U13 Lads verses Dads & Coaches - 2018

End of season friendly resulted in a defeat for the Dads and coaches against some of the youth section boys last Friday evening. A fine evening of fun and some skill ended with the Dads unable to chase down the Boys' total of 136 off 20 overs. Hopefully a fixture for the future, at least the Dads and coaches are keen to get revenge

What a Difference a Week Makes - CHCC U11 Championship Team

Yet another warm evening and a slightly more focused Castle Hill Championship Team arrived at CHCC to amend for the previous Monday’s events. 

Bells Yew Green elected to bat and Ben A and skipper Harry opened with a fiery four overs down the slope, Harry taking two wickets and Ben A showing how much his bowling has developed this year. The bowling continued to be tight but suddenly the fielding was looking inspired. Rufus was making backward point his own showing signs of an Eoin Morgan stopping ability (guess everyone’s a bit young for Jonty Rhodes now?) which seemed to lift everyone. Ollie then stepped up to bowl, took a wicket first ball and looked round as if wondering what all the fuss was about before being swamped by his team mates. Then Rufus did the same! BYG restricted to 78 in their 16 overs.

After a short tea interval (chocolate fingers, flapjacks, Tunnocks tea cakes, Swiss roll for those who care about such crucial things) and Castle Hill padded up.

Aadi and Artie opened and batted sensibly, with some aggressive intent. Aadi got a good one, which brought Ben P to the crease for a cameo which included a calypso straight drive for four. Harry then found out why leg-breaks are a bit awkward despite looking somewhat innocuous but Artie continued to bat really well and retired on 27. Ollie was run out (still dreaming of his bowling?) which brought Oscar and Callum together. They batted solidly focusing on that 79 target and put on 20 together until Oscar fell. It was left to Callum to hit the winning runs to the boundary with four overs to go....and the team went mad.

This was a really good performance to finish off the league season. BYG had a few youngsters playing but their bowling was good. Castle Hill showed that they have all learned a lot this year and everyone chipped in for the victory. But the key thing, was that everyone was smiling at the end. Also a big thank you to all the parents on the boundary for encouraging the team. An enjoyable evening all round.

CHCC U11 Championship League – ‘Are you England in disguise’

Closing in on posting a league target that might have given us a chance of the title CHCC had an implosion that was heard all over Kent.

The match reporter arrived a little late and was somewhat dismayed to find Harry marking out his run up, either the match was delayed or something terrible had happened. Unfortunately it was the latter, a combination of good bowling, great fielding, kamikaze running and horrific shot choice saw CHCC dismissed for just 20 runs in 7 overs.

In reply the over eagerness of our opening bowlers to redeem the team saw a spell of such pace and anger that the smallest deflection went flying off for 4 runs and by the time we reached the 3^rd over the target had been reached by our opposition.

CHCC lose by 8 wickets.

Under 11 - Touring match - Primrose Hill CC - 8th July

On a scorching afternoon in Kent CHCC entertained a touring side from Primrose Hill Cricket Club.

CHCC won the toss and elected to bat. The opening bowlers from Primrose Hill were fact and accurate, both Ted and Bear were unfortunately undone by good deliveries early and CHCC were rocked. Further issues came when Cameron was unable to bat due to injury, however Ewan and Henry then set about the task of steering the ship to steadier waters. Both boys played some nice shots until further good bowling from Primrose Hill saw the end of their innings. Ollie came in a played some nice shots while batting very sensibly, he held the innings together with other boys chipping in for runs that took us to 110 from 20 overs.

Primrose Hill set about their task slowly and carefully with the CHCC boys bowling some great lines. Ben Anderson took a great wicket but the other batsmen proved harder to shift. However the run rate was kept low as CHCC did well to restrict their batsmen to 50 form 10 overs. With wickets in hand and aided by some wayward CHCC bowling Primrose Hill were able to press the accelerator and despite some great bowling from Ted towards the close they passed the CHCC total with one over to spare.

Primrose Hill won by 3 Wkts

A good game on a very hot day, CHCC were hindered by injury and illness but did well against a top side from London who were all district or borough players which showed in their very tight and tidy bowling.

Well done to all involved on a cracking afternoon.

