A slightly curious shortfall in results this week. Can it possibly be that in such a short exam-ridden term many schools had an exeat (no doubt called a revision weekend)? Nevertheless, there was excitement aplenty for those schools which did play this weekend
Abingdon won the toss and batted against the very strong St Edward?s side, but lost wickets consistently to find themselves 158-8 with three overs of the 50 remaining. The ninth-wicket pair of Max Mortimer and Max Mannering added 36 off the final three overs, Mortimer hitting 14 from the last three balls of the innings. Will Bull took three for 28 in his ten overs for St Edward?s. The flying start that Calvin Dickinson (56) and fourth-former Harrison Ward (49) gave St Edward’s threatened to overhaul Abingdon’s 194-8 very quickly, with Dickinson hitting each of the first four balls of the innings for four, before being first out with the score on 99, and over 35 overs still remaining. By then the trio of Abingdon spinners, Mannering, Alex Davies and the captain James Fitzjohn, had already begun to stifle the innings, and reduced St Edward’s to 159-6 with eight overs remaining. A seventh-wicket partnership then looked like edging them home until, with eight to win, Fitzjohn returned for his final over to take three wickets (five for 38 in all). That left the last pair needing six off the last two overs, and – when Abingdon missed a good chance for a run out in the penultimate over – four from the last over. That came down to two needed to win off the last ball, but the striker was run out trying to take the single that would have tied the scores when mid-on hit the stumps. Thus Abingdon won by one run.
In a game of proper cricket Oakham made a skilled declaration at 217 for six (fifth-former Sam Wolstenholme scoring 125 not out). Warwick chased all the way but found themselves on 166 for nine. Their stalwart last pair Reuben Arnold (60 not out) and Charlie Pigott (0 not out facing 17 balls) survived 9.4 overs to secure a draw. Who says that declaration draws are boring? See picture below: number 11 has plenty of company.
It is customary for players making a massive score to follow this with a duck; our old friend hubris. Even Bradman had a slight problem with his final innings at The Oval. Reece Hussain of Felsted had other ideas, following up his double hundred of last week with 114 not out against King?s Canterbury.
I was amazed to see a scorer using an iPad in a remote field using the internet on his iPad without an internet connection built into it. ?How do you do that?? I asked. It did help that the scorer in question was an ICT teacher, Roy Jones of Bristol Grammar School, and I pass on his expertise here on how to use your mobile phone as an internet WiFi hotspot. My phone is an HTC (Android) phone. If I go to Settings, then More, then Mobile network sharing, I can then set up a Portable Wi-Fi hotspot. I’d imagine this is only a Smartphone setting. A quick Google should tell anyone how to set it up on their particular phone. Here’s something for an iPhone:how to make your iPhone a WiFi hotspot
Andrew Strauss is looking for innovative thinking in playing one-day and Twenty20 cricket. We have in recent years added the reverse sweep, the slog-sweep (formerly called the cowshot ? in fact in a recent school game the opposition made loud mooing noises when it went for six), the switch shot, the ramp shot and no doubt others of KP extraction.
Here are four offerings from me. I?m not daft and they work.
1) How to play the ball leaving you. This takes a bit more explanation so here?s a link, but roughly speaking it says that the orthodoxy of always playing with the spin or swing is largely correct, but there is a way of countering it, especially when the spin or swing is considerable (eg a leg-spinner on a turning wicket). Actually, it works in any circumstances. How to play the ball leaving you sharply
2) Bring back lob bowling. It just so happens that I know a club (called The Lobsters) whose first over bowled is always lobs (ie under-arm, and we?re not talking Trevor Chappell here). I can assure you that it is fiendishly difficult to play because of the spin that can be imparted and impossible to read..
3) George Chesterton, the eminent Malvern schoolmaster, Oxford Blue and Worcestershire player (later president) developed an almost unplayabe ball. He was an old-fashioned medium-pacer (with exemplary action) but occasionally bowled a very very slow ball indeed which ballooned high in the air and if missed would land at the top of the stumps. Not just any old full toss. He took a stack of wickets with it. Is this a no-ball nowadays?
4) Learn to run between the wickets properly (and not get run out stupidly as Jos Buttler did). Here are The Golden Rules of running between the wickets.
