin available, diplomacy prevailed and a game of rock–paper–scissors decided it. Zadie won (naturally) and chose to field first.

Bowling & Fielding

To be fair, the girls had already lived a full sporting day before arriving – sports day, then netball, then cricket. By the time the first over was bowled, half the team had already completed a triathlon. The heat didn’t help either, and we never quite found our rhythm with the ball.

Just the one wicket came our way, courtesy of Harriet, who continues to deliver those sneaky, wicket‑pinching overs. Most bowlers were tight enough, but the breakthrough kept eluding us. The wides and no‑balls, however, did not elude us – we gifted Avorians 51 runs in extras. That’s basically a half‑century partnership with no bat involved. Their athletic wicket‑keeper, who let almost nothing past, ensured they didn’t return the favour.

Batting

Elsie and Zadie opened up sensibly, with no kamikaze running this week – a welcome development for the coaches’ blood pressure. Zadie found the boundary once, and both looked composed.

Next came Imogen and Lily, followed by Harriet and Issy. Issy, in full Boundary Queen mode, cracked three fours, lighting up the innings. Finally, Charlotte and Abi rounded things off, with Abi thumping a four of her own to keep the crowd (pathetic or otherwise) entertained.

Despite the effort, the mountain created by those extras proved too steep, and we bow out of the Smash IT Cup this time. On the bright side, we can now “focus on the league” – the classic sporting consolation line, but in this case, absolutely true.

Player Awards

• Best Batter: Issy

• Best Bowler: Abi

Two very well‑deserved awards.

A tough evening, a hot evening, and a very busy evening – but as always, the Leatherhead girls played with spirit, humour, and togetherness. And hopefully slept very well afterwards… unless the Football World Cup had other ideas.