Minor Counties
Elliot Wilson and Andy Carter, of Lincolnshire, not only set a Minor Counties
Trophy record with an unbroken last-wicket partnership of 67 against
Cambridgeshire at Woodhall Spa, but also won an enthralling match off the
final ball to launch the 26th year of the competition (Michael Austin
writes).
They came together at 129 for nine in reply to 192 for eight and needed 14 off
the last over, a target they achieved when Wilson hit a boundary to reach
44. Wilson said: “We just needed to bat for the final 15 overs,
I did not think about winning until there were two overs left.” Carter, 19, an
opening bowler, scored 16.
The previous record of 63 was between Simon Dutton and Richard Elwood, of
Cumberland, against Lincolnshire in 1988 and was equalled by Roger Sillence
and Douglas Small, of Wiltshire, against Devon in 1998.
Women
The Asia Cup — hosted this year by Sri Lanka and including India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh — begins this week and is further evidence of the increasingly
hectic international calendar (Sarah Potter writes). There is, though,
little or no room for Test cricket as the leading nations sharpen their
skills in readiness for the World Cup in Australia next March.
England, fresh from their successful winter tour to Australia and New Zealand,
have adjusted their summer itinerary to match the mood. Out goes the
four-day Test against South Africa in August and in come two extra one-day
internationals. With India also visiting this summer, England will play ten
one-day matches and four Twenty20 games.
The logic for the latter is that a women’s tournament will run alongside the
ICC World Twenty20 in England in June 2009.
Schools cricket
In what is probably a record for schools 50-over cricket in Britain, Jos
Buttler, the captain of King’s College, Taunton, shared an opening stand of
340 with Alex Barrow against King’s School, Bruton (Douglas
Henderson writes). Buttler’s 227 came off 176 balls, while Barrow scored
95. King’s School, shaken by the target of 342, were bowled out for 65.
Jonathan Bairstow, the son of the late David, was the first winner of Wisden’s
new Young Wisden Schools’ Cricketer of the Year trophy, presented by Mike
Brearley, the president of MCC, at the recent dinner to launch Wisden 2008.
He has started this season in style, scoring 139 not out for St Peter’s,
York, in the defeat of The Yorkshire Gentlemen, who had set a target of
265.The visitors had set them the formidable early-season target of 265 for
three declared, with Tim Peet - a recent Old Boy - scoring 123.
Travis Hussain (nephew of Nasser) scored his maiden century for Felsted (127
not out) against The King's School, Canterbury and captain Sam Weller scored
his maiden century (119 not out) in a game that eventually fell foul of the
weather. They put on 253 for the 3rd wicket.
After reducing Colfe's to 41 for nine, Bancroft's allowed the last wicket
partnership to double the score. After a slow start, Bancroft's openers
knocked off the runs in 16 overs. In a remarkable piece of bowling in the
under-14 match v Colfe's, Bancroftian Neville Jacob took 5 wickets for 0
runs.
Brother and sister Adam and Jodie Dibble, of Taunton school, clearly have keen
competitive matches in their back garden. Adam took six for 12 to bowl out
Bristol Grammar School for a modest 43, while Jodie for the prep school took
four for six and three for five in the first two games of the season.
At Chigwell, Omar Ahmed came on first change at medium pace and with excellent
line and length had the remarkable figures of five for six from seven overs
to bowl out the home side for 83, which Colchester RGS knocked off for two
wickets.
Another early-season cliff-hanger at Caterham, where Lancing were struggling
at 86 for seven. However, their number nine scored 38 not out to get them to
155 for seven in their 40 overs. As the last over began, Caterham needed
only one to win, but took five balls to achieve it.
