Lingfield Under-12s 89-5 (17.5 overs), Horley Under-12s 87-7 (20 overs). Lingfield won by five wickets.
Both sides played outstanding cricket in this hard-fought battle but Lingfield – who have a much bigger squad than Horley and fielded their strongest line-up - came out on top.
Horley chose to bat and lost an early wicket when Surrey age-group bowler Arthur Thilo – easily the quickest bowler this Horley team have faced this season – bowled Evan Grimwood.
Joe English was hit on the thigh first ball but was unperturbed and timed two fantastic fours to relieve some of the pressure and boost the confidence of the team.
Harry Grimwood and English made a very important partnership of 39 runs, being dismissed on 14 and 22 respectively.
Bailey Waarren and Ben Stewart got starts including a boundary each but lost their wickets unselfishly trying to move the score on in the last few overs. Hugo Hobbs then found some form with a more patient innings of 17 including three cracking boundaries and Joseph Barton ended up on six not out with a lovely pull shot for four.
It was a very low total to defend against a strong line-up but Horley took the match into the 18th over, putting in their best bowling and fielding performance in the last three years.
The opening pair only scored 10 runs off the bat in 38 balls and three wickets tumbled in quick succession – first a runout from Harry Grimwood, then an amazing low catch from English off Hobbs’s bowling, then a Harry Grimwood catch off Barton.
Thilo moved things along and made 14 before playing all round a super Stewart seamer, while his fellow county player Aaron Hockey was well caught by Benji Benetar off English’s bowling for 11.
Tom Chavasse and Jack Stephens, batting at six and seven, played really well to see Lingfield home, despite some brilliant stops in the field from Benetar and good captaincy from English.
Both sides played outstanding cricket in this hard-fought battle but Lingfield – who have a much bigger squad than Horley and fielded their strongest line-up - came out on top.
Horley chose to bat and lost an early wicket when Surrey age-group bowler Arthur Thilo – easily the quickest bowler this Horley team have faced this season – bowled Evan Grimwood.
Joe English was hit on the thigh first ball but was unperturbed and timed two fantastic fours to relieve some of the pressure and boost the confidence of the team.
Harry Grimwood and English made a very important partnership of 39 runs, being dismissed on 14 and 22 respectively.
Bailey Waarren and Ben Stewart got starts including a boundary each but lost their wickets unselfishly trying to move the score on in the last few overs. Hugo Hobbs then found some form with a more patient innings of 17 including three cracking boundaries and Joseph Barton ended up on six not out with a lovely pull shot for four.
It was a very low total to defend against a strong line-up but Horley took the match into the 18th over, putting in their best bowling and fielding performance in the last three years.
The opening pair only scored 10 runs off the bat in 38 balls and three wickets tumbled in quick succession – first a runout from Harry Grimwood, then an amazing low catch from English off Hobbs’s bowling, then a Harry Grimwood catch off Barton.
Thilo moved things along and made 14 before playing all round a super Stewart seamer, while his fellow county player Aaron Hockey was well caught by Benji Benetar off English’s bowling for 11.
Tom Chavasse and Jack Stephens, batting at six and seven, played really well to see Lingfield home, despite some brilliant stops in the field from Benetar and good captaincy from English.
