A Week to Remember: U14s Shine on Taunton Tour

12 Aug 2026   |   By Brandon Caffull

This summer, Herefordshire’s Under 14s team travelled down to Taunton for, what we would find to be one of the best weeks of the year.

Day One: vs MK Cricket

Our tournament began on Monday against one of two touring teams from California. Captain Finn P won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Harris and Daniell stuck together to form a strong opening partnership; with the dismissals of Harris (12), and Singh (13), Herbert and Daniell came together for another short, but strong partnership, bringing the score to 84 before Herbert was bowled. Regular wickets fell, leaving HCCC at 159-8, however star with the bat Harry J was unfased, smashing the ball to the boundary with ease ending on a quickfire 44, bringing the total to 220 from our 50 overs.

MK Cricket’s innings started well, going at five and over. During the ninth over we had our first wicket, with a sharp catch from wicketkeeper James to dismiss one of the openers. The number three was then dismissed after amassing 26. MK Cricket then rebuilt to put on 103 for the 3rd wicket. Opener Aadi was then caught at mid-off by skipper Finn for a well-made 85. The rest of the score was negotiated, despite wickets from Noah and Will.

Day Two: vs Cricket for Club

With spirits high from the day before, Herefordshire met the second Californian side of the week, and again, batted first. James G was first to fall for 8 with a pull to midwicket. This brought Will Jones to the wicket. With other batters falling around him, Jones maintained composure and hit his maiden 50 for the county, ending on 65. Finn, Noah and Harry were the only others to break into double figures, leading to a score of 195 all out from 46.2 overs.

Cricket for Club’s innings started very well, with regular boundaries and strong running between the wickets making a large indent into their target. Mystery spinner Avitej was introduced into the attack and wasted little time removing both openers with catches from Noah and Finn. CFC’s number three was also dismissed by spin, with a great leg-spinning delivery from Will, however, the total was too few, with the number 4 batsman scoring the bulk of the runs (68) and seeing their team over the line.

Day Three: vs Leopards

Wednesday saw a more local fixture, with our boys facing a team made up of Taunton School students. Many would think that losing the toss, and our week’s record would dampen spirits, but would soon be proven wrong. Outstanding bowling from our opening attack, and pressure from high-quality fielding saw regular wickets fall, leading to Leopards finding themselves at 58-5. Pressure was maintained by every bowler, with Will, Zach and Ralph D taking two each, and Noah taking one. Eventually, Leopards were dismissed for a well-below par 126.

Herefordshire took to the field buzzing after their top tier bowling and fielding performance but did not expect the attack to make this chase a nail-biting challenge. Bowler Leo C tore into the HCCC order, breaking apart our top order, with Avitej (28) being the only batter in the top four to make double figures. Noah (16), Harry (12), and James (18), moved the score along well, but were dismissed early, adding more pressure onto the tail. The final runs were left to Ralph D and Will, and with some strong shots to the boundary, Herefordshire chased the score down within 30 overs to win their first game of the tournament 8 wickets down.

Day Four: vs London County

Spirits were high after the boy’s first win of the week heading into day four. Skipper Finn won the toss and elected to bat on a hard deck on Taunton’s main ground. This decision proved right as openers Harry and Moin scored well and powerfully, making 69 for the first wicket. The introduction of left-arm spin tore through our top order, dismissing Harry (31), Ralph E (1), and Herbert (9) respectively. This brought Will to the crease, and with support from Moin, dismissed after a well-made maiden county 50, ending on 68, and Avitej (28), Will made another county 50, however he went one step further. Combining power and technique, Will brought up his maiden county 100 with a drive through extra cover, greeted by thunderous applause from the crowd. Late runs from Max (11), and James (6) took the score up to a commanding 290 from our 50 overs. Will ended on 107 from the same number of balls.

London County’s innings started poorly, with regular wickets from Herefordshire putting pressure on the new batter and leading to a score of 41-4 after 10 overs. Number five batter Ridiaan came together with opener Rufus and put on a 99-partnership for the 5th wicket, before the spin of Ralph dismissed opener Rufus for 82, and the pace of Herbert removed Ridiaan for 44. Another strong partnership from the London boys kept the game firmly in the balance, and with runs accruing, and overs ticking away, it was sure to be a tight end. With two overs to go, London required 7 runs to win, with one wicket in hand. On came Ralph E, the crowd nervous, and players under pressure. He removed the off stump of the number ten bat to win a nail-biting match for the boys.

Day Five: vs Switzerland

After five days of 50-over cricket, copious hours spent swimming and playing football, the team had one final day of cricket left. Captain Finn showed good form with the coin, winning the toss and electing to field. With a small boundary, the Swiss opening pair came out firing, smashing the ball to the boundary on regular occasions, leading to a monster 89 scored off the first 10 overs. Herefordshire regained control with the introduction of spin, and a brilliant spell from skipper Finn. Regular wickets fell near the end of the innings; however this didn’t deter Switzerland from setting us a big total of 313/7 from their 50 overs.

Starting our run chase were opening pair Moin and James. 31 runs were scored before Moin fell for 24 runs. James was then joined by Will, both individual scores of 38 and 32 respectively helped us toward the 300+ total, however many runs were still needed to get over the line. More helpful runs were then added by Herbert (14), and Harris (18), including a maximum from Harris. Their dismissals saw Ralph D enter the field, and with intent from the start, ably supported by his teammates, he reached his first 50 for the county. Reaching this milestone only spurred him on more, running brilliantly with his teammates and getting to 94. Some may be nervous near their first county hundred, but not Ralph D. A huge 6 slapped over square leg saw Ralph D, raising hit bat once again this game, and placing us ever closer to 314. Ralph D’s wicket came soon after, being bowled for a brilliant 103 from 75 balls. Avitej hit a quick 21 but was also bowled to leave last wicket partnership Ralph E and Zach to negotiate 14 from 12 balls. The pressure was non existent however, excellent running from the pair meant 7 was needed for the win. Wide, wide, dot, single, four needed from three with Ralph E on strike. With everyone in the crowd on their feet, Ralph E sliced a four down to third man to secure our third win of the week.

The week was full of success, not only by individuals, but also by the team as a whole. Each player learnt from their mistakes, took feedback from their coaches and played some amazing cricket to end with 3 wins from our 5 games. The attitudes and camaraderie from the squad were nothing short of exceptional, showing what Herefordshire can do against some very strong sides from around the world.

Thank you to all the parents who supported the trip, and to coaches Brandon and Tom for leading a week the boys are unlikely to forget for a very long time.