Hugh Bernard pick of the bowlers in England Under 19 defeat
Tuesday 11th August 2015
Kent seamer Hugh Bernard was the pick of the bowlers for England Under 19s as they lost to their Australian counterparts by eight wickets at Gosforth.
The 18-year-old Kent Cricket Academy graduates was one of four new faces in the team, as “the pick of the bowlers” according to his coach, after he had both Jewell and Renshaw dropped at second slip in the same over in a lively post-lunch spell.
Bernard played alongside county colleague Ryan Davies who kept the gloves after playing in a four-day draw at Durham for the Under-19s last week.
Matthew Renshaw, a 19-year-old who was born in Middlesborough and whose father used to be a team-mate of Joe Root’s dad in Sheffield, seized a surprise chance with Australia’s Under-19s to steer them to a crushing win in the first of five Royal London One-Day Internationals at South Northumberland CC in Gosforth.
Renshaw, whose family moved to New Zealand when he was 7, was a late addition to Australia’s squad when Patrick Page was forced to withdraw with a foot injury, and went straight into the team to open with Caleb Jewell.
They were replying to an England total of 206 that was well below par after a slapdash batting performance, and Renshaw was still there on 69 from 108 balls when skipper Jake Doran hit the winning runs with eight wickets and almost 10 overs to spare.
Jewell followed his century in the second innings of the drawn four-day match at the Emirates ICG last week with 69 from 88 balls in an opening stand of 107 with Renshaw. Then, after the Hampshire off-spinner Brad Taylor had dismissed Jewell and Jordan Gauci with consecutive balls, Doran joined Renshaw to add exactly 100 for the third wicket in less than 14 overs.
Each of the left-handers hit three sixes on the small club ground, with Doran continuing his outstanding form against England with an unbeaten 56 from 48 balls.
England’s coach Andy Hurry did not pull any punches afterwards. “I’m very disappointed,” he said. “I’ve spoken to the squad and told them that was nowhere near a reflection of how they can perform. They got to 57 for one off nine overs, then lost wickets on a regular basis and were under the pump at 93 for five on a pitch that the Australians have proved has no real demons in it.
“Then when you’re defending a low score you have to take the opportunities that are presented to you, and we’ve put down four chances when the game was still there to win.
“We have to take responsibility for that and make sure we learn the lessons from that. The great thing about this series is it’s five games, and an opportunity for us to pick ourselves up and get straight back on the horse at Chesterfield.”
He also praised Taylor’s batting, after he made an unbeaten 33 from number nine in the order. “Brad batted superbly, which was no surprise to me because he’s scored a lot of runs for Hampshire’s seconds this year at number five,” added Hurry. “His knowledge of the game and his method was effective on that surface.”