Match Centre

🏏 “Leatherhead Turn the Tables in Style as the Summer… Doesn’t” 🏏

If last week’s narrow defeat at Epsom left the Leatherhead Girls U11s feeling like they had unfinished business, today’s return fixture at home was the perfect chance to set things right — and they absolutely did.

Despite the British summer doing its best impression of late‑October (grey, chilly, and generally confused), the girls arrived buzzing on the back of 3 games in 7 days. No rest for the wickedly talented.

The Toss, the Gloves, and the Fastest Decision in Cricketing History

Captain-for-the-day Elena, Queen of the Short Barrier, won the toss so quickly that several spectators are still unsure whether it actually happened. She inserted Epsom into bat, grabbed the wicketkeeping gloves, and set the tone for the afternoon.

And just like that, the demons of Wednesday’s softball wobble were banished.

Bowling: Tight, Terrific, and Occasionally Magical

The bowling unit delivered again:

• Harriet — The Quiet Storm — opened with her usual calm, controlled accuracy, breezing in with that trademark hush before the wicket rattles.

• Magic Mia produced her trademark sleight‑of‑hand (“Which hand is the ball in? Right? Left? No idea.”) and bowled beautifully.

• Lily, fresh from hours of garden cricket, showed that practice really does make perfect.

The wickets were shared around with admirable generosity:

• Abi — The Bookham Express – 2

• Issy — The Precision Panther – 2

• Emilia – 1

In the field, Silky Lottie lived up to her nickname with smooth movement and sharp reactions, while Emilia patrolled the boundary like a seasoned pro, keeping last week’s Epsom destroyer firmly under control.

Elena handed over the gloves at halfway, and The Quiet Storm took over wicketkeeping duties with real confidence.

Biscuits, Fruit Shoots, and a Batting Chase with Purpose

After both teams demolished the biscuit supply (a tradition now as sacred as the toss), it was our turn to bat.

Lily and Magic Mia opened with excellent running and technically correct batting — the sort coaches dream of.

Next came Captain Elena and Silky Lottie, producing shots straight from the ECB coaching manual. Elena found the rope with authority.

By the time the first two pairs were done, we were only a couple of runs from the winning target.

The Bookham Express and The Quiet Storm kept the momentum going, with Abi crunching a boundary and working hard on her straight, low, technically tidy shots.

Finally, Emilia and The Precision Panther brought us home — with the added challenge of trying to break the team scoring record. They fell just short (thanks to Elena for the stat‑tracking), but Emilia still found the rope to round things off.

And in the post‑match awards:

• Abi — The Bookham Express — was voted Best Bowler

• Emilia was voted Best Batter

Both richly deserved.

A Post‑Match Pyramid… and a Few Nervous Adults

With the win secured, the girls turned their attention to the real challenge of the day: successfully completing their promised celebratory human pyramid.

Against all odds — and with a level of coordination rarely seen in U11 warm‑ups — they pulled it off. Cue cheers, laughter, and at least three adults muttering things like:

• “Is this… safe?”

• “Should we… intervene?”

• “Has anyone done a risk assessment on this?”

The photographic evidence (now safely stored in the Media section) confirms both the triumph and the mild panic.

Result: Leatherhead Win the Return Leg

A brilliant all‑round performance, full of energy, teamwork, and the kind of cricket that shows just how far this group has come.

Tomorrow brings the Smash IT Cup game — and if today is anything to go by, they’ll be ready.