118
County Representative Boys
Warwickshire Under 12
Played 15, Won 14, Lost 1
John Buxton Manager
This was an extremely successful season, which saw the
emergence of some fine individual talent and an excellent
team ethic that made the Under 12s a very hard side to beat.
The highlight of the season was winning the ECB Under12
County Festival at Shrewsbury School with a comprehensive
9 wicket victory against Staffordshire in the final.
The leading run scorers were Roshan Balaji with 445 runs,
Mohammed Talukder with 392 and Tommy Rex with 317.
Seven different players scored half centuries
Ethan Plain was the leading wicket taker of any WCB team
in 2015 with an impressive tally of 36 wickets at an average of
6.94. Quick bowlers Rex and Balaji chipped in with 11 wickets
apiece and Ben Jones’s miserly off spin yielded 10 wickets
but were responsible for many more at the other end.
The fielding was a particular strength of the side with the
impressive wicket keeper Daniel Bevan leading by example
by picking up 24 victims.
We were fortunate with the dry weather and were grateful
to play at some lovely venues where we were made to feel
most welcome. My thanks go to the clubs for hosting our
fixtures.
Special thanks also to John Griffiths, the Lead Coach,
whose infectious determination certainly rubbed off on the
team and to coaches Alex Roslyn, Mo Sheikh and Darren
Franklin whose support in preparing the team was invaluable.
Finally, we were indebted to scorer Mick Phelan and a very
supportive group of parents.
v Gloucestershire at Wellesbourne CC
Gloucestershire 117 -9
Warwickshire 118 -3
Won
by 7 wickets
The first game of the season was played in gale force
winds. Spinners Ben Jones 1-16 and Ethan Plain 3-12
showed great control as Gloucestershire were restricted to
117 off their 40 overs. Mo Talukder 37 and an unbeaten 33
from Daniel Bevan saw the team home without fuss.
v Staffordshire at Berkswell CC
Staffordshire 176 -4
Warwickshire 179 -1
Won
by 9 wickets
On a fine batting track, Staffs openers Cronie and
Edavalath both scored half centuries but Ben Jones again
kept the run rate down by conceding only 10 runs off his 9
overs. An unbeaten 176 run partnership between Mo Talukder
84* and Roshan Balaji 87* saw Warwickshire comfortably
home.
v Northamptonshire at Middleton Cheney CC
Warwickshire 144
Northamptonshire 101
Won
by 43 runs
Batting was not easy on this occasion and Tommy Rex’s
35 proved to be the highest score of the game. Ethan Plain
showed his ability to turn matches by smartly running out the
opening batsman before a run had been scored and then
went on to take 5-27.
v Nottinghamshire at Kinoulton CC
Warwickshire 215-3
Nottinghamshire 127-7
Won
by 78 runs
After losing two early wickets, a wonderful 201 run
partnership between Roshan Balaji 95 and Tommy Rex
89* put Warwickshire into a strong position. Notts batsmen
weren’t able to get on top of some tight bowling and fell well
behind the required run rate. Yasin Khan chipped in with 2-28.
v Worcestershire at Edgbaston Foundation Ground
Warwickshire 210 -1
Worcestershire 157
Won
by 53 runs
The highlight of this game was an excellent unbeaten 104
from Ibrahim Afzal. He was well supported by Balaji 71* and
Talukder 30. Worcestershire were well placed at 106 - 1 but
accurate bowling and sharp fielding brought 4 run outs as the
run chase evaporated 57 runs short.
v Lancashire at Sefton Park CC
Warwickshire 106
Lancashire 107 - 2
Lost
by 8 wickets
This was a poor performance and a heavy defeat
against a good Lancashire team. It started so brightly with
Mohammed Talukder hitting the first ball of the game for 6
and comfortably putting on 42 for the first wicket with
Ibrahim Afzal. Suicidal running then ripped the heart out
of the innings with 5 batsmen being run out. Lancashire
cantered to victory with Bell top scoring with 50.
14 August v Yorkshire at Spen Victoria CC
Abandoned
Heavy overnight rain that was still falling at 7am meant
the game was called off without the need to travel.
24 August v Derbyshire at Denby CC
Derbyshire 17
Warwickshire 18/0
Won
by 10 wickets
A very disappointing end to the season. A victory but not
a match. A poor batting display by Derbyshire saw them
capitulate in 15.2 overs. Opening bowler Jacob Clarke 3-2
and Yusuf Khalil 3-8 did the damage. Our openers had no
trouble in completing the job in just 4.1 overs.
Summary
The team is a mix of under 9,10,11s and for most of the
squad this was their first taste of county cricket. Lots of talent
and potential on show and all the boys will benefit from the
experience. Losing the Yorkshire game to the weather was a
blow as this is the game we use as a measure of our ability.
Thanks to Aston Manor CC for hosting and our scorer
Steve Taylor.