CHCC U11A's - Go Henry

Go Bear!  Go Harrison!  Go the whole lot of them! Castle Hill U11As inflicted the first defeat on table topping Sevenoaks Vine after another fine all round performance.

Much of the damage was done by a fabulous opening blast by Harrison and Elliot which left the Vine reeling on 3-4.  In fact some thought the game might be over before the England World Cup game started.  That didn't happen as the Vine recovered somewhat but ended up on 89 - 6 with another steady bowling and fielding effort.  Only 2 wides were bowled which is a far cry from earlier in the summer.  Aside from the opening bowlers, other notable performances came from Ollie 1-7 off 2, Ben A only 7 runs off 2 and Bear only 9 runs off 2.

In reply we had another first - Ted was actually dismissed after 6 undefeated innings.  But no matter as Bear and Henry stood up and made their 25s playing very sensibly putting away the bad balls with aplomb.  This left Artie and Elliot to see the hosts home comfortably with over 4 overs to spare. 

Result: CHCC win by 5 wickets.  Far less tension than the world cup game which followed.  

CHCC Championship League - 3 in a row

Looking for their third win in a row CHCC headed to Tunbridge Wells Borderers on a bright and breezy evening.

CHCC captain Ben Perry won the toss and chose to bat. Lucas and Callum opened the batting against two useful bowlers from TWB, good progress was made with some careful play from both boys and making use of a fast and small outfield. Good running put the fielders under pressure and led to some wayward throwing and handy extra runs for CHCC. After 6 overs both boys were retired to give our next batsmen a run out. Harry hit 17 quick runs before being dismissed by a useful delivery, Hugo stuck around for a little longer before being bowled by the same bowler, another good ball. Elliot came in and hit 26 from only 9 balls before being retired, he was followed by Sam, Ben P, Ben A and Oscar who all added a few useful runs although the wickets tumbled too. The Final over of the CHCC innings was an eventful affair, a number of no balls and wides which pushed the total on to 118 before Lucas received an absolute peach on the last ball which bowled him round his legs, impressive.

After a quick turn around TWB started their chase. An immaculate opening spell from Harry and Ben A meant that TWB were on the back foot from the start and lost 3 quick wickets. Their middle order batsmen however dug in well and aided by the occasional wayward one from the CHCC bowlers pushed their total on with 2 boys retiring on 25. However unlike TWB the CHCC boys had done a good job in the field so when their final batsmen began to hit out they still had a way to go to reach the target. At the end captain Ben brought back Harry who duly mopped up their last big hitting batsmen with a fine caught and bowled before dismissing their next batsman first ball. This left TWB needing 22 off the final over with 4 wickets left. Elliot bowled a good last over which they were only able to run 4 runs from, job done.

CHCC win by 18 runs

A good performance from the boys, a difficult and bouncy wicket to deal with and they all coped very well.

2 games left in the season, next up is the return leg against TWB at home on Monday 9^th!

Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun

Castle Hill U11s headed to Withyham for the Championship League game.

Withyham won the toss and elected to bat. Harry and Elliot opened up bowling a tight line and restricting the Withyham batsmen who are very strong players. Lapses in the field cost a few runs on a small and quick pitch but generally a tidy start saw Withyham on only 45 from 8 overs. Artie and Aadi both bowled tidy lines, Aadi picking up a wicket. Withyham then turned on the accelerators and began to score more freely, a fantastic catch from Oscar removed a key player but they moved the score on quickly. A very tidy over from JJ calmed things down and eventually they reached 106 for the loss of 4 wickets.

In reply Castle Hill lost Callum early on to a very speedie delivery from one of their players who normally plays in their A team, more on that later. However Artie and Harry came in and rapidly moved the score on with some lovely shots. Harry eventually fell trying to knock one into outer space swiftly followed by Elliot who caught in two minds spooned one back to the bowler. Ted then came in for a quick cameo and blazed 12 off 4 balls before playing on to an excellent delivery (he had at this point been told he would have to retire as the Withyham A team payer had not batted)…

It was left to Oscar, Hugo, JJ and Aadi to bring us close to our target. Progress was slow as the pressure built but the boys did well and with plenty of overs left all looked well. However, much as at Bells Yew Green the closeness of victory became a bit too much and Hugo and JJ were both run out… Luckily Artie returned to finish things off in fine style with a 4 hit off the first ball of the last over, against their county bowler!!

