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Cricket Review 2011
The 1st XI enjoyed a vintage season under the outstanding leadership of Will Leith (S). Victories were achieved against Eton, Harrow and Tonbridge to name but a few and the XI enjoyed a superb run in the National Schools’ T20 competition, with the highlight being triumph away at Millfield against a much fancied opposition. In all “first class” fixtures, the XI chalked up 13 victories and only 3 defeats and, at the end of term, successfully regained the BOWS trophy played on the marvellous grounds of Oakham.
Much of the success of the season was owed to the pre season tour to Cape Town in February where the boys managed to compete against some of the toughest schoolboy opposition that South Africa could provide. Highlights included victory against Somerset College, watched by the Master, a narrow defeat in a day night fixture against a very strong Bishops XI in which we had the best of the game for 70% of the match and a sparkling 100 in vain by the captain at the picturesque Oval at Wynberg School. The boys learned a lot about their individual games and highlighted discipline as a key target for the forthcoming season.
Back on home soil, the season started well with wins in warm up fixtures at Malvern and at home to Whitgift. The Whitgift match saw the remarkable individual achievement of all rounder Angus Boobbyer (Pn) who followed his maiden 1st XI 100 with 4 wickets including a hatrick. Wellington’s own cricketing legend Chris Potter could scarcely remember such a feat and, as word travelled fast around the OW community, Angus enjoyed the plaudits of many. Outside of the Cowdrey Cup, the XI enjoyed victories away at Marlborough in a low scoring affair, thanks in the main to a match winning partnership between Connor Nurse (A), who batted all the way through for 70*, and George Rigby (Bd) and at home to Bradfield in a high scoring encounter which saw James Brooks (L) score an effortless half century and Nurse notch up his first ever five-for. The boys dominated the Speech day fixture against the OWs in a typically enjoyable match watched by a picnic filled Turf and another fine victory was recorded against Cranleigh thanks in large to more runs from Boobbyer (82) and a typically tidy all round bowling display.
Post exams, we welcomed a number of touring teams and enjoyed several good games. We experienced a narrow defeat to a strong MCC side, captained by Charlie Hodgson (A, 1991 – 1996). Hugo Shephard (Bn, 1998 – 2003) led the way with the bat and off spinner, Tom Hicks (current Housemaster of Bn) showed his class and experience in taking 5 schoolboy wickets as the XI fell 29 runs short. Comfortable victories were then secured against Prince Alfred College with captain, Will Leith celebrating his end of exams with a fluid 99 and Chris James (R) controlling the swinging ball with great skill, resulting in him recording figures of 5-34. Our old friends, Melbourne Grammar, were beaten comfortably on New Ground thanks to more runs form Boobbyer and an impressive closing partnership from Nick Hopcroft (Bd) and Jack Hersh (S). Due to the congestion of end of season fixtures and our impressive run in the National T20 competition, Grey High School, PE were our 6th fixture in as many days. A tired looking 1st XI was comfortably beaten by one of the strongest South African schools as our boys were outplayed in all departments of the game.
Refreshed from a weekend break at the end of term, the team (plus an excited management team of 6) headed to Oakham for our Festival in an attempt claim back the trophy that we won in 2009. The week started strongly with an emphatic 120 run victory over Brighton. Two Colts, Connor Nurse and Jack Wood (Bl), dominated our batting innings with a mature and polished 150 run partnership and our spin trio of Leith, Nurse and JJ Dewes (Hl) claimed 9 of the opposition’s 10 wickets. Sedbergh were expected to be a sterner test as they too had enjoyed a superb season and were fellow semi-finalists in the National T20 competition. Angus Boobbyer, with able support and half centuries from Nurse and James Brooks, played his innings of the season in notching up another century against a much vaunted bowling attack. A total of 309 was always going to be difficult for our opposition but in typical Sedbergh style they made a real game of it before falling some 63 runs short. The bowling was dominated this time by seamers Chris James and Jack Wood. A disappointing performance followed against Oakham as we were beaten by 6 wickets but our run rate was sufficient enough to see Leith collect the trophy at the end of a very enjoyable 3 days’ cricket.
