SPORT
Cricket Season News The boys’ cricket season so far has ebbed and flowed with some outstanding positives as well as other things highlighted as needing some work. On the whole, the team has endured a more successful 50 over stint as opposed to the shorter format of the game in the T20 and 100 ball competitions with some great cricket being played nonetheless. The 50 over season so far has included a thrashing over Whitgift School with skipper Fin Tomlinson scoring his first 100 of the season as we posted 257 for the loss of 6 before ripping through their order to reduce them to 157 all out. The next game came against Brighton College on a dogged surface that had a lot of purchase for the bowlers and, due to a gritty 50 from Emmanuel Bawa and a quick flurry of runs at the back end of the innings via fellow Gonvillian Finn McKeown, the team posted 286 of which Brighton could only manage 256 with a Ben Van Noort special picking up 4fer. Two wins from two of the boys faced the well drilled Hurstpierpoint boys who posted a very respectable 309 in their 50 overs on a green College Field surface. Although the Eastbourne lads weren’t fazed and went out with great intent and after another Fin Tomlinson 100, a blistering 42, courtesy of Tom Pedley and a Classy 39 to finish the game off in style by Alfie Hunter, the boys knocked them off in 47 overs to gain an emphatic win over Hurst. Eastbourne on a 3 from 3 win streak went into the Cranleigh game with confidence. However, Cranleigh’s spinners spun a web and claimed the team for only 100 runs and in reply knocked it off in 26 overs despite a gutsy fielding effort from the team which allowed the lads to take a lot of learning into the forthcoming season. On the last weekend before half term the boys played a confident Tonbridge side who claimed all 10 of our wickets for just 166 after a misjudgement of a typically good Tonbridge surface and outfield. However, the boys showed a gutsy bowling performance as Sam Holder set the tone bowling 7 overs for just 18 runs while Josh Ansell bowled sharp at the other end taking 3 Tonbridge men with him back to fine leg at the end of his spell. Although it was one, if not the best, of the bowling performances from the Eastbourne Side, we simply did not put enough on the board to give us some more breathing room to work with. The short format season kicked off quite literally on a 23
flier against Bedes in the National Cup as Fin Tomlinson and myself put on 120 from the first 12 overs with Fin ending on 67 and me on 52. A flurry of Bedes wickets, however, led us to end on 160 from our 20, of which Bedes managed to chase down with 3 balls to go in a nailbiter. It should be said our fielding let us down although it has since improved significantly. The team had another chance to beat Bedes in the Langdale Cup. However, we bowled first and not to great effect as our plans were not executed to as we would have liked. Their commendable score of 158 started on a positive with again a flier from our openers Fin and myself but then gave away their wickets which fell in clusters. Despite a quick 39 from Jack Greig in his first 1XI innings and a gutsy 50 from Emmanuel Bawa, the boys were restricted to 133 of our 100 balls.
The Eastbourne lads weren’t fazed and went out with great intent The third of our losses in the shorter format came against a strong Hurstpierpoint College team who are, at the time of writing, one game away from the National Finals. Hurst put on 159 on a small pitch with some lucky strokes forecasted by their players after a lack of clarity on bowling plans. In the second innings, despite a serious effort of 68 from Jack Greig who seems to have taken a liking to the hundred ball competition, Hurst claimed all 10 for just 115. On the whole, I’m proud of the team watching individuals improve as we continue to grow and develop as a team. I’m excited to see what the next half of the season has in store for us.
Aditya Kumar, Year 12, Wargrave House
