Barbados Cricket Association article.
Truro, Cornwall - There have been mixed fortunes in their first two matches for the Franklyn Stephenson Academy (FSA) Under-15s on tour of England.
After wining their opening match against Cornwall School Association's Under-15s by two wickets, they suffered a four-wicket loss to the Cornwall School Association's Under-14s.
In the second match, a 45-over in warm sunshine at the beautiful Truro Cricket Club Ground with the Truro River flowing just outside its northern and eastern boundaries, the FSA won the toss on a dry looking surface with Barbados player Alan Holligan being partnered at the top by Tauron Gibson.
The pair worked hard to get a good start as it soon became apparent that the batting surface would be low and slow. Holligan was in good touch from the start, but Gibson struggled with his timing. Together they took the score to 35 by the 13th over before Tauron perished by the run out route, failing to complete a sharp single.
Tour captain Marc Cyrus returned to his batting slot at No. 3 and together with Holligan consolidated the position with a stand of 22 in just over seven overs before the latter perished with a contribution of 33 of 77 balls with four boundaries.
Cyrus found a good partner in the diminutive Demetrius Richards in the most positive batting display of the day by the visiting team. That partnership of 48 in eight overs was also ended by a run out as Richards failed to make his ground trying to complete yet another single. His score of 20 came off 26 balls with two fours.
The innings went into decline as 105 for three soon became 127 for eight with none of the remaining batsmen coming to grips with a pitch that required those that were in, to stay in.
Cyrus tried diligently to hold the innings together until he was eventually the ninth batsman out with the score on 140 in the 39th over and his personal contribution of 53 made off 67 balls with eight fours. It still required a last wicket partnership of 17 for the FSA to reach their final total of 157 in 43.2 overs with Renacko Belgrave at No. 10 looking very much an accomplished batsman with 19, before he, too, was run out.
In the end, the anticipated contest never materialized as a below par bowling performance resulted in the victory target being reached after 27.3 overs. There were a whopping 43 extras including 36 wides and three no-balls.
Ignoring the nature of the pitch, the FSA opted for aggressive fast bowling to attacking fields. While opening bowlers Nyeem Young and Jaden Edmund knocked over three wickets by the seventh over including captain and opening batsman Sam Wyatt, the scoring rate was already high with the extras already making a telling contribution.
The early aggression eventually fizzled out as middle order pair of Matt Lello and Harry Trehewey put on 95 in 16 overs as none of medium-pacers, Ondre Callender and Hans Campbell, nor spinners Aaron Roberts and Darian Trotman when finally introduced, troubled the batsmen.
That partnership was eventually broken, when in a final throw of the dice both Young and Edmund were recalled with Trehewey spectacularly bowled by Young for 29 off 45 balls with five fours. Young then ripped up the stumps off new batsmen Jacob Harvey and Edmund replied in turn by doing the same with Lello's stumps as both sets of supporters on the sidelines began to take a keener interest in the proceedings on the field as the score now registered 133 for five.
Extras was to have the final say as epitomized by two crucial leg-side wides from Young that headed into the boundary, perhaps a fitting exclamation point.
Young took four wickets - all clean bowled - but his 8.3 overs yielded 54 runs.
The opening match was a 50-over at the Redruth Cricket Club Ground.
Cornwall were sent in on a firm, but grassy pitch. By the end of the first over, left-arm medium-pacer, Ajani Batson, left the field with a strain and was replaced in the third over by Nyeem Young who claimed the initiative for the FSA with two quick wickets.
The momentum was soon lost by a combination of erratic bowling that resulted in several wides and no-balls and solid batting in the form of Kieran Richardson in partnership with his captain, the left-handed, Alex Bone.
That partnership of 74 in 14 overs took the score to 97 by the 19th over despite the visitors shuffling their bowing attack to obtain a breakthrough. Diminutive medium-pacer Hans Campbell, bowling from the southern end as the sixth bowler, had Bone caught at the wicket by wicketkeeper, Tauron Gibson.
By the introduction of Campbell, left-arm orthodox spinner Renacko Belgrave was in the midst of a tidy spell and together they reduced the scoring rate, with the score 121 for five at the 26th over. Richardson had departed by that time for a well payed 44 off 66 balls with six boundaries.
Opening bowler Jaden Edmund was brought back, this time from the Southern End, after an impressive yet luckless opening spell of six overs that troubled the top order. Bowling a full length, his late swing was soon a problem with batsmen Luke Brenton and Tom Mitchell both spectacularly clean bowled.
The innings was duly closed out at 165 in 41.5 overs with two wickets to Aaron Roberts with his flighted, sharp turning leg spinners.
Edmund's final figures were the impressive two for 21 off ten overs.
The FSA innings was filled with drama that seem to coincide with the fluctuating appearance of the sunshine. They quickly lost opening pair of Azan Holligan and Gebre Marshall and after wobbling at 11 for three in the sixth over, a semblance of calm was returned in a 65-run partnership in 16 overs between Nyeem Young and Tauron Gibson, the latter coming one down after captain Marc Cyrus had to leave the crease without facing a ball. Cyrus was one of several of the visiting players that suffered with cramps late in the day.
Following the dismissal of Gibson and two further wickets in quick succession, the FSA only began to return to ascendancy in a seventh wicket partnership of 51in nearly 13 overs between Young and Batson, now in his role as batsman following his setback earlier in the day.
Young himself had to retire on 37 due to cramps before returning to the crease at the fall of the fifth wicket at 87 in the 26th over. In partnership with Batson they took the visitors score to 141. Batson departed for 16 off 36 balls, but Young remained to the end on a dominant 82 not out off 119 balls with 12 fours.
Summarised scores:
Match 1 - FSA won by two wickets.
Cornwall Under-15s 165 all out (41.5 overs) (Kieran Richardson 44, Alex Bone 17, Luke Brenton 17, Matthew Ellis; Jaden Edmund 10-2-21-2, Aaron Roberts 4.5-0-15-2, Renacko Belgrave 10-0-32-2, Nyeem Young 5-0-37-2).
FSA Under-15s 166-8 (47.2 overs) (Nyeem Young 82 not out, Tauron Gibson 18, Ajani Batson 16; Piran Kent 10-2-29-3, Josh Murray-Dustan 10-2-37-2)
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Match 2 - Cornwall Under-14s won by four wickets.
FSA U15s 157 all out (43.2 overs) (Marc Cyrus 53, Azan Holligan 33, Demetrius Richards 20, Renacko Belgrave19; Will Trenoweth 6-1-18-3, James Dark 4-0-21-3).
Cornwall U14s 158-6 (27.3 overs) (Matt Lello 43, Harry Trehewey 29, Sam Wyatt 18, Charlie Armstrong 13 not out; Nyeem Young 8.3-1-54-4; Jaden Edmund 8-2-28-2).
First Published On bcacricket.org.