U9s at Whitefield festival

Rainhill's U9s played two games at the Whitefield cricket festival

Rainhill's U9s played their first games of the 2023 season at the Whitefield CC cricket festival on Sunday. They were depleted in numbers but fortunately help came from Sefton Park who kindly lent some of their own players.

Rainhill's first match was against Liverpool. Liverpool were a strong side and batted first. One Liverpool pair played some particularly impressive strokes. Rainhill were unlucky not to take more than one wicket, and in the end that was the difference between the sides. Rainhill batted heroically but it was not enough and Liverpool ran out winners. The next game for Rainhill was against Bootle. Bootle also chose to bat first, but Rainhill's bowlers had more success. Bootle batted well and scored 57, but they also lost eight wickets. Rudhvik, Isaac and Heidi all took wickets, and there were a couple of great run outs as well. Rainhill batted positively and Rudhvik and Isaac hitting boundaries, but everyone contributed with Heidi and Theo also making some good runs as Rainhill won. It was pleasing to see the players running well between the wickets. Festivals are ideal for younger players to develop game skills in a non-pressurised environment. The U9s do not play in a league and will instead attend several festivals and tournaments across the season. Many thanks to Whitefield CC for organising the events, and to all the teams who took part.