Cricket Report Week 6

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cricket, RHS, rhs sport, royal hospital school, sport, the royal hospital school, Woodbridge

The U13s lost their regional 3rd round ‘Jet Cup’ game at New Hall, Chelmsford, by just 16 runs. In a tight affair the Junior 1st XI started well with Cameron Jordan taking out two Essex batsmen. The ‘spin-twins’, Josh Frame and Fergus Atkins, continued the good work before New Hall accelerated to finish on 109 all out their 20 overs with part-time seamer Alex Oxley claiming a super 5 wicket haul. In reply our batsman started well before the run-out of Frame and New Hall’s bowlers started to apply pressure. Atkins batted steadily for 36 before he was bowled in the 16th over with still 30 needed. The U13s tried hard to get there but were restricted by some good New Hall straight bowling.

In the block fixtures against Woodbridge the U12s lost an important toss and were made to bat on a sticky wicket and slow outfield. Hamish Comonte and Harvey Crallen repaired the early damage with a 3rd wicket partnership of 41. Comonte eventually top scored with 24 in his team’s total of 76 all out against some good Woodbridge bowling. Despite a great start by our bowlers which resulted in the opposition being 20 for 3, our support bowlers were not strong enough to force a victory so they lost by 5 wickets.

The U13s defeated Woodbridge by 5 wkts with Josh Frame undefeated on 43 whilst Fergus Atkins made 45. Earlier having won the important toss, our bowlers put Woodbridge under pressure with some impressive bowling although the fielding was not as dynamic as usual.

The U14As also beat Woodbridge by 84 runs with Ben Arulampalam making 67. Arulampalam and Nick Paddon put on an impressive opening partnership especially as we lost the toss and had to bat. Paddon finally fell on 47 as the RHS posted 162 for 3 off their 25 overs. With the bowling shared around the U14s won convincingly by 82 runs.

The U14Bs thumped Woodbridge by 9 wickets at home. We bowled them out for 65 with the wickets shared between Elliott Rayment, Toby Ruffles, Toby Lee, Scott Taylor, Ollie Leggett and Jack Wheeler Brand. Whilst we lost Xavier Bull early for nought, Rayment and Ruffles positively set about chasing down 66. This victory was achieved in just 8 overs.

The U15s enjoyed a great victory over Woodbridge on Lord’s with Michael Cowdrey and Toby Allday splendidly putting on 169 for the first Wicket. Cowdrey went on to score his first RHS century with an undefeated 115. The U15s bowled them out for 62 with William Parmenter Stratta taking 4/16 and RHS won by 107 runs.

Cricket Results week 5

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U12A v St Josephs’s College (Won)
The Under 12 defeated St Joesph’s in the Suffolk Cup and now qualify for the ‘Suffolk Finals Day’ at Orwell Park on Friday 20 June. The U12s were most impressive in all three disciplines. Ed Fairley and Finn Anderson played well to keep the St Joesph’s bowlers at bay with a fine opening partnership.

U12B v Colchester Royal Grammar School (Won by 9 wickets)
The U12B defeated CRGS in a limited over midweek fixture. Our U12B restricted CRGS to 92 for 7 off 20 overs with Harry Wheeler Brand taking 3 wickets. In reply, Ben Waylett saw his side through to victory with 37 not out and RHS U12B won emphatically by nine wickets.

U13B v Colchester Royal Grammar School (Won by 63 runs)
The U13B also won well at CRGS by 63 runs with our bowlers in fine form. John Wells claimed 4 wickets with the other six shared between Toyo, Cory Stone and Varun Nayar.  Earlier our batters finished on 96 all out with Toby Braybrooke looking set until he gave his wicket away.

U15B v St Benedicts (Won by 1 wicket)
The U15B won their game at home to St Benedicts. The game went down to the wire as our U15B won by one wicket in the very last over of an exciting match. Sam Le Roy batted well for his 42, while Ben Price and all-rounder, Adam Clough, were the pick of the bowlers in this close game.

U13 v Beeston Hall
In the U13 Jet Cup, our U13s were granted a walk-over as Beeston Hall decided to withdraw from the competition.

Cricket Report week 3

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1st XI v Colchester Royal Grammar School 1st XI (Lost by 40 runs)
The 1^st XI visited CRGS and played on the most splendid batting track seen by Mr Topley for some time. The Colchester batsman rattled up 180-6 off their 20 overs while the RHS seam bowlers found bowling ‘dot balls’ a huge challenge. Ben Osbourn was the pick of the RHS batsman coming in at No 5, as he made a fine and aggressive 46 in very quick time. RHS were bowled out 40 runs adrift (still scoring 7 an over) being bowled out for 140.

2nd XI v Colchester Royal Grammar School 2nd XI (Won by 9 wickets)
Peter Crockett’s decisive knock at Colchester saw our 2^nd XI home after some excellent initial work by bowlers and fielders alike which restricted Colchester to 75 all out. Colchester’s wickets were shared about but George Petrides and Ollie Sellers claimed three each. Peter Crockett managed to complete an outstanding and aggressive half century

Junior 1st XI v Moreton Hall Prep (Won)
The Junior 1^st XI emphatically won their match with Moreton Hall Prep. Josh Frame with 50 and Alex Oxley put on a fine opening partnership before RHS posted a very challenging 160 off 20 overs. Max Orr and William Kempster contributed more forceful batting with some good hitting in the end. Moreton Hall struggled against our disciplined bowling; especially from Cameron Jordan and Killian Rew who both conceded just 7 runs each from their 5 over spells. Moreton Hall finally made 55 all out with the wickets shared about all the RHS bowlers.

