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  The IWCB U18s side have played some fantastic cricket this summer and the coaching staff are immensely proud of all the players.

They have played all formats of cricket: 3-day, 2-day, 50 over, T20, T10 and even The Hundred. 

They have for the majority of times expressed themselves and their skills incredibly well however cricket at this level can be a chastising experience as the player found on the occasions when they missed the mark.

Importantly for the coaching staff, they have been a hard-working group who have looked to improve through their playing summer, and I’m pleased to say they are certainly better players as the season ends. From a coaching perspective they are a great group to work with and it’s been a privilege to work with them.

They have wins over Worcester, Herefordshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Devon across varying formats. This is impressive based on our numbers compared to most larger county pools.  A big thanks must go to our partner Hampshire CCC particularly James Tomlinson, Charlie Freestone and Tim Simmonite for facilitating our player crossover.

We say goodbye to Oliver Morgan who has had his best season with 32 wickets and some very valuable runs. ‘Morgs’ will be severely missed he is a veteran of IWCB performance. He has been a major player in the success of this group and has led the way with the ball and is by far the best death bowler I have seen across all of our opponents. I very much look forward to him becoming a regular player in the IOW 1’s as well as joining our coaching team.

We also lose Liam Turnbull who came to us at 15. He captained the 18’s this year and overcame a difficult start and has adapted and thrived not only as captain but also as our standout batter. His dedication to his role and team has been exceptional. I was most pleased to see him put himself into our open trials at Worcester CCC last week. Liam has successfully gained a place at Oxford Brookes and will be a major batter going forward for the IOW men’s team.

I must also mention 3 younger players who have played for the 18’s this year, two of whom have played nearly every fixture. 

Dan Attrill - who had a great winter and looked in fantastic form. Unfortunately, an injury set him back by 3 months, but Dan showed great character during this time. On his return he made great progress Captaining the 16’s a year young and playing for the 18’s.

Sam Mills - an U14 who played all our 18’s fixtures. He opened the batting in our 20/20 against Wiltshire, scoring an excellent 43 in quick time. He also kept wicket in most games and was outstanding with the gloves. His catch of the season was away to Devon, (he has the clip of anyone would like to see it!) Sam has been exceptional in this environment, and I am hopeful he will be able to show his skill sets in regional festivals next year.

Oscar Vandecasteele - an U16 who has demonstrated batting skills beyond his years. He is the youngest player for us to score a 100 at county 18’s, against Herefordshire in a 50 over game. He also scored one of the best match winning innings, 139 not out, in men’s cricket that I was lucky enough to watch. He has been outstanding for the 18’s as batter/keeper and an excellent fielder. His slip catching has been sublime. 

I’m pleased to say with the boys mentioned above add in the skills of Freddie Gurney, Cam Beal, Will Mew, Toby Noyes, Luke Jones, Nathan Day and others our development looks positive.

Congratulations to all players who helped make this summer such an exceptional one on the field. Myself and my coaching team are really looking forward to the upcoming winter training programme and an exciting 2023 season for the U18s and younger age groups. 

Andy Woodward - Head of Performance & EPP Head Coach.

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