Somethings old, somethings new

The averages for 2010 showed significant contributions from both young and old, but the story of the season was provided by the veteran Simon Copleston, who returned from exile in Dubai to record his sixth OC hundred, equally the record of Nigel Paul; despite barely lifting a bat in anger for several seasons, he also came within six runs of a second century. His 267 runs at 89.00 topped the averages and took him past 4000 runs, only the second batsman to achieve the landmark, again after Paul. He also leapfrogged his brother, Eds, whose own departure for New York curtailed his own record-chasing activities.

There were two other hundreds, one in his first innings for the club, one in his last. Duncan Allen, at the time in the Upper Sixth, made a much-lauded 109 not out against Old Wykehamists on his debut, and went on to play for Kenya Under-19s before the year was out. The other came at Headley where Nathan Ross scored 112 shortly before heading back to Australia after a nine-year stay in which he became the first and only non-OC to play regularly for us. It was a popular and deserved way to sign off.

The Crump brothers again weighed in with valuable runs, Sam Langmead showed rowing the Atlantic had left no scars with a brace of 70s, while Dave Wilson proved a far better prospect than his father (Mike) with a pair of 60s.

Of the 116 wickets taken during the season, only three bowlers managed ten or more, two youngsters - Matt Crump with 11 at 15.73 and Andrew Goudie, in his debut season, with 13 at 22.38 - and another older than those two combined - Michael Chetwode with 10 at 24.30. Matt Crump was also one of only two bowlers to take a five-for, the other a man two years older than Chetwode, Graham Webb, whose 5 for 25 came in the Cricketer Cup defeat against Old Malvernians, only the third time anyone had taken five in a cup tie, the other two occasions almost inevitably featuring Chetwode.

Paddy Harman looked a useful allrounder with runs and wickets.

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Under par on a soggy Jubilee

Radley Rangers 141 for 4 (27.1overs: Goudie 2-58; Harman 1-15) beat Old Cranleighans 140 for 5 (35 overs: Crump T 42*, Langmead W 28)

Despite heavy overnight rain we were able to get a game of sorts on a soggy Jubilee, albeit one of the limited-overs variety increasingly the norm but less than popular with some of the old guard.


Damien Hill won the toss and batted but, by his own admission, “I put too many youngsters too high up the order and the innings stagnated”. We limited to 60 for 2 after 20 of the 35 overs, failing to put pressure on the fielders with some very ordinary running. Will Langmead, who broke the all-time record for the most runs in a school season in 2010, made 28 but it was only when Tom Crump (42*) came in that things got moving, and David Bugge contributed a breezy 15 at the close, rolling back the clock with a lusty lofted cover-drive in the penultimate over.

Paddy Harman opened the bowling, getting through all his seven overs in one burst, maintaining a good line with a couple of maidens and accounting for Radley’s opener in his final over – caught behind by Langmead. Our other opening bowler, Will Jordan, got dispatched, and after seven overs Radley were 60 for 0 and seemingly set for a comprehensive win.

Goudie did a good job of slowing the rate down, as did Hill whose seven overs only cost 11 runs, but the asking rate by then was so low as to be academic. Jumbo Jupp took a wicket with a long hop and the game ended when Bugge’s first ball was thumped to the boundary.

“We were well beaten,” Hill admitted. “But it was a decent fightback after a stodgy batting display and rocketering (sic) start to Radley’s innings.”

OCs cling on for a draw

Old Wellingtonians 244 (Jones 60, Allen 3-30, Henderson 2-33, Harman 2-55) drew with Old Cranleighans 130 for 9 (Bailey 32, Barker 4-23)
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The weather broke shortly after the start of the second game of the week, the temperature dropping and several heavy showers blighting the day, one brutal squall mid-morning causing several ageing OCs to show a turn of speed not seen in years.

Old Wellingtonians never settled before lunch on a pitch which, spruced up by rain, offered far more than it had 24 hours earlier. Paddy Harman and Ed Henderson proved a useful new-ball partnership, and after they had prised out the top order, Duncan Allen came on to make light work of the middle order. At 88 for 6 an early finish was on the cards, but Jones capitalised as the conditions eased, and he steered Wellington to 244.

We started equally unconvincingly, but despite a minor recovery from Simon Copleston and Steve Bailey, we were never in the chase. More rain meant that we were left batting out the final overs, but that provided late drama as we managed to lose wickets every time we appeared safe. Mike Roper was ninth man out in the penultimate over after more than one scare, and it was left to Henry Watkinson to bat out the final over. Even then he gave his captain one last scare, scooping the fourth ball back over the bowler and coming within a diving inch of being caught.

Double defeat by the School

Cranleigh School 242 (Allan 76, Cowdrey 40, Austin 46*, Langmead 42, Harman 3-64) beat Old Cranleighans 178 (Cope 51, Davies 4-44) by 64 runs

For the second year running, we fielded a side of recent leavers in this annual game, although the intended captain, Seren Waters, was absent on international duty with Kenya.
This was the final match of the School’s year and, again in a break with tradition which we hope will continue, the start of the OC week.

Duncan Allan, who had been the mainstay of the School’s innings in the T20 game five days earlier, again provided the anchor with 76, although this time he received good support. Paddy Harman was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 64.

Cope, in only his third innings of the summer, got us off to a flier and while he was in full flow the School were on the back foot. But he miscued when on 51 and it with time running out it was generally expected we would shut up shop, as per absentee captain Eds Copleston’s instructions. But something got lost in translation, the batsmen kept hitting out, and we were well beaten with almost ten overs remaining.

Cranleigh School 138 for 9 (Allan 42) beat Old Cranleighans 129 for 6 by nine runs

History was made on Speech Day when we played our first Twenty20 encounter against the School, an experiment that was well received by all concerned and one that is likely to be repeated in the years to come.

Neither side had much experience in the format, most batsmen seeming to believe slogging was the required tactic. Allan provided the backbone of the School’s innings but at a slow run-rate. In the end, however, it was the difference between the sides.

Squad named for Cricketer Cup first round

Following the OCCC Cricketer Cup selection panel conference call (and Rick Johnson was still 25minutes late for that), the following 14-man squad has been named for the first-round tie against Haileybury Hermits on Jubilee on June 14.

Michael Chetwode, Eds Copleston (captain), Matt Crump, Tom Crump, Paddy Harman, Ed Henderson, Will Howard (wkt), Abeed Janmohammed, Rob Jones, Chris Preece, Phil Roper, Seren Waters, Henry Watkinson, Graham Webb.

The only two absentees from last year’s Cricketer Cup final are Stuart Meaker, who is on Surrey duty, and James Halton, who is injured. Alan Cope, who played in all rounds of the 2008 campaign other than the final, is out for the season with a back injury.

Paddy Harman, currently at Durham University, and Chris Preece, who made his OCCC debut against Winchester last week, come in to the squad for the first time.