Results:
Felsted 274-2 dec (T Hussain 127 not out, S Weller 119 not out), King's,
Canterbury 92-4 (rain)
*Cheltenham 222-7 dec, Radley 54-2 (rain)
Sutton Valence 177-5 (30 overs), *Eltham 129 (T Griffin 5-24)
Nottingham HS 185-4 (50 overs), *Uppingham 186-7
Wellingborough 240-7 dec (J Dunkely 100 not out), *Uppingham 205-7
Rugby 100, *Radley 81
Leicester Beauchamp 132, *Uppingham 133-3
Bedford Modern 190-5 (40 overs), *Bishop’s Stortford HS 68
Free Foresters CC 186-9 dec, *Repton 138-4
Mill Hill 162-4 (40 overs), *Haberdashers' Aske's 133
Yorkshire Gentlemen CC 265-3 dec (T Peet 123), *St Peter's, York 270-3 (J
Bairstow 139 not out, J Hepworth 103 not out)
Huddersfield New College 128-9 (40 overs), *Woodhouse Grove 129-4
Stowe 173-7 (35 overs), *Abingdon 92
*Durham 257-7 dec (M Turns 105), Catholic University School 182-9 (W Cleaver
6-39)
*Durham 170-8 (30 overs), Middlesbrough Cricket Academy 107-7
Sherborne 130 (35 overs), *Canford 134-4
*Canford 193-9 (50 overs), Portsmouth GS 195-7
*Fettes 245-8 (50 overs), Merchiston Castle 214
*Merchant Taylors', Northwood 217-8 dec, St Paul’s 145 (J Corbett 5-48)
Kimbolton 99, *King's, Ely 103 - 5
*Haberdashers' Aske's 293-8 (50 overs) (K Patel 111), University College
School 50
*Reigate 180-9 dec, RGS Guildford 107-5
St Peter's, York 135, QEGS Wakefield 92 (L Baig 7-32)
Kingswood 91, *Dauntsey's 92-3
*King’s, Taunton 342-1 (50 overs) (J Buttler 227 not out), King’s, Bruton 65
*Taunton 262-5 dec, XL Club 66
Bristol GS 43 (A Dibble 6-12), *Taunton 44-1
*Repton 201-5 (50 overs), Malvern 148
Somerset CCC X1 284-6 (50 overs), *Millfield 125-5
Somerset CCC X1 296-5 (50 overs), *Millfield 187-6
Gloucestershire CCC Academy 136, *Millfield 137-2
*Millfield 264-8 (50 overs) (J Lawrence 112), Exeter University 267-6
Coopers Coburn 143-8 (35 overs), *Bancroft's 144-6
Bishop's Stortford HS 152-5 (40 overs), *Bancroft's 156-7
*Colfe's 82 (39 overs), Bancroft's 85-0
MCC 173-8 dec, *Wrekin 117
Rydal 68, *Wrekin 69-0
St George's, Weybridge 121-7 (45 overs), *Christ's Hospital 122-8
*Harrow 242-4 (55 overs), Charterhouse 139 (S Northeast 5-33)
*Harrow 309-3 (40 overs)(S Northeast 119, R Taylor 112), Free Foresters CC
170-7
*Whitgift 179-8 (50 overs), Harrow 180-5
*Harrow 227-5 (40 overs), Middlesex Academy 183-6
*Sherborne 120, Cheltenham 121-6
*Tonbridge 245-8 dec, Dulwich 119
Free Foresters CC 238-6 dec, *Tonbridge 239-7
Norwich 202-8 dec, *Perse 206-2
*Shrewsbury 286-4 (50 overs) (J Taylor 156), RGS Worcester 96-6 (rain)
Shrewsbury 216-6 (50 overs), *KES Birmingham 141 (M Mckeever 5-33)
Ratcliffe 129 (45 overs), *Mount St Mary’s 42
Christ’s College, Finchley 158, *Forest 159 -9
Wycliffe 126-6, *Queen's, Taunton 129-2
Queen's, Taunton 182-5 (50 overs), *Monmouth 163-9
*Culford 180-6, St Joseph’s 135-5
Emanuel 121, *City of London Freemen's 123-8
Sevenoaks 250-4 dec (J Parker 100 not out), *St Edmund’s, Canterbury 84
Reading Blue Coat 131, Reed’s 135-4
Magdalen College School 168 (J Hopping 6-36), Wellingborough 169-2
Stowe 142, *Uppingham 143-6
*Chigwell 83 (Omar Ahmed 5-6), Colchester RGS 84-2
*Lancing 155-7 (40 overs), Caterham 156-9
Eastbourne 150, *King’s Canterbury 134 (A Saunders 7-36)
*Durham 144, Giggleswick 146-8
*Haileybury 251-2 (S Billings 129 not out), Bedford Modern 252-9
Dean Close 59, *Clifton 60–3
*St Albans 170 (30 overs), Dr Challoner’s GS 164-5
*St Albans 210-8 (40 overs), Enfield GS 121
*Brentwood 158-6 (30 overs), Framlingham 158-5
*Framlingham 235-9 (40 overs), Ipswich 230-9
*Woodhouse Grove 251-6dec, Kirkham GS 83
*King's, Rochester 139 (40 overs), Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School
120
