Cricket Report
By Ballyclare High School on 13 May, 2024
The latest block of cricket fixtures in a busy summer term saw Ballyclare High contest a series of worthwhile, competitive matches against teams representing RBAI.
The 1st XI, who have reached the quarter final of the prestigious Schools’ Cup, where they will face Wallace High, lost by seven wickets to RBAI after posting 101 runs when batting first. Jacob Scarlett was the leading contributor to the Ballyclare total with an impressive innings of 36 runs. RBAI reached their winning target with four overs in hand, Jacob Scarlett and Jude Wilson each taking one wicket, the other dismissal being a run out.
The Under 15 team were the only winners on the day, thanks to an excellent total of 135 for 7, which proved beyond the Belfast side who could only manage 54 all out in reply. Austin Adair (33) and Zach Thompson (30) played valuable innings for Ballyclare. A strong bowling performance saw Cooper Donnelly and Daniel Montgomery take two wickets each, while Austin Adair, Jude Semple, Tom Falls and Luke Kennedy each took one wicket.
The Under 13 team enjoyed a highly competitive match with RBAI. Ballyclare scored 78 for 9, with Conor McKee making 15 and Harry Montgomery scoring 13. An excellent catch by Daniel Gerrish was the highlight of a strong bowling and fielding effort, RBAI eventually winning by the narrow margin of four wickets.
The Under 12 team contested a high-scoring game on the Ballyclare astroturf pitch. RBAI took advantage of the free-scoring conditions to make 189 runs from their 20 overs, Adam McGookin taking two wickets. The Ballyclare reply of 133 runs was a highly respectable effort when faced with such a daunting score from their opponents.
Having made unbeaten progress through the group stages of the Derriaghy Cup, the Under 14 side faced RBAI in the quarter final. A total of 74 all out proved insufficient as Ballyclare lost by seven wickets. Nevertheless, there were encouraging individual performances from Krish Shukla who took two wickets and from Joshua Nesbitt who scored 17 runs.
The Under 15 team hosted Strabane Academy in the WH Shirlow Trophy. Batting first, Ballyclare reached a modest total of 83 for 7, Jack Smyth (24) and Jude Semple (22) being the leading run-scorers. Despite two wickets from Cooper Donnelly, the visitors adopted an attacking approach to the run chase and surpassed their target with overs to spare.
One of the most attractive features of the knock-out Cup competitions is that it provides an opportunity to compete against a broader range of schools than those involved in the weekly McCullough League Cup. The Under 15 players enjoyed their opportunity to challenge their skills against a talented Strabane team and should not be discouraged by their six-wicket defeat.
In another encouraging indication of the upward trajectory of school cricket, a sizeable number of girls have been practising regularly since the start of the summer term. In their first competitive match the Under 15 girls lost on a super over to a team from Regent House.
