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St Edward’s:
150 Years
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Chapter 7 / Sport and Outdoors
series. In his second innings he scored 120 in what must have
been a watchful affair, given that it lasted some 451 minutes
and included just two boundaries! In total he played in eight
Tests for England and 287 First Class matches combined for
Yorkshire, Essex and Cambridge University.
The heroic Douglas Bader represented the RAF XI between
1930 and 1931, R.H.J. Brooke averaged over 40 runs with the
bat for Gloucestershire between 1931 and 1935, and Peter
Cranmer represented Warwickshire CCC between 1934 and
1954 and also played rugby for England.
Eric ‘Budge’ Dixon captained Oxford University in 1939,
and then played for Northamptonshire but was killed in the
Second World War before his potential could be fully realised.
The School has recently been fortunate enough to receive a bat
signed by the great Sir Donald Bradman, which was presented
to Dixon as a boy at prep school. This bat is now displayed in
the Martyrs Pavilion. Other Teddies’ First Class cricketers from
the 1940s include Derek Henderson (MCR and former 1st XI
coach), who played for Oxford University and Sussex in 1944,
and A.N.E. Waldron for Hampshire in 1948.
Between 1950 and 1990 the School has seen a number of
impressive cricketers pass through the ranks. These include
CRICKET
Cricket has always been played at St Edward’s, originating in
the playground at New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, and thence to
various parts of the surrounding areas including public parks,
Port Meadow, the Meads (today’s quad), Keble College and
finally Upper One.
The earliest records of results for the School’s XI date from
1873, in which six games were played, with three victories
and three defeats. By 1879 the number of fixtures had risen to
some 19, of which no fewer than 15 were won. Indeed, no XI
in the School’s history surpassed that feat until the 2012 side
recorded 16 victories. Other notable team performances have
come from the 2008 side with 14 victories (including winning
the inaugural John Harvey Cup), the 1935 side with 11, and
the 1879 and 2009 sides with ten wins apiece. The 2013 side
secured 17 victories, including winning the John Harvey Cup
for the second time in the School’s history, and so hold the
record for the highest number of
wins in a school season. Two 1st
XIs have had unbeaten seasons,
under the captaincy of Peter
Thackeray in 1968, and Oliver
Martin in 1998.
Over the years, St Edward’s
has produced a number of notable
cricketers. Foremost amongst
these is Russell Henry Bencraft,
the ‘father’ of Hampshire cricket
who acted as their president,
secretary, first captain and player.
Then of course there is our first
international player, E.G. Wynyard,
a boy at St Edward’s in the late
1870s, who went on to play three
matches for England and who is
credited with the ‘invention’ of the sweep shot. Other products
of the early years of St Edward’s cricket were F.W. Terry who
went on to play for Somerset and Canada, T.H. Page who
played for Hampshire, E.G. Read who played for Hampshire
and Sussex, C.R. Wetherall who played for Northamptonshire,
P. Hutchinson who took a School record 118 wickets in the
season of 1880, and A.M. de Labat who represented New
Zealand from 1890 to 1897. Interestingly, de Labat still holds the
oldest School cricketing record remaining: 267 wickets in a 1st
XI career. This record has lasted 125 years and certainly does not
look like ever being beaten.
In the 1920s Kenneth Harding played three matches for
Sussex and Michael Spurway three for Somerset. P.A. Gibb,
a boy here from 1927 to 1931, has the great distinction of
scoring 93 and 106 in his two innings on Test debut against
South Africa at Johannesburg in 1938. He also participated
in the ‘Timeless Test’ against South Africa during the same
The second and third
cricketpavilions,1893.
Far left: E.J.H. Dixon
(C, 1929–35).
Left: E.G. Wynyard
(1877–9).
Left: Cricket XI 1872. On the far
right is Russell Henry Bencraft.
Below left: After the match, XI vs
MCC, 1952.
Below right: Cricket coach Brian
Edrich in the 1980s.