Sam Maskell (Bristol Grammar School) scored 180 not out on Saturday
“A full block of 10 fixtures at last!†Thus did one Master i/c exultantly greet the final arrival of lovely spring weather. It is easy to forget that five weeks ago grounds were waterlogged, and even when the rains at last eased, they came back with a vengeance on cricketing days. Masters i/c have been performing Herculean tasks of logistics to get games on and especially to catch up with the backlog of fixtures in the National Twenty20 competition.
Keen followers of this column will remember that a few weeks ago I wrote a lengthy piece about the superiority of the declaration game, the main problem about all overs cricket being that the game is entirely centred on the batsmen. A batsman can carry his bat but every bowler has to come off after 10 measly overs (in a 50-over game), which gives little chance for the skilled spinner, for example, to settle into a rhythm and weave his or her spell of magic.
This was exemplified by one particular MCC game at Oakham where the visitors struggled in the morning but in the afternoon had even more problems with slow-left-armer Charlie Morley once he got into his groove and was allowed a decent spell. He finished with the fine figures of six for 40 from 19.5 overs. Oakham thus had a modest 184 (all out) to chase, despite a century from Archie Stroud. With steady batting, including one fifty, the school scored the winning runs with three balls to spare and six wickets down.
Another thriller where ball dominated bat (almost a recipe for a thriller) was at King’s Worcester where the hosts were knocked back early on to 36 for six. A patient knock of 75 not out from Henry Armstrong who was ably supported by Charlie Francis brought them to a reasonable total. Nevertheless, 176 all out was hardly a mountain to climb for Monmouth but once again two spinners, Oliver Tsiquave and Edward Burgoyne got into a groove and went for only 36 runs in their combined 20 overs. The resultant squeeze saw the visitors eventually dismissed for 159, 17 short. A fine fightback by King’s.
Haberdashers’ Aske’s, chasing Watford Grammar School’s 40-over target of 190 for five, also struggled to find the middle of the bat and found clever ways of getting themselves out. When the score was only 142 for seven in the 35th over, victory seemed a distant prospect. But an unbroken 50-run partnership between wicket-keeper Aril Pandya (also a Great Britain Under-19 water-polo player) and off-spinner Saavan Shah took them over the line with one ball to spare. Another thriller.
Bristol Grammar School’s Sam Maskell (pictured above) enjoyed his day in the sun at their home ground and just missed out on the ground record. In an extraordinary 40-over total of 365 for five, he scored 180 not out from 113 balls, with 27 fours and one six. Killed the game as a contest, of course, with Wycliffe struggling to get anywhere near.
The England Women’s Cricket XI have played several schools in recent years, but possibly not with their full complement of World-Cup winning stars. The team, captained by Heather Knight and including the two other Wisden Cricketers of the Year, Anya Shrubsole and Nat Sciver, not to mention Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Taylor, Katherine Brunt and Laura Marsh, produced some breathtaking batting against the strong cricketing school Bede’s in Sussex to produce 178 for six in 20 overs and then bowled out the boys for 125.
Results:
XL Club 102-9 (35 overs),*Wellingborough 104-4
*Wells Cathedral School 163-9 (30 overs), Clayesmore 132 (Altaf 6-11)
Old Clayesmorians 202-8 (50 overs),*Clayesmore 18 203-8
*Norwich 211 (50 overs), The Leys 53-1 (rain)
*KES Birmingham 179-6 (45 overs), King’s Worcester 102
*Uppingham 235 (50 overs), Repton 20-0 (rain)
