Peter Hopper Memorial Cricket Match

Date: Friday 21 August 2009

The Hopper family has been associated with St Edmund's School since the spring of 1945 when Peter Hopper joined the Junior School in its wartime exile in Cornwall. From September 2009, Peter's granddaughter Natasha will be the new School Captain, so for well over half a century the Hoppers have graced the School and Baker House.

Peter died in July at the family home on Majorca, but his youngest son Kevin, along with his elder brothers Paul, Ian and Neale, decided that the best commemoration of his life might well be a cricket match - Peter was a cricketer par excellence, who had played four years in the SES 1st XI, and club cricket for Northdown CC and at Cranbrook - between a Hopper XI and an Invitation XI, played at the School.

So it was that yesterday, Sunday August 23rd, just such a match took place in front of a huge crowd of family, friends, and former pupils, all of who had come to pay their respects to Peter. The match was integral to the day, but at the same time incidental, as the focus of the afternoon was the tea interval, and Robin Hawkins' moving eulogy to Peter the man - a perfect gentleman.

As for the cricket, - the Invitation XI, captained by Kris de Pledge, ran up 192 for 7 in 30 overs, with useful contributions from Andrew Pask (29), Harry Callaway (28*), Shaun Barrett (30), Steve Rumbelow (23), and de Pledge himself with 30. Ian Hopper rolled back the years with a spell of 0 - 8 in his five overs; Neale and Paul both took a couple of wickets, Kevin took one, and the other two went to members of the most recent Hopper generation, Jamie and Matthew. Some excellent catches were taken, the best by 'sub' fielder Dominic Barrett who held two steepling skiers on the long-off boundary.

The Hopper reply got off to a cracking start, faltered in the middle, was revived by guest Steve 'Hopper' Hull and Kevin, but fell narrowly short on 169 all out. Kevin top scored with 56, in two innings, Paul played the shot of the day, a sumptuous late cut off Rumbelow, Neale was left stranded on 36*, as Steve Hull was bowled by de Pledge for 21. Paul Bryant with his loopy leg breaks took 2 for 17, Bob Green, a Northdown CC guest 2 for 22, but de Pledge wit 3 for 9 proved decisive at the death.

So the Invitation XI won by 23 runs, but the day was made by the generosity of those who provided the wonderful refreshments, liquid and solid, during the course of the afternoon, the Wealden jazz musicians who performed at the interval, and the spectators whose contributions to the raffle raised, I believe, over £300 for prostate cancer charities.

As for me, I had the pleasure of organising the Invitation XI - an easy task with so many wanting to play and having to be turned down - sorry! - and, as scorer, remembering the exploits of Hoppers, and invitees, on this St Edmund's field over the better part of forty years. A wonderful day, and, I hope, just the right send-off for Peter Edward Hopper.