The Chronicle, No. 668, September 2015

21 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Cricket By Simon Roche, Master i/c Cricket

Nottinghamshire where he scored a quick- fire 40 off the bowling of none other than England’s Chris Woakes. Elsewhere there have been some fine performances from the rest of the Club. Indeed it was a season that featured 10 centuries. The Yearlings A’s won eight games, beating the likes of Radley (away), Rugby, Winchester, Clifton and – rather impressively – Harrow. The win over Harrow on Chestnut featured a memorable finish. St Edward’s were chasing and required 19 runs off the last over. Ben Charlesworth ( Our Lady’s Abingdon ) was on strike; one wide and three sixes later he was being carried aloft as the Yearlings celebrations ensued. Charlesworth certainly had a precocious season: he scored two centuries for the Yearlings and 587 runs in total. He was selected for the 1st XI against Marlborough when he carried his bat and top scored with 73. The Junior Colts A’s punched above their weight given that four of their ranks have been playing in the 1st XI and managed wins at Winchester (who they beat by seven wickets) and Oratory. James Curtis’ ( Cherwell ) 117 versus Oratory is worth noting, as is Tom Powell’s ( St Andrew’s, Pangbourne ) 106 versus Marlborough. The 2nd XI beat Harrow, Bradfield, MCS and Rugby (amongst others), and there were many other victories in the ranks besides this. We also fielded our first ever girls’ XI who had a close game at

Simon Hipwell Simon Hipwell

It has been another hugely successful cricket season at St Edward’s. The sun has shone readily, and the atmosphere about the Club has been extremely positive. I’m very proud that we have continued to play our brand of competitive but enjoyable cricket against some tough opposition. The number of wider school activities taking place in the Summer Term makes it increasingly difficult for the boys to commit fully to their sport, but the whole Club has managed to do so admirably; we remain one of the top cricketing schools in the country. The 1st XI were always going to face a difficult task following last year’s record breaking successes, but they have certainly risen to the challenge. In all, they won 16 matches (making them the joint third most successful team in the School’s history) and retained the John Harvey Cup, which they have now won for the last three years. They did so by beating Marlborough, Winchester, Bradfield, Cheltenham and, of course, Radley. They also beat the Oxford University by eight wickets. Calvin Dickinson ( Ryde with Upper Chine ) broke a number of batting records this year: his 181 versus Oratory broke the previous 30-year-old highest individual innings; Calvin Dickinson and Will Bull ( Abingdon Prep ), the 1st XI joint captains, put on the School’s highest ever opening stand of 239 against the Free Foresters; and Dickinson and AJ Woodland’s ( Davenies ) partnership of 276 against Oratory was the highest in the School’s history. The bowling attack was led by AJ Woodland, Andy Wyles ( Dulwich Prep ) and Sam Kennedy ( Northcote Lodge ), but it was Rory Hipwell ( Pinewood ), a Fourth Former, who had the stand out performances of 5 for 44 against Saint Kentigern and 5 for 28 against Cheltenham. At the end of a hard fought summer, the following boys received their colours: Sam Kennedy, Will Bull, Calvin Dickinson, Andy Wyles, Aditya Edekar ( Saint Kentigern Boys’, Auckland, NZ ), and AJ Woodland. Calvin Dickinson finished the season with 1043 runs, becoming only the fifth Teddies batsman ever to achieve over 1000 runs in a season. He was recently selected to represent Worcestershire’s 2nd XI against

Bloxham and for whom there will be plenty more matches and training next season. It is worth also noting that Ben Charlesworth, Rory Hipwell and Harrison Ward ( John Mason ) were all selected to play for South and West England U15’s versus Wales and Worcestershire. The cricketing future at St Edward’s is very bright indeed. Ben Charlesworth (Our Lady’s Abingdon) following his match-winning innings on debut for the 1st XI v Marlborough

1st XI Captains Calvin Dickinson and Will Bull with The John Harvey Cup