There were also three friendly midweek games against Littlegarth U11 A, B and C teams. The RHS U12A were winning before bad light stopped play, the U12B won their match by 10 runs and the U12C won their very first game of hard ball cricket. Edward Fairly batted well for his 46 runs in the A Game.

1st XI v Framligham (Lost by 8 wickets)
Whilst eight of the Saturday cricket matches with Framlingham College were cancelled due to the rain, the 1^st XI did travel away and were well beaten by 8 wickets. Having won the toss, RHS batted first and the top order batsmen missed out again. They all had opportunities to show their batting skill but will be disappointed to have been dismissed for 139. A few dropped catches, together with a facial injury to one of our fielders (no names mentioned!), allowed Framlingham College the easy win but it was good to get a game in where so many cricketers didn’t.

Cricket Results week 1

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1st XI v Greshams (W by 26 runs)
The 1^st XI enjoyed a fine victory by defeating Greshams by 26 runs in a shortened 28 over affair. Rain ruined any prospect of play before lunch and winning the toss was then significant as Greshams were invited to bowl but initially with a damp ball. Our Senior side mustered a par 121/9 which was worth 140 with the heavy outfield. Josh Allday and Oliver Lovejoy top scored with 29 runs each. Both U15 debutants Michael Cowdrey and Toby Allday did not look out of place on their debuts in senior 1^st XI. After tea, the RHS bowlers found some early season form with leading paceman, Brendan Tait, bowling particularly tightly in tandem with Toby Allday and Cam Kerr. The Greshams batsmen found the going tough as our bowlers were supported by some excellent catches. 1^st XI Captain, Drew Felstead, was particularly impressive behind the stumps taking a fine stumping standing up to the seamers.

Senior 3rd XI v Greshams (W by 26 runs)
The Senior 3^rd XI enjoyed a similar 26 run win over Greshams. They posted a challenging 139 before our bowlers defended the total in a 25 over afternoon match.  Robert Ash was the impressive bowler on show, but it was Max Dixey who claimed the most wickets with 4. The catching was superb with captain, Seb Starling and George Bacon taking stunning catches in their fine victory.

U15B v Greshams (W by 169 runs)
The performance of the weekend was undoubtedly by our U15Bs. Man of the match was Ben Connor who battered Greshams for 115 runs off just 60 balls on a astro-wicket. His match-winning knock saw him strike 14 fours and 7 sixes in his team’s total of 204/6 off just 25 overs. He was ably supported by Toby Oliver (25) and Ollie Williams (27). Not content with his batting, Ben then dismantled Greshams batting by taking 5 wickets with his fast bowling. Ben will look forward to receiving his new bat to commemorate his first schoolboy century in the Headmaster’s Assembly.

U13B v Greshams (Won)
After some fine RHS U13B team bowling, Greshams Junior 3rds made 78/7 in their 25 overs. Cory Stone, Tom Ponsonby and Toyo Ogunlesi all bowling well as an unit. Our U13Bs cantered to an easy win by losing just 4 wickets with Peter Dwerryhouse seeing off the opening bowlers and then Tom Ponsonby and Oscar Johnson seeing us home with nine overs spare.

U15A v Greshams (L by 9 wickets)
Charlie Kerr was the stand-out batsman on either side and our bowlers were generally better than Greshams’, but sadly our fielders dropped catches which allowed the opposition to record an easy 9 wicket win.

U12A v Gresham’s (L by 7 wickets)
The Under 12s will have taken great heart from their game but also learnt much from their very first match together in senior school cricket. Hamish Comonte performed extremely well with both bat and ball on his debut and put on a fine 45 run third wicket partnership with Harvey Crallan.

All the matches away at Greshams were cancelled due to the rain: 2^nd XI, U14A, U14B U13A and U12B.

Essex Leg-Spinner impressed by RHS cricketers

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Tom Craddock, the Essex leg-spinning cricketer, visited the Royal Hospital School last week to offer some advice to a group of young wrist and finger spinners.

 The 24-year-old Yorkshireman met ten wrist (leg-spinner and googly) and three finger spin bowlers and talked to them about the challenging way in which he progressed into the professional game. He also described his experience last summer when bowling to the England team when he claimed a fine 5-wicket haul against the Test side.

RHS Master in Charge of Cricket, Don Topley, said, “The RHS cricketers had a tremendous opportunity to learn more about the art of spin bowling and the challenging craft of leg-spinning from a current professional. It is not often the RHS young cricketers get to speak with someone who dismissed Pietersen, Bell, Prior, Swann and Finn in the same innings!”

One RHS and Essex U15 spinner, Toby Allday said, “Tom was excellent as he gave us an insight into his rigid and disciplined season and game preparation, and offered us many drills in order to develop our bowling.”

The Royal Hospital School has a number of talented spin bowlers including three County, two District and seven school representative spinners and Tom Craddock was surprised saying “I was really impressed with the young spinners on show. To be honest it’s fantastic to see so many leg-spinners from just the one school!”

The School already has a historic connection with Essex County Cricket Club as Craddock’s team-mate, and England Lions bowler, Reece Topley