On a difficult batting surface at Giggleswick, the home side found themselves in trouble at 15 for four against King Edward VII & Queen Mary School, Lytham. Ross Bousfield steadied the ship with a brisk 31, but 91 never seemed to be enough. KEQMS lost two early wickets but Lewis Wiliams and Kenji King moved them to 69 for two. After the loss of Williams, wickets started to fall with Edward Reid and Tom Davidson both taking two for nine off their nine overs. Nick Thursby then took two wickets in his first over which left KEQMS on 89 for nine. With one wicket or three runs required it was a very tense finish. A full toss from Thursby was despatched by the number 11 batsman to win the game for the visitors.

A strong Watford Grammar School team chose to bat at home against Haberdashers’ Aske’s and enjoyed the better conditions. A target of 224 for five was always going to test the visitors and in worsening light (for which, very unusually, the umpires brought the players off) they were reduced to 26 for five. Some respectability was brought to the score before the light deteriorated again and the players were eventually driven from the field by heavy rain, the match abandoned as a draw with Haberdashers’ on 66 for six.

They fared rather better against touring King’s, Parramatta, bowling out the Australian school for 56 and winning by eight wickets. Ravi Patel, a 16 year old orthodox slow left armer looks most promising with seven for 45 against Mill Hill. He has been selected for England Under 17 trials.

The two principal Channel Islands schools, Elixabeth College in Guernsey and Victoria College in Jersey have some trouble finding fixtures. They rely for opposition upon touring sides from the UK and elsewhere, and tours themselves to Southern England. In their two local derbies this year, Elizabeth College won both matches against Victoria, the games being dominated by 15 year old Tim Ravenscroft, who plays for the Hampshire Academy and the West of England

Sevenoaks, coached by Chris Tavaré, were away to City of London Freemen's. Will Wilkin with his slow left arm took seven for 43 in 17 overs, benefiting from the lack of restriction in a declaration game. The other wicket-taker was Pip Marshall, the leg-spinner (three for 43). Sevenoaks had problems at 76 for seven, chasing 159, but Josh Parker (44) and Will Ritchie (44 not out) put on 63 for the eighth wicket. However, with ten still needed, the ninth wicket fell. Ritchie and Marshall squeezed them home by one wicket.

Sam Bennett-King of Framlingham took two wickets with the first two balls of the match against King’s Ely on the way to collecting five for eight.

Caterham, no strangers to extraordinary finishes, once again won a game (against their Old Boys) on the seventh ball of the final over, the sixth being called wide.

The season has already ended for several independent schools, some with fewer than ten matches completed. Coaches are used to a wet May, but a wet June is unusual. September is almost invariably a pleasant cricketing month but the practicalities of combining cricket with other sports usually preclude the possibility of running fixtures at this ideal time of the year. Thus, once again, young cricketers are denied their opportunities and for many years the examination regime has been largely to blame. When public examinations were held in the last two or three weeks in July, there was then a proper summer term. Bringing back the “summer” term may be a change too far for the new Prime Minister.

Results (* indicates home side)

*Brentwood 123, Perse 126-2

Cheadle Hulme 163-9 (45 overs), *Denstone 164-6

Woodhouse Grove 176-9 (40 overs), *Giggleswick 126

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