Allen shows his future potential

Old Cranleighans 229 for 7 (Allen 103, Roper M 53, Close-Brooks 4-45) beat Old Wykehamists 228 for 8 dec (Walters A 55, Roper P 3-71, Chetwode 2-37)
The antidote to the previous week's torpor with a game which ebbed and flowed and which we eventually won by two wickets with 16 balls to spare.

The star of the day was Duncan Allen, in his final year at Cranleigh. Batting at No. 6, he came with us tottering on 46 for 4 chasing 229 and smacked 109 not out to steer us to victory, moving from fifty to a hundred in 36 deliveries. His hundred came off 86 balls in 81 minutes, the eighth-fastest century in the club's history. He put on exactly 100 with Mike Roper, who made 53 opening the innings, and our tail was strong enough to provide support even when Roper departed.

Allen had earlier struck with the fourth ball of the day, the visitors' captain Ed Craig doubly disappointed to have fallen to a Johnny Gates catch, but a nine-man Wykehamists side batted solidly right through. Chetwode and Phil Roper took on the lion's share of the bowling, tying down the batsmen throughout, and Allen, Matt Crump and Sam Worthy all turned in tidy spells.

As an intended Cricketer Cup warm-up it served little value, with only two of the likely starters on display. Allen, unfortunately, is barred by the competition rules until the third round, and Rob Jones had little time to make his mark as he fell for a three-ball duck.

Crump hundred eases us to victory

Ed Copleston won the toss and chose to bat after rain had delayed the start. The decision was more than justified by Matt Crump and Tom Garland who took us to lunch on 105 for 0, and both opened up after the break, Crump reaching his hundred and Garland his fifty before both fell hitting out. Sam Langmead and Copleston then continued the good work, enabling us to declare in 262 for 3. Spare a thought for James Harrison who, on his debut, waited three hours to bat and was out second ball for a duck.

Clarence-Smith and Will Langmead opened the bowling as Buccaneers reached 60 for 1 at tea, Johnny Gates continuing his wretched catching by spilling a routine gulley catch just before the break. Gates and Phil Roper then bowled tightly as we squeezed the Buccaneers and wickets fell regularly. Mike Roper and James Harrison were slightly expensive before Will Langmead and Clarence Smith mopped up the tail to give us our first win since the first day of the cricket week.

Waters and spin sink Haileybury

Old Cranleighans 187 for 1 (Waters 103*, M Crump 35, T Crump 31*) beat Haileybury Hermits 186 (walker 93, Watkinson 4-58, Webb 2-30) by nine wickets with 23.5 overs to spare
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A excellent 107 not out from Seren Waters helped us to an easy nine-wicket win over Haileybury Hermits in the first round of the Cricketer Cup, setting up a challenging second-round tie at Tonbridge in a fortnight.

The setting could not have been better, with the sun shining and hundreds of Old Cranleighans and their families lining the Jubilee boundary. The Red Arrows flew over shortly before the start of the game, and when Eds Copleston won the toss it seemed it was going to be our day all the way.

We started shakily,however, Henry Watkinson and Ed Henderson conceding 17 off the first two overs, but the pair stuck to their guns and reined the openers, and by the tenth over each had taken a wicket and Haileybury were struggling on 43 for 2.

Then came a stand that appeared to be setting them on their way to a formidable total as Nick Walker and Stewart put on 108 for the third wicket. We knew that Walker, whose first-class career with Derbyshire and Leicestershire ended in 2008, would be the danger man, and he set out his stall by smacking Watkinson for two sixes in his first ten balls.

Copleston then set the three-prong spin attack of Phil Roper, Graham Webb and Waters into operation. Initially it seemed as if Walker would continue to dominate, hitting Roper for four fours in eight deliveries, but the next 15 overs produced only two more boundaries. Walker was adept at milking the singles, but Stewart struggled to keep the strike rate up. He managed only one run in the first 38 balls he faced, and 22 of his 24 runs, made from 98 deliveries, were singles.

Roper was unlucky as twice Webb spilt catches off well-hit reverse sweeps, but in the end the pressure told. Copleston switched Webb to the bottom end and with his second ball he had Stewart stumped. Three overs later Waters bowled another Stewart, and then within two balls the innings completely came unstuck.

