Roper seals a win for the School

Cranleigh School 233 for 6 (Waters 77, Hannah 68*) beat Old Cranleighans 232 for 2 (Halton 97*, Meaker 89) by four wickets

Rarely has there been a better advertisement for Cranleigh – and Old Cranleighan - cricket than the game on Speech Day. Played out on a superb track in sunshine, the OC side were all under 21 and the 40-over match was highly competitive but played throughout in the right spirit. And as for the finish …

Stuart Meaker opted to play against a School side he was very much part of until last year, and while his Surrey contract is as a bowler, he underlined his ability with the bat in a sparkling innings of 89 off 93 balls. The pick of his strokes was an audacious reverse sweep for six, and after a slow start – the score was 66 for 1 after 17 overs – the innings really came alive.

Meaker and James Halton, cautious at first, laid into the bowling, the last 15 overs producing 127 runs. Halton found gaps with precision, and although the School fielded excellently, they were unable to stem the flow.

Meaker was run-out when seemingly set for a hundred, and then Halton was denied his at the death when he hit the penultimate delivery to long-on only for his calls for a second to get him back on strike to be declined by Jonny Haynes. He finished unbeaten on 97.

The feeling was the School needed a big innings from Seren Waters to have a chance. Waters, with almost 700 runs to his name, certainly started confidently, unleashing some lovely glances and drives, as well as three towering pulls for six when the bowlers dropped short. He had moments of luck as well, twice inside edging past his leg stump.

The openings stand was worth 50 in seven overs, with Preece matching his captain with some lovely shots before gloving a pull and Mike Roper held a good, low leg-side catch. The innings then wobbled with three cheap wickets, Haynes taking a breathtaking one-handed catch in the covers, the highlight of some sublime fielding.

Waters remained but he was undone by a grenade from the unusual legspin of Tom Crump, whose fourth ball he slapped straight to Bradley Gilchrist at short cover. As he headed off, most believed the school’s hopes went with him.

But Hannah and Allen defied the odds in a sixth-wicket stand of 75 in 44 minutes, taking singles steadily to add to the pressure. But with the finishing line in sight, Meaker, bowling of half a dozen paces but still at speed, had Allan leg-before for 30.

Twenty-two were needed off the last two overs, and ten off the last. Jordan hit two off the first was followed by a wicket as Meaker bowled him. Phil Roper took a single and then Hannah did the same. With six needed off two, Roper played the most audacious shot, going down on one knee and slog sweeping Meaker over the pavilion. The cheers could be heard on the Lowers.

This was what OC against School matches should be like but haven’t been for almost 30 years. We had a full-strength side on the Lowers but this XI would rate among one of our stronger XIs and it has to be hoped that a number of those who played will go on to become OC regulars. One last thing that stood out was the universally outstanding fielding and throwing, a testament to the work put in by Stuart Welsh.