Test cricketers don’t spring from the ether. Below the apex of this pyramid are thousands who learn to love the game, whether as players or supporters. They are all nurtured and coached from a young age, mostly by dedicated teachers as a service to their beloved sport; usually unpaid.

They are too often poorly supported. Those involved in developing young cricketers have ever-increasing problems. The weather in 2007 has been unusually bad, but the public exam system has for some years made cricket coaching almost impossible. Where until the 1960s public exams were at the very end of July, they now start in May and run for much of the summer term. The “summer” term has all but disappeared, as much for teaching as anything else, for the top three year-groups.

So serious are the problems that one Master in charge of a successful cricketing school is calling for a national conference to see what can be done before cricket dies in some independent schools, ironically just when “Chance to Shine”, supported by The Times, is having success in rescuing State schools cricket.

Younger teachers may gasp at the idea that substantial new material (e.g. a new set book for A Level English) used to be taught in the summer term to Years 11 and 13, and that was only 20 years ago. For Year 12, it was during this decade as they had no public exams before 2000.

Fixtures are usually arranged in October, whereas the exam timetable is not published until the spring. Schools used to take their exams almost exclusively with a single Exam Board, but nowadays it is very much Pick and Mix, depending on the preferences of Heads of Department. The result is that there is virtually no correlation of dates. Further, many exams are taken in short modules, thus increasing the number of days when exams take place.

Midweek (afternoon) fixtures thus become possible only with seriously weakened sides. Saturdays available for fixtures are usually fewer than ten in independent schools, in these days of weekend exeats.

The pressure of league tables means that pupils are urged to “revise” unremittingly throughout the summer term. Some schools allow pupils to have post-exam exeats rather than fulfil a commitment to their team, even on a Saturday. In short, where pupils are less than fully committed to their cricket, they have every opportunity to slink off.

Most recently, there is parent power. One Master recently told me that a parent phoned him on a Saturday morning to report that he was making a “lifestyle choice” to take his son to the football Cup Final rather than fulfil his commitment to the 1st XI. The son was rightly demoted to scorer for two weeks.

Demoted is not the correct word for those schools who are lucky enough to have a regular, keen, dedicated scorer. Such people are pure gold. Several schools are fortunate to have an adult, usually an Old Boy, who fulfils this vital function. It is a job much harder to do than is often supposed; at least, very hard to do really well.

Merchiston Castle in Edinburgh under Hamish Locke enjoyed another outstanding season, and extended their winning run in schools matches to 54 from 57 in the last five years. They won 13 of 14 matches played, including all Scottish schools and the MCC. They lost to Newcastle Royal Grammar School, despite reducing them at one stage to 28 for five.

Cranleigh enjoyed a second successive undefeated season, with victories including Epsom, Winchester, St Paul’s, Wellington, St John’s Leatherhead and St Peter’s Adelaide. James Halton held the batting together and captain Seren Waters led by example with both bat and ball. Stuart Meaker’s pace was too much for many opposition batsmen, taking 28 wickets at 13.92.

Sherborne had a very successful festival at Marlborough, defeating Marlborough, Cheltenham and Haileybury.

Results

(* indicates home side)

*Caterham 162-8 (35 overs), John Fisher 53-0 (rained off)

*Caterham 79 (20 0vers) v Headmaster’s XI (rained off)

Reigate GS 149-6 (30 overs), *Caterham 150-3

Marlborough Festival

Sherborne 250-3 (50 overs)(C Esson 103 not out), *Marlborough 89

Haileybury 135, Cheltenham 136-8

*Marlborough 130 (J Shackleton 6-12), Cheltenham 134-4

Sherborne 209-8 (50 overs), Haileybury 95

Sherborne 189-7 (50 overs), Cheltenham 125

*Marlborough 248 (S Antony 5-31), Haileybury 173

Christ’s Hospital Festival

St Peter's, York 162, Merchant Taylors', Northwood 109

Trinity GS, Melbourne 159 (50 overs)(A D Penn 5-42), King's, Taunton 131 (T O'Donohue 6-16)

Trinity GS, Melbourne 194-5 (40 overs), Merchant Taylors', Northwood 195-6

King's, Taunton 265-8 dec, *Christ's Hospital 207-8

Trinity GS, Melbourne 275 (M Brown 168, D Snook 6-43), St Peter's, York 110

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