Gaur was well run-out trying to give the strike to Walker, and next ball Walker himself, limited to singles by tight bowling and good field-placing, was cleaned up by Webb. At 151 for 2 with 18 overs remaining and the pitch playing well, most spectators were talking of a target of 270 plus; nine overs later Haileybury were 171 for 6 and all at sea.

That set the scene for Watkinson, whose pace is a distant memory but who has become a canny death bowler, taking on the mantle which Mike Chetwode used to fulfil so skilfully. By relying on line and length, with the occasional slow full toss into the mix, he polished off the innings with three wickets in five deliveries.

Haileybury had lost their last eight wickets for 35 runs, and defending 186 needed a to hit the ground running. Perhaps the hour-long lunch break, during which former housemaster Roger Knight formally opened the pavilion, did for the visitors.

The opening attack was wayward – there were ten wides in as many overs – and Waters, in good form after a mediocre start to the summer, was savage on anything wide of the off stump, cutting and driving with elegance and power. Matt Crump was by no means going to play second fiddle, and he was as always strong off his legs.

As the hundred approached, both batsmen started taking more chances. Waters was inexplicably dropped at mid-on when in his forties, Crump not as fortunate soon after.

The arrival of Tom Crump only accelerated the finish, cracking four fours in nine balls. Waters, whose fifty came in 61 minutes off 64 deliveries, laid into the weary attack, racing to his second hundred, his second fifty taking only another 32 balls and 34 minutes. His was innings which oozed class, and it was a fitting end to a weekend which had started with his father being awarded the MBE for services to Kenyan cricket.

Defeated but not disgraced

Old Malvernians 178 (Nash 70, Watkinson 4-14, Meaker 2-35) beat Old Cranleighans 152 (Waters 68) by 26 runs
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The dream of winning the Cricketer Cup in only our second year in the competition ended in the final at Old Deer Park as we lost to Old Malvernians by 26 runs. Nevertheless, we played superbly for three-quarters of the match and it was only in the dying overs that Malvern’s experience proved too much. They were the worthy winners but the youth of our side means that we should be a force to come for a number of years.

Malvern had a superb record in the competition, with five wins from five finals. Like us, they also made the final in their second year, although they went one better than we eventually managed.

Henry Watkinson won the toss and opted to field, hardly a surprise given that we had successfully chased in all four rounds. The pitch was dry and produced variable bounce, and Malvern found runs hard to come by. Stuart Meaker bowled a fiery opening spell, in contrast to Watkinson who relied on guile and accuracy and who took the first wicket in the sixth over, bowling Powell.

Watkinson’s opening spell of 5-2-4-1 set the benchmark, and Meaker got his reward four overs later when Mark Hardinges, who seven days earlier had steered Gloucestershire to a one-day win over Hampshire, dragged into his stumps for 2. Gifford looked capable of posing problems before he played an ugly cross-batted shot to Seren Waters, and at 31 for 3 in the 15th over, our tails were up.

Middlesex’s David Nash was clearly the danger man, and he found gaps with the skill expected of a professional, and with Franklin, the opener, he rebuilt the innings. Franklin should have been run-out with the score on 56 but Michael Chetwode fumbled a return to the bowler’s end with the batsman stranded mid pitch. However, we struck a crucial blow with the last delivery before lunch when Franklin tamely cut Matt Crump to Phil Roper at backward point for 29. We headed off in the better position, with Malvern 86 for 4 off 30 overs.

Nash and Usher batted well after the break, taking the total to 153 for 4 with judicious placement more than out-and-out aggression. In the innings overall there were only ten fours. In the final overs the batsmen hit out and, inevitably, wickets fell.

Nash perished for 70 to a tumbling catch from Roper and in the next over, the 46th, Meaker bowled Usher for 30. Watkinson then chipped in with two in two, and a brace of run-outs in the final over restricted Malvern to 178. Watkinson finished with excellent figures of 8-3-14-4 and the last six wickets had gone for 25 in five-and-a-bit overs.

The pitch continued to throw up puffs of dust and the outfield was slow, so it was a gettable target but not an easy one. The early sunshine had also given way to low cloud and the temperature had dropped into the 50s.