Results
*Wrekin 103-6 (25 overs), Shrewsbury 104-2 (School Sport magazine Under-17)
Oratory 110-7 (20 overs), *Stowe 116-1
Winchester 171 (50 overs)(H Came 5-46), *Bradfield 173-7
*Wellington 134-9 (20 overs), Bradfield 123-6
QEGS Wakefield 28, *Woodhouse Grove 30-1
Portsmouth GS 273-9 (50 overs) (J Buckeridge 111 ), *Brighton 161
King’s Bruton 124, *Taunton 125-8
Whitgift 261-7 (50 overs) (N Welch 119),*Cranleigh 186 (T Meyer 5-26)
Hutchesons’ GS 177-7 (30 overs), *High School of Glasgow 179-3
*Bryanston 119 (F Ambrose 5-17), Canford 122-3
Clifton 222-8 (50 overs), *Monmouth 202-6
Sedbergh 153, *Shrewsbury 154-0 (O Westbury 101 not out)
Oakham 217-6 (S Wolstenholme 125 not out), *Warwick 166-9
*Hymers 153-9 (40 overs), Pocklington 154-6
St Albans 193-8 (40 overs), *Haberdashers’ Aske’s 196-6
*Eton 189, Tonbridge 190-4
Abingdon 194-8 (50 overs), *St Edward’s 193 (J Fitzjohn 5-38)
Cranbrook 92, *Sevenoaks 94-0
Whitgift 261-7 (50 overs) (N Welch 119), *Cranleigh 186 (T Meyer 5-26)
*Bristol GS 182 (40 overs), Kingswood 185-2
*Oratory 142, Reed’s 146-3
Felsted 261-7 (50 overs) (R Hussain 114 not out), *King’s Canterbury 138
*Welbeck 95-8 (30 overs), Ratcliffe 96-2
Wells Cathedral 93-7 (30 overs), *Clayesmore 94-5
*Kingston GS 136 (35 overs), Christ?s Hospital 101
Durham 174, *St Peter’s, York 175-6
Worcestershire CCC Academy 257-7 (50 overs), *RGS Worcester 228-8 (G Scrimshaw 5-31)
Bloxham 133, *Wellingborough 133-0
Glasgow Academy 108-6 (16 overs), Kelvinside Academy 37-7
Seaford 168-8 (35 Overs), *Caterham 170-3 (R Powell 117 not out) (Martin Berrill Sports League)
National Twenty20 competition composite results so far
Preliminary rounds (various regions)
Chigwell 129-8, *Aldenham 130-1
*Mount Kelly 72-8, Clayesmore 73-2
*Forest 187-2, East Barnet 95 ( N Kiyani 5-14)
Aldenham, Clayesmore and Forest now join the main group round
North East section group 1
Silcoates 115-6, QEGS Wakefield 92-5
Birkdale 78, Silcoates 79-3
QEGS Wakefield 131-2, Birkdale 122-7
Silcoates win the group
North East section group 2
Ashville 123-5, Woodhouse Grove 124-5
Woodhouse Grove 161-4, Pocklington 123-7
Ashville 134-5, Pocklington 120-4
Woodhouse Grove win the group
North East section group 3
Hymers College 120-9, *St Peter?s, York 121-0
Ampleforth withdrew
St Peter?s win the group
North East section group 4
*Durham 150-4, Barnard Castle 104-9
Durham win the group
North West = rescheduled first round (see Overall, not North)
RGS Lancaster 68, Bolton 69-5
Cheadle Hulme 106-5, Manchester GS 108-0
Sedbergh 180-1, Stockport 142-9
Many schools withdrew because of exams after rain washed out the group stage
East section A group 1
Worksop 105-8, *Repton 88
Trent College 98 , Nottingham HS 100-4
Worksop 205-5 (J Hayes 126), Nottingham HS 96
Worksop win the group
East section A group 2
Stamford 146-6, *Oakham 131-9
*Oakham 138-5, Leicester GS 129-6
Stamford 143-3, Leicester GS 128-9
Stamford win the group
East section A group 3
The Perse 112-6, The Leys 114-3
Greshams 101-9,The Leys 104-3
The Leys win the group
East section B group 4
Shenfield HS 169-4, St Joseph’s 143-7
Ipswich 77, *Felsted 78-0
Shenfield HS 114, *Felsted 117-3
Felsted win the group
East section B group 5
*Oundle 149-7, Kimbolton 85
Kimbolton 94-5, Wellingborough 95-1
Wellingborough 125-6, *Oundle 79
Wellingborough win the group
East section B group 6
*Stowe 153-8, Bedford Modern 61
Bedford 133-8,*Stowe 102
Bedford win the group
West Mdlands and Wales section group 1
Queen Mary’s, Walsall 75-6, Shrewsbury 76-1
Ellesmere 165-2 (16 overs) v Queen Mary’s Walsall (rain)
*Shrewsbury 181-4 (20 overs), Ellesmere 82-6
Shrewsbury win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 2
Wrekin College 123-5, *Bablake 54
Wrekin 124-9, Denstone 113-7
Denstone 190-3, *Bablake 135-5
Wrekin win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 3
*Bromsgrove 257-6 (C Edwards 162), Newcastle-under-Lyme 91-7
