Match Centre

Rain, Rag and Resilience in Dorking SmashIT Clash

The Girls U11s travelled to Dorking for a SmashIT friendly on a day when the rain came down with the enthusiasm of a Labrador in a muddy puddle. Lesser mortals might have called it off, but not these two teams. No — this was a throwback to the days of Geoffrey Boycott, uncovered pitches, damp outfields, and that trusty old rag making a heroic return to dry the ball every other delivery. The ball skidded on, barely bounced, and behaved like it had somewhere else to be.

Ellie made her debut as captain and immediately demonstrated diplomatic flair, securing a gentleman’s agreement that we would bowl first. A fine decision, as it turned out, because what followed was some of the best bowling we’ve seen all season.

Emilia, Charlotte and Abi each produced the magical SmashIT hat‑trick of two wickets in one over, with both Abi and Charlotte pulling off caught‑and‑bowleds that would have had Sky Sports scrambling for replay angles. Issy added a wicket of her own, and Lottie was desperately unlucky not to join the list — hitting the stumps cleanly only for the bails to cling on for dear life like they’d been superglued. The whole team backed each other brilliantly: sharp fielding, great support, and proper teamwork all round.

We also welcomed Zadie and Lottie for their Leatherhead debuts, both slotting in seamlessly and contributing with energy and confidence.

After the traditional biscuit‑based morale boost, we headed out to bat on a pitch that was still behaving like a bar of soap on a bathroom floor. Even so, Charlotte thumped three boundaries, Emilia struck two, and Abi added one of her own. Harriett ran superbly between the wickets, while Lottie unveiled a textbook cover drive so pure it could be used in coaching manuals.

For those who had spent the week wrestling with SATs papers, this was a far nicer way to round things off — fresh air, friends, cricket, and only the occasional ball that skidded on at ankle height.

Our one area to keep working on in SmashIT remains the batting — though in fairness, it helps if we get a few more legal deliveries and a pitch that isn’t impersonating a wet doormat.

Opposition awards went to Emilia for Best Bowler and Issy for Best Batter — both well deserved.

A soggy, skiddy, slightly chaotic afternoon… but full of smiles, effort, and brilliant spirit. Exactly what SmashIT cricket is all about.