Crump shines as Stowe are sent packing

Old Cranleighans 130 for 2 (T Crump 43*) beat Stowe Templars 129 (M Crump 4-19) by eight wickets
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Tom Crump on his way to an unbeaten 43

A juicy quarter-final at Rugby awaits the Old Cranleighans, following a comprehensive victory over a lacklustre and ill-prepared Stowe in the Cricketer Cup. However, the whole occasion was sadly marred by a quite woeful performance by under-fire wicket-keeper William Howard.

Having won the toss, Cranleigh elected to bowl on a slow but very true wicket. Despite the benign surface, the visitors were soon reduced to 37-3 inside the first ten overs - all three victims falling to a canny opening spell from Matt Crump. Although without some key players, Stowe still possessed a top four capable of producing a decent total. Yet, a complete lack of any pre-match practice contributed to scratchy innings and tame dismissals. Disappointing form, given the tradition of this tournament.

Crump was supported ably by a diverse and robust bowling attack. Ed Henderson, a Cricketer Cup debutant, always looked dangerous (despite some ugly long hops) and collected flattering figures of 3-50. Left-arm seamers, Henry Watkinson and Paddy Harman, further strangled the Stowe innings – the former with uncomfortable bounce, the latter with orthodox swing. And leg-spinner Seren Waters polished off the tail with aplomb.

The Cranleigh opening bats of Waters and Bradley Scriven proved there were indeed no gremlins in the wicket as they calmly compiled a stand of 69, before both edging behind in successive overs. With the platform set, Tom Crump was able to open his shoulders and play some attractive cover drives through mid-wicket. And so Cranleigh continue their pilgrimage to Cricketer Cup stardom.

The players will no doubt enjoy the up-and-coming OC Cricket Week (especially the Williamson pool party – dress code: Spring Break Minimalism) before a much sterner test awaits amid the beautiful grounds of Rugby School. Paddy Harman

A decent crowd had migrated from Jubilee to watch the final overs

Broughton leads School to victory in Colin White Trophy

Old Cranleighans 113 for 9  lost to Cranleigh School 154 for 4 (Broughton 73*) by 41 runs (Twenty20)
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Luke Chitty bangs one in shorter than short ...

On a stunningly faultless day, an OC XI and the School 1st XI played out the annual Speech Day match for the newly commissioned Colin White Trophy in front of a large and expectant crowd.

With two former 1st XI captains in the side, the OCs were not entirely lacking in quality; however the fact that Jonny Gates decided to desert the team and spend the first quarter of the match in the dining hall for a reunion lunch rather negated that fact.

Will Rollings

It was sensibly agreed that the school would bat first in the interests of match duration, and Jack Scriven decided that he would try and embarrass the OCs by setting a record total. With Charlie Clarence-Smith opening the bowling ten minutes after arriving, it was safe to assume he wasn’t too pleased with the prospect. Fortunately a wide half-volley from James Harrison was slapped high into the June skies, and Will Jordan took a good catch right out of the sun.

The rest of the innings rather went as expected – the school showing that they had been well coached by happily knocking the ball into gaps and feasting upon the almost inevitable bad delivery per over. However some wily bowling from the OCs ensured a few more wickets fell through the course of the innings. It should be noted that Bruno Broughton batted superbly, finishing with an excellent unbeaten half-century from the top of the order.

Credit must however go to Andrew Goudie who bowled very tidily in the middle overs, and indeed to the aforementioned Gates who held on to a ‘sharp chance’ at backward point off Goudie’s bowling. Yes, you did read that correctly, Gatesy was at backward point AND held a catch. But sharp may not be the entirely correct word to have used. Rather surprisingly there seemed to be neither dropped catches nor misfields in the outfield, quite possibly an OC record.

Not all catches were held by the School

With a target of 155 to reach after a well-earned lunch break, Gates and Croker had the unenviable task of seeing off Will Rollings, who was intent on testing the middle of the pitch in his opening spell – a tactic which was not appreciated by the opening batsman but amused everyone else on Jubilee. Unfortunately Gates perished showing aggression to a rapid Rollings bouncer, and Croker followed him soon after with a saunter past the ball against the left arm spin of Broughton.

Luckily the third-wicket pair of captain Rob Cowdrey and Jordan showed more appetite for the fight, providing a few lusty blows and delicate flicks to move the scoreboard along and keep us in the game. Once they both departed the crease, only James Evans was able to provide much significant resistance to the school bowling attack, and we unfortunately succumbed to a 41-run defeat.