CHCC win by 1 wicket

Kent Super 8s Round 2 – Tenterden CC

Kent Super 8s Round 2 – Tenterden CC

Another fantastic display by the Castle Hill under 9’s at Tenterden yesterday comfortably winning all four of their matches and so qualifying for the Kent finals in August.

Joy of joys, for the second week in a row we had NO RUN OUTS ! Team spirit was excellent and the improvement in all the boys since the beginning of the season is great to see. The other pleasing thing was how few wides were bowled and some excellent fielding.

To embrace the World Cup we have borrowed from the BBC player ratings to give you a rundown of the boys performances!

Player ratings:

John –10 ; an excellent (and noisy) captain whose bowling was exemplary.

Freddie – 10 ; shared the captaincy duties with John and put in an a super all round performance.

Henry – 10 ; Some lusty blows and excellent in the field.

Claudio – 10 ; Bowled very straight and took an excellent catch.

Albi – 10 ; His bowling has a lovely natural loop and recovered bravely from a clash of heads when going for a catch (calling is something we need to work on)

Barnaby – 10 ; Batting has improved a lot and hit some useful runs.

William D – 10 ; Totally reliable , straight bowling.

Matthew – 10 ; Always fun and with an excellent eye for the ball hit the ball very well.

Charlie – 10 ; Huge improvement over the last couple of months with both bat and ball and hit the biggest shot of the day.

Theo – 10 ; Always reliable with the bat, his bowling has come on really well.

Finn – 10 ; Solid batting and enthusiastic in the field.

William B – 10 ; An excellent all round performance with bat and ball.

The finals take place at the Kent County Ground in Beckenham on 19^th August.

A Great Team Performance by the U11 Championship Team in the Sun at Cranbrook

Cranbrook won the toss and elected to bat on a dry wicket with a fast

outfield. Harry immediately stepped up bowling brisk away-swingers

with a really good line and length. Our fielding was generally strong

with direct hits from Callum and Sam, both of which could have been

run-outs and indeed Sam’s was! JJ was electric on the boundary and

saved a good many runs, while Hugo kept calmly and has developed a

lovely chirpy keeper’s banter from behind the sticks. Ben A then

bowled two overs of really good line and length and Oliver was on hand

to keep it tight at cover and not give away runs. Eventually, 112 was

a good score but would it be enough as our fielding had been good and

it was clearly a high scoring ground?

Ryan and Callum opened like proper openers, watching the good ball and

hitting the wide one. Then Harry arrived to play a beautiful innings

using the speed of the ball and showing great timing for a rapid 28

before retiring. Ben P then batted calmly to consolidate the innings

and Hugo played a solid innings including some lovely shots through

the leg side. JJ “got a good one” before Oliver chipped in for a few

quick middle-order runs to keep the pace of scoring going. Then Ben A

returned...ball one swept to the square-leg boundary, ball two as well

and then a push to mid-wicket for the victory.

Result - Castle Hill won by 3 wickets

This was a proper cricket game and all the team played well and will

have something to remember at the end of the day. For sure there are

improvements that can be made but Paul, James and I were delighted

with the way people played.Off to Withyham tomorrow....

CHCC U11A going up in the world

Everyone says that CHCC U11As are a 'hit'; however yesterday they became a 'direct hit' after they dismissed Holmesdale batsmen not just once but twice from direct hits in the space of two overs.  The first was from Ollie who only had a single stump to aim at from cover point, the second was from Harrison and came from one of his power throws from mid off.  

Running someone out from a direct hit is one of the greatest pleasures in life (the author has only managed it once in his entire career) and they put a stranglehold on the Holmesdale innings from which they never recovered having elected to bat first.

This was by far the best bowling performance this season from the home side and accurate tight bowling and fielding meant the Holmesdale batsmen had to resort to taking risky singles.  The run outs also seemed to inject some confidence and a swagger in the home side who never felt in any danger of losing from this point.

All the bowlers excelled with the most accurate being Ewan 2 overs for 3 runs, Henry 2 overs for 4 runs and Bear 2 overs for 8 runs.  Aside from the runs outs wickets were taken by Harrison, Bear, Tom and Artie.

