Seniors and Sixth Form
Under 13 cricket v Manchester Grammar School
The Under 13 cricket team are the north of England champions after defeating Manchester Grammar School in the most exciting of matches.
After NSB were dismissed for only 75 runs (Oliver F 14, Max M 12 and Will V 15), Manchester Grammar were cruising towards victory at 42 for 1 with 16 overs left to score only 34 runs with 9 wickets in hand. A sharp catch by Phil D at cover was the spark that the boys needed to ignite them and from there, they grew in confidence. One over later, Cole C ran out their best batsman and with Ed F and Lewis R bowling extremely well in tandem. This was followed by NSB taking another 4 wickets for 0 runs to leave Manchester 49 for 7.
With only 27 runs to win but only 3 wickets in hand it was anybody’s game. Manchester GS managed to climb slowly towards the NSB target inflicting a kind of torture on the various staff and parents watching as each ball passed. Two quick wickets with the visitors on 63 meant one wicket for NSB to win, 13 runs for Manchester. As the game appeared to be slipping from the boys’ grasp, it was George R who was bowling as Manchester GS needed just one run to tie, two to win. George bowled a half volley from which the visitors’ batsman struck what appeared to be a match-winning shot hitting the ball firmly back down the wicket just above the ground and seemingly towards the boundary. However, in his follow through, George dived to his right and took a spectacular one handed catch to win the north of England Final and was immediately swamped by his teammates in a ‘boys own’ moment that he is sure to never forget.
To come back against a school of that standing – 1500 boys and that boasts Michael Atherton and John Crawley as old boys – to defend 75, when they were 42 for 1, must rank as one of the School’s finest sporting performances to date.
NSB now play Solihull School (Midlands Champions) in the national semi-final on Monday.