It was a golden day of cricket for the National Schools Twenty20 final at Arundel, played for the third time at this spectacularly pretty ground in glorious sunshine, with a good crowd, excellent catering and facilities, and the presence of the finest of cricket photographers, Patrick Eagar. For all scorecards and a montage of his pictures of the day, click here
Callum Jackson (Bede’s) stumped by Shrewsbury’s Bertie Milligan-Manby
Click for larger image
The first semi-final began with a blitz from the Shrewsbury opener Ed Pollock, in the innings of the day, who took 92 from only 39 balls starting with two fours and a six in the first over, ably assisted by Joe Carrasco (68 from 44). By the twelfth over the pair had amassed 147, after which Shrewsbury faltered slightly, when something like 300 seemed a possibility. Nevertheless their 230 for six was formidable, to say the least. Bolton did not appear to be blasting away, but actually were scoring at almost the same rate after six overs (78 for one) Alas, two run-outs, one a mis-judged second run and one a complete nonsense with the batsmen shaking hands at the same end, put an end to their serious challenge just when it seemed as if this could be a sensational run-chase. Bolton finished on 171 all out, a very respectable twenty over score, especially when one considers the final (see later).
The semi-final between Bede’s and King’s Taunton was a very clinical display of bowling and fielding from Bede’s followed by a very positive but sensible run-chase. Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Neil Persaud with their off-spin bowled very tightly in the power play and never allowed King?s to get off to a decent start. King?s came with a formidable reputation as big hitters, especially Rhys Davies who had scored 152 from 66 balls in an earlier round, but here was out for just one. Nor did the other stars Neil Brand, Matt Richards or Lawrence May show what they could do. The net result was a very modest 101 all out, a score comfortably overtaken by Bede?s with the loss of only four wickets.
The final was a pretty one-sided affair in the end, but it didn?t seem so at the halfway stage. This time, there were no fireworks from the Shrewsbury openers and disinterested observers had their money on a Bede?s victory when Shrewsbury ? winners in 2011 ? were restricted to 135 for seven, despite some excellent running. At 48 for three from eight overs, Bede?s were still just ahead in the game but then hubris seemed to overcome them. Instead of steering their way sensibly they attempted to blast themselves to victory, inevitably losing wickets in the process. The Shrewsbury bowling was impressive, especially George Panayi (3-14) a 15-year-old who accounted for the wickets at the top of the order and the slow left-armer Charlie Farquhar who took no wickets but was difficult to get away. Bede?s were dismissed for 83, runners-up for the second successive year. A mention, perhaps, for Shrewsbury’s Will Cook who took 6-30 over the two matches, hit a six over the sightscreen and effected a run out.
Under-14 Will Jacks of St George’s Weubridge (click for larger image)
For individual performances in this last week of the independent schools season, Will Jacks, the prolific Under-14 player at St George?s Weybridge finished 2013 with an aggregate (in various teams) of 1076 from only 684 balls, hitting 60 sixes and 121 fours. He scored three centuries and a double century. In the final match of the season, a two-day match against Warwick, Dylan Budge of Woodhouse Grove scored 101 not out and 153 not out to take his runs total for the season to 949. This gave him an average for the season of 135.57 with four centuries in all. To cap them all, Tom Kohler-Cadmore of Malvern secured an aggregate of 1409 in 15 innings, the largest number in the past ten years, and maybe longer.
Haberdashers? Aske?s beat a strong Fraser Bird (Invitation) XI from the first ball of the last over after Tom Colverd (124 not out) and Will Wright (80) had put on 179 for the first wicket to overtake the declaration of 272 for seven. In their next fixture, against The Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, Habs lost by two wickets from the last ball of the game after scoring 200 for eight
Dauntsey’s retained the Peak Sports league title by beating Wycliffe.