In reply to Holmesdale's 83-7 Castle Hill were always up with the required rate.  Ted played a more sedate anchor role this time ending up on 27 not out as his partners Bear (7), Harrison (10) and then Ewan (19) plundered the rather dispirited bowlers.  A comfortable win was achieved with nearly 6 overs to spare and made up for the disappointing last over loss to the visitors earlier this summer.

Result: Castle Hill win by 4 wickets.  Ricky Gervais nowhere to be seen.

CHCC U11 Championship League - 4 seasons in one game!

CHCC welcomed Tunbridge Wells Girls Under 12s to a rather damp and drizzly Castle Hill. Fortunately the rain stopped and we were able to get underway without too much delay with CHCC winning the toss and deciding to bat. Our openers Ben A and Lucas started brightly running plenty of byes as T Wells struggled with the slippery conditions. The bowling was still accurate however and runs were tough to come by, both boys played sensible and thoughtful innings which was great to see. Unfortunately Lucas fell to a very good delivery and Callum also received a good one shortly after which dented our progress. In order to give as many players a chance we retired Ben A after 8 overs and in came Harry and Elliot. The boys played some great shots and moved the scoreboard along rapidly with both retiring on 25 within a few balls of each other, a 50 partnership in just 6 overs. With two overs to go Charlotte and Ben P came in and moved the score along to 106 for the loss of just 2 wickets.

In the first match of the season against the same opposition we had posted a score of 108 but had lost on the final ball, would the result be the same or different??

The CHCC bowling was much improved on the whole with only a couple of overs where the bowlers struggled for line and length. The T Wells batting is strong and in the middle section of the match they really sped up the run rate so that with 6 overs left they only needed 20 runs to win having lost just one wicket (an excellent delivery from Harry which bowled one of their openers). It is testament to CHCC that the game ended up coming down to the final over. In the previous 5 overs Sam, Callum and Elliot had put in a superb spell taking 3 wickets and conceding only 17 runs.

Unfortunately the grandstand finish was not possible, a very nice shot from one of the girls winning the match with 3 balls to spare.

I has been normal in the match reports so far this season to bemoan our lack of discipline with the bat or ball, or some vaguely calamitous fielding… however not this time. The concentration, application and execution was excellent all round. There were some terrific stops in the field (I fear Charlotte may have a large bruise this morning), more energy and support than we have seen previously (well done to Harry and Elliot as joint captains for keeping the team spirit up) and great enthusiasm all round. Sometimes you come up against a team that just has more on the day and given the age differential and the quality of the T Wells team it was likely to be a tough task, a great performance to run them so close.

U11A's - Premiership - Ricky Gervais - Come to Castle Hill!

Message to Ricky - if you are planning to make a new series of Extras, look no further than Castle Hill U11As!  Yesterday a whopping 59 extras were conceded in what should have been a straightforward win at King's Hill. 

Batting first on a fast bouncy track, Ted and Cameron got the visitors off to a flier both hitting some beautiful cover drives. Ted reached his 25 after only 4 overs however Cameron fell shortly afterwards.  Bear and Ewan then kept the score moving along nicely, Bear stylish as ever quick to pounce on any single.  After Bear was bowled and Harrison was unluckily caught behind down the leg side, Ollie took full advantage hitting the team's first maximum of the summer.  Ewan anchored the innings playing very sensibly hitting 4 fours to retire on 25 and, with Ryan, Tom and Artie playing useful cameos, the innings eventually closed on an imposing 127-6.

This was always going to be a high scoring match given the pace in the wicket and the fast outfield.  However confident the visitors were, they did not expect King's Hill to challenge their total.  Scott the opener batted well and although he lost partners the score kept ticking along thanks to the dreaded E word.  The exceptions to this were Tom and Artie whose 2 overs both went for a total 4 runs.  Wickets were taken by Bear, Artie, Ollie, Ryan and Harrison with a trademark Harrison run out.  Other stand out fielding was an astonishing one handed catch by Bear leaping high into the air and a good low catch by Artie, ones which are often dropped at this age group.  Otherwise the fielding was a mixed bag.

Tension rose as King's Hill got closer but Castle Hill kept their nerve as the sun dipped and the home team ended up on 120-6.  

Result: Castle Hill win by 7 runs

U9 : Kent Super 8s 2018 – Round 1

A great morning out at the Cranbrook tournament where the boys came out as winners on the day having won three and narrowly lost one.

