To qualify for the XL club, you have to start by being over 40. This means that though the batting is often formidable (my first ball against them at school ? and of the match – was hit over the sightscreen by Harold Gimblett), the bowling is slightly less so and in the field there is quite a queue for first slip. Quite a shock to the system, then, for this venerable club when they were quite literally given the run-around by Wellingborough, though I suspect there were not too many sliding stops on the boundary. Sean Mulvey flayed 181 from 134 balls and is still an Under-15, while his opening partner Ben Wall (Under-16) scored his 105 not out from 100 balls. They put on 298 for the first wicket in a total of 309 for one in only 40 overs. The XL club had no Harold Gimblett on this occasion.
The Peak Sports league in the West Country is a flourishing method of linking several local schools into a competitive league. Dauntsey?s overcame Wycliffe through a fine performance by a newcomer, Under-15 left-arm seamer Oliver Jackson. Playing his first game in the league he took five wickets for three runs, thus removing the home side for 82 after Dauntsey?s had scored 200 all out.
Charterhouse returned from the dead to come very close to defeating Eton who themselves had gone from a commanding 80 for no wicket to 109 for five. Architect for their revival was Jonny Charles. Having restricted Eton to 208 for eight (in 55 overs as it was a Cowdrey cup match) by taking four for 21 in his 11 overs, he and Charlie Thomas (numbers 9 and 10) joined forces with Charterhouse on a perilous 129 for eight. As usual, psychology got in the way. Attempting to achieve mere respectability, they began to think the impossible and, after keeping up well with the required rate, the runs then dried up and the side finished twenty short, all out for 188. If it had been a declaration match one might have commended some inspired captaincy from the fielding side (most schoolboys may not have a clue what I mean by this with their unrelenting diet of overs matches).
Woodhouse Grove had a dramatic one-run victory against a determined Huddersfield New College team. Eight runs were required off the final over of the 40 over fixture with two wickets in hand, and then four off the final delivery of the match. The number 10 batsman was run out trying to complete a third run that would have secured a tie. Earlier Patrick Dixon scored his second century of the season for Woodhouse Grove, an innings that included 14 fours and two sixes.
In a thrilling two-run win over Shrewsbury in a 40-over match, Denstone at home chose to bat but lost both openers before reaching double figures. Rob Hemmings steadied the ship with a fine 70 ably assisted by Will Burrows (42). A score of 215 for 7 was useful but not insuperable for the strong Shrewsbury side. Their openers Oliver Westbury (69) and George Lewis (30) looked good and put on 53 in ten overs. Some brilliant fielding and wicket-keeping broke the partnership and it was left to England Under-19 and Shrewsbury?s captain Ed Barnard to steer the visitors home. But the Denstone off-spinners Richard Williams and Austen Crump kept things under control and once Barnard was dismissed for a fluent 30, pressure began to build, leaving Shrewsbury with 12 to score from the final over with nine down. With the field set deeply, they managed 11 of them, much to their credit, but thus finished two short.
The combination of the very late Easter, regular heavy showers and, of course, the dreaded inexorable exam season has meant that the National Twenty20 competition has been severely disrupted this year, with far more schools than usual having to drop out. Nevertheless, schools? ingenuity has found ways round some of the difficulties, including Clifton and Bristol Grammar School playing an indoor match of 16 overs each instead of the scheduled outdoor match.
The weekend?s fixtures were severely affected by the weather which means far fewer results than normal at this point of the year.
