Preece remains sedate as School win Twenty20 tie

Cranleigh School 158 for 5 (18.4 overs: Langmead 69*, Cross 64) beat Old Cranleighans 157 for 5 (20 overs: Crump T 53, Cope 46)

After the absence of a decade or more and years of constant pestering and sucking up by Rick Johnson, the headmaster finally allowed Speech Day and OC Day to merge once more. The results proved the decision was the right one with sport, art and music exhibitions showing Cranleigh’s true colours although the only dampner the suspected match-fixing rumours involving Chris Preece. More on that later...

After winning the toss, Matt Crump did the customary thing on an occasion such as this and batted first. The OCCC team had a youthful look to it with the oldest player being 23 mixed in with a few school- leavers.

Tom Crump and Will Jordan opened up the innings and Crump especially made it an explosive start. After three overs we were 41 for 0, Crump on 38 and Jordan 1. School coach Stu Welch’s instructions to his bowlers to bowl short at Crump was one out of the Johnson school of captaincy as a succession of deliveries disappeared over square leg. Crump managed 58 before being stumped but the decisive moment of the game came a few overs before when Jordan was out, again stumped and this saw the arrival to the crease of Preece.

Preece, who had controversially turned his back on his local club to ply his trade for Normandy, walked to the crease with much optimism but this soon changed as he decided to block some maidens. There was soon some heckling from the stands (mainly from ex-OC captain and Preece’s new boss Henry Watkinson) but he ignored the comments and continued to block. The innings struggled for momentum despite Alan Cope playing a cameo of 46 with his customary strutting between the wickets and our 157 for 5 - Preece 26 not out off 65 balls – was well below what had appeared on the cards. This is where rumours around the ground begun about whether Preece had received a brown envelope from the school coach before the game although nothing has been proven thus far...

We were at least 20 runs short of par but with a pace attack of Pritchard, Matt Crump and Cope there was always hope. We removed Austin to the 7th ball of the innings being bowled by a rare straight one from Crump. Then the school showed their class with new-found “gun” Will Langmead, brother of OC stalwart Sam, playing a match-winning innings of 69 not out and he was ably supported by Cross who also reached his half century before being dismissed by Cope. The school won by six wickets with eight balls to spare, a margin which would have been greater but for some late successes for the bowlers.

“This should take nothing away from the school who batted and fielding brilliantly to claim a third win in a row against us,” Matt Crump said afterwards. “But without rather a lot of interference from New York about team selection and general backseat driving the result could have been different.

“Friday sees the return of the traditional longer form of the game between the two sides with the younger OCs defying calls from the wanabee OCCC dictator in New York to take it upon themselves to win this fixture to balance the power between the two sides.”

Initial reports suggest Friday could see the return of Seren Waters (allegedly banned by Welsh as he is “too good”, surely a first) James Halton and Paddy Harman. Matt Crump refused to comment on speculation but was eager to confirm Preece was unlikely to feature in the match.