Team spirit was excellent and the chatter in the field so lively that one of the other coaches even felt it was necessary (which it wasn’t….) to tell them to quieten down!

Far and away the most pleasing thing as a team is that we didn’t have a single run out, the kids having being told they would meet a slow and painful death if they embarked on suicidal runs. Fear clearly works at this age! It is hard to express the joy in this statistic and the temptation to hit and run has proved beyond most of our U9s for several seasons..

Looking at the team performances we saw some excellent fast and straight bowling from John Campbell who also proved to be a very effective and noisy Captain. Matthew Hollands hit some fine shots and his running between the wickets was excellent. Noticeable knocks also came from Theo and Claudio scoring vital runs with big hits at key times in the games. Barnaby and William B gave all-round excellent displays, Will B effecting a vital run out. William D, Will C and Albie all bowled very accurately and continue to impress with their line and length. Alexander kept wicket very well and was a lively presence in the field as was Max whose bowling is also coming on at pace.

In two weeks’ time we go to Tenterden for round 2 and a chance to book our place in the finals in August, go CHCC! An excellent start to the competitive season.

Sunday 10th June – CHCC U11s entertain Invicta development squad

An overcast Sunday morning saw CHCC U11s welcome the Invicta U11 Development Squad to Castle Hill. The Invicta Development squad is a combined team of Northern Warriors and Western Rhinos, strong players on the fringe of area representation, as such having 11 boys of this ability from yr 6 was always going to be a challenge for CHCCs team.

Invicta won the toss and elected to bowl. CHCCs top order batsmen had mixed success, Harrison played like a man possessed racking up 25 in less than 3 overs and having to be retired, Henry too batted well for a hard fought 15 against some tight bowling. Unfortunately Cameron and Bear both received peaches from the opposition bowlers and so CHCC found itself with its middle order batting quite early on. Ryan, Elliot and Lucas all batted nicely for their runs and were duly retired after 4 overs to ensure everyone got a bat. The run rate had slipped however so in trying to up the anti we lost Ben A, Ben P and Hobbsy in quick succession. This allowed Harrison to return to the crease and hit a massive 6 before being bowled attempting another, Aadi finished the match having played nicely and coping very well against boys 2 school years above him.

CHCC finished on 91 from 20 overs.

It was now Invicta’s turn to bat. CHCC bowled well but just like other games everyone seemed to have one lapse per over and pop in a wide or a no ball which hurt us. The Invicta openers knowing that the run rate was not high took their time and did not force the pace, only latching on to the loose ones, a lesson there for our boys. Eventually CHCC made a breakthrough and dismissed one of their openers through a sharp catch from Lucas. Sadly other opportunities went begging and the reprieved batsmen made use of their 9 lives, with 6 overs to go and 20 runs needed the Invicta team pressed the accelerator and began to hit out.

Invicta won by 6 wickets.

This was a good game to give our boys experience against a decent side all in the older catchment for U11. The boys should take note of how the Invicta players were vocal and supportive in the field which has been a missing factor for CHCC this year and one we need to work on.

CHCC Premiership - Down to earth with a bang

CHCC U11A's final game of the first half of the season ended in defeat to a well drilled Withyham side. 

Withyham has a lovely cricket ground tucked away somewhere near nowhere.  However while the wicket itself is level, at one end the bowlers have to run down the hill before reaching the wicket and vice versa the other end.  A number of CHCC bowlers seemed to struggle with this and too many wides were bowled.  Wickets were shared (Tom 2, Bear, Harrison and Ollie 1) and a run out from an Ollie direct hit.  Special mention should also go to Cameron for only conceding 3 runs from his 2 overs as Withyham reached 92 in their allotted 16 overs.

The visitors had a strong belief that this total was eminently gettable but came up against a very disciplined bowling attack.  Only 1 wide was bowled by the hosts in the whole innings.

After Cameron and Bear fell early, Ted and Ewan steadied the ship for a while.  But once Ewan departed and Ted was forced to retire on 25 (yet again), wickets fell quickly with only Ollie showing some resistance just making double figures.  

Result: Withyham win by 41 runs

CHCC U11 Premiership Match - Back to winning ways

After two setbacks away in Sevenoaks, CHCC U11As showed great bouncebackability by overcoming Tunbridge Wells in a tense encounter at the Nevill.

