Under 16s - 2001 Photo Terry Trodd

In a season when victories were hard to come by, there were a number of encouraging performances, and this current group of 14 to 16 year olds has the highest number of very talented players that I can remember.

For the first time two 14 year olds played together in an Under 16 team and there were as many as 5 players under 15 in the team. Eight Under 16s played in a single Under 17 team and four played at Under 19. Six of these Under 15s played for the West of England and two for England.

All this is a tribute to the progressive attitude of the development team and especially Rajesh Maru. There are now no barriers between the Club 1st eleven and the 5th eleven (the Under 16s), with the same information and standards being maintained all the way through. The basis of this has been Jimmy Cook and Mark Garaway's School of Excellence programme Culture of Success.

One the playing front, Graham Noble was the only centurion, his 100 not out was on a very flat pitch at The Hampshire Rose Bowl. Fifteen year old James Manning took most wickets and our 15 year-old skipper Alex Richardson had the respect of management and players alike, leading from the front.

Our only victory came in our last game against Sussex, when 54 from the promising Kevin Latouf and a seasons best 38 from Nick Priddle helped us to 239 all out, a total our opponents never got near. This game us a win on first innings and deprived Sussex the Championship.

A progressive year in which the Under 16s played a significant part in the success of the Under 17 squad who reached the semi-final of the National Competition.

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