Overall, we welcomed 26 schools from as far away as Hartlepool and Oxford. Nine new member schools debuted at the 2019 competitions which covers three age groups.
The success of the three competitions this year was bolstered by the fantastic weather and the amazing facilities. All three events were held at the University of Leicester, Oadby.
Read on for the match report from the day and an editorial from the winning school.
Y8 Girls National School Championships – 11 Schools entered – Friday 28th June
Stowmarket High School (Suffolk) – new entrant for 2019
Maidwell Hall (Northampton) – new entrant for 2019
Edgbaston High School for Girls (West Midlands)
Bedford Girl’s School (Bedfordshire) two teams entered
Royal School Wolverhampton (West Midlands)
High Tunstall College of Science (Hartlepool) – new entrant for 2019
The Oxford Academy (Oxfordshire)
Colchester County High School for Girls (Essex) – new entrant for 2019
Wolverhampton Grammar School (West Midlands)
St Catherine’s, Bramley (Surrey) – new entrant for 2019
Ratcliffe College (Leicestershire)
WINNER Maidwell Hall, Northampton
Group Stages
In Group A, Bedford (1) won all of their matches, in Group B, Bedford (2) and in Group C, Maidwell Hall, meaning these three teams progressed to the quarter finals undefeated
*Rounders difference was then used to position the teams and declare those remaining three teams that were progressing to the quarter finals.
Quarter Finals
With a clean sheet for the quarter finals, teams were competing against each other for the first time so it was all to play for.
The state of play for The Royal Grammar School stayed the same in the quarter finals with Bedford (1) fielding all their batters out by the 13th good ball, leaving them with a 0 score. With Bedford (1) scoring ½ rounder on their first good ball they were straight through to the quarter finals.
Bedford (2) set the pace for this game scoring 1 rounder on their first good ball, continuing to build on ½ rounders, scoring 2 ½ at the end of their innings. In to field Bedford (2) kept Colchester at bay not allowing them to score any Rounders and putting all their batters out by ball 15.
On pitch 3, there was a clear winner in Maidwell Hall. Newcomers to the competition, they intended to represent their school as best they could. Notching up 6 Rounders against Wolverhampton, seasoned competitors at the National School competition, set them in good stead. No amount of assertive fielding could pull Wolverhampton back, with just 4 Rounders.
The last match of the quarter finals was a close call for St Catherine against Ratcliffe. Batting first Ratcliffe took their time to get some ½ Rounders under their belt and slowly continued to gather ½ Rounders over the pace of the game, ending their innings on 2 Rounders.
In to bat, St Catherine’s eluded the Leicester based fielding team and with some strong runners scored 4 Rounders.
Quarter Final Results
Bedford Girl’s School (Team 1) 1 v 0 Royal School Wolverhampton
Bedford Girl’s School (Team 2) 2½ v 0 Colchester County High School for Girls
Maidwell Hall 6 v 4 Wolverhampton Grammar School
St Catherine’s 4 v 2 Ratcliffe College
Semi Finals
Faced again with fresh opponents, both semi final matches were wrought with tension. Bedford Girls School having won the title in the past 2 years, knew what they were heading into. For Maidwell Hall, the whole day was a new experience but everyone was focused on the same outcome.
Fielding first Bedford (Team 1) were set on the back foot with St Catherine’s scoring a Rounder on their 1st good ball and doing so again on their 3rd good ball. As Bedford’s (Team 1) fielding got more determined, St Catherine’s score was held at bay until ball 7 and then a spate of stumpings from short field, kept them to 4 Rounders.
Going in to bat with fervour, Bedford (Team 1) scored immediately with ½ Rounder but not again until ball 6. Similarly a flurry of good catches and stumpings hindered their scoring chances, finishing with an admirable 3½ Rounders.
As Bedford (Team 2) stepped in to bat, it was clear that Maidwell Hall had a very determined fielding team, working seamlessly to prevent any scoring past 1st post. With nothing in their arsenal until ½ Rounder at ball 10, Bedford (Team 2), played well to keep the game going until side out was called at ball 18.
The same tactical play by Maidwell Hall called time on their batting by ball 3, scoring ½ Rounder on the first good ball and then a Rounder on the 3rd good ball, calling the game to an end.
Semi Final Results
Bedford Girl’s School (Team 1) 3½ v 4 St Catherine’s
Bedford Girl’s School (Team 2) ½ v 1½ Maidwell Hall
Finals
2016 winners St Catherine’s had their sights set on winning back the national title, but Maidwell Hall, in to bat first, set the scoring precedent for the day, with a phenomenal 12 Rounders. With consistent batting and placement of balls, 5 of the 9 batters were scoring with every consecutive live bat. It was a daunting feat for St Catherine’s to overcome but even pushing through 30 good balls they could only tally up 4½ Rounders.
Final Results
St Catherine’s 4½ v 12 Maidwell Hall
*Rounders difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish on equal points in a league standing. Rounders difference is calculated by subtracting the number of Rounders conceded in all matches from the number of Rounders scored.
England Squad Trials
Rounders England Squad Trials are open to anyone who has shown an outstanding ability in Rounders. They take place throughout September and October. Individuals can register online. Check out this webpage for further information.
