Still virtually no results because of half-term. It does seem astonishing that in a term (for independent schools) of a mere ten weeks anyway there seems to be a need to have a 10-day half-term plus two exeat weekends, not to mention revision exeats and post-exam-stress exeats and whatnot (PE lessons abandoned for yet more “revisionâ€). Thus four Saturdays missing out of about 10!
It gives me time for further reflection on the recent Test matches. I was very surprised, impressed and delighted to see how well young Bess played, but I had no recollection of his ever being a star at school. So I looked him up in my Wisden records. He was captain of Blundell’s in 2015 (he may possibly have played in 2016 but, alas, his school very unusually did not send any details that year).
“A solid performance throughout the season captained by Dominic Bess (who joined the Somerset CCC Academy).â€
And in the stats department:
D. M. Bess* 8/ 220/ 64/ 27.50 (fourth best even just at Blundell’s), and
D. M. Bess* 81/ 11/ 331/ 17/ 4-38/ 19.47 (very similar for 2014 – 239 runs and 19 wickets).
One wonders how he even found himself on the radar at Somerset with this performance which ranked him, in all schools represented, 544th by runs scored or 416th by average. Yet here he was the other day batting like a perfectly decent Test number four (as he did also at Lord’s). It is true that the most talented schoolboy players (eg Ben Duckett) can lose their appetite in their last year or even indeed play mostly for their club. But this does not seem to be the case here. A great mystery. By comparison, Ted Casterton – Wisden Schools Cricketer 2018 (ie last season) told me that no county had shown any interest in him, despite his scoring 1423 runs last year, more than any other batsman going back to at least 2002 and maybe for all time. Any keen archivist could find out by consulting our Wisden Archive. Even more mystifying.
Wonderful also to see Jos Buttler showing that he is not just a slogger as many (including selectors hitherto) seemed to think. Several people at Lord’s said to me they thought he was just a one-day player and I spent some time saying this was completely wrong and that he could play whatever game the situation demanded (and this was well before he demonstrated that on the Saturday evening). I agreed with Steve James of The Times who last week proposed Johnny Bairstow as the Test opener, but suggested to him that I’d have been apparently even more radical and open with Jos Buttler. I could yet be proved right (yet again!). Both Buttler and Bairstow opened at school, of course. And both (plus Bess) are clearly big match players, ie relish a challenge rather than buckle under pressure, an attribute in my view seriously underestimated by selectors.
Another prediction, this time about Sam Curran. Having seen him play at Arundel in the National Schools T20 final, where he looked a superb batsman until hubris got the better of him, I predict that he will turn out to be a Test batsman but only useful change-bowler rather than the other way round.
Results:
Old Stoics 107 (20 overs),*Stowe 108-2 (J Cronie 5-15)
Northampton Under-17s 132-9 (35 overs),*Stowe 133-5
Stowe 226-6 dec,*Oundle 136-6
Stowe 144-2 v *Haileybury (rain)
Old Wellingtonians 132-6 (20 overs),*Wellington (Berks) 133-7
*Wellington (Berks) 168 (40 overs), Old Wellingtonians 169-2
High School of Glasgow 104,*Dollar 107-3
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 quarter-finals
Manchester GS 172–7, Kings’ Macclesfield 173-7
Bolton 74-9, Myerscough 78-2
Birkenhead 107-8, Sedbergh 118-8
*Cheadle Hulme 162-4, Merchant Taylors’ (Crosby) 163-8
North West section semi-finals
Merchant Taylors’ 136–4; King’s, Macclesfield 139-6
Myerscough 138-6, Sedbergh 139-2
King’s Macclesfield now play Sedbergh in the North West final
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
South East section play-offs
Charterhouse 164-7, Simon Langton 107-9
Tonbridge 160-5, Charterhouse 162-3
Charterhouse win the South East section and now play the London winners
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-finals
*Whitgift 230-6, Hampton 120-5
*Eltham 171-4 (20 overs), Reed’s 153-5
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 West section play-offs
Colston’s 168-7,*Stroud and South Glos 172-2
*Clifton 189-4 (R Clarke 123 not out),Taunton 152-4
*Millfield 232-2, Mount Kelly 102-7
South West section semi-finals
*Millfield v SGS; *King’s Taunton v Clifton
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
South Central section play-off and semi-final
*Bradfield 161-4, St Edward’s 135-9
Bradfield 149-5, Magdalen College School 95
Bradfield now play Radley in the final of this section
THE CRICKET PAPER NATIONAL SCHOOLS U17 CUP
(this section is formatted by the organisers)
Regional Final Draw
Group1 Regional Final
HOME Sedbergh V AWAY Kings Macclesfield
Group 2 Regional Final
HOME Shrewsbury 160-6 BEAT v AWAY Denstone 159-9
Group 3 Regional Final
HOME Millfield 110-0 BEAT AWAY Taunton School 109-6
Group 4 Regional Final
HOME Trent 164-2 BEAT AWAY Stamford School 163 all out
Group 5 Regional Final
HOME Bedford School v AWAY Bradfield
Group 6 Regional Final
HOME Shiplake v AWAY Winchester College (to be played 7th June)
Group 7 Regional Final
HOME Norwich School v AWAY Brentwood School
Group Regional Final
HOME Whitgift 172-3 BEAT AWAY Merchant Taylors Northwood 133 all out