Hammersmith and Fulham girls wielded bat and ball with panache to take home deserved bronze at the London Youth Games Indoor Cricket Finals at Lord’s.
It was a brilliant result for the borough team, aged year eight and under, who came through their qualifying group unbeaten at Harrow last month.
In the opening game, H&F gave neighbours Ealing what for. Batting first they put on 111 with a combination of smart shot placement and smart running between the wickets. Tight bowling backed up by sharp fielding ensured Ealing were always behind the required run rate.
However, in the semi-final they were sadly outplayed by eventual runners-up Redbridge, but it left them with a bronze medal for the second year running.
Team Manager Mark Mason had hoped to regain the title they had won in 2012 and 2013 but believes his team will come back stronger next year.
“We were going for gold, so anything less is a disappointment,” he explained.
“But they are all 11, 12 years old so they will be back although they have played very little competitive cricket.
“Considering all this, they are all incredible athletes and hockey players, so I am totally convinced they will be very good cricketers.”
The London Youth Games is Europe’s largest annual youth sports event, and a record 126,897 took part in the record-breaking 2014 Games, taking the event to over one million participants since it first launched in 1977.
