Henley CC Under 13 Leopards delivered a hugely satisfying win at Shiplake, chasing down 135 with maturity, calmness and excellent teamwork. Before the batting brilliance, though, it’s worth noting that the first ten overs in the field had that slightly sleepy feel again. It’s another reminder of how important it is for us to arrive fully switched on, get our game heads on, and go through our preparation routine diligently. When we do that, we’re a different side.

Once we settled, our bowling and fielding effort really clicked. Harry Ellison and Archie Thomas made early breakthroughs, and the number of bowling extras was pleasingly low, showing good accuracy and discipline. The two strong Sonning batters who carried their innings played very well indeed, and credit to them for doing so.

The turning point came as soon as those two retired not out. From that moment, we put a serious squeeze on the scoring. Our bowlers were accurate and disciplined, drying up the runs for Sonning’s less confident batters. At the same time, wickets continued to fall — Aadi Bhatt, Alex Jewell, Seb Lavers, Fynn Ellison and Alastair Taylor all played their part — and the run‑out created by Matthew Bollinghaus and Jaxson Mackinnon added to the pressure. That sustained squeeze made a huge difference to the chasability of the total.

Our response with the bat was one of the most mature run chases we’ve produced this season.

Alex Jewell was unfortunate to fall early after middling a lofted extra‑cover drive that looked destined for runs, only for a fielder at deep extra cover to pull off an outstanding low catch. After that, Matthew and Aadi took control with calm, intelligent batting. Matthew was superb, and his standout moment was a glorious leg‑side pick‑up that sailed over the boundary for six — a shot that lifted the whole team and showed just how confidently he was playing. He retired on 28, having set the perfect tone. Aadi’s 19 retired was full of smart choices and excellent strike rotation.

Seb Lavers continued the theme with a fluent, composed 30 retired, and Toby Barlow steered us home with a classy 23 not out. Toby also had the honour of hitting the winning runs, prompting huge cheers from his teammates — a lovely moment that showed just how valued and popular he is within the squad, and hopefully giving him a real confidence boost heading into the upcoming Cornwall tour. Jaxson supported him calmly at the end to complete a well‑balanced batting effort.

We now move into a crucial final stretch: two league games to go, both against Emmbrook & Bearwood. Win both, and we progress to the league semi‑finals. There’s everything to play for, and this is exactly the moment where we mustn’t rest on our laurels. The preparation point loops neatly back in here — arriving switched on, staying focused, and keeping standards high will be vital.

A strong win, a mature chase, and a team showing real growth. Onwards to Emmbrook & Bearwood — via Cornwall for some of us!