The Last Cricketing Saturday of the Year

Date: Friday 27 June 2008

King's School Rochester have been on our fixture list for as many years as I have been at St Edmund's, - i.e. a very long time! - and matches against them have always been played in the best of spirits whether here or at the Paddock.

Today's fixtures needed a reshuffle when a marquee appeared on the 1st XI pitch, some 72 hours earlier than anticipated, and so the 1sts upped and went to Rochester, as did the Under 14s, while the Under 15s played on the Alps.

The Under 15s, missing three key players - Hollis (family), Kemp (1st XI) and Connor (no show!) - played with ten, and beat a side that had not been beaten by a school side on a Saturday this season. King's batted first and were contained to 115 - 9 in 30 overs.Six bowlers bowled, and not one of them was anything other than disciplined, keeping the ball up to the bat, and taking wickets at 'the right time'. Two wickets apiece to Stone, Smith, Withrington, and Attwood, ably assisted in the field by a hat-trick of catches at mid-off by Rawlins. Young Sam Son, standing in for Hollis, missed nothing in the outfield as the ball followed him from mid-wicket to long-leg!

A potentially tricky target was reached at a charge, as Smith (21) and Stone put on 50 for the first wicket in the ninth over. Max Bungay, borrowed from the JS, then came in and he (29*) and Stone (57*) added the 66 still required to finish the game in the 15th over. Stone drove and pulled superbly, with one six and 11 fours in his unbeaten innings; Bungay finished the game with an on drive for six over long-on. In short, a brilliant win by nine wickets.

And there was equally excellent news from the two away sides on their return. The Under 14s, in their penultimate game of the season - they play Cranbrook on Tuesday next - produced a 'best performance' of the season with a win by 29 runs in a 30-over game. SES reached a 'decent' total of 170 - 6, built around an innings of 83* from Dominic Barrett who 'batted beautifully', and was given good support by the others - Jafree (20), Thomas (26). The King's reply was undermined by early wickets from Piper (2 - 18), and they were all out for 141 in the 28th over. Good fielding, supported by excellent catches, brought its rewards. Stokes-Newens took 2 - 23, but the 'find' of the afternoon was JS guest player, Daniel Gladwin, who took 2 - 21 in six overs, and has 'real potential as an off-spinner'.

The 1sts found the visit to King's also to their liking, and won by six wickets in a 35 over game. King's batted first and totalled 179 - 8, with an innings of 91 from their No.3, Ashdown, laying the foundations of a competitive score. They had been 134 - 2 in the 25th over, but any charge was forestalled by Easter and Callaway who took 4 - 48 and 2 - 17 respectively in the last eleven overs of the innings. An excellent reply was driven by an opening stand of 108 between Easter and the in-form Pape. Van Rooyen went first ball, and Clarke went cheaply, before Pape, on 97, was unfortunately run out with the score on 158. There were few alarms as Callaway (21*) and Perry saw us home with an over and a bit to spare.

Three splendid results, highlighting a season of growing confidence at all levels of cricket in the Senior School. Can the Firsts maintain this run in the busy last week - St Bede's, Simon Langton, and Cranbrook - not to mention a cup semi-final!