Despite the successes mentioned above, the Cowdrey Cup fixtures were our real priority for the season and our campaign began in fine style with a resounding victory over Harrow on Turf. Having won the toss and lost a couple of early wickets, captain Will Leith and Angus Boobbyer staged a fightback with Boobbyer taking the attack to the Harrow bowlers with some aggressive and stimulating shots all round the wicket. As Wellington threatened to take the game away from their visitors, Boobbyer was caught behind just before lunch for 48 – by far the best innings of the day. Leith departed soon after lunch for a scratchy but patient 38 which sparked a mini collapse before Nick Hopcroft steadied the ship with assistance from Chris James. A total of 199 was always going to be competitive and a brilliant direct hit run out by Connor Nurse in the first over put Harrow on the back foot straight away. Whilst their batters all looked confident, they lost wickets at regular intervals with seam bowlers, Chris James, Jack Wood and Boobbyer all getting their names in the scorebook. Wellington’s captain rounded off the day with 3 wickets for not many runs to finish the visitors off as Harrow fell 72 runs short of their target.
Next, we welcomed the Cowdrey Cup favourites to Turf. A very strong Radley XI, including 3 England players, was always going to be a challenge and in truth, we never showed up as our visitors got off to somewhat of a flyer against some atypically poor seam bowling. We did manage to claw things back but chasing in excess of 260 was a tall order. We fell woefully short and experienced our first defeat of the season.
Following the disappointment of Radley, the 1st XI bounced back well and enjoyed a wonderful victory on Upper Club at Eton in glorious sunshine watched by distinguished OW, Peter Baxter (xxxx). Winning the toss and choosing to bat, Wellington’s captain led from the front and looked in determined mood from the outset. Leith was ably supported by Angus Boobbyer and their contrasting styles of batting complimented each other well in an impressive first session for the visitors. As Leith accumulated runs through a combination of cuts and leg glances, Boobbyer drove, swept and clubbed his way past 50 in as many balls. He holed out on the boundary, selflessly trying to take the game away from the hosts but his innings, not for the first time this season, had changed the momentum of the game into Wellington’s favour. Leith never looked like not getting a hundred and he duly passed 3 figures with an elegant on drive. Unfortunately, he fell soon after and despite solid efforts from James Brooks, Chris James and Jack Hersh, Wellington felt that their 289 for 8 was 20 below where they should have been on a true pitch and lightening fast outfield. Wellington knew that their best chance of winning the game was by taking early wickets and Junior Colt, Chris Leith (S) achieved this trapping Eton’s opener lbw with the score below 30. However, at tea the hosts had reached 125 for 1 off 25 overs. The match was finely poised. The introduction of spin at both ends proved to be the turning point. Leith bowled with beautiful control and skill and recorded figures of 2 for 33 off 11 – outstanding in the context of the game. Connor Nurse complimented his captain well and also bowled superbly and by the time the two left armers had bowled out, Eton needed 100 to win off 10 overs. Despite some gallant hitting and a fight to the end, the hosts fell 16 runs short.
Next up in the Cup, were Tonbridge where the 1st XI enjoyed their finest victory of the season on The Head. Having lost the toss, Chris James and Jack Wood bowled with great control but little luck as Fabian Cowdrey (one of the best young cricketers on the schoolboy circuit), eased his way to 71. A moment of brilliance behind the stumps from James Brooks saw Cowdrey on his way back to the pavilion but Tonbridge’s typical strength in batting was evident as they posted a commanding total of 254. Left arm spinner, Connor Nurse, was the pick of the bowlers. Wellington’s reply started well, and although captain, Will Leith departed with the score on 30, Angus Boobbyer and Nurse took the attack to the home side. Both made impressive 50s but whenever Wellington looked like getting on top, wickets kept falling. A total of 4 runs outs suggested some pretty average cricket from Wellington but also hinted at the pressure that this game was played under. There are few people who enjoy the pressure as much as Nick Hopcroft. In an innings of great maturity, belief and skill he brought Wellington to within touching distance of victory. His maiden 50 for the 1st XI brought little sign of celebration as Nick only had one thing in mind – winning the game. As wickets kept tumbling, 15 were still needed with our last pair at the crease: Hopcroft and Pete Melhuish (Bl). Melhuish showed a calm head and Hopcroft manipulated the strike intelligently until the scores were level with one ball of the match remaining. The equation was simple: one ball left, one run needed, Cowdrey bowling to Hopcroft. Hopcroft is not renowned for his timid nature and he was determined to make sure that he got this run. He swatted the ball over the mid wicket boundary for 6. A great result to a fantastic game of cricket. Hopcroft ranked the winning feeling higher and more satisfying than that of winning either of his Foster Cups: probably because he had made 10 other team mates extremely happy and not just himself.
