Scorecard

St Albans Cricket Club Girls U13B v Old Albanians CC - OACC Girls U13A on Thu 12 Jun 2025 at 18:00
St Albans Cricket Club Lost by 34 runs

Match report For the first time this season the Sandpit Lane microclimate was working in reverse: shorts and shades required rather than thermals and Thermos flasks. Both teams included a couple of girls who’d already spent a day in the sun at the District Athletics finals at Jarman Park and they looked weary. Seemingly this was more problematic for St Albans because Elaina and Freya were moving more slowly than a drowsy gastropod full to the gunnels after a nocturnal raid at the allotment. Considering her date at Clarence Park for a football awards ceremony at 7.30pm, Ishara had the opposite problem, she needed the sleepy girls to get a move on.

Captain Freya roused herself with a splash of water to the face and correctly called which-hand-is-the-grass-in at the toss: right hand, field first. Good job: put OAs in and strike early.

Freya and Ishara opened up the bowling but OA’s batters had other ideas. Their first pair scored freely, and in the third over, hit one four so hard that the ball went through Eve fielding at midwicket, prising her nail away from her middle finger slightly on its way to the boundary. When Ali, Eve’s mum arrived at the ground later, the question “which finger hurts?” was of course, met with a rather forcefully raised, and slight bloody, middle finger bird.

Constance replaced Freya and in her first over the OA’s batter overbalanced and Elaina, keeping for the first ten overs, whipped off the bails for a neat stumping. 28 runs for the first pair, work to do for St Albans. Eleanor and Constance bowled tightly to the second pair with Freya taking a catch at mid-on in the seventh over (Constance bowling) and Elaina working quickly behind the stumps to effect a run out the next over (Eleanor bowling).

At the halfway stage with OAs on 241 it was time for a keeper swap, with Freya donning the gloves. Elaina took a wicket in her second over and Eve in her first but the batters were too strong and when the much-missed Aarna arrived at the crease in over 16 (Aarna played for St Albans until two years ago) St Albans knew two things: 1. Runs were on their way, 2. Aarna would contrive a way of getting hit by the ball. And so it came to pass with Aarna striking the ball beautifully, scoring freely and also getting struck on the ribs missing a pull shot. She characteristically ignored the offer of the magic sponge and continued undaunted. In Elaina’s final over, a ball cut to backward point was returned to the non-striker’s end by Freya for Elaina to effect a run out and the OA’s innings ended on 294.

Ishara and Eve opened the reply for St Albans with Ishara batting like she had somewhere to be. She showed great intent from the off, hitting a four through deep square leg with the first ball of the innings. Eve offered good support and the girls batted nicely. Their enthusiasm for running between the wickets was unmatched by any other pair, however, they were run out a few times by neat fielding and slightly over-optimistic calling.

Freya and Alice batted next and were the highest-scoring pair in the St Albans reply scoring 21 for the loss of one wicket. Elaina and Eleanor followed the pattern, losing just one wicket and Elaina striking two fours.

With St Albans on 242 with five overs remaining. Constance and Lauren needed 12 an over but the oppo had saved their best bowlers to last. Despite some good running between the wickets, St Albans lost a few wickets and finished on 242.

Player of the match as voted for by the opposition: Elaina

Old Albanians CC - OACC Girls U13A Batting
Player nameRunsOutB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
53
124 (20.0 overs)		     
Joanna Rodic17 0 14 3 121.43
Matilda Charman8 1 11 1 72.73
Grace Betteridge6 2 9 66.67
Jumna Balgir3 0 16 18.75
Ambia Naik12 0 15 1 80.0
Daisy Halford0 2 10 0
Aarna Luthra21 1 17 2 123.53
Lucy Sander4 0 7 57.14

St Albans Cricket Club Girls U13B Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Freya Witty3.002400.008.00
Ishara Smith2.001300.006.50
Constance Durbridge3.00924.503.00
Eleanor Richards2.00800.004.00
Lauren Clarke2.001100.005.50
Elaina Ridolfi2.4012112.004.50
Eve Gee3.0027127.009.00
Alice Mansfield2.001600.008.00

St Albans Cricket Club Girls U13B Batting
Player NameROutB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
40
90
(20.0 overs)		       
Ishara Smith13 4 17 76.47
Eve Gee5 0 8 62.50
Freya Witty6 1 18 33.33
Alice Mansfield2 0 7 28.57
Elaina Ridolfi13 0 16 81.25
Eleanor Richards3 1 9 33.33
Constance Durbridge4 2 13 30.77
Lauren Clarke4 1 12 33.33

Old Albanians CC - OACC Girls U13A Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Daisy Halford3.0013113.004.33
Jumna Balgir3.001600.005.33
Matilda Charman2.00700.003.50
Joanna Rodic2.00414.002.00
Lucy Sander3.001600.005.33
Ambia Naik2.00522.502.50
Aarna Luthra2.001400.007.00
Grace Betteridge3.00824.002.67