Waters top-edged the first ball he faced, a bouncer, over the keeper for four, and was struck by the second. But he showed composure beyond his years and was soon looking as assured as ever. Howard fell early, getting a leading edge, but that brought in Matt Crump, another young player in great touch.

Early shackles were broken when Waters twice lofted fours over midwicket, and Crump then joined in, surviving a half chance when he hammered the ball to the right of square leg who could only parry the ball.

Crump perished for 17 – one of three leg-befores against batsmen going back – and then Malvern’s seasoned spinners really tightened their grip on the game, backed by some excellent fielding. Abeed Janmohamed, such a class act in the semi-final, struggled to find his touch, but Waters kept things ticking along. Janmohamed departed for a 27-ball 3 (69 for 3) but Meaker sought to impose himself from the off.

The penultimate over before tea appeared to have swung the balance of the match, 15 coming off it including the day’s first six, a swing over long leg from Meaker. We headed off on 102 for 3 off 30, needing 77 to win in 20 overs with wickets in hand.

Whatever was served for tea, it perked up Malvern and pretty much did for us. Meaker fell lbw to the first ball after the restart and the pressure was on. James Halton, who specialises in run chases, looked up for it, but wasn’t able to stay long enough to make a difference.

Waters, who passed his fifty before tea, found it almost impossible to get enough of the strike. Eds Copleston was unable to push the ones needed to keep Waters at the striker’s end, although he did strike one sublime straight six.

The run-rate, which had hovered around four an over throughout, began to rise as the gloom worsened. Copleston perished trying to hit over the top, and three balls later Waters was bowled for a superb 68 as he tried to make up the lost ground.

From then on in we were always off the pace, although Tom Crump and Roper kept the flame flickering. Thirty three were needed off four, but Roper fell to a thick edge and then Crump was run-out after being sent back by Watkinson, who was bowled off the next ball to seal a deserved victory for Malvern.

The turnout was excellent, and many former and present OCCC players were in evidence, along with a good smattering of non cricketers and representatives of the school. There was a pleasant atmosphere, although staging the final at a ground under the Heathrow flight path was a downer.

Although the result was disappointing, everyone who has taken part in the competition for us this summer can be proud. As can the club and the school. Eight years ago we weren’t even in a knock-out tournament. In the interim we have won the Brewers Cup three times and the Cricket World Trophy once. Even participating in the Cricketer Cup was beyond our wildest dreams, and yet we achieved that and within two years we reached the final. We’ll just have to make sure that next year we go one better.

One last thought. In 2007, we became the first new side in the Cricketer Cup since it was expanded from 16 to 32 teams in its third year (1969). Our success has shown that there are strong sides out there who might not have been so four decades ago. Allowing some of these old boys’ teams into the competition can only bring new life to it, and the organisers should think about the value of looking at some expansion, adding new sides rather than waiting for old ones to drop out. It might mean a first qualifying round each year for the less successful teams, but that might be no bad thing either.

And now to the final

OCs 219 for 7 (Waters 57, M Crump 51) beat Old Alleynians 218 for 9 (Roy 57) by three wickets
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After three convincing and yet relatively straightforward wins, the semi-final against Old Alleynians was a far tougher affair, although the margin of our victory – three wickets – rather distorted our fairly calm progress until a late flurry of wickets within sight of the finish. The result was a place in the final at only the second time of asking, vindication for the organisers in allowing a new side into the competition for the first time in 40 years last summer, and also for the strength of Cranleigh cricket.

We had lost Stuart Meaker days before the game, called into the England Under-19 side for the Test series against New Zealand, and 19-year-old James Halton, a batsman highly rated by Stuart Welsh, came into the side. The weather was a rare scorcer in this otherwise wretched summer, and Alleynians had little hesitation on batting when again Henry Watkinson lost the toss.

Alan Cope opened with a brace of wides, but Watkinson, as he has so often done, broke through with the new ball, although on a good batting pitch, runs came quickly, especially when width was offered. But the innings turned on two run-outs. The first was a brilliant example of team-work, a seemingly fruitless chase to deep midwicket, a diving flick back on the rope to Seren Waters who had chased all the way as well, a bullet-like throw and a smart flick from Will Howard to leave the batsman inches short seeking a seemingly comfortable second.

Chris Jordan of Surrey, allowed to play on the condition he didn’t bowl fast, nonchalantly flicked Michael Chetwode off his legs to get off the mark and it appeared we were in for a long day in the field. But in the next over Roy pushed to point, Jordan called for a risky single only to be turned back and was never in the frame as Eds Coipleston’s throw scored a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Not needed as a batsman in the three previous rounds, it was his first real contribution to the cup run, but possibly it was a match-winning one. Jordan trooped off as the disbelieving Cranleighans mobbed the man with the plastacine arm.

Rattled, the Alleynians then found themselves pegged down by the teenage spinning duo of Waters and Phil Roper. Waters’ nagging legspin from the top end was hard to get away, while Roper, brought into the side in the previous round for the crocked Graham Webb, showed real potential.


Lunsh was entertaining, a barbeque on the run as Rick Johnson slightly miscalculated the time needed to cook chicken, but our young batsmen again came up with the goods when we started our chase. Howard and Waters made another good start, but hopes of another Howard onslaught were ended when he was caught behind for 20.

Matt Crump joined Waters and the scoring rate picked up as they took the score to 101 before Waters was caught behind off the bowling of Sivakumaran for 57. Cope arrived at the crease and looked at ease until falling LBW following an injudicious reverse sweep to a straight ball from Jordan, bowling off spin. It was not the first time the stroke had caused his downfall and won’t be the last.

The scoring rate had been good all the way through - however, with the arrival of Abeed Janmohamed, it picked up markedly. Hooking, pulling and driving the Dulwich opening bowler to distraction, Janmohamed made 35 in quick time before being caught on the boundary at long-leg going for another six. At 182 for 3, with Matt Crump again making batting look easy, we had one foot in the final. But Dulwich never gave up and, with the fall of the fourth wicket our lower middle order was exposed for the first time in the competition. A mini-collapse followed as we lost three further wickets in short order, including that of Crump to a top-edged swipe to leg for 51. Luckily, time was irrelevant and Tom Crump, aided first by Copleston and then by Roper, finally saw us home with Watkinson and Chetwode nervously padded up on the boundary.

“We have made it to the final at our first real attempt which is a testament to the strength of the school's cricket at the moment,” noted former captain and super veteran Michael Chetwode. “We mustn't forget that more than half this side are under 21 and, of the others, only two are over 30 (no names!). Dulwich came with what appeared to be a strong and well organised side but they should have been blown away. It's a credit to their tenacity and fighting spirit that they were in with a chance (however small) at the end despite looking down and out for long periods. It also shows that we can't be complacent in any facet of our game. We meet Old Malvernians on August 17 at Richmond and they will prove to be an altogether tougher assignment.”

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.

Rosenfeldt leads youthful CWT side

For the first time in the club’s history, we will be playing two cup matches on the same day. While the senior side travel to Old Cholmelians in the Cricket Cup second round on Sunday, June 24, Tristan Rosenfeldt leads an A team against Old Georgians in the second round of the Cricket World Trophy.

The side for that game, which starts at 11.00am on Jubilee, is as follows:
Tristan Rosenfeldt (capt), Graeme Brown, Tom Crump, Jonny Gates, Damien Hill, Jumbo Jupp, Sam Langmead, Rob Merry, Mike Roper, Phil Roper, Seren Waters.

The great thing is that the XI is young, with Brown the veteran at 29 and Rosenfeldt the second oldest (and by far the baldest) at 24. “As you can see this is a very youthful looking side and also one packed with quality,” said Rosenburg. “Many of us have played together but it will also be good to play with some of you guys for the first time, and I think this so called ‘Development Side’ really emphasises the strength in depth of talent the club has. I am very much looking forward to captaining this side.

“I am sure you all know, the Cricketer Cup side is playing on the same day hence the selection of this side. This game gives the opportunity for us all to play competitive cup cricket for the OC’s but also gives a platform to many of you to prove your worth and to start knocking on the door of Cricketer Cup selection, let’s give Henry and the selection committee some real headaches for future cup team selection.”