Victory at Charterhouse was essential to give us any chance of winning the Cowdrey Cup but disappointingly, the elements put pay to any hopes that we had the game was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Radley headed to Tonbridge needing a victory to secure the Cup and in a nailbiting finish (listened to live by our coaching staff), Radley won by 2 wickets to become worthy winners of the Cowdrey Cup. We finished a close second – our best return to date in this prestigious competition.
We say goodbye to Will Leith, Angus Boobbyer, James Brooks and Nick Hopcroft who have all contributed so much to cricket at Wellington in the last 5 years and they will all be sorely missed and very difficult to replace. They are sure to be tremendous assets to the OWCC.
This was one of Wellington’s finest seasons to date and much of the success is down to the people who have worked with our cricketers throughout their time at Wellington. The hugely popular and successful Noel Brett took up an exciting new role as Cricket and Rackets Professional at Malvern and we are indebted to the sterling work that he did with the Yearlings emphasising the importance of skill and technical development at those early years. We wish him well in his new post. Dan Pratt has stepped into Noel’s shoes on the cricket field and promises to be a great success with our young players and Dan has already added real injection into our off season coaching programme.
I would like to thank my colleague, Mark Boobbyer for our endless cricketing conversations and his help and commitment towards the development of cricket at Wellington. Dr Mark Farrington remains one of the finest scorers on the circuit, but it must be noted that he performs better with a quality lunch and tea inside him. He provided invaluable statistical support to our young players and is a fine asset to the Management team. Peter Lewington continued to provide quality pitches for our young cricketers and his coaching support was invaluable to both the boys and me throughout the season. Not least, he was great value on the boundary and continues to demonstrate an astute knowledge of schoolboy cricket. Charles Oliphant-Callum continues to be hugely supportive and influential in Wellington cricket and Jim Dewes ably stepped in to help with the management of the T20 competition when House commitments took MTB and me elsewhere.
My thanks to Phil Stockwell, Becky Evans and their team for their top quality catering, indeed numerous visiting teams and parents regularly commented on the wide array of delicious cakes that were on offer. The highest accolade, however, was bestowed by our very own scorer who rated our catering number 1 on the circuit – something we should be rightly proud of. Bryan Evans and his team of groundstaff worked tirelessly throughout a very dry summer in preparing good and fair pitches all term and we thank them all for their efforts. The success of Wellington cricket is indebted to the outstanding impact of our ultra keen and dedicated coaching staff – their passion for the game is infectious and their endless hours of coaching on Turf, New Ground and Derby demonstrates the current strength of cricket at Wellington.
College Cricket
2nd XI
The 2nd XI enjoyed a very promising start to the season, with impressive wins over Harrow and Marlborough. Some promotions to the 1st XI and injuries to key players made it harder to maintain these results, but plenty of individuals developed as players. Kyle Ross (Hg) as captain and Michael Reid as off-spinner were the only Upper Sixth formers to play regularly, so the majority of the side were Lower Sixth formers with ambition to make the 1st XI next year. The opening pair of Josh Huckin (Pn) and Lissy Macleod (W), who also played for the England Women’s XI put together some useful partnerships, and wicketkeeper Will Avrili (Bn) looked increasingly assured batting at 3. The new ball attack of Angus Noble (S) and Max Gumpert (Hl) looked quite threatening at times, while Will McCreery (Hl) and Charlie Cowdrey (Hg) also bowled spin. Ollie Williams contributed as an all-rounder and particularly sharp fielder in the covers. In summary, a season in which disappointing results did not necessarily give an accurate reflection of the quality and potential of the players.
3rd XI
There is no doubt that results wise this cannot be described as a vintage season with just a single victory to our name. The main issue of the season was with the inability to score sufficient runs and although we fielded and bowled well at times, it was always difficult to protect scores under 100 on most occasions. After the now infamous defeat at Radley, we did have one high moment with the win over at Eton which was a complete performance and perhaps showed the true potential of the side. As ever the boys were good fun and a pleasure to work with but I suspect they too will feel a certain disappointment that the team could not have played more consistently throughout the term. After 20 years running the 3rd XI at Wellington, Murray Fowler moves on to Wellington Tianjing, where I suspect it may be a little while before he is stood behind the stumps again. We thank him for all his commitment, enthusiasm and extraordinary analysis of team performance.
4th XI
The 4ths had a good season if you measure a season's success on fun had. The revolving door that was selections, ensured that the same team never played two games in a row. Still sport, and especially cricket is driven by statistics and results. On both of these fronts, the season can be described as a poor one, with the team being victorious on only one occasion. Still, school sport is all about fun isn't it?
