contributed handsomely with bat and ball, despite the 4th XI footwear. Ben Nethersole reminded us that we really do have some hidden talent at the school and should do more to develop it. Fayed Farrukh sadly bowed out after many good contributions over the past few years. From the lower years, Selvey and McLeod (sounds like one of the faux luxury brand names that Matalan choose to put on their men’s clothing range) – Josh and Ollie, respectively – were a strong opening attack. Who can forget Selvey’s devastating four overs at Oakham and Shrewsbury? George Cochrane-Davis struggled for runs with the bat but was a worthy change bowler and an outstanding fielder. The loss of Ben Clarke, excellent with bat and gloves, to various injuries changed the balance of wins and defeats, without any doubt. Robin Hampshire leapt about trying to cope with the variation in bounce and width of a 2nd XI attack and deserves considerable praise. Raj Sunner is strong, fast and a good batsman but fell foul of injury. The best wins came in close games against Stowe, Shrewsbury and the OBs. The latter was particularly encouraging with younger players given the chance to show the depth in cricketing ability in the school. Felsted and Norwich were rather
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weak and looked like U16 teams, especially compared to the giant Cox, Skirrow, and Lyons. Oakham was demolished by Lyons. Note my deliberate use of the singular here because I am referring to the school rather than their cricket team. A barrage of artillery shells was let off and considerable damage done to the fabric of the school during 25 minutes of brutality. Sadly for us, and for local property maintenance companies, this wasn’t to be repeated. At the other extreme, St Albans (full of chippy club players), Harrow and some Aussies from Melbourne were too good for us by a fair margin on the day. The last-over defeat to Oundle was particularly frustrating but made respectable by a memorable contribution from the hitherto uncelebrated Eames and Eddie Parkin. So, highs and lows, laughter and tears, sun and rain, triumph and despair, elation and frustration, Selvey and McLeod, a suit of real quality. Machine washable. An annual thank you to Mr Braithwaite for doing a lion’s share of the work this year, to the McLeods and the Cochrane-Davises for the unstinting support and tweets and to all the back-up at Bedford School, especially the ground staff and caterers. Squad: Cox G. (captain), Choda N., Clarke B., Cochrane-Davis G., Eames H., Farrukh F., Hampshire R., Lyons O., McLeod O., Nethersole B., Parkin E., Selvey J., Shah A., Skirrow J. and Sunner R. R.E. Heale