The Salopian Winter 24/25

SCHOOL NEWS

47

for that was the spot where it stayed,

about a quarter of its sphere above what

might previously have been considered

ground level. By Exeat, the outfields had

returned to rewarding shots along the

ground, as is their wont.

Therefore, this season, without the

sheer horsepower of last year’s middle

order, demanded a different approach of

pushing for the available runs. It is an

inevitability universally acknowledged

that after a couple of sessions focused

on running between the wickets, the

run-out will be the dominant mode of

dismissal. To the credit of the entire

team, following several enthusiastic

rants on the part of their coach and

the obligatory middle practice, there

was only one run-out and for the

second part of the season the dot ball

count was decimated, the run rate

greatly improved, and results swung

the other way.

Meanwhile over the opening weeks, a

batting engine that looked weaker in

its mid-range tuned up and filled out.

Indeed, as exams extend their tentacles,

the Sixth Form amalgamate with the

U16s to form essentially one supersquad:

subsequently it could be very

fairly said that the team batted like a

Spinal Tap amp: all the way to 11.

A particular highlight, new to the

calendar, was last year’s captain George

Stanford-Davis bringing his college

team down on tour from Durham. This

competitive but friendly fixture towards

the end of June was a delight, the

opposition including a few Salopians of

recent years. It was a warm day and the

schoolboys’ burgeoning totals between

the wickets were not equalled by the

opposition, who were towards the end

of their tour and had also played on the

previous day.

To our leavers:

Monty, as mentioned, was our

captain and opening batsman. With

strength added to last year’s timing,

he found the cover boundary was

in range and it received plentiful

attention. Outwardly he’s as calm and

phlegmatic as you would hope of an

opener (provided you don’t run him

out). Provider also of 31 economical

overs of off-spin, taking six wickets.

Ed Bell, delivering a ball left-arm-over

from heights that would interest the

RAF, was transformed from economical

to dangerous on his discovery of an inswinger

to the right-hander. High on the

list of batsmen who might send the ball

to a different postcode, he was excellent

value throughout the season, notably

once forgetting which way round his

brother bats.

James Mackinnon, poached this year

from tennis, skippered the 3rd XI and

made a strong case to step up, hitting

an over for 24 as he turned around a

chase which Ellesmere had thought

out of reach. He led the 2nd XI when

Monty succumbed to exams. It is said

of wicketkeepers that the better they

are, the less you notice them. James

didn’t keep wicket for us (that role

was immaculately filled by Freddie

Allwood) but his bowling is of the same

philosophy: the stats tell me he was

our top wicket-taker for the season (8

wickets in 20 overs including 3-7 against

Bromsgrove) but he snuck those figures

through under the radar.

Sammy Patten had his pre-exam cricket

compromised by a hyper-extended

soccer season. He nonetheless (or

perhaps consequently) managed to

bowl some overs with his unreadable

natural variations of line and length

and his ever-present good cheer. His are

the safest hands in the squad and when

playing at catch-volleyball (a favourite

training drill of the 2nd XI) Sammy is

the man you want on your team.

Louis Crofts was similarly afflicted by

football but, wishing to make use of an

active mind, he nonetheless made time

for cricket until the thick cloud of exams

landed on June with a heavy thump. He

will liven up any training or net session

with a lateral observation.

Billy Gardiner considers an innings

wasted if he hasn’t induced various

neuroses and heart conditions into

any squirrels and bird life resident in

the nearby trees and hedgerows; his

favourite sight on a cricket field is that

of the opposition’s deep mid-wicket

scanning the shrubbery behind him

for what seems a reasonable route of

access to its hitherto unexplored depths.

Opening with George Battersby, he

put on 69 in 6.3 overs at Denstone in

the course of what was (and this is a

competitive field) the most vivid display

of run-scoring - bordering on aerial

bombardment of adjacent real estate -

we enjoyed all season.

Tom Paine played some early season

games as an effective all-rounder. He’s

an impressive athlete who brought pace

with the ball and strong ball-striking as

well as a large bucket of suncream.

Honourable mentions to Lower Sixth

and Fifth Formers:

Freddie Allwood, our steadfast ’keeper

and a fluent middle-order run-scorer

whose 59 not out (from 60 balls) at

Denstone was the exemplar of his

season. He scored a total of 194 runs at

just over a run a ball.

Louis Malanaphy, an opening bowler

whose surname is pronounced

differently by everyone and sometimes

in several ways by the same person (erm,

me) in the course of a single afternoon.

To compensate for this unpredictability,

he is a mightily consistent bowler who

gives the batsmen little or nothing to

play with. His opening overs are almost

always economical and consequently

apply pressure which spreads beyond his

spell. He offers significant runs with the

bat too: 223 in 8 innings including a 79

not out. He has been the cornerstone on

which this season has been built.

Rob Main, a technically strong toporder

batsman who was already a

mainstay this year and, after a winter

updating his videos of Geoffrey Boycott

to another more recent England captain

of the same county, will be back next

year to score a lot of runs. That’s a very

unkind comparison: Rob is far more

diplomatic than G.B., he scores faster

and people don’t make sport of running

him out.

Our own G.B., the antidote to a studied

forward defensive: George Battersby.

George loves cricket. If he had a GCSE

exam finishing at 12:30 and cricket

started at 1 o’clock, George would be

the first man to arrive. He also loves

scoring runs (see Billy Gardiner above)

and was our highest run-scorer of the

season. Do not try to speak to George in

the unlikely event he has been dismissed

in the first few overs. He is likely to

spend more time with the 1st XI than

the 2nd XI next season. 246 runs in four

innings, average 61.5.

Jack Bell, left arm spinner whose release

point, being higher than even his

brother’s, is beyond the interest of the

RAF but is instead overseen by NASA.

A capable ball-striker, though his wagon

wheel might unkindly have been called

more of a mid-wicket spoke until the

last few weeks of the season when, with

the carrot of a shorter boundary and the

off-side field up, he gave himself space

and sent two sixes over extra cover. He

is capable of playing proper cricket shots

in every direction; he could next season

become the improbable reincarnation of

Billy Gardiner. He’s a right-handed bat,

Ed, for future reference.

The 2nd XI strives to be a joyful place

for developing one’s craft. On the fronts

both of enjoyment and of development,

it has been a good season.

Seb Cooley