Once again Cameron and Ted set the perfect tempo despite a slow wicket and outfield following the recent monsoon.  Both ended up retiring on 25 not out.  Whilst no other batsman made a major contribution, all played an important role in keeping the scoreboard moving along resulting in the village team setting their local urban counterparts a challenging score of exactly 100.

In reply, Harrison clean bowled the dangerous Z Webb first ball, although his opening partner B Dawkins batted extremely well in making his 25 and looks a rather special talent.  After his retirement it was a game of cat and mouse as the home side kept up or at least close to the required run rate.  Wickets fell steadily including a cool and calm run out effected by Ewan.  With 13 required off 2 overs Henry bowled an immaculate maiden which left Tunbridge Wells too much to do in the final over.

Result:  Castle Hill win by 5 runs.  Not a perfect performance by any means but the number of wides and no balls conceded was much improved.

CHCC U11 Championship - A breezy evening at BYG

CHCC visited a breezy Bells Yew Green on an interesting wicket with a few lumps and bumps. CHCC Captain Lucas won the toss and elected to field. Harry and Lucas opened the bowling with good line and length, Harry dismissed one of the BYG openers and generally things were quite tight for a few overs. Elliot and Jack then came on to bowl, Elliot took two wickets with some aggressive bowling and Jack got one with his first ball! However the CHCC fielding was not at its best and the team continued to give away too many extras which moved BYG on to a healthy total. The end of the BYG innings saw some much improved fielding and a great bowling effort by Aadi starting his first hard ball game. BYG finished on a good total of 98, 40 of which were extras! Plaudits to Hugo who kept very well on a difficult pitch.

The CHCC reply started shakily with Harry and JJ both falling cheaply, albeit to good deliveries. However a great stand between Lucas (24) and Elliot (32) put CHCC firmly in the driving seat only needing 20 runs from the final 8 overs. Unfortunately as the pressure mounted the CHCC boys were unable to keep their heads and some tricky deliveries which kept low saw the end of Jack, Hugo and 

Sam before Aadi picked out one of the opposing fielders who took a good catch. This meant that CHCC needed 8 runs when Elliot returned to bat with Oscar. With 4 overs remaining a rush of blood saw the boys attempt a crazy single and therefore the match was lost.

BYG win by 3 runs.

This was hugely disappointing as CHCC had put themselves in a winning position. BYG showed the value of bowling line and length on a tricky wicket and the CHCC boys need to learn when to play their shots and when to defend. However still plenty of games left to learn from our mistakes and we move forward as a team.

U11 Championship League - V is for Victory

A balmy evening at Castle Hill saw our under 11 Bs welcome a depleted Cranbrook team. Injuries and availability had affected both teams so we had 8 v 7 in our favour, though we provided Cranbrook with an extra fielder.

CHCC won the toss and decided to bat. Harry and Artie got off a flyer against the Cranbrook opening bowlers who are both district players, some mighty blows from HK saw CHCC race to 35 off the first 4 overs. A change of ends brought a change of luck to Cranbrook, their first change bowler putting in a fine two overs having first Artie, then Harry and then Elliot all caught behind by their keeper. JJ hit two nice 4s before being caught out and suddenly it looked a little precarious, 10 overs left but only 3 wickets left. Ben Perry then came in and played a superbly controlled innings supported along the way by Jack, Oscar and finally Callum. Castle Hill posted 88 for 6 with Harry top scoring with a fine 24 and Ben retiring on 16.

CHCC knew there weren’t many runs to play with and I am pleased to report that the bowling and fielding was a marked improvement on the first two games. Harry and Elliot opened up with speed and venom with one of their openers falling to Harry 3^rd ball and the first 4 overs only going for 12 runs. The first bowling change saw Callum and Ben P come on, Callum duly picking up the wicket of Cranbrook’s other opener and Ben also bowled a tight line and great length which left Cranbrook on only 34 after 8 overs. 

The next bowling pair Of Oscar and Jack also bowled really well and by the time their batsmen began to swing it was looking like too little too late.

