It is always heartening to hear of a state school doing well in competitive cricket. There are many who do but we all too rarely read about them (mainly because they do not send their results to this website or to Wisden). Shenfield in Essex is a keen cricketing school and will become a cricket academy in September. The enthusiasm of their coaching staff has given them the impetus to reach the last eight of the National Under-17 40-over tournament sponsored by Schoolssports Magazine and they now play Portsmouth Grammar School or Whitgift, both previous winners of the tournament.
Their most recent triumph was a win over the strong cricketing school Dulwich. In a match reduced to 30 overs for practical reasons, Shenfield won the toss and batted, George Ballington and Greg Larkin putting on 85 for the first wicket. Both fell shortly after the half-way point but others accelerated, notably Jack Potticary (40 from 26 balls), and finally Alex Rickenbach and George Pratt took 50 from the last five overs to reach 196 for five. Dulwich started slowly, but their star West Indian Akil Greenidge made 45 from 31 balls before he was dismissed by a brilliant diving catch off spinner Alex Rickenbach (three for 25 from six overs). With Haris Mahmood also taking three (for 18 from six), Dulwich found themselves needing 21 from the last over and a six from the second ball jangled Shenfield nerves somewhat. Victory was sealed as Stuart Lewis bowled four dot balls to leave Dulwich 14 short.
Dulwich also suffered at the hands of Tonbridge at the weekend. Richard O?Grady (mentioned twice this year after falling at 99 and 98) finally got over the hurdle with 143 not out and he was well supported by Jasper Smallwood with 100 to reach 311 for three in their 50 overs. This daunting target proved too much as Harry Fitgerald took five for 29 with his slow left-arm and the home side were dismissed for 112.
Oakham recovered from 12 for three to declare at 300 for five, with captain Henry Foster scoring 153 not out from 173 balls. He shared a stand of 119 for the fourth wicket with Charles Hurley (62) and 104 for the fifth with Jack Crace (45). This column is much in favour of a mix of declaration and overs cricket (as are ECB) but such is the preponderance of overs cricket that captains nowadays maybe don?t quite understand the art of the declaration. Batting on way past half-time is rarely justified ? certainly not for milestones – and sadly so it proved. Left with only 49 overs to Oakham?s 61, Stamford fell well short at 222 but lost only seven wickets, Henry Charlton scoring 84. Had the captain not been batting but instead had John Crawley (their new Master in charge) in his ear, it would surely have proved a better game.
The National Schools Twenty20 competition is reaching its final stages (for details click here) but a strange quirk of the week has been that several of those nearing the finals in that competition lost in mainstream matches last week. Hubris or what? Bradfield were defeated by Cheltenham, Bede?s lost to Hurstpierpoint, Ashville overcame St Peter?s York, Berkhamsted beat St Albans, and Shrewsbury were overcome by Malvern (scores below).
King?s Taunton and Canford both lost to Millfield in the Twenty20 competition but were otherwise unbeaten when they met on Saturday. In a keenly contested game, neither side was comfortable on a wicket at King?s left green after unexpected overnight rain, not the normal hard, fast and bouncy belter. The difference between the two sides was Neil Brand whose slow left-arm took seven for 18 in his ten overs to reduce Canford to 120 after King?s had been dismissed for only 152.
Pangbourne?s Under 15 side are making fine progress and top the national average of the table compiled by the Schoolssports website, having won ten of their 11 matches (losing only to The Oratory). Their outstanding player has been Louis Bosley who tantalisingly failed to reach a century with 97 not out against Bradfield.
Results:
*City of London Freemen’s 172-1 (20 overs), Ewell Castle 123-8
Shenfield 196-5 (30 overs), Dulwich 183-9 (National Schools 40 over competition)
SGS (Filton) 195-9, *St Edward’s Oxford 119 (National Schools 40 over competition)
Lancing 176 (50 overs), *Ardingly 177-5
*Oakham 300-5 dec (H Foster 153 not out), Stamford 222-7
King’s Worcester 255, *Bristol GS 256-4 (C Moran 125)
MCC 240-4 dec (D Martin 112), *Taunton 172
Taunton 317-4 (50 overs) (M Pearce 117 not out), *Queen?s Taunton 217-9 (W McDonagh 111 not out)
*Stowe 250-8 dec, (B Duckett 115), Eton 117 (R White 5-33)
Mount St Mary’s 80, *Hymers 81-0
*King’s Taunton 152, Canford 120 (N Brand 7-18)
*St Edward’s Oxford 247-5 (50 overs) (C Dickinson 105 not out), Winchester 173
Tonbridge 311-3 (50 overs)(J Smallwood 100, R O’Grady 143 not out), *Dulwich 112 (H Fitzgerald 5-29)
Bede’s 147-7 (20 overs), *Hurstpierpoint 149-2
*Woodhouse Grove 206-8 (50 overs)(D Budge 107 not out), Durham 207-4
Felsted 275-4 dec (J Hunter-Jordan 101 ), *Oundle 204
KCS Wimbledon 271-7 (50 overs) (Churchman 126 not out), *St John’s Leatherhead 171
Abingdon 312-6 (50 overs) (D Matthews 131 not out), *Haberdashers’ Aske’s 133
Malvern 200-8 (50 overs), *Shrewsbury 193
Berkhamsted 169-8, *St Albans 126
Hutcheson’s GS 123-9 (30 overs); *Glasgow Academy 126-3
*Wycliffe 87, Beechen Cliff 88-1 (Peak Sports League)
Dean Close 153-8 (35 overs), *Wycliffe 156-1
*Ashville 184 (H Adams 5-25), St Peter?s York 115
*George Watson’s 197-5 (30 overs), High School of Glasgow 115-5
*City of London Freemen’s 229-3 (40 overs) (G Macdonald 123 not out), Emanuel 167-9
Wellington (Berks) 143, *Cranleigh 144-6
*Charterhouse 182-8 (50 overs) (O Batchelor 102 not out), Bede’s 183-7
*Magdalen College School 103, Rugby 104-2
*Bedford Modern 123 (50 overs), Wellingborough 126-2
Christ?s Hospital 244-8 (50 overs), *Caterham 115 (Martin Berrill Sports League)
Cheltenham 217-4 (50 overs)(O Ringrose 100), *Bradfield 179
*Sherborne 268-7 (50 overs), Blundell?s 260
Gemini 241-9 dec, *Pangbourne 110
*Pangbourne 217, Shiplake 142
*St George’s, Weybridge 289 (50 overs) (M Baugh 5-61), Tiffin 122
Dauntsey?s 148, *Clifton 150-2 (H Matthews 105 not out)
*RGS Lancaster 84 (50 overs), GSAL (Leeds) 85-1
*Shrewsbury 164-6 (40 overs), Myerscough 100
National Twenty20 competition
South London region finals
Dulwich 109, *St Albans 112-3
St Albans now play Bede?s (South East winners) for a place on finals day
South West region play-offs
Monkton Combe withdrew from playing Clifton
Filton 140-3, *Kingswood 132-8
*Sherborne 163-4, King?s Taunton 166-5
Canford 76, *Millfield 79-3
Clifton, SGS (Filton), King?s Taunton and Millfield reach the regional quarter-finals
South Central region play-offs
*Magdalen College School 103-7, Portsmouth GS 104-4
Portsmouth GS now play Bradfield to determine the South Central winner