Adams GS withdrew
Bromsgrove win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 4
Wycliffe 52-10, *Malvern 56-0
Wycliffe 78-7, RGS Worcester 80-3
*Malvern 184-5, RGS Worcester 127-10
Malvern win the group
West Midlands and Wales sections group 5
*Dean Close 109-7, Monmouth 110-3
Llandovery withdrew
Monmouth win the group
West Midlands and Wales section group 6
Solihull 105-8, *Bloxham 107-5
Wolverhampton GS 149-8, Solihull 79
Wolverhampton GS 118-8, *Bloxham 88
Wolverhampton GS win the group
South East section group 1
Dover College 71, Duke of York?s 72-0
Ashford 125-7, St Edmund?s Canterbury 126 -4
Duke of York?s 114-6 v St Edmund?s (rain)
Ashford 129-8, Dover (rain)
Duke of York?s win the group
South East section group 2
Judd 98-5 (15 overs), Sutton Valence 99-2
Skinners and Sutton Valence withdrew
Tonbridge win the group
South East section group 3
Bede’s 131-8, Lancing 77
Bede?s win the group
South East section group 4
Cranleigh 176-8, Hurstpierpoint 177-4
Eastbourne 160-7, Ardingly 127-8
Eastbourne 158-5, Hurstpierpoint 160-5
Hurstpierpoint win the group
South East section final
Bedes 122-7, *Tonbridge 123-1
Hurstpierpoint 260-5, Duke of York?s 59
Tonbridge 129-6, Hurstpierpoint 134-0
Hurstpierpoint win the South East section and now play the London winners
North London section group 1
Berkhamsted 169-6, Mill Hill 112
*Merchant Taylors’ 130-7, Berkhamsted 123-5
Latymer withdrew
Merchant Taylors’ win the group
North London section group 2
*St Albans 172-7, Forest 115-5
Haileybury 156-7, Aldenham 125-8
*St Albans 151-5, Haileybury 118-8
St Albans win the group
North London final
St Albans 133-8, Merchant Taylors? 99
St Albans win the North London section and now play the South London winners
South London section group 1
*Reed’s 275-5 (G Mawhood 101), Wilsons 106-9
John Fisher 113-8, Hampton 119-3
*Reed’s 171-8, Hampton 129-6
John Fisher 181-2 (A Dombrandt 117 not out), Wilsons 105
Reed’s win the group
South London section group 2
Langley Park 108-6, *Dulwich 109-6
St George?s Weybridge 191-6, Kingston GS 112
Dulwich 117-7, St George?s Weybridge 119-7
Dulwich win the group
South London section group 3
Sevenoaks 34-7, Whitgift 38-0
*Eltham 80-0, Ibstock Place 55-8
*Eltham 72-9, Whitgift 73-1
Whitgift win the group
South London section group 4
St Paul’s 88-6, Trinity 91-5
Caterham and Epsom withdrew
Trinity win the group
South London play-offs
Trinity 106-7,*Whitgift 109-2
Whitgift now play Reed?s or St George?s Weybridge in the South London final
South West section group 1
Bristol GS 61-9, *Clifton 62-1
*Bristol GS 152-8 (C Scott 102 not out), Prior Park 118-6
Prior Park withdrew after this
Clifton win the group
South West section group 2
SGS College 110-5, *Kingswood 99
King Edward?s, Bath 115-8, Kingswood 119-5
SGS Filton win the group
South West section group 3
*King?s Taunton 172-5, Clayesmore 88
King?s Taunton still need to play Sherborne
South West section group 4
Millfield 187-5, Taunton 100-8
Queen’s Taunton withdrew
Millfield win the group
South Central section group 1
Shiplake 65, *Bradfield 67-1
Shiplake 92-9, Dauntsey’s 93-0
*Bradfield 189-8, Dauntsey’s 92
Bradfield win the group
South Central section group 2
St Edward?s Oxford 152-7, Lord Wandsworth 99
Dr Challoner?s withdrew
St Edward?s Oxford win the group
South Central section group 3
Oratory 123, Radley 115
Radley 37, Wellington 38-1
Oratory 131 / Wellington 132-3
Wellington win the group
South Central section group 4
Portsmouth GS 196-8, *Winchester 118-6
Abingdon 158-4, Pangbourne 73
Portsmouth GS 121-7, Abingdon 99
Portsmouth GS win the group
South Central section semi-finals
*Bradfield 83, St Edward?s 85-2
Portsmouth GS 130, *Wellington 132-3
St Edward?s play Wellington in the South Central final
South Central final (played at The Oratory)
St Edward’s 92-9, Wellington (Berks) 95-3
Wellington play the winners of the South West section for a place on finals day (Arundel)