Sherborne School 1st XI 82 all out (19.5 overs)

Clifton 1st XI 86-3 off 11.5 overs

Lost by 7 wickets

Sherborne’s National T20 cup run came to a shuddering end at the hands of a very professional Clifton team who bowled us out and knocked the runs off with the minimum of fuss. We elected to bat on the principle that runs on the board might create scoreboard pressure, but those runs never really came as nobody scored more than 22. Fergus O’C and Sam G, having put on 80 in our last T20 game were both out to loose shots to leave us 10-2. Will T was painfully hit on the elbow and shortly after perished, swiftly followed by Jordan for 22. The Clifton pace attack bowled with menace and extracted considerable bounce from the pitch. Their spinners then ran through our middle order by dint of bowling in the right areas consistently. Nobody, with the exception of Ben L who remained undefeated showed the resilience to resist and we limped to our final score of 82 with one ball to spare. We only scored one boundary in the whole innings.

While only one Clifton bowler had gone for more than four runs an over, none of our bowlers could achieve that target, as a series of decent balls was followed by something short and wide or a full toss. We did manage to pick up three wickets, two for Hugo B and one for Charlie R, but the Clifton batsmen eased to victory, suitably sealed with a straight six that hit the sightscreen. Nine of our players will be back next year, fitter, stronger and more experienced and hopefully games like this will make us realise the standards to which we need to aspire.