The day began with the usual buzz that surrounds tournament day; Coaches and players filling the grass, running some drills, whilst the children longingly eyeing the sweets on sale. Our 7 man Chenies Lions squad was Sam Brar, Dhiren Rayat, Zaraar Khan, Aran Brar, Kiyaan Fazel, Rishabh Vijayan and Aarav Thakker. The boys were confident but with our squad of 7 having 5 U8s playing a year up in an U9s tournament they knew it would not be easy. However, the current U11 Lions were the reigning champions from 2 years ago, so the boys were determined that Chenies Lions should defend the title and do all they could to retain it.

Our group was set up with 4 teams, from which the top 2 would qualify. Our first match pitched us against Farnham Common. Having lost the toss (which would become the theme for the day), Chenies U8 were put in to bat. The outfield was small, and our batsmen cashed in on some weaker bowling, with some exceptional hitting from Dhiren, Zaraar and Sam take us to a tidy 108 after 6 overs. Some disciplined bowling from the team, ensured the result was never in doubt and gave the boys a perfect winning start to the day.

After a 1.5 hr wait for the next match, we were paired with Gerrards Cross. Whilst a valiant effort led to a score of 26 runs, ultimately, we lost too many wickets, and some untidy fielding and bowling saw us lose our first game of the season going down by 17 runs.

This effectively meant our next match was a quarter final against Wendover. Once again, having lost the toss and been asked to bat, Chenies posted a mammoth total of 114 runs, with contributions from all batsmen. Again, some disciplined tight bowling from Kiyaan, Rishabh, and Zaraar stifled Wendovers reply early on, and by the time we completed the match, the result was a formality and a huge victory margin sent Chenies sailing in to the semi finals.

Whilst the players hungrily tucked in to their sandwiches, the news filtered through that we would have the tough task of playing Chalfont St Peter in the semi finals, and on the same pitch that we had played all morning.

The excitement was palpable, and despite losing the toss, we were asked for the first time to bowl. This time, the boys had an opportunity to stifle the game early on, and they did not relent. Wickets, whilst at a premium, still came, but the tightness and continuous pressure of the bowling and fielding was exceptional to watch. Ultimately, Chalfont St Peter innings petered out for a score of 15, with the highlight being a one handed catch by Zaraar and a true leg spinners wicket by Dhiren, caught expertly behind the stumps by Sam.

The reply was circumspect, and it did not need to be any more, as a sensible batting approach brought about victory, and a deserved place in the final. The display of in game management and awareness of the situation was particularly pleasing to witness.

Having to face Gerrards Cross again in the final appeared to motivate some of the boys, and the coaches recognised the need to ensure they channel their enthusiasm. Ultimately, the odds suggested that Gerrards Cross should win, due to their experience of having players who play in the U11 hard ball league, and age. Further, they were an astonishingly competent bowling outfit so a high scoring game was never in question.

Having lost the toss again (6 in a row), Gerrards Cross predictably asked us to bat first. This time however, we emphasised the need to ensure we did not lose any wickets. Dhiren and Rishabh gave the perfect start, batting out a dangerous bowler in the first over, and respecting his line. In the second, a controversial caught behind was given. However, it is here that it was important to re iterate the importance of respect, and the players accepted the umpires decision as final. Following that was Sam and Kiyaan, who both played a watchful innings, peppered with wonderful boundary by Sam, and 2 majestic hits in the long off part of the field by Kiyaan.

Zaraar and Aran completed the innings with some great running, leaving Gerrards cross needing 31 to win.

What followed will be etched in to the rich history of Chenies U8 cricket. A superb first over from Aran limited the dangerous Yusuf to 4 runs, and a brilliant double wicket over from Rishabh left Gerrards cross on 1 run after 2 overs. The next 2 overs went for a lot of runs, with the boys losing their line, and going in to the last 2 over, Gerrards Cross needed 7 to win from 2 overs. At this stage the match ebbed and flowed with GX 2 runs ahead at one point, until a brilliant run out brought Chenies back ahead by 5 heading in to the last over. The cool calm head of Dhiren had the onerous task of ensuring a tight over. He was well backed in the field, and a brilliant run out of the 4th ball left Gerrards cross needing 9 runs of 2 balls, which Dhiren bowled with precision and care. What followed was an eruption of joy from parents to coaches to players, each celebrating a famous win against the odds to ensure Chenies returned home victorious.

A special thanks to all the parents who supported the team throughout the day, and to Winchmore Hill for putting together an absolutely fantastic day. Congratulations to Aarav, Aran, Dhiren, Kiyaan, Zaraar, Rishab and our inspirational captain Sam for retaining the Winchmore Hill U9 Tournament title.

And also a huge thanks from Coach Raj to Coaches Wasim, Bhups and Senthil for running the team at the tournament and guiding them to victory, and to Wasim for the match stats and write-up.

Notable batting performances:

	runs	balls	out (-6)	run out (-3)	Net Runs Scored	Net Strike Rate
Dhiren	53	30	1	0	47	1.57
Sam	37	30	1	0	31	1.03
Zaraar	24	24	0	0	24	1.00
Aran	20	19	1	0	14	0.74
Kiyaan	19	20	1	0	13	0.65
Rishabh	11	18	1	0	5	0.28

Notable bowling performances:

	overs	runs	wickets	Net Runs Conceded	Net Economy Rate
Sam	5	14	4	-10	-2.00
Dhiren	5	30	2	18	3.60
Aran	4	27	2	15	3.75
Zaraar	5	31	1	25	5.00
Aarav	3	21	1	15	5.00
Rishabh	4	27	1	21	5.25