U15 Girls Cricket Team Make History

It may seem strange to have started the Michaelmas term with cricket still being played, but the girls U15 team had unfinished business when they played their way to Finals Day of the National School Sport Competition. The girls set off for their quest for the title on one of the hottest days of the year facing Shrewsbury School in the semi-final. The weather was glorious and the talent and skill on display from all teams was impressive. Batting first, the girls managed to score 182 with some impressive batting partnerships which saw Bea scoring 80 not out and Greer 57 not out, ending up with a total of 186. They knew that they would have to match this fabulous start with some tight bowling and committed fielding and this is exactly what prevailed. Notable highlights from the second innings were Sophie’s three wickets for 16 and three impressive caught and bowled balls by Grace, Katie and Georgie. There were some real feats of brilliance in the field with some skillful catches by Josie and Bea, with the girls dismissing Shrewsbury for 110 all out.

The girls secured their place in the afternoon final against Ipswich School. Having lost the toss, they batted first. Ipswich displayed some clinical bowling from their opening bowlers, but Bea managed to score 28 runs, helping us to a total of 72. It was a tall order, and we knew that our bowling and fielding needed to be seamless (no pun intended!) There was some strong batting from the Ipswich openers, finding boundaries and taking their opportunities to run. Sophie and Taylor gave Clifton rejuvenated hope after they dismissed their opening batter and second and third in quick succession. However, Clifton found themselves running out of wriggle room and just did not have enough runs on the board to pull the score back. The team should feel hugely proud of their achievements as this was history in the making: the first time the girls’ team have competed in a national competition in cricket, and the first cricket team ever in Clifton’s history to secure second in the country since national cricket competitions began. So now, the adventure begins!