FORMER Suffolk schoolboy Reece Topley starred with both bat and ball as England clinched fifth place today at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Australia.
Topley scored 26 not out and then took three wickets as England beat West Indies by 13 runs in the fifth place play-off match at Endeavour Park in Townsville.
The Essex bowler came to the wicket with England on 192 for nine in the 39th over, and ensured they not only batted out their full allocation of overs but also added 49 invaluable runs. That enabled England to close on 241 for nine after Sam Wood had earlier scored 104.
Topley then got to work with the ball, returning figures of 8.3-1-39-3 as West Indies were bowled out for 228 in 48.3 overs.
Those three victims took Topley’s haul to an impressive 19 wicket for the tournament to underline his position as the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup.
Topley’s Essex team mate Ben Foakes, batting at No.3, scored seven from 11 balls before being dismissed.
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