Results:
Dauntsey?s 200; *Wycliffe 82 (O Jackson 5-3) (Peak Sports League)
Rugby 112-6 (20 overs), *Warwick 90 (J Woodhead 5-17)
*Wellingborough 309-1 (40 overs) (S Mulvey 181, B Wall 105 not out), XL Club 110
Brighton 75-7 (16 overs ? reduced from 20), *Bede’s 80-2 (Langdale cup)
*Eton 208-8 (55 overs), Charterhouse 188
MCC 218-6 (45 overs), *Bede’s 219-7
*Stowe 143-8 (35 overs), Abingdon 144-6
*Denstone 215-7 (40 overs), Shrewsbury 213-9
MCC 273-7 dec (M Coles 136), *Clifton 109-3 (rain)
Poole GS 97 (30 overs), *Clayesmore 98-7
St Peter’s York 143-8 (50 overs), *GSAL 147-8
*Woodhouse Grove 213-2 (40 overs) (P Dixon 112 not out), Huddersfield New College 212-9
Woodhouse Grove 111-3, *Bradford GS rsp
Kingston GS 123-9 (30 overs), *Christ?s Hospital 124-5
*Winchester 196-6, Bradfield 187 (D Escott 6-46)
King’s Ely 61 (T Knibbs 6-12) & 158, *Wellingborough 197-5 dec & 26-0
RGS Worcester 114-8 (20), *Bromsgrove 109-7
RGS Worcester 199-6 (40), *Monmouth 185
*Bedford 272-5 (50 overs) (P McDuell 104), Oakham 139
Abingdon 222-6 (50 overs), *Cheltenham 147-9
Wellington (Berks) 191,*Radley 84
*Lancing 219-7 (40 overs) (C de Candole 5-29), Seaford 69
Harrow 168-8 (40 overs), *Tonbridge 171-4
*Shrewsbury 233-7 (45 overs), Repton 155-6
Cranleigh 132, Dulwich 14-1 (rain)
Oundle 178, *Rugby 110-3 (rain)
*The Perse 192-9 dec, Culford 107-9
National Schools Twenty20 competition
North East section group 2
Pocklington 120-5, GSAL 121-3
Pocklington 111-5, Hymers 112-5
Others still to be played in this group
North East section group 3
*St Peter’s, York 159-6, Ashville 65-9
*Ashville 70-9, QEGS Wakefield 71-5
*St Peter’s, York 147-4, QEGS Wakefield 148-6
QEGS Wakefield win the group
North East section group 5
Durham130-4, *Barnard Castle 67
(Yarm withdrew)
Durham win the group
North West section group 1
Altrincham GS 146-6, King?s, Chester 147-4
Wilmslow HS 133-4, King?s, Macclesfield 121- 6
Wilmslow HS 138-4, King?s, Chester139-4
King?s, Macclesfield 169-3, Altrincham GS 74-5
King?s, Chester win the group
North West section group 2
Bolton 168-3, Merchant Taylor?s Crosby 88-7
RGS Lancaster , Liverpool College
RGS Lancaster 151-4, Bolton 152-3
Merchant Taylor?s Crosby , Liverpool College
Bolton win the group
North West section group 3
Cheadle Hulme 113, Manchester GS 117-2
Stockport GS , Bury GS
Stockport GS 70-4 (from 10 overs), Manchester GS did not bat
Stockport won 3-1 on a bowl-out
Stockport GS win the group
North West section group 4
Sedbergh 226-4, Hutton GS 76
Kirkham GS, AKS Lytham
Kirkham 81-8, Sedbergh 82-0
Hutton GS, AKS Lytham
Sedbergh win the group
Eastern section A group 2
Bedford v Oundle v Rugby rained off
(Oundle and Rugby then withdrew)
Bedford go through
West Midlands & Wales section play-offs
Leicester GS 115-5, *RGS Worcester 118-2
Others still to be played in this group
North London section final
St Albans 99-9, *Merchant Taylors’ 103-3
Merchant Taylors? win the North London section
South East section group play-offs
*Tonbridge 105-6, Bede’s 83
Duke of York?s 58, Hurstpierpoint 59-0
Hurstpierpoint 48, *Tonbridge 50-1
Tonbridge win the section
South Central section group 1
Portsmouth GS 126-9, *Abingdon 130-3
Portsmouth GS 191-4, Ryde 119-5
(Ryde withdrew)
Abingdon win the group
South Central section group 3
*Winchester 129-8, Oratory 131-4
(Dauntsey?s withdrew)
The Oratory win the group
South Central section group 4
*St Edward’s Oxford 173-5, Wellington (Berks) 125-9
(Forest, Wokingham, withdrew)
St Edward?s win the group