99 / 118
7th &
8th XI
The bare statistics do not look
spectacular but in only one
match – the 20/20 fixture
against Caldicott away – did
the 7th XI play poorly and look
outclassed.
They scored a massive 159, but we took
eight wickets and then scored 70 in reply
so the thing was not a total disgrace. In
the home match at the start of the season,
a proper declaration game, we had done
brilliantly to thwart a big-hitting Caldicott
team and achieve a draw. They scored 152
for 5 and we were 59 for only 6 at the close
of play. Rather satisfying. Good fielding from
George Corbett
and
Yi Feng Hu
helped
our cause, and then sensible, patient batting
from
Jinsung Ha
and
Jeremy Ogbonna
saw
us through.
The match against Elstree’s 5th XI was a
terrific affair but, with 99 runs, we fell just
one short of their total. The Elstree mid-off
had to juggle the ball for a while before
taking the winning catch! Our captain,
Theo
Mellor
, led the team splendidly, bowling
5th XI
The 5th XI season was sadly
not as successful as had been
hoped, with three matches lost
to only two won.
Nevertheless, almost all fixtures were
most enjoyable and very close affairs. A
thrashing at the hands of Caldicott was not
quite how we had envisaged our opening
match. However, it served to galvanise the
team into a more concentrated attitude
to their training. Notable performances
over the term included
Patrick Hannon’s
century (123*) against Ludgrove and, in the
same match,
Rory Millard’s
6-23; Millard
also took 5-24 against Moulsford and
Joe
Standbrook
hit an unbeaten 50 versus The
Dragon. The depth of bowling in the team
meant that there was always a fresh arm to
turn the ball over. However, the consistency
of run-scoring was harder to come by
with few boys managing to replicate good
performances week on week. A major new
training regime was instigated and, with the
whole squad instructed in the core batting
strokes ‘aerobics style’ in synchronised line
and rhythm to such classics as Haydn’s
Rollend in SchäumendenWellen
, things
began to look up. Good balls were stoutly
defended, the covers driven through, and
even the occasional ‘six’ achieved.
MWIJ
5th XI
Opposition
Result
Runs
Details
For Against
Caldicott
Lost
30
31-2
Moulsford
Won 147-6 146
Millard R 5-24, Newland E 33
New College 2nd XI
Cancelled
Ludgrove
Won 195-5 177
Hannon 123*, Millard R 6-23
Cothill
Lost
125 147-6
Baker C 28, Guo B 25
Caldicott
139-8
MatchAbandoned
Dragon
Lost
132-3 141-3
Standbrook 50*, Sweetnam 37
6th XI
With hindsight, if it had been
inWeek 1 rather thanWeek
5 when all other practice was
suspended until the 6ths had
finally learned to catch, then
the season might have been a
very different story.
Despite sneaking home by one wicket
with a ball to spare against Ludgrove, the
spirited but ultimately mediocre run-
scoring of early matches was woefully
matched by litanies of fielding errors.
Managing to take nine of some twenty-
odd chances created against Moulsford
was just all the more galling, especially
for
Benson Guo
left stranded with four
wickets for not very many, a fate then
more frequently befallen by
George
Corbett
, the pick of the bowlers with
his nagging full-length outswing,
Mahir
Mujtaba
applying pressure from the other
end. Latterly promoted
Theo Mellor’s
old-fashioned determination to occupy
the crease, aped only by opener
Finn
McCullagh
and long-suffering captain
Charlie Rooth
, began to lend enough
support to freer hitters
Ayomide Ajibola
and
Amil Folawiyo
. However, too many
wafts down middle and leg at balls on
the off blighted most other attempts to
accelerate the score. After the revolution,
iconised by a diving scorcher held by
Rigby Swarovski Adams
, which turned
the low-scoring match against The
Dragon decisively in our favour, we looked
unstoppable, blowing away Cheam’s 4ths
in style before most of the team then
realised that their prep school cricket days
were sadly already behind them.
Others who played include:
TJ Amusan,
Rafe Hogben, Jeremy Ogbonna, Olisa
Ogbue, Tomi Ojora, Sebastian Salata
and
Angus Shepherd-Cross.
MHT
6th XI
Opposition
Result
Runs
Details
For Against
Caldicott
Lost
64
123
Guo B 4-18
Moulsford
Lost
132-4 135-9
Lambrook 5th XI
Cancelled
Elstree 4th XI
Lost
90-8 91-3
New College 2nd XI
Cancelled
Ludgrove
Won 108-6 109-9
Cothill
Lost
77
97-5
Caldicott
Lost
53-7 55-1
Dragon
Won
58
54
Cheam 4th XI
Won
“Hubegantosmash
theball all over
theplace!”
S u m m e r F i e l d s
2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6
95