Henley 4th XI fielded a side of youth and experience as they took on a strong Knowl Hill 1st XI in Thames Valley Division 8B, with several impressive performances despite a 109-run defeat.

Knowl Hill elected to bat first and posted an imposing 288-2 from their 40 overs, thanks largely to unbeaten innings of 99 from both Chris Wroot and Jordy Duffy, whose unbroken third-wicket stand of 210 proved decisive.

There were still notable moments for Henley in the field, particularly for 13-year-old debutant Harry Ellison, who claimed his first senior wicket when he trapped Andrew Morgan lbw for 16. New signing Andy Chinn also made an immediate impact on debut for the club, having Joe Bloomfield caught for 37.

Josh Ellison was the standout performer with the ball for Henley, delivering an economical eight-over spell against a powerful batting line-up.

In reply, Henley showed plenty of spirit with the bat. Fourteen-year-old Jethro Kock produced a superb counter-attacking innings of 73 from just 49 balls, including nine fours and three sixes.

Kock and captain Sean Taylor briefly shifted momentum back towards Henley, with the pair keeping the home side up with the required run rate during an entertaining partnership. Taylor finished unbeaten on 22 as Henley were eventually dismissed for 179 in 31.5 overs.

Although the result went Knowl Hill’s way, Henley will take considerable encouragement from the performances of several young players and the promising debuts within an emerging side full of potential