By Miss Nicholas, Director of Sport

On Tuesday 22nd February the U15 Cricket Team (a mix of the best selected players from Year 9 and 10 teams) headed to Lord’s Cricket Ground to play in the London Schools Lady Taverners Schools Indoor Cricket 1st Round. If schools win this, they then head to a London/ Middlesex/ Surrey Regional Round, then a South East of England Regional Round and then National Finals, previously held at Lord’s.

The team were drawn in Pool A. First match of the day saw them take on Godolphin and Latymer’s B Team. NHEHS won the toss and opted to field first. An early wicket from captain Kikuko K in the second over applied early pressure and outstanding straight  bowling from Dana N then led to two more wickets in the next over. The fielding momentum stayed with NHEHS and some excellent further wickets and catches meant NHEHS managed to hold G&L B to an impressive 34 runs, needing 35 to win. Despite an early run out for Sofia Y in the bat, Jaspreet G and Dana N made an excellent pairing, gaining 36 off only two overs. Dana N got the nod as Player of the Match for this game for her strong batting (an 8!) and her consistent bowling.  A strong start for the NHEHS team!

Next NHEHS were up against St Paul’s Girls School A Team. Again NHEHS won the toss and again opted to field. Ishikaa G took her opportunity to try her hand in the bowl early in the game and gained an impressive three catches from her innings! Helena E also had an outstanding performance, with reactive catches at various points in the game (one off the body of her own player!) which kept high pressure on the opposition. 35 scored by SPGS, so 36 needed to win. This time Sofia made no mistake in the bat and started strong, with multiple 3’s and 4’s. In just over two overs Sofia and Jaspreet had made 36 runs and NHEHS took the game. Player of the match went to Helena for her excellent performance in the field.

Next up NHEHS faced Lady Margaret and NHEHS again won the toss, but this time opted to bat first. NHEHS scored 72 runs and kept Lady Margaret to 45. Captain Kikuko got Player of the Match for this game for her consistently excellent bowling.

Final game of the pool saw NHEHS take on Putney High School U14. They were also yet to drop a match in the pool round and so this was a head to head to who would get through as top in the pool, giving the team an easier semi-final draw. Kikuko K was again lucky with the toss and NHEHS opted to field first to challenge their opponents to set a total to beat. 

Putney started strong, scoring an 8 off the first ball (!), but NHEHS kept their heads and some excellent bowling from Sofia, Kikuko and Dana meant after a strong start they managed to slow the run rate down of the opposition, Putney scored 64. Consistency however, was the name of the game for NHEHS and all batsmen played for the 3’s when they could. An excellent hit by Georgia C during the middle overs meant NHEHS also got an 8 of their own! On the second to last ball of the game NHEHS managed to score 67 to win- a deep breath out for the team, coaches and spectators alike! Man of the match went to Georgia for all her batting efforts. To the semi-finals NHEHS would go!

Semi-finals saw NHEHS be drawn against Putney’s U15 team. Owing to the tight last match, NHEHS came out ready! Again Kikuko K won the draw and again NHEHS opted to field first. This time, early outs from some superb bowling and catches meant all of the Putney team were out in 6 overs. Particular mention to Jaspreet G, who after outstanding wicket keeping all day gained a superb one handed catch. Putney were all out for 29, NHEHS needed 30 to win. It took just 3 and a half overs, with some excellent batting from Sofia, Jaspreet and Dana for NHEHS to score 30. Man of the match was an easy call in this game and went to Jaspreet Gill, who had been close in gaining this title in games all day. Onto the finals…

In the final NHEHS were drawn against old rivals Godolphin and Latymer A Team. NHEHS had faced G&L in the final at U12 in the competition with success (2019), but had lost to them by just one run in the U13 Final back in 2020. A strong team talk from the coaches meant they went into the final a little nervous, but determined and with confidence. This time Kikuko lost the toss and G&L opted to field first. It was NHEHS to take to the bat!

NHEHS gave themselves a personal goal to gain 60 runs. Sofia and Jaspreet again opened up the batting pairing. Despite 5 off the first three balls, Jaspreet was run out on ball four. Despite this  nervy start, Dana Niama came in as batter three and showed her calibre, keeping the team steady and consistently keeping our running total high. No matter who fell within her partnerships, she stayed calm, consistent and strong. With 5 outs and Dana having to retire, NHEHS finished with an impressive 67 runs, beating the personal goal they had set. 

After her straight and consistent bowling all day, Dana was given the nod to both open and close the bowling order. It was Sofia Y, however, who really capitalised in the third over, gaining a wicket and a catch to get out G&L’s first two batters. After this, momentum grew in the NHEHS field and it was clear the team were focused and playing as one. Catches, wickets and forced run outs meant NHEHS got 7 outs and after the 8 overs, G&L had scored 44. NHEHS had taken the win!

A huge achievement for a team who have missed out before and we can’t wait to see the team  at the next round of this competition on the 28th April!