Congratulations must go to the school for deservedly winning the Colin White Trophy, another achievement in a yet again successful season for them. Hopefully the 50-over contest against the OCs will provide a different result…

Plan B fails to deliver in drubbing at East Horsley

East Horsley 127 for 5 (Clarence-Smith 3-22) beat Old Cranleighans 124 by five wickets

After several years where we have won with a degree of ease at East Horsley, Ed Henderson’s Plan B for a good, more balanced afternoon out in leafy Surrey was to field a gentler OC side of golden oldies and less regular younger guns with a few genuine cricketers. Sadly, this coincided with East Horsley deciding they had had enough of being thumped and so putting out a strong XI including poaching the in-form Ollie Davis from our ranks (in fairness his house backs onto the ground but still …). The net result was a drubbing that only four late wickets gave any semblance of respectability to.

After a committee decision on winning the toss, we batted. This was in no way due to almost everyone getting lost on route a ground which seems determined to remain one of life's undiscovered secrets. Gareth Starling was the last to arrive some 30 minutes late after a major row with his TomTom and was rewarded with a duck.

Although we lost Steve Bailey early on to the first of several stunning catches, all seemed calm as we eased to 41 for 1. Eddie Hamilton, who only volunteered the fact he had never batted above No. 11 at school after he had convinced Henderson to let him open, justified his faith in himself with 21 and Charlie Clarence-Smith also looked untroubled. Then the wheels came off.

Clarence-Smith drilled a ball straight to short extra cover and that brought in Mark Colgate. Buoyed by his fifty at Headley, he brought his entire family down to watch. They sat shivering in the bitter cold as he strode to the middle, was given leg-before first ball and strode back. He took out his frustration on his young son who he “smashed for 150 on the practice pitch”. His family departed soon after Colgate senior reached that landmark. It is suspected his son will never want to come to cricket again.

A rattle of wickets left us 55 for 5, the procession of batsmen to and from the middle only exceeded by the number of times Damon Hill ambled back to change bat. At one stage the shortage of options meant he was given back the first one he had discarded. He didn't notice, smacked a mighty six and then holed out. Tristan Rosenfeldt played some attractive shots before his questionable stamina was challenged by two all-run twos in as many deliveries and, wheezing, he missed a straight one. Fittingly, the innings ended in a comedy run-out.

In the field we got an early breakthrough but then were put to the sword by some merciless batting. At this point it may be worth mentioning that Jonny Gates did not volunteer to keep wicket so his passing impression of something whose sole purpose was to deflect the ball rather than stop it can be forgiven. On the few occasions, not all intentional, he got a glove to the ball there was not so much the cushioning plop as it was taken as much as a loud clang. It was a cruel way to treat someone who, as he may have mentioned a few times, took 7 for 84 a few weeks earlier … “Meaker also went for 84 for Surrey the same day off the same number of overs but he only got one wicket” …

A nine-wicket humiliation appeared likely before Clarence-Smith snaffled three wickets in two overs, exploiting the low bounce for anything pitched up. He is now in double figures for the season and if previous years are anything to go by, he is odds-on for the bowling cup. Henderson got a late reward for some good bowling but we were done, dusted beered and on our way home by 6.30pm. Had it not been like a chilly November afternoon then we might have minded more.

Waters and Scriven guide us to first-round win

Old Cranleighans 191 for 2 (Waters 99) beat Felsted Robins 190 by eight wickets

After four years of struggles and early exits in the Cricketer Cup it looks like the Old Cranleighans have the right formula to go far in this prestigious competition. After a convincing win in the warm-up game against Harrow, the first round drew us away to the Felsted Robins.

 After losing the toss, we were put into the field in what appeared to be seam- friendly conditions, but the opening partnership of Matt Crump and Max Barson were erratic in the early overs, the former bowling too many four balls. Barson made the breakthrough after a 40-run opening stand in just seven overs. This was followed by the other opener departing soon after as a result of an outstanding one-handed diving catch by Cope at square-leg off the bowling of Crump.

 The middle overs proved to be the most fruitful for us with some tight bowling and excellent fielding, and we were able to dry up the runs and continue to take wickets regularly. Paddy Harman was the pick of the bowlers with 10 overs, one wicket for just 15 runs, but ably supported by Seren Waters and part-time wobbler Rob Jones. The Robins after being 114 for 7 batted sensibly and put a couple of late partnerships together and were finally bowled out for 194 in the 49th over.

 A target which was probably 30 or 40 runs more than we would have hoped for at the 30 over mark but one that was well within our capabilities if we started well. This was exactly what transpired with Waters and Brad Scriven opening the innings and showing no mercy to the Felsted bowling attack. They really gave a masterclass in batting with Waters being the aggressor, punishing anything remotely loose, and Scriven playing an innings with great maturity and providing support but not missing his own opportunity to punish the loose ball.

