What a difference a few hours made for the Under 13s as they bounced back from a league defeat in the morning to progress in the cup later in the same day.

In their first game of the day, 45 extras proved costly as they were defeated by Feckenham by 28 runs. Credit though to Ethan Allen who, playing up an age group, claimed a four-fer as the visitors were bowled out for 102.

Opening the batting for the first time, Dillan Walker made a solid 12 and Will Terry 11 - both partnering with James Pitt, who hit three fours and a six in a sparkling 20 but against some less wayward bowling, Spa were all out for 74.

A few hours later, the team had the chance to bounce back to winning ways in the national knockout cup competition but the omens didn't look good as they conceded even more extras than they had in the morning - 58 - allowing opponents Martley to post a daunting 150-3.

Despite slipping to 11-2 in reply, Spa stayed true to their positive approach with James Pitt continuing his morning form as he smacked four fours and two sixes before retiring on 31.

Two fours and two sixes from Oscar Harris maintained the momentum as he chipped in with 28 and a well-made 30 retired from Ethan Jennings on his first game back kept Spa firmly in the contest.

With overs running out, Arlo Field continued his positive debut by striking two fours in his 7-ball 11 to follow up his earlier first wicket for the Club.

With one over left and four runs needed, the last pair of
James Perry and Josh Allen stayed focused with the former hitting the winning runs off the penultimate ball to see Spa into the next round albeit with nerves shredded!

And that winning feeling for DSCC's youth section extended into four more matches!

The Under 15 girls beat Old Elizabethans by four wickets after chasing down their target of 65 with nine balls to spare. Holly Prudence capped a fine captain's performance as she carried her bat with an unbeaten 20 - following up her earlier miserly two-over spell of 0-5 that was matched by Liv Watson as OEs were restricted to 64-2 with Poppy Prudence having an excellent game behind the stumps.

Sophie Goodwin contributed an exciting 21 before she fell LBW - one of three wickets that were lost in a successful run chase.

Playing their second league game of the season, the Under 14s gained revenge for home and away defeats last summer with a superb eight-wicket win over Malvern.

Bowling first, James Bellingham struck early for Spa but it was the introduction of Ciaran Hession-Wilson into the attack in the seventh over which turned the game in the hosts' favour. The new bowler struck with his first ball with Eric Gregory taking the catch and followed up with a maiden before a devastating triple wicket maiden in his third as he returned an outstanding 4-8 from his four overs.

And there was no respite at the other end for the Malvern batters at the other end either as Matthew Allen grabbed three wickets of his own.

At 61-8, Malvern number seven Owen Annetts-Burton decided to take matters into his own hands as he launched a flurry of boundaries. However trying another off the bowling of Leo Reed, he probably couldn’t believe his luck as Bellingham looking into the sun nonchalantly plucked the ball from the air one handed inches from the boundary edge.

Replying to their opponents' total of 93-9, Spa were 11-0 after six overs before a succession of boundaries from Ed Bridge upped the scoring rate, but that over also saw the dismissal of his opening partner Henry Ferguson.

This brought Hession-Wilson to the crease. Just as his first delivery as a bowler got him a wicket, the first ball he faced as a batter was despatched to the boundary for four. Two further balls were sent to the rope in the next over.

After Bridge lost his wicket, Spa needed 54 runs from the remaining nine overs. Last season this would have proved a step too far even with wickets in hand but Hession-Wilson had other ideas as he reeled off boundary after boundary with Bellingham looking untroubled at the other end.

With 3.3 overs remaining, Bellingham struck his first four to win the game with Hession-Wilson 39 not out of which 32 had come in boundaries!

The same clubs also met at Under 10s with Spa showcasing their all-round prowess, delivering superb performances with both bat and ball to secure a well-deserved 41-run victory.

Malvern were restricted to 90-5 (net 275) from their allotted 16 overs, with standout spells from James Leech, Will Weston, and Hudson Smith.

Spa lost the same number of wickets but amassed an impressive 131 (net 316) with the main contributions coming from Dylan Price, James Leech, Ben Bryce and Joe Pearce.

The match highlighted the team's excellent coordination and skill, with strong performances in both bowling and batting departments with the victory underscoring the promising talent and teamwork within the U10 squad.

In an exciting match against Halesowen, the Under 11s emerged victorious by 21 runs.

Batting first, Thomas Wright anchored the innings with a well-constructed 30 not out. Barney Ross also made a valuable contribution, scoring 11 runs and supporting the team’s effort to build a competitive total of 76-7.

Spa's bowlers then took control of the game, delivering exceptional performances with the ball - none more so than Wright and Ross who continued their all-round form by taking 2-9 and an unbelievable 3-3 respectively from their three overs.

The bowlers were backed up by a brilliant effort in the field by the entire team that contributed to keeping the total down with wicketkeeper Dylan Price playing a crucial role as he effected two run outs with his sharp reflexes and quick thinking.

The combined efforts of the Spa side ensured a comprehensive win as Halesowen were dismissed for 55, highlighting the team's balanced performance.