Colts
Colts 1
There are several factors during the term which make achieving success for any Colts XI difficult. Firstly, the team dynamic built during the Yearlings and Junior Colts XI is often changed due to players progressing into the College 1st XI. Then we also have to contend with GCSE's and exam leave which take over for a large majority of the season. So it is very pleasing to say that with all this to deal with, this Colts 1st XI had a very successful season. The opening game against Harrow after only one training session and losing several players to the College 1st XI was always going to be a tough match. However, we still turned up at north london confident that the players chosen could do the job required. Having toiled away in the field and bowled well in spells we went into bat needing 183 to win with our 35 overs: a fairly large target but one very much within reach given our batting line-up. However, it was not to be and the 16 run loss was very disappointing for players and coaches alike despite fine knocks of 88 by Charlie Wicks, ably supported by Tom McClean's 41. Lesson learnt and the unfortunate team on the end of the backlash of the disappointed at Harrow was Marlborough. Having been inserted, Charlie Wicks and Tom McClean put their bowlers to the sword scoring 50 and 83 respectively. Other quick fire contributions, notably from Chris Parrish and Ed Holderness helped us to 226 - 7. Our opening bowlers Jack McClean and Andy Newson set about the dismantling job and chipped in with early wickets. Good fielding and smart bowling allowed us to get them all out for 154 and achieve a very comfortable 72 run victory. Another good win against Radley by 5 wickets followed, with one of the fastest 50's seen to date by Sam Behr. Again the bowling of Newson and McClean was good, and was ably supported by Tom Membrey, Will Brown, Ed Holderness and Ed St Aubyn. The good form couldn't carry forward against a very strong Eton team, despite another strong performance with the bat by Tom McClean hitting a competent 45. After the exeat we faced Tonbridge. A tough game made even harder as it was at the height of the exam period and disruption to training. Thus making the 5 run win even more enjoyable and special mention must go to JJ Dewes' knock of 52 on his return from injury setting up the run chase. After the cancellation of the Charterhouse fixture our final game was against a Cranleigh Colts 1/3XI. The emphatic 10 wicket victory which ensued was well deserved. Sam Miliken-Smith bowled well and Nick Woolhead was sharp behind the stumps taking two very good stumpings. Once again Dewes and Wicks both batted very well for 70's not out. Each member of the squad contributed well to what was a very enjoyable season and real team effort.
Colts 2
The Colts 2s had a tough season, especially given that we had lost a number of players to the 1sts early on. Nevertheless, we improved quickly as the season progressed, after early losses to Harrow and Radley, and were involved in a few nail-biting finishes. 2 games were decided on the last ball, one a victory over Marlborough by 4 wickets and the other a loss to Eton by 1 wicket. We finished the season strongly, losing narrowly to a strong Tonbridge side. We were captained well all season by Sam Gomarsall, who on many occasions kept us in the game with a gutsy innings. Nick Heynes also had a fine season with both bat and ball, scoring a couple of quick 50s at number 3 and bowling consistently. Chris Parrish and Alex Duff also helped spearhead an aggressive bowling line-up, while Arthur Walsh finished the season as top wicket-taker. All in all it was a very enjoyable season with some real characters in the side and, if our fielding had been slightly tighter, I imagine we could have easily overturned a couple of the losses.
Junior Colts
J Colts 1
The Junior Colts have had a very successful season, with wins against Harrow, Eton, Radley and Marlborough and a single loss against Charterhouse. Outstanding performances with the bat have come from James Doggart ( L ) and Brett Herron ( L ). The team has been captained by Chris Leith ( S ). The main reason for success has been the highly positive team ethic. Every member has made important contributions at different times to ensure that the sum has far outweighed the individual parts.
J Colts 2
The Junior Colts 2 have had some great games this season and many of the players have been quickly moved up to the 1st team. A thrilling victory at Marlborough was the highlight of the season and Ollie Rockett in particular has been reliably savage with the bat in the middle order. Sean McCarten has always bowled with pace and aggression and picked up many wickets and often broken key partnerships. The team have always played with good enthusiasm and have supported each other when things have not always gone to plan. Both Michael Wright and Tom Surrall have captained this year and done so with a maturity beyond their years.
J Colts 3
The JC 3rd XI played some spirited and skilled cricket this year. Despite a series of defeats in the early part of the term, the side was rarely out-classed and fought hard in games against Marlborough and Eton in particular. The side was led by Freddie Joyce (T) and there were important contributions from all those who represented the College.
