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St Edward’s:
150 Years
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Chapter 7 / Sport and Outdoors
between 1981 and 1986 and President of the Cricket Writers’
Club between 1986 and 2004.
The first ever School tour was to Leicestershire in 1898 and
included matches against Lutterworth and Market Harborough.
Recent tours have included trips to Barbados in 2000, Sri Lanka
in 2005, South Africa in 2008, Spain in 2010 and South Africa
in 2012, during which the boys played on the Test ground
at Newlands. The most recent development for the School’s
Cricket Club is the construction and opening of the Martyrs
Pavilion, designed by the eminent architect John Pawson. This
fourth St Edward’s pavilion was opened by Lord Sandberg
of Passfield in September 2009. We are very grateful to the
generosity of all those OSE who have contributed so much
towards such a wonderful facility that will be enjoyed by many
St Edward’s cricketers for generations to come.
St Edward’s has been blessed with some outstanding
masters, coaches and professionals. The most significant
contributions have come from F. Reid, the School’s professional
from 1891 to 1908, Arthur Tilly (MCR), who coached the 1st XI
from 1919 to 1945, and Brian Edrich the professional from 1968
to 1987. Today the Master in Charge of Cricket is Simon Roche.
The XI is coached by Richard Howitt, the former Master in
Charge, and the professional is Rex Hooton, a former Auckland
player and coach.
Richard Howitt
Former Master in Charge of Cricket
the Thorne brothers (D.C. and M.E.) who both played Minor
Counties cricket for Norfolk, G.D. Hudson who played for
Buckinghamshire between 1964 and 1975, R.L. Best, who was
selected for the public schools’ side in 1960 and is the highest
post-war 1st XI career wicket-taker with 178 scalps and D.A.
Cane who represented Hampshire 2nd XI in 1989 and whose
score of 170 versus the Cryptics in 1984 remains the highest of
any 1st XI batsman. T.H.C. Hancock scored some 8,485 runs for
Gloucestershire in 185 matches as well as 4,153 runs in some 211
List A matches in the One Day arena between 1991 and 2005.
Cricket continues to flourish at the School, and since
the millennium we have seen several notable feats. John
Barrett broke the record for the number of runs scored in a
1st XI season with 1,138 in 2005. F.W. Vainker represented
Worcestershire 2nd XI and K.R.J. Bingham, Kent 2nd XI.
Moreover, J.P. Webster made selection for English Universities.
Two current pupils are also making their mark beyond Upper
One. J.H. Barrett has represented Gloucestershire 2nd XI, South
of England U15s and U17s and is the highest career run scorer
in first XI history with 2391 runs. Barrett also holds the School
batting record for the highest number of 1st XI centuries with
six. M.A.H. Hammond is our most recent first class cricketer after
making his debut for Gloucestershire in 2013 as a Lower 6th
former. He has also played for England U15s, U17s and U19s.
St Edward’s has produced some 15 players who have gone
on to win either a Dark or a Light Blue. The first to win a blue
was A.S.M. Bacon in 1894, the most recent was J.L. Joyce in
2013, and P.A. Gibb was the first Blue ever to turn professional
when he represented Essex in 1951.
Moreover, the prowess of OSE within the world of cricket
lies not merely in the playing of the wonderful game. The most
notable name in this respect is that of the famous cricket writer
and journalist John Woodcock, who was editor of Wisden
Below: Cricket XI on Upper One, 2002.
Left: The Martyrs Pavilion.
Below: 2012 1st XI squad.
Below: Richard Howitt.
Below: Miles Hammond.