Results:
*Eton 224 (50 overs) (M Allen 6-33), St Peter’s Adelaide 228-5
*Dauntsey’s 181, Old Dauntseians 162
*GSAL (leeds) 218-8 (50 overs) (B Morley 115), Manchester GS 197
MCC 121, *RGS Worcester 122-2
*Clifton 211-9 (50 overs), Magdalen College School 93
MCC 244-5 dec, *Dauntsey’s 246-6
RGS Worcester 173 (C Bluck 5-49), *Bristol S 176-4
*Haberdashers’ Aske’s 200-8 (40 overs), RGS High Wycombe 201-8
*Durham 222-5(40 overs), Assumption College (Aus)148-8
*Durham 151-3 (20 overs), Old Dunelmians 106
Bristol GS 175-9 (35 overs), *Sir Thomas Rich’s, Gloucester 101
Bristol GS 234, *King’s Gloucester 161 (T Rowland 5-13)
Bristol GS 176-4 (20 overs), *Wycliffe 180-1
MCC 184-6 dec, *Hymers 185-4
Old Grovians 193, *Woodhouse Grove 145
Old Grovians105 (20 overs), *Woodhouse Grove 106-7
Woodhouse Grove 250-1 dec ( P Dixon 124 not out, D Budge 101 not out) & 251-5 dec ( D Budge 153 not out),, * Warwick 251-3 dec (T Pigott 116 not out) & 213-7
*St Edward’s Oxford 303-9 (55 overs) (J Barrett 110), Haileybury (Aus) 153
Fraser Bird XI 272-7 dec, *Haberdashers’ Aske’s 273-4 (T Colverd 124 not out)
Wycliffe 96 (40 overs), *Dauntsey’s 97-3 (Peak Sports League)
*Ratcliffe 170-9 (40 overs), Princethorpe 122
MCC 137, *St Edward’s Oxford 141-3
Harrow 279-8 (55 overs), *Malvern 283-7
*Haberdashers’ Aske’s 200-8 (40 overs), RGS High Wycombe 201-8
*Haberdashers’ Aske’s 257-7 (35 overs) (W Wright 146), Wesley (Aus) 236-6
*Wellingborough 156 (45 overs), Elite Cricket (Aus) 120
*Wellingborough 156 (45 overs), Elite Cricket (Australia) 120
National Twenty20 Finals day at Arundel Friday July 5th
Semi-finals
Shrewsbury 231-6, *Bolton 171
Kings, Taunton 101, *Bede’s 103-4
Final
*Shrewsbury 135-7, Bede?s 83
For full scoresheets of all matches and a photo-montage of the day by Patrick Eagar, click here
Ratcliffe festival (20 overs)
Loughborough GS 156-2, *Ratcliffe 135-7
*Loughborough GS 147-8, Assumption 111-5
Assumption 124-8 (R Soni 5-17), *Ratcliffe 125-1
Silk trophy at Eton (50 overs)
Shrewsbury 259-7 (J Carrasco 100), Oundle 177 (E Pollock 6-18)
St Peter’s (Aus) 126, Shrewsbury 127-8
Shrewsbury 230-9, *Eton 148
*Eton 224 (M Allen 6-33), St Peter’s (Aus) 228-5
*Eton 305-7 (J Langen 181), Oundle 216-7 (S Olver 111 not out)
*Oundle 154 (50 overs), St Peter’s (Aus) 158-7
Shrewsbury win the Silk Trophy Festival
BOWS festival at Brighton (50 overs)
Wellington (Berks) 224, Oakham 225-6
*Brighton 75, Oakham 77-2
Sedbergh 302, *Brighton 251
Sedbergh 256-7, Wellington (Berks) 257-5
Oakham 215-9, Sedbergh 185
*Brighton 218, Wellington (Berks) 205
Oakham win the BOWS festival
Taunton festival (50 overs except as shown)
Dulwich 322-7 (D Chohan 131), Eastbourne 181
Eastbourne 211-8 (40 overs), *Taunton 97
*Taunton 281-4 (M Kelly 111), Ampleforth 278
*Taunton 208, Dulwich 212-1 (P MacCormack 101 not out)