Cricket - Sevenoaks School

Date: Friday 23 April 2010

Saturday saw the opening of the 2010 cricket season with a block of four fixtures against one of the strongest oppositions on the 'list' - Sevenoaks School, with former England international Chris Tavare as their master in charge. Perhaps not surprisingly the junior sides struggled to cope with the strength in depth of the Sevenoaks' XIs, but the 1sts began the season with what would have been, in the more distant past, called a 'wiining draw' - by some margin!

The Under 14s played a 30/30 game on the Alps pitch, and totalled 138 - 7, with decent contributions from Matthew Roberts (39), Chris Neighbour (23), and Stephen Draper (25). Sevenoaks reached the target in the 21st over, winning by six wickets. Ben Williams bowled a useful spell of 2 - 22 in five overs, and the other wickets went to Louis Glynn-Williams and Tom Phillis.

The Under 15s, having travelled to Sevenoaks were truly pummelled to defeat. In a 30/30 game, the opposition reached 294 - 6, with Max Bungay taking 2 - 37. He also led the reply with 34, but apart from a late thrash by Lawrence King (26), no-one else made much of a contribution to a total of 89 all out, in the 17th over.

The 2nds, also at Sevenoaks, were bowled out for 88 in the 20th over. Wides top scored with 19 (!), and the only batsmen in double figures were Jonathan Clarke and Alex Rawlins, who also took the only Sevenoaks wicket to fall as they reached the target in the 14th over.

Saving the best to last, it was a real pleasure to umpire a 'proper' game of 1st XI cricet. An all-day match, based on declarations rather than overs' limits, with two good sides, and a superb umpiring colleague at the other end, began at 11.30am, and finished close on 7.00pm, after a day of 103 overs!

SES batted first and raced to 140 - 1 by lunchtime. A mid innings collapse - to 166 - 5 heralded potential disaster, but a brilliant stand of 119 between Alex Higson (31*) and Max Anglin (77*) led to a declaration on 285 - 5 after 48 overs of batting. Much credit is due to the openers, Ben Pape and Rafi Stone, who seized the early initiative by playing a range of controlled, aggressive strokes, all round the wicket. Pape mispulled to mid-wicket on 22, but Stone went serenely on, in the company of Callaway (40), before falling just short of a deserved century, holing out on the square leg boundary for 95.

The declaration was more than generous - we went on to bowl 55 overs - and initially the Sevenoaks top order looked well in control. But as wickets began to fall - Stone's dismaissal of opener Makepeace for 70 was perhaps the turning-point - and Ben Kemp came back for a very effective second spell - 3 -17 in seven overs, Sevenoaks decided to shut up shop on 198 -7 with ten overs to go. The concept of playing for a draw is alien to many modern day cricketers, but it was fascinating to see SES trying to winkle out the last three wickets. They got two, and were left with 8 balls to secure the last. Pape turned to Robbie Penn whose six deliveries were coolly blocked out.A draw! But a winning draw, auguring well for the weeks ahead. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the 55 overs were the ten from Rafi Stone, who looks as if he can develop into a genuinely effective slow left-armer.

Today, National 20/20 Schools' Knock Out competition at King's Canterbury - information later!