The miserable weather continued for most of last week and only a lucky few were able to play any pre-season cricket. Those schools who did manage a game have their results listed below. The move to playing “pre-season” games seems to have risen in popularity in recent seasons due to the impact of earlier springs and the ever-increasing length of the exam period adding to their appeal. I had intended watching the first day of the Shrewsbury pre-season festival, with the hosts hosting Millfield, Worksop, and Worcestershire Academy, only for the whole event to be cancelled the previous week.
Cold, wet springs like this year have once again kindled the notion of schools playing cricket at the beginning of the Autumn term– an initiative that the ECB tried to introduce some years ago. Although some schools have taken up the challenge, for many it is not really an option. The competing demands of Rugby and Football, lack of space, head groundsman, shortening day length and fickle Autumn weather have largely seen that only a few hardy masters i/c in the South of the country have championed extending the school season. In any case, any games played in September miss the deadline for inclusion in the following edition of Wisden!
The 160th edition of the Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack, the most famous sports book in the world – published every year since 1864, is released on Wednesday. It contains some of the world’s finest sports writing, including your correspondent’s first Wisden School report.
As usual, Wisden includes the eagerly awaited Notes by the Editor, the Cricketers of the Year awards, including the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year and obituaries, most notably Shane Warne and my predecessor Douglas Henderson.
Discounted copies can be ordered using this link for a cost of £38:00
This year, this column will be published on a Wdnesday morniug instad of Tuesday morning.
Results
St. Edward’s, Oxford 117-6 (20), *Elizabeth College 116-8
Bradfield 125-9 (28), Scarborough 126-4
*Nottingham HS 139-6 (30), University of Nottingham 140-7
*The Leys 106, Gresham’s 110-7
*New Hall 96 (20), St. John’s, Leatherhead 97-6 (17)
Stewart Melville’s CC 160-8 (30), *ESMS 75
Old Boys XI 197, *RGS Worcester 151
Christ’s College NZ 166, *Charterhouse 163
Winchester 244-7 (50), Harrow 198