Cricket and Tennis

Date: Thursday 30 April 2009

The last fixtures before the Bank Holiday weekend allowed the senior girls' tennis squads to play Sir Roger Manwood's School from Sandwich, and the senior cricket XIs faced King's Rochester, home and away.

The girls won both of their ties against Manwood's, by narrow margins. The 1st VI won 5 - 4, the key to victory lying with the Williams' sisters who won two of their three sets as pair no.2. McNie and Johnson, available again after academic pressures, won two sets as well. Natasha Hopper and Lulu Summerfield beat their opposing numbers 6 - 5 to clinch the win.

The 2nd VI won 6 - 3, with the first pair of Laura Globig and Alicia Hager winning all three sets. Jenny Wheal and Olivia Thrush won two sets, and Amber Nicholls and Charlotte Catford just one. All in all a good afternoon for the girls!

The cricket 2nd XI travelled to Rochester, and lost, having failed to score enough runs. SES managed just 114 all out, with useful contributions from Attwood (17), P.Edlin (21), Withrington (22), and Nausch (16*). King's reached the target in the 19th over, losing five wickets in the process. Withrington, with 2 - 21 in addition to his runs, earned Dr Horn's recommendation as 'man of the match'.

The 1st XI, after the difficulties of last Saturday's visit to Sevenoaks, bounced back emphatically to register a nine wicket win over King's. King's were inserted, and were all out in the final over of 35 for just 153. Kemp was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 - 22 in his six over spell. Callaway also took three tailenders - 3 - 20 - as his slower full tosses picked off the rabbits! Clarke, 2 - 27, took the key wicket of the hard hitting Belliapa just as he was breaking free from the shackles. Draper also took 2 - 41, after receiving some 'tap' from Belliapa.

The run chase, which might have been unnerving after Saturday, proved straightforward enough. Pape and Stone were positive from the off, and put on 82 before Stone glanced too fine to the keeper. Easter joined Pape, and kept the momentum going so that the target was reached at the end.of the 23rd over - 12 overs/72 balls to spare. Pape was outstanding - striking the ball positively to all parts of the ground - pulling powerfully, and lifting full tosses into tennis courts and JS playground with ease. He reached his century with the last ball of the chase finishing exactly on 100*, as we reached 153 with just one wicket down. You can't get much better than a nine wicket win! Alleyn's next, a week on Saturday, at home again.