The final overs saw Callum return to the attack and combined with some great work in the field by Oscar and behind the stumps from Artie CHCC ran out the last danger man. An immaculate maiden followed from Harry which left Cranbrook needing 27 from the final 2 overs. Up stepped Callum who continued to enhance his fearsome reputation as the bowling finisher by cleaning up their last two batsmen.

CHCC U11 Bs beat Cranbrook by 24 runs.

A fine performance from the boys who really played well, every boy played their part in a great team victory. The improvement in the bowling and fielding was marked and a sign that the boys are getting over the rustiness of the first few games. Next up is Bells Yew Green, away on 4^th June…

U11 Premiership Team - Not this time

Castle Hill U11A came second to a spirited and tactically astute Holmesdale team, in a topsy turvy game losing in the final over.  

Having won the toss and opting to bat, openers Ted and Cameron got off to a flyer, the visitors reaching 45 without loss after 6 overs with some fine shots and excellent running.  However, after Cameron fell to a fine sprawling catch on 19, wickets fell steadily and the momentum was lost.  Aside from some some useful blows from Ollie, the innings stuttered to 89-7 off 16 overs, Ted coming back at the end to finish undefeated on 33.

In reply, Castle Hill struggled to keep a hold on the scoring rate despite taking wickets (Tom 2, Ted 1 and a run out),  The Holmesdale batsmen all ran well and too many wides were conceded.  Bear was the star in the field, taking a good catch, effecting a run out and bowling a maiden with the penultimate over which gave his team a chance with 4 runs still required.  However it was too little too late and the home side made it home in the final over, the Holmesdale opener Stone carrying his bat.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable game despite the boys coming up short.

U11 Premier League - Castle Hill's got talent

After the U11B team's stirring win against Withyham B on Tuesday, the U11A opened their season with an encouraging 17 run win against King's Hill.

Having won the toss and opting to bat, skipper Ted and Cameron got the team off to a positive start before Cameron was undone by a good delivery.  Bear then failed to trouble the scorer (his dad - thanks Julian) and this marked the start of the Ted and Harrison partnership, which was the cornerstone of the innings both reaching 25.  They particularly ran very well between the wickets once Harrison's vocal chords got into gear.  Some good blows from Ollie, and one from Tom, and good running from all the batsman enabled the team to finish on 98-6.

Harrison proceeded to clean bowl the King's Hill opener first ball and a rout was predicted.  This failed to materialise as the batsmen played steadily without threatening to keep up with the required run rate.  King's Hill closed on 81-5, the other 4 wickets were claimed by Ryan, Ted and Ben along with a run-out.  The bowling was rather wayward at times, something the boys will need to work on in matches to come.

Castle Hill was looking its fabulous best on a sunny but rather chilly evening; thanks to Richard and Hirsty for all their work.   And thanks to Hayley for some delicious sandwiches and cakes.

U11 Championship Match - home verses Withyham CC - 6pm 15th May

Warm weather, blue skies, a splendid pitch and a cracking game…

The U11 Championship squad continued their 2018 season against Withyham CC with Castle Hill Cricket Club bathed in sunshine!

Match Summary:

CHCC batted first and made steady progress, Lucas did a fine job anchoring the innings and saw off some good bowling as he progressed to 21 Not Out, Elliot made a cautious start against some good length bowling but soon found his rhythm and was duly retired.

Castle Hill then lost a few wickets quickly, Charlotte was bowled by a looping delivery that I think deceived everyone in the ground with its flight and pace, JJ made a few quick runs before being bowled, and Callum managed to run himself out on his first ball.. (I blame too much touchline coaching for that one.)

Sam Bromley hit an absolute monster over long off which caused a few gasps from the crowd, before being bowled by a good delivery! This left Hugo and Elliot to see out the innings, Elliot finishing on 32 Not Out and CHCC posting a score of 95 for 6.

Withyham started at a pace and their openers put on some quick runs that looked to have CHCC struggling, then the match was turned on its head by 2 incidents. Firstly one of their best players was superbly run out by Callum who whipped off his gloves and knocked off the bails in fine fashion, followed by an outrageous catch at mid wicket by Harry which will take some beating this season, at any age group! Elliot then clean bowled two of their batsmen before a change of Wicket Keeper for CHCC brought Callum in to the attack. Clearly keen to make an impression Callum got a wicket with his first ball and then another two balls later, Hugo taking over the gloves kept immaculately behind the stumps.

