Wallace Hall cricket team up their game

The Wallace Hall cricket team has been giving much more experienced teams a run for their money recently. Last week, at Dumfries Cricket Club’s beautiful pitch in Nunholm, the team competed in the Cricket Scotland Secondary Schools’ Cup where they were pitted against a team from The High School of Glasgow. Glasgow High School has a long and illustrious cricketing history and boasts fantastic facilities, coaching sessions and extensive opportunities to tour other great cricketing counties such as Yorkshire.

Out team didn’t seem daunted at all to be faced with such experienced players and this is particularly impressive given that the Wallace Hall team mas made up of only 5 boys who actually play cricket regularly with the other 5 making up for their lack of cricketing knowledge and skill with enthusiasm and verve. The Wallace Hall team grasped the challenge of taking on the more experienced team with both hands and managed to get to 92 for 6 in the allotted 20 overs which included a brilliant, watchful opening stand of 52 runs with Fergus Bainbridge making 33 of these runs, James Hobman 16 and then, with the need to push on later in the innings, skipper Sean Thornley-Kyle chipped in with a useful 12 runs.

When it was our opportunity to field we started in style, running their opening batsman out in the first over: 1 wicket down for 0 runs. Vaughn Staples had a brilliant "double wicket maiden over" with more than a little help from his captain who took a low, difficult catch running forward from his position at cover - not easy and very well judged. The rest of the team fielded bravely all the way to when the winning runs were struck. The Glasgow team had to pull on all of their experience to clinch the match in the 16th over, with one of their lads making 49 not out.

After the match the Glasgow team’s coach graciously said: “If the Wallace Hall team continue to improve as they are doing then the result could easily be different.”

John Blair, Acting Head Teacher, commented: “Last year the team from Glasgow High School overpowered our boys, bowling us out in under 20 runs. The improvement in our team’s performance since last year has been most impressive and I am delighted that cricket is flourishing at Wallace Hall. Thank you to the Glasgow High School cricketing team for giving us such a great, sporting match and to all at Dumfries Cricket Club for their support and encouragement.”

Our cricket team has enjoyed further success recently finishing up as the winning team overall at the West of Scotland Big Blast final which was held in Glasgow. Congratulations to first-time cricketer Jay Murphy who was named Wallace Hall’s ‘Man of the Match’ for the tournament. The Wallace Hall team will go forward to represent the West District at the National Finals which is being held in Perth next month. Good luck team Wallace Hall.

Photos courtes