Kelvinside Academy 82-9 (20 overs); *Glasgow Academy 87-1
*Hutchesons’ GS 91-7 (20 overs), High School of Glasgow 56
*Winchester 138, Bradfield 128
Bradfield 198-7 (50 overs),*Radley 100-4
*RGS Guildford 141 (20 overs), Eltham 119-6
Trinity 143-4 (36 overs), *Eltham (rain)
*Queen Mary’s GS 178-6 (20 overs), Derby GS 165-3
Bryanston 131-8 (20 overs),*Sherborne 132-7
Eastbourne 195-4,*Brighton 174-9 (Langdale cup semi-final)
MCC 184 (A Stroud 102),*Oakham 186-6 (C Morley 6-60)
Monkton 168-6 (20 overs),*KES, Bath 117-6 (Bath Schools T20 cup)
Prior Park 175-8 (30 overs),*Wycliffe 131-8 (Monkhouse Intersport League)
*Stewart’s Melville 166-6 (35 overs), High School of Glasgow 80
*Clayesmore 135-7 (30 overs), Bryanston 136-3
Ashville 156-2 (30 overs),*Cheadle Hulme School 160-5
*Blundell’s 191-6 (50 overs), Clifton 192-6
Lord Wandsworth 152-9 (35 overs),*Dauntsey’s 156-6
Wellingborough 171-6 (40 overs),*Bloxham 157-7
Watford GS 190-5 (40 overs),*Haberdashers’ Aske’s 192-7
Monkton 146-7 (35 overs),*King’s, Bruton 148-6
Bristol GS 363-5 (40 overs) (S Maskell 180 not out), Wycliffe 169
*Christ’s Hospital 241-2 (40 overs)(W Freeman 129 not out), Caterham 112 (Martin Berrill Sports League)
Solihull 221 (W Rigg 104, L Allen 5-28),*RGS Worcester 225-9
*King’s Worcester 176, Monmouth 159
St Peter’s, York 271-6 (50 overs)(H Contreras 116), GSAL(Leeds) 240-8
Oakham 198, *Stamford 200-8
*Framlingham 265-6 dec (J Hobbs 100 not out), St Joseph’s, Ipswich 133 (F Heldreich 7-34)
Cranleigh 152 (50 overs),*Wellington (Berks) 153-2
*Dulwich 163, Brighton 167-9 (J Stone 6-23)
Uppingham 116,*Bedford 120-2
Shrewsbury 183-7 (35 overs), Repton 176-7
*Shrewsbury 226, Sedbergh 197
Rugby 105-6 (20 overs), *Shrewsbury 109-2
*Shrewsbury 185-3 (20 overs), Wrekin 82-8
*Shrewsbury 229-5 (50 overs), Bromsgrove 130
*Reigate 75, Eltham 76-3
Bede’s 189-3 (20 overs), *Lancing 53 (Langdale cup semi-final)
England Women 178-6 (20 overs),*Bede’s 125
*Epsom 110, St John’s Leatherhead 111-2
*Bradfield 229-9, Butterflies 124 (T Watson 5-37)
Abingdon 140,*Bradfield 141-3
National Schools Twenty20 competition – cumulative
North East section group 1
Newcastle School for Boys 111, RGS Newcastle 112-4
Hymers 103-6, *QEGS Wakefield 104-1
Hymers 164-3, Silcoates 138-9
Birkdale 118-4,*QEGS Wakefield 119-1
QEGS Wakefield win the group
North East section group 3
Worksop 163-9, Ampleforth 66
Woodhouse Grove 166, Ashville 153
Woodhouse Grove 71-9, Worksop 77-3
Woodhouse Grove 165, Ampleforth 147
Worksop win the group
North East section group 4
Pocklington 129-4,*St Peter’s, York 132-5
Pocklington 103, Bradford GS 104-1
*St Peter’s, York 155-6, Bradford GS 97-9
St Peter’s win the group.
North West section group 1
Altrincham GS 114–5, Kings’, Chester 113
Altrincham GS 96–9, Birkenhead 100 – 7
The Grange School withdrew
Birkenhead win the group
North West section group 2
Hutton GS, Audenshaw HS and St. Ambrose all withdrew
Kings’ School, Macclesfield win the group (by default)
North West section group 3
AKS Lytham 86, Myerscough 90–2
Kirkham 59, RGS Lancaster 60–2
AKS Lytham 143–8, Kirkham 146–6
Myerscough 126, RGS Lancaster 73–7
Myerscough win the group
North West section group 4
Cheadle Hulme 174–3, Wilmslow HS 125 – 6
Stockport GS 137-6, Wilmslow HS 94
Stockport GS 130-7, Cheadle Hulme 133
Cheadle Hulme win the group
North West section quarterfinals
Manchester GS 172–7, Kings’ Macclesfield 173-7
Bolton 74-9, Myerscough 78-2
Birkenhead 107-8, Sedbergh 118-8
North West section semi-finals
Myerscough 138-6, Sedbergh 139-2
Cheadle Hulme/Merchant Taylors’ Crosby v Kings’ Macclesfield
East section group 2
*Oakham 133-6 (20 overs), Oundle 121-9 (H Tyler 5-14)
Stamford 137-7 (20 overs),*Oakham 123-8
East section group 3
Stowe 117-5, Uppingham 63
Stowe 104-6, Rugby 95-7
East section group 4
Kimbolton 113-6, Bedford 114-2
