b'THE ELLESMERIAN 139CricketBoys U15The advent of indoor cricket means that it can be a year-round sport, andthe bowlers as the visitors posted a total of 179. The Ellesmere innings in February a team took on Oswestry School in a short format of thestuttered right at the start, but Oliver Dyson and Ralph Cornwell ensured game. Ellesmere prevailed comfortably, with a ten-wicket victory. This tookthat the tail wagged a little, hauling Ellesmere into three figures. Sadly, them to the County indoor final. In the first match they played Madeleyit was not quite enough to finish the job, but there were clear signs of Academy who finished their innings on 46 for 3 wickets. Ellesmereimprovement.surpassed their total finishing on 69 for 3 wickets. In their second game Ellesmere scored 83 for 2 wickets. In reply Ludlow were 47 all out. In theWrekin were the next visitors, and the home side bowled well enough final Ellesmere scored 62 for 4 wickets. Ellesmere, with their consistentto keep the game competitive, with Harry Underhills four overs for bowling and fielding, restricted Wrekin to 47 runs and thus secured aseven runs being magnificently economical. The reply started well, with well deserved victory and the accolade of being County U15 Indoora partnership of thirty-five between Hugh Cornwell and Ewan Skillicorn Champions after winning all three matches. putting Ellesmere ahead of the required rate. However, a disastrous over where three wickets fell in consecutive balls turned the game on its head At last Spring arrived and the team set up for more conventional games,and only a few hearty boundaries from the bat of Henry Bates made the although the weather was not always ideal. A rather inexperienced sidefinal total respectable. So near and yet so far.squared up against Abbotsholme for the first match of the year and the rustiness showed; with duck avoidance appearing to be the principal aimThe final match involved a trip to Liverpool and Merchant Taylors School, of the Ellesmere batsmen, their score of 49 all out was easily overhauledwhere a couple of wickets from Daisy Cooke and an airborne catch without loss. from Archie Ramsay were enough to restrict the home team to a score of exactly one hundred. Steady batting, notably from Oliver Dyson, was A week later, the team played a thirty-over game against Shrewsbury inenough to bring the Ellesmere team their first win of the summer. At last!the County Cup, and while the Ellesmere players bowled decently, their opponents turned the game into an exhibition of Bazball, smashing 224Overall, a season where inexperience and general rustiness had to be runs with confidence. In response, Hugh Cornwell and Oliver Dysonovercome before we saw the best of the players; if we can start next year showed tenacity and flair but it was not enough to avoid a heavy defeat. better than we finished this year there should be cause for optimism.A North Wales district side was the next challenge, and EllesmereDWCproduced an improved performance, with Ewan Skillicorn the best of'