Yearlings
Yearlings 1
This young team made its mark early in the season with comprehensive wins over Marlborough and a strong Radley team. However, the frailties of the middle order and our inability to score runs quickly meant that we simply couldn’t post big enough scores to be competitive on a consistent basis. In the end the boys did very well to make it to the Lord Taverner’s Finals and closed the season with a remarkably tight win at Cranleigh.
On an individual level Adam Dewes played one of the most impressive innings seen on Turf 7 in a good number of years as he made a mature 107 against Radley. Adam was also the top wicket taker with 11 wickets at 13.64 apiece with his slow left arm dippers. Christian Green captained the side and was its top run scorer amassing 292 runs at an average of 32.44 per innings, including two composed fifties. Guy Newson bowled tidy away swingers and made a number of very good starts with the bat and more will be expected from him as he moves up the age groups. Alex Masih was another key performer with both bat and ball and his 4 for 28 against Marlborough was significant. He saw the team home in that tense finish in a low scoring game against Cranleigh when he compiled a calm 18* in pursuit of 108 in 30 overs. Rob Buirski got better and better as an opening bowler and his 3 for 14 from 6 overs against Cranleigh was crucial as the senior bowler in Christian Green’s absence. Toby Barnard’s leg spinners were promising and he could develop into a good 1st XI cricketer one day.
In essence this was a physically little team who found it difficult to impose themselves on small fields in the manner our opposition were often able to do. However, there are 12 good cricketers who will get more effective as they grow bigger and stronger. It was great to end the season as we had started it: with good wins against proper cricketing schools and long-standing rivals.
Yearlings 2
This was a season that promised more than it delivered. A 0-6 record is a fair reflection of our efforts, but it doesn’t show that the team continued to train and perform with spirit and determination. There were certainly highlights in the season – Ben Kinnear’s four catches at Tonbridge, Will Beedham’s extraordinary caught & bowled and Alex Duff’s 45 against Radley. Our main failing was a lack of runs. Lots of batsmen played themselves in, but none went on to bat for a long time and post big scores. Our five run-outs against Eton two days after a practice on running between the wickets was a laugh or cry moment! Nonetheless, there were times this team came very close (losing off the 3rd last ball by 1 wicket to Marlborough) and I am sure this team will go on to post some successes next year. They were certainly good ambassadors for Wellington and cricket.
Yearlings 3
The Yearlings 3rd Xl have struggled this season but the way the boys gave of there all and returned every week to train and improve was commendable. We came within one wicket of our first victory of the season but were denied by a 60 run tenth wicket partnership. This was very disheartening but the boys have managed to learn a lot and will hopefully come back next season stronger and ready to record some impressive victories. A rather unique feature of the season was the boy’s ability to take some truly unbelievable catches and I don’t think that anyone in the side will forgets Alex Vander Sande 87 in 40 odd balls in a hurry.
Yearlings 4
The Yearlings 4s season has been one of self-discovery for many of the players. Highlights of the year have included Theo Hall's unique, hard-hitting batting technique, and Billy Chelton's bowling against Radley which saw middle stump flying out of the ground on no less than four occasions. It is a shame that effort is not always rewarded on the score scard.
Girls
The main focus of the girls’ summer was the development of new players who had played very little cricket before. The girls only played 3 games this summer due to bad weather and the clash with exams.
The girl’s first game was against Cranleigh School. The batting was dominated by the 100 run partnership between Captain Lissy Macleod (43) and Hattie Jones (43) which set a stiff target of 119 from their 16 overs. Determined to give the new players a chance Wellington rang the changes in the bowling providing the girls with valuable experience. Pick of the bowlers was Kate Milliken-Smith who but for a thick inside edge would have taken a hat-trick. The girls lost in the final over as Cranleigh won by 6 wickets.
The girls second and third games came in a new Tournament involving Surrey County Cricket Club and the Australian Victorian touring team Cricket Without Borders. In the first game against Surrey the Surrey girls scored an impressive 110 in their 12 overs despite the promising bowling of Tilley Edwards. This was too great a target for the girls to chase down as they lost the early wickets of Macleod and Captain Louise Verroken-Jones.
Following a change in format due to bad weather Surrey and Wellington combined to take on the Australians in a Twenty20 game. The combined Surrey Wellington team scored 116 in their 20 overs largely thanks to the determined Macleod who scored 38. Despite some innovative fields set by Verroken-Jones the strong Australian batting reached their target with an over to spare.
Coach Dudley Graham would like to thank the Cricket Without Borders coaching team for their support during the tournament, Mrs Waugh for marshalling the troops and captains Louise Verroken-Jones and Lissy Macleod for leading the girls.
G. D. Franklin Esq
Master i/c Cricket