East section play-offs
Stamford 203-6, *Repton 160-4
West Midlands and Wales section group 1
Newcastle-under-Lyme 101-6, Ellesmere 105-6
*Shrewsbury 105-8, Ellesmere 96-7
Queen Mary’s withdrew
Shrewsbury win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 2
*Wrekin 112-4, Bablake 69
Bromsgrove 155-5, Wolverhampton GS 34
*Wrekin 75, Bromsgrove 76-4
Bromsgrove win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 3
Cathedral School, Llandaff 118-9, Dean Close 120-1
West Midlands and Wales section group 3
Monmouth 121-4, Wycliffe 100-5
Dean Close win the group
West Midlands and Wales section, group 4
King’s Worcester 125-6,*RGS Worcester 123-8
Malvern 181-2, Warwick 85
King’s Worcester 66, Malvern 67-1
Malvern win the group
West Midlands and Wales play-offs
Shrewsbury 182-3, Wrekin 82-8
South East section group 1
St Lawrence 192-5, *Ashford 128-5
Simon Langton GS 197-3 (E Fox 103 not out), *Kent College 115
South East section group 2 (reduced to 5-over matches)
Charterhouse 43-2, Reigate GS 28-1
Reigate GS 25-5, Cranleigh 29-0
Charterhouse 44-2, Cranleigh 30-4
Kingston GS withdrew
Charterhouse win the group
South East section group 3
*Bede’s 159-5, Brighton College 59
*Bede’s 144-5, Hurstpierpoint 114-9
Hurstpierpoint 144, Aldridge 96
Bede’s win the group
South East section group 4
*Tonbridge 166–4, Skinners 100–9
Eastbourne 102–9, *Tonbridge 103–5
Claremont 131-4 Skinners 98
Tonbridge win the group
North London section group 1
NewVic 122-7,*Aldenham 66
*St Albans 160-4, NewVic 113-9
St Albans win the group
North London section group 2
UCS 112, Highgate 92
UCS 65, Merchant Taylors’ 68-0
Moulton withdrew
Merchant Taylors’ win the group
North London section final
*St Albans 139-3, Merchant Taylors’ Northwood 140-4
Merchant Taylors’ win North London
South London section group 1
Whitgift 207-2, Emanuel 71-5
Emanuel 92-8, Epsom 96-2
Whitgift 179-2, Epsom 81-9
Whitgift win the group
South London section group 2
Hampton 143-7, Langley 116
Hampton 188-5, Dulwich 125-7
Hampton win the group
South London section group 3
Wilson’s 106-2, KCS Wimbledon 107-1
KCS Wimbledon 93, Eltham 94-2
Eltham win the group
South London section group 4
Lingfield 99-9, Caterham 100-3.
Trinity 96, Reed’s 97-0
Caterham 96-7, Reed’s 97-5
*Trinity 152-4, Caterham 129
Reed’s win the group.
South London section semi-final
*Whitgift 230-6, Hampton 120-5
South West section group 1
Downside 98-6 (20 overs),*Clifton 101-2
*Clifton 124-5, Colston’s 42-2 (9 overs); Clifton win on D/L
Colston’s 120-9, Bristol GS 110-5
Colston’s 163-4, Downside 75
Clifton win the group
South West section group 2
Stroud and South Glos 127-6 QEH 99-7
Taunton 102-6, Stroud and South Glos 103-5
South West section group 3
Blundell’s 70, Plymouth 73-4
Plymouth 85-8 Millfield 86-0
South West section group 4
Sherborne 107, King’s Taunton 108-1
Mount Kelly 67-7, King’s Taunton 68-1
Mount Kelly 153-5, Sherborne 105-9
King’s Taunton win the group
South Central section group 1
St Edward’s 175-6,*Dauntsey’s 140-3
St Edward’s 203-5 (H Ward 101), Elizabeth (Guernsey) 149-7
Elizabeth (Guernsey) 112-8,*Dauntsey’s 116-9
St Edward’s win the group
South Central section group 2
Abingdon 106 (20 overs),*Wellington (Berks) 107-3
Reading Blue Coat withdrew
Wellington win the group
South Central section group 3
Marlborough 124-4, Portsmouth GS 125-4
Magdalen College School 245-2, Portsmouth GS 103
*Marlborough 105-8, Magdalen College School 108-6
Magdalen College School win the group
South Central section group 4
RGS High Wycombe 107-8, Lord Wandsworth 109-2
RGS High Wycombe 109-7, Shiplake 110-0
*Radley 181-6, Shiplake 92
Lord Wandsworth 72, Radley 75-2
Radley win the group
South Central section group 5
*Bradfield 140-4, Winchester 68
*Bradfield 166-7), John Hampden GS 90-5
The Oratory withdrew
Bradfield win the group