A Brief History of College Cricket
?You do well to love cricket, for it is more free from anything sordid, anything dishonourable than any game in the world. To play it keenly, honourably, generously, self-sacrificingly, is a moral lesson in itself and the classroom is God?s air and sunshine.? (Lord Harris)
From the opening of the College in 1865 the two major games played were football and cricket. However, while John Booth noted in 1924 that ?the Association game was given up and Rugby introduced in its stead?, a commitment to cricket has been ever-present. As Robert Mugabe declared in 1984, without a trace of irony: ?Cricket civilizes people and makes good gentlemen.?
1st XI Cricket, 1901
Over the years the College has produced many fine cricketers, most notably David Larter (1951-57), who as a Colt was recognised as ?a very promising fast bowler whose batting can only be described as feeble and his fielding even worse?. He later went on to open the bowling for Northamptonshire CCC (666 wickets at 19.53) and play 10 Tests for England (37 wkts at 25.43).
J.D.F. Larter A.P. Cowan R.I. Newton
Another fast bowler of note was Ashley Cowan (1987-92), who took the new ball for Essex CCC for many years (284 wickets at 32.86) and toured the West Indies in 1998 with England. The most recent success story, however, is Robert Newton (2003-08), who is currently contracted to Northamptonshire CCC. While at the College he scored a record breaking 3,339 runs for the 1st XI (947 as a Year 10 at an average of 94.70), represented England Under 17s and Captained the MCC Schools? side on their tour to India. Robert remains the only school-boy to have scored a double-hundred against the MCC. More recently Newton scored 102 for Northamptonshire against Leicestershire in the County Championship in 2010. This achievement makes Rob the first Old Framlinghamian to score a first-class century. The previous closest was Ashley Cowan with a highest score of 94.
There has also been a longstanding tradition of high calibre cricketers on the 1st XI coaching staff. The early impetus for this was provided by Headmaster, Rev Dr O.D. Inskip, who in 1883 appointed the College?s first ever professional coach, Harry Upton of Surrey CCC. This progress was sustained by Inskip?s successor, F.W. Stocks (1913-29), who had been an Oxford Blue and played county cricket for Leicestershire – he also introduced Quilibets in 1929.
Rev O.D. Inskip New cricket pavilion opened in 1957 Mr F.W. Stocks
Subsequent leading lights included O.F. sporting legend Norman Borrett (Essex CCC, 1937-46), Stuart Westley (Gloucestershire CCC, 1968-76), Peter Hayes (Cambridge University, 1974-77), and ?Suffolk?s finest ever bowler? (apologies to G.C. Perkins) and cricket professional, Colin Rutterford. Colin also transformed the Back into one of the finest grounds in East Anglia, a standard currently maintained by his brother, Mike Rutterford. More recent coaches of note have included Nick Peters, who opened the bowling for Surrey (1998-9) and former Yorkshire (1981-93), Sussex (1994-98) and England international, Paul Jarvis. Now with the return of Marcus Marvell (Minor Counties & Middlesex) as Head of Cricket for 2011, and a Headmaster well-known on the first-class cricket circuit (especially to Surrey CCC supporters), the College is well-placed to sustain its longstanding cricketing traditions.
Framlingham College 1st XI v. MCC on the Back
M. D. Robinson – Deputy Head Co-Curricular