It used to be my rule (for 35 years) that it always rained on the first day of the schools cricket season, even if it had been fine for weeks beforehand. I was rarely wrong, but this year I was a week out. After weeks of fine weather in most of the UK, the rains returned and wrecked the weekend?s fixtures.
Thus, after last week?s bumper crop of results, this week seems extraordinarily meagre. The weather also disrupted early rounds of the National Twenty20 competition,
There was a fine example of the best in schools cricket when Christ?s Hospital and Worth met in their Sussex clash. Christ?s set a challenging total of 196 for five in 40 overs on a good wicket. The game ebbed and flowed. It featured several good innings, excellent fielding, tight bowling and four superbly executed run-outs. The final few overs were highly dramatic, Worth achieving their victory by two wickets from the final ball of the game with a leg-bye. Above all, the match was played in excellent spirit.
Will Vanderspar, Eton?s captain, continued his astonishing start to the season ? as mentioned last week ? by scoring an unbeaten 204 to defeat MCC who had set the challenging target of 281 for seven declared. The danger of acquiring a reputation such as his, if you play declaration games, is that opponents declare far too late and ? if he gets out early ? kill the game. Then it needs enlightened captaincy to revive it. Worse, if you play overs cricket and he doesn?t get out, then it is no contest and it is a very boring day indeed.
Until last year, Ratcliffe?s Tom Smith was an openng batsman bowling a bit of leg-spin. This year he converted to being a fast-medium bowler. The effect was felt by Princethorpe, who were coasting along nicely, but then Smith had a second spell of four overs when he took six wickets for four, skittling out the visitors for 157, a total easily overcome.
Results:
*Chislehurst & Sidcup GS 256-5 (35 overs) (M Kilbey 115), Borden GS 184-6
MCC 273-6 (50 overs), *Repton 276-9 (C Murrall 123)
City of London Freeman’s 66 (23.0 / 35 overs), *RGS Guildford 70-2
*Bedford Modern 164, Forty Club 117-9
Denstone 195 (35 overs), *King?s, Macclesfield 120
Yarm 112-8 (20 overs), *Durham 115-1
*Lord Wandsworth 95 (30 overs), Portsmouth GS 96-6
Exeter 155-9 (40 overs), *Wellington, Somerset 157-5
*Felsted 282-7 (40 overs)(J Wells 111), Bishop’s Stortford College 121 (M Houlder 5-14)
*Felsted 202-6 dec, *Bishop’s Stortford High School 154-8 (J Foley 5-55)
*Felsted 251-5 dec, Essex Under-17 Academy XI 154-5
*Felsted 282-7 (40 overs)(J Wells 111), Bishop’s Stortford College 121
Winchester 213-3 (35 overs),*Portsmouth GS 121
*Canford 174-8 (50 overs), Portsmouth GS 175-2
Dr Challoner’s GS 200-6 (35 overs)(J Shiel 110), *RGS High Wycombe 172-9
MCC 291-4 dec, *Ratcliffe 166
*Reigate GS 138 (20 overs), Sevenoaks 87-9
Winchester 195 (50 overs), *Marlborough 0-0 (rain)
*High School of Glasgow 116-9 (35 overs), Stewart?s Melville 68
*Uppingham 237-4 (40 overs), Oakham 218-6
*Uppingham 190, Stowe 133-8
*Merchiston 167-6 (35 overs), Glenalmond 112
Silcoates 59, *Woodhouse Grove 63-0
Langdale Cup (Sussex Independent Schools Twenty20)
*Ardingly164-5 (20 overs), Eastbourne 158-6
*Lancing158-5 (20 overs), Seaford 111
St Bede?s179-2 (20 overs),*Christ?s Hospital 111-7
Brighton 83-7 (20 overs), *Hurstpierpoint 84-5
*Lancing 124, St.Bede?s 125-5
Christ?s Hospital 196-5 (40 overs), *Worth 197-8
Princethorpe 157 (40 overs) (T Smith 6-18), *Ratcliffe 159-2
*Harrow 280-7 (55 overs) (M Cousens 106 not out), Whitgift 156
*Harrow 208-8 (45 overs), Free Foresters 177
Harrow 189 (55 overs), Wellington 97-3 (rain)
Haberdashers’ Aske’s 72, *Berkhamsted 74 -4
Sherborne 90-3 v King?s Taunton (rain)
*Magdalen College School, Oxford 197-5 (40 overs) (G Randall 108 not out), Perse 198-3
Norwich 212-9 dec, *Perse 213-4
Perse 232-9 dec, *Chigwell 140
*Eton 317-6 (40 overs)(W Vanderspar 154, Three Counties Academy 201
MCC 281-7 dec (S Crawley 111),*Eton 284-5 (W Vanderspar 204 not out)
Radley 282-7 (55 overs)(N Gubbins 118), *Eton 216
*St Edward?s, Oxford 142-8, Bedford 143-4
Oratory 114, *St Edward?s, Oxford 115-5
*St Edward?s, Oxford 195-6 dec, Cryptics 189-5
*Queen’s, Taunton 268-6 (40 overs)(J Lintott 136), Wellington 66
St Albans 121, *Haileybury 125 -4
Durham 117, *Sedbergh 120-1
Bristol GS 152, *Clifton 155 ?1
Loretto 110 (45 overs), *Fettes 112-7
Hampton 268-7 (50 overs)(Z Ansari 102), *RGS Guildford 91
Bradfield 190 (20 overs), *Reading 38
Cranleigh 173-6 (50 overs), *Bradfield 175-6
*Sedbergh 214-5 (40 overs), Myerscough 112 (C Thwaytes 5-12)
*Sedbergh 263-5 (50 overs), Old Sedberghians 120
MCC 246-5 dec, *Oundle 138-8
*Oundle 210-9 dec, Shrewsbury 187 (H Ramsden 6-57)
*Charterhouse 173, Tonbridge 177-4 (Cowdrey Cup)
St Paul’s 158, Merchant Taylors’, Northwood 147-2
NATIONAL TWENTY20: West region Group 4
King?s Taunton 253?1, Wellington, Somerset 86?6
Taunton 87, King?s Taunton 91?1
Taunton 199?3 (T Abel 108 not out),?Wellington 145?4
NATIONAL TWENTY20: South region Group 9
Eltham 161-8, Reed?s 89
Eltham 83, Hampton 85-2
Whitgift 111-8, Eltham 106-9