This left CHCC needing one more wicket, Withyham needing 11 runs, 4 over to go..

Up stepped Captain for the day Ben Perry who having marshalled his troops superbly in the field bowled out their last batsman.

Result – CHCC beat Withyham by 10 runs

Well done Boys, still plenty to work on but stirling efforts all round..

A tough test against a strong Cranbrook team lies ahead on Monday

U11 Championship Team - 1st match report

Warm weather, blue skies, a splendid pitch and a cracking game…

The U11 Championship squad begun against a very strong and well drilled Tunbridge Wells U12 Girls team, which included several district and one county player.

Match Summary:

CHCC batted first and straight away we could see it was going to be hard work, immaculate line and length from their opening bowlers made scoring hard and unfortunately we also had a run out early on (unlucky Ben P). However, the boys weathered the storm and protected their wickets, Harry also chipping in with some useful boundaries, which would prove valuable later on.

Having rotated batsmen and seen the need to pick up the run rate we were then treated to the JJ Jackson leg side extravaganza as he dispatched three deliveries for 4’s before being bowled by an excellent delivery. Elliot then came in and hit 22 very quickly (including a huge 6) which helped keep the scoring rate up before being caught by the opposition captain. Useful runs then came from Ryan and Oscar before a few late wickets brought back our earlier retired batsmen. In the final few overs, assisted by some loose bowling (at last), Harry with a huge 6 (finishing on 24), and Ollie with two cracking 4s came back on to help us post a target of 110 for victory.

It was clear that there was some rustiness in the CHCC bowling and their openers exploited anything short or wide with ruthless efficiency. Credit to our boys that their second overs were generally a lot better which bodes well for the season. The openers retired with half of the required runs scored after only 7 overs bowled of a possible 16. Then came the CHCC recovery, Elliot took 3 quick wickets and then Lucas chipped in with one along with a run-out, suddenly Tunbridge Wells needed 17 from the Last two overs…

Unfortunately the boys were not able to hold on, some good hits, great running between the wickets by the girls and a few missed opportunities in the field meant that Tunbridge Wells won on the last ball of the game, despite an excellent last over from Ollie.

Result – Tunbridge Wells Girls U12 beat Castle Hill by 1 run

All can be proud of a superb first effort, Callum who was keeping wicket for the first time did a great job behind the stumps in difficult conditions, the enthusiasm could not be questioned and the competitive spirit was definitely there.

Plenty of positives and I am confident we will learn from this and move forward as a stronger squad.

Looking forward to the next one!!

Hard work pays off

Our grounds team have been busy and have reported the square will be ready for matches this Sunday and Monday - as long as the rain keep off - here are a few pics to warm your cricket heart! - Please keep a watch on this site and messages from your coach re training and match go aheads

Ground team working hard

Despite a very wet spring, our ground team have been busy trying to get the ground ready - training should be ok to go ahead on Friday and Saturday and if we don't get much rain, they may be able to open the square for matches from Sunday - please keep in contact with your team managers/coaches for the latest updates.

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Youth 2018 Spring Newsletter

This can be downloaded from here - please remember its sign up day tomorrow - starts at 0930.

Bring along your secateurs and gloves and help smarten the ground up ready for the new season as its also tidy up morning at the club 

CHCC Cleanup and sign up postponed by a week

Due to the very waterlogged pitch & car park, we have postponed the cleanup & sign up day by a week - it will now be the Saturday the 21st of April at 10am - see you there!

2018 application forms

Now available via the link on the left-hand side of the homepage.

U13/U15 Winter Nets

WINTER NETS TO BE HELD FOR THE UNDER 15 & UNDER 13 SQUADS

VENUE: THE JUDD SCHOOL, TUESDAY 13TH/20TH & 27TH MARCH 

6PM TO 7.30PM

Please contact Ben Hall to confirm if you are going to attend

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2018 Village Cup draw

Castle Hill CC have a first round tie away to Borstal on Sunday 29 April.  The winners will then have a home tie to Sibton Park on Sunday May 13. Sibton Park have been awarded a bye and were finalists in 2016.  Castle Hill were knocked out by Sibton Park in a keenly fought game last year.

U9 winter nets start soon

Please visit the U9 page for more details

U11 Winter nets start soon - see U11 page for more details