Rocklands Cricket Club

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The 2nd XI earned an epic and highly improbable victory on Saturday, chasing down a target of no less than 288 to beat Acle and Halvergate. 🎉

They were given hope early on in their run chase as their experienced and proven run-makers, Gurpal Singh and Hugh Collier, put on 137 for the 1st wicket in just short of 18 overs.

But that soon became 159-4 and it looked an uphill task from there.

However, 15-year-old Callum Oswick scored an important 25 – great development for him - and the Clarkes, Simon (sponsored by https://swannroofing.co.uk/) and Ryan (sponsored by The Good Estate Agent Norwich ), took it on from there, coming together with 71 needed and just 9 overs to go.

They kept eating into the runs required so that 30 were needed off the last 3 overs, 14 off the last over and then 2 off the last ball. Ryan’s pull shot and Simon’s dive for the crease were just enough to secure a win. Simon finished not out 43, Ryan on 30.

What an experience and memory for them!

Earlier the Acle innings featured a century by Michael Handley, and the bowlers suffered some rough treatment on an afternoon when the bat dominated the ball.

There were two wickets, though, for Callum and one for Ryan, Simon and Emily Dwight.

Handley and his fellow batters looked sure to have set up a win for the visitors, but a superb effort from the Rooks brought them 23 points.

Huge congratulations to all, including Arthur Munby, who made his senior league debut. 👏

📷 Simon Clarke and Ryan Clarke (match result template)
📹 The winning runs (score ticker had stopped working just before the end!)
📷 Rocklands team
📷 Hugh Collier batting

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19-year-old opening bat, Amos Coates, made his top league score for Rocklands 1sts with a match-winning 91, helping them to a tense, 5-wicket win with 3 balls to go. 👏

Amos’s innings contained 10 fours and one six, and he paced it intelligently against some tight bowling, making sure that the Rooks didn’t take unnecessary risks yet never got far behind the required rate.

Chasing down a target of 209, he was out with just 3 needed.

Amos shared an opening stand of 84 with Andrew Thresh, 46 with Will Defoe and then, with the match in the balance, 49 with Luke Paterson. Luke’s unbeaten run-a-ball 30 deserves particular mention for his well-judged batting under pressure.

Earlier in the day, Hethersett and Tas Valley scored 208-8 in their 45 overs.

Matt Thompson picked up 3 for 39, Ralph Garrod 2 for 36, and there were wickets too for Luke, George Garrod and Daisy Eke (sponsored by https://melliesocials.co.uk)

It set Rocklands a challenging target, but this young, ever-improving side was fully up to the test.

They took 25 points from the game. 🎉

📷 Amos Coates batting (match result template)
📷 Amos Coates
📷 Daisy Eke bowling
📹 Andrew Thresh batting

Another brilliant Sunday of learning, energy and teamwork at Dynamos Cricket

This week we continued developing our batting skills, focusing on hitting into space and exploring different areas of the field to keep the scoreboard moving 🏏💥

We then switched to boundary protection fielding, working on reactions, teamwork and stopping those big shots from reaching the rope 👐🔥

To finish, we played a fun game of Countdown Cricket, with our activators and young leaders getting fully involved and helping create a fantastic atmosphere for everyone! 🙌

Great effort from all of our Dynamos, see you all on Sunday!

📸 K.T.Photography 76

The next member of the 100 club is Ralph Garrod, our 23 year old, 1st team captain.

Starting out as a youth softball player then progressing into hardball in 2014, Ralph quickly stood out, opening the batting in our u13 side that won the league and had SNCL Finals Day success in 2016 followed by further u15 finals in 2018.

Having played in the seniors since 2017 he has become a key member of the 1st XI, and the first to get his name on both honours boards thanks to that 135 not out at Aylsham a week or so ago and 5-14 versus Sprowston in 2024.

But, as chairman, Matt Barnett, explains, his contribution goes beyond runs and wickets:

‘From helping at All Stars to giving back as a youth coach, Ralph has always invested in the future of the club and set an example for the next generation.

From a young A Team regular to 1st Team captain, Ralph has done a superb job leading the youngest side in the division over the last couple of years. He captains with humility, stays down to earth, and shows exactly why so many of our younger players look up to him. A real club man and family man too.’

Doubtless, Ralph is a massive asset to the club and, aside from his playing achievements, can continue to lead and inspire others for many years to come.

All Stars Cricket, Sunday 31st May 🏏

Another brilliant session packed with energy, teamwork and plenty of smiles! 🌟

We kicked things off with a game of Yes, No, Wait to help our All Stars develop their running between the wickets and build confidence making quick decisions.

Next up was Space Invaders and I think we may have officially used every softball the club has! A fantastic teamwork challenge with lots of movement, communication and fun.

We then focused on ball control and fielding skills, with everyone showing great effort and improving each round. To finish, we played a game of Diamond Cricket, bringing together everything we’d worked on throughout the session.

Well done to all our All Stars for another fantastic morning with great enthusiasm from everyone and brilliant support from families too! 👏💙

📸 K.T.Photography 76

All Stars Cricket is sponsored by Toyota UK, visit our local branch SLM Toyota Attleborough

Just over two weeks ago we hosted our biggest and best Ladies Prosecco Night yet! 🍾☀️

Friday 22nd May brought sunshine, a fantastic atmosphere, and a real buzz around the club. We had a record 6 teams taking part, playing 8-a-side games across 3 pitches, making it our biggest event to date!

Add in 12 bottles of prosecco (plus 1 bottle of sours that didn’t stand a chance…) and it made for a brilliant evening all round.

A huge thank you to all the ladies who took part and helped make it such a memorable night. It was played in great spirit throughout… although some teams may have been slightly more competitive than others! 😉

Big thanks as well to Nanny G’s Food Truck for keeping everyone fed and fuelled all evening.

And a special mention to everyone who helped behind the scenes, setting up, scoring, umpiring, running the bar, and packing away afterwards. Events like this only happen because of your support.

Finally, thank you to our generous event sponsor, M & S Breckland Motors Ltd (https://msbrecklandmotors.co.uk). We really appreciate your support. 💙

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On Sunday, Rocklands hosted East Harling for the second game of the season for the Sunday friendly team.

The youth players took centre stage, with only three of the team being over 18 and senior debuts from five of the U13 & U14 players.

Rocklands won the toss and decided to field first. Rocklands started strongly, reducing East Harling to 20-4 by the 10th over. But some experienced batters shored up the opposition and East Harling finished on 187 all out, the final wicket falling in the 40th over.

Some very impressive bowling performances, with wickets for four of the young debutants, Standout bowlers were Arthur Munby and Will Bartrum not forgetting valuable contributions from seven others in the bowling attack.

Maybe it was overindulgence at the cricket tea, but the Rocklands batting couldn’t match the bowling prowess on the day and the lack of batting experience in the team left the run chase somewhat short.

That said, once again the future Rocklands stars outshone their senior counterparts by some way and did the heavy lifting on the batting front.

Top score was 40 from Joseph Hollander, his highest score and longest time at the crease, facing 80 balls.

Lots of positives to take from the game and a great start for a number of youth players as they step onto the first rung of the senior cricket ladder.

Most importantly, the game was played in excellent spirits and many thanks goes to East Harling for a throughly enjoyable afternoon of cricket.

📷 Joseph Hollander (in match result template)

A fabulous morning’s cricket for the Under 9s in a softball tournament brilliantly organised by our friends at Great Ellingham CC yesterday.

The first four matches against the hosts (A and B teams), East Harling and Garboldisham saw the squad remain unbeaten whilst rotating 10 players into the six aside format showing good strength in depth at this age group.

The final match saw a defeat against an outstanding Old Bucks team with some particularly impressive bowling on display.

So overall a second placed finish and onwards to the next round of the competition.

Huge thanks again to Richard and all at GECC and to our players, parents and supporters. Special mention to Martin and Wayne for overseeing the team, scoring and umpiring.

Well done all! 👏

📸 K.T.Photography 76

Playing Shirt Sponsor - Rory J Holbrook Ltd

Watch the live stream of our Sunday Team play a development friendly at home to East Harling Cricket Club today on YouTube thanks to our FrogBox sponsors Interclad (UK) Ltd (https://www.interclad.co.uk)

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/live/1ScGT6ScGzs?feature=shared

Rocklands CC Sunday Team v East Harling CC M/N Sundayleague ECB Friendly Round:1

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Rocklands and Snettisham deserve credit for getting a game in on a grey and wet Saturday - reducing the overs per side to 20 rather than the normal 45 - and it was the high-flying opposition that came away with the win.

Put into bat Snettisham scored 154 for 5, with three wickets in two overs for Andy Spencer towards the end of the innings.

There were also wickets for Luke Paterson and George Garrod, and economical figures for Daisy Eke who bowled 4 overs for just 16.

Ralph Garrod led the way as the Rooks tried to chase down the testing target. He scored 60 with 6 fours and two sixes, putting on 49 with Amos Coates and 37 with Will Defoe. But in the end, Rocklands fell 41 short.

Rocklands 2nds’ game at Mellis was abandoned due to the bad weather.

📹 reaches 50
📷 bowling