Cricket By Mr James, Head of Cricket The 2013 cricket season at New Hall has been busier than ever before, with more than 125 fixtures for teams from U12C to our now established 1st XI. Opponents have included the likes of Whitgift, Dulwich College, Eton College, Haileybury, Caterham and many more. These fixtures have brought about some outstanding individual performances, such as that of Thomas Styles (Year 13) scoring 142 to chase down 264 at Forest School early in the summer term. We have also had another year of excellent runs in the county and national cup competitions, with our U12’s looking for a hat-trick of county cups and the chance to qualify for the U13 David English National U13 cup. The current U13’s are in the regional semi of this competition and the U12’s in the semi final of the county cup. Our block fixture list is now unrecognisable from when cricket first started at the school in 2009. The same can be said for our cricket facilities, which now include a 1st XI pavilion, 5 grass squares and stateof-the-art practice facilities. This has also led to the school being asked to host Essex County Cricket Club youth fixtures against the age groups.
Sri Lanka – U15 Academy Tour, Easter 2013
Essex CCC U9-U17 Representatives
During the Easter holidays in 2013, the New Hall Cricket Academy travelled to Sri Lanka to develop their skills. The students played matches against Sri Lankan teams, including fixtures at Hambantota Stadium and Dambulla International Stadium. A particular highlight for the students was facing the District XI for the South at Rajapaksa International Stadium, the biggest cricket stadium in Asia.
2013 has seen another record number of New Hall boys go on to represent Essex CCC at their age groups. Throughout the school, fourteen boys have represented their county this year with great success. A special mention must go to Sean Sullivan (Year 7) and Charlie Lockhart (Year 8) who have progressed onto the Essex CCC Emerging Players Programme.
The students also visited the Foundation of Goodness, a charity working to improve the lives of the people living in the surrounding areas through sport, education and healthcare. It was an emotional day for everyone when the foundation opened the New Hall School IT suite, with 10 new computers generously donated on behalf of the school.
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Cricket
1st XI Captain Thomas Styles (Year 13) receiving his school cap after winning 142 v Forest School