7 May 2021
U14 Lancashire Cup Match v Bolton School - Thursday 6 May
KGS U14 83-6 (20 overs)
[Hugo Loggenberg 38, Ben Firth 22 not out]
Bolton U14 84-7 (17 overs)
[Harry Case 3 wickets, Alex Smith 2 wickets]
Bolton School won by 3 wickets.
On a freezing afternoon, Kirkham Grammar School U14s duelled with one of the best cricketing schools in the county. A low score of 83 was achieved in 20 overs by Kirkham, with Captain Loggenberg (38 runs) holding the innings together, falling in the penultimate over. Ben Firth held his wicket dear, but also managed to swat the Bolton bowlers for two 6s in his unbeaten innings of 22. In very difficult cold/wet conditions it gave the talented Kirkham bowlers a chance for victory.
The Bolton batsmen started well, although with regular showers, the conditions were challenging. They managed to get to 50 with only 1 wicket down, but Harry Case then bowled a rapid/accurate spell dispatching 3 of their top order batsmen to give Kirkham a sniff of victory. Alex Smith continued the testing bowling with a miserly spell including 2 more wickets, and Bolton began to panic. However, the opposition scrambled the last few runs to ensure a victory with just 3 wickets left. Raphael Ikram and Alfie Guthrie also bowled good opening spells for Kirkham.
An excellent match played in good spirits, and on another day Kirkham perhaps could have won the match.
Mr D Carter