 Needing a single for a well-deserved hundred, Waters looked to play a late cut to a short length ball and feathered an edge through to the keeper. The opening stand of 155 had all but won the match, so the immediate dismissal of a nervous Tom Crump, stumped as he lost his balance and dignity, did not cause any alarms, and Scriven and Alan Cope finished the job with ease.

 A comprehensive eight-wicket win and we entertain Stowe on the Lowers on Sunday June 30. Tom Crump

Defeat at Headley but Colegate enjoys his day out

OCCC 189 for 9 (Colegate 58, Vickers 40) lost to Headley 190 for 6 (Colegate 3-9) by four wickets
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Mark Colegate on his way to 58*

While the cream of the club took part in the Cricketer Cup warm-up and others joined in the match to celebrate Mike Howard’s 500 terms at the Prep, the old and infirm took to the field for the always-enjoyable annual game at Headley. The weather was chilly and the late-running captain found himself relegated to the bench after Mike Chase staged a coup when he found he had 11 men present anyway.

Headley fielded a new opening bowler - Farai Gono – who was quick and moved the ball (initially into Tristan Rosenfeldt’s body) but somehow failed to take a wicket. At the other end we lost two wickets in as many deliveries to balls that would have been called wide, Chase doing brilliantly to shuffle to off to try to just reach a ball he toe-ended straight at cover.

That brought in Peter Hobbs, back from Australia after eight years. He looked unchanged and his batting was just as we remembered. He departed for a five-ball duck.

Jock Vickers for a time looked like a batsman with some powerfully hit boundaries and Mark Colegate, in his first innings for 18 months, started slowly but gradually unleashed a series of lovely attacking strokes to bring him his fifty. Steve Bailey came in for a typically Kitbagesque cameo, repeatedly giving himself room to the brisk Gono and scoring heavily through third man, in between cracking two sublime cover drives. Eventually Chase, who started talking about the declaration soon after he was out, had enough and called time.

Colegate and Steve Bailey combine to bugger up a catch

Eddie Hamilton, on his debut and down from Durham University (greeted with Rosenfeldt’s “so, tell me, is Northumbria a county or what” ) bowled well and deserved more than his two wickets; Damo Hill did get what he deserved as the ball disappeared into the undergrowth. We were always struggling to keep Headley from scoring freely, although Chase’s moonballs did cause some amusement before the batsmen started thumping them to all parts.

Hobbs came on and briefly generated some pace before, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, he went in the hamstring and marched straight to the pavilion muttering he would not be back “for another eight ******* years”.

The end was nigh when Colegate came on and grabbed three late wickets, the first to a smashed drive which he took with complete nonchalance and then two with successive deliveries to swings that went miles straight up. It was too little too late but it gave the scorecard a look of respectability and completed a good day out for him.

Harrow dispatched in Cricketer Cup warm-up

OCCC 293 for 5 (Waters 113, Jones 92*, J Scriven 46) beat Harrow Wanderers 163 (Jones 3-15, Watkinson 2-25, Broughton 2-22) by 130 runs 

Seren Waters on his way to his hundred

Put into bat on a cold blustery Cranleigh School Lowers, OCCC lost Brad Scriven B early, well caught by a wide fin- leg hooking. Despite the early setback Seren Waters and Rob Jones set about a decent attack with maturity and some urgency. Although neither innings was faultless ( three reasonably difficult chances went begging)both played excellently all around the park making field placing tricky.

 An excellent innings by Waters was ended soon after he got to three figures at a score of 212 for 2. Jack Scriven added even more urgency while Matt Crump fell for the cause in the last few overs accelerating the run rate while Max Barson’s cameo was exciting and useful at the end, aiding Jones who ran out of enough of the strike to get to his deserved three figures.

 The Harrow reply never really got going with a steady opening burst from Barson and Crump not yielding any wickets but keeping the run rate below four-an-over. A Henry Watkinson first-ball loosener yielded the breakthrough as Harrow’s opener put it straight up in the air (he was surprised by the pace). The second opener followed soon after for Watkinson (again undone by the lack of pace) as he and Upper Sixth former Broughton kept the run rate down well below what was needed.

 As Harrow fell further and further behind the run rate Man of the Match Jones picked up three late wickets while good fielding yielded a run out. Crump and Waters both picked up a wicket a piece to complete a pretty comprehensive victory against a side who had six players from Harrow’s 2012 campaign which saw them lose in the final.

 A good warm up which one would hope could be converted into a winning start to the Cricketer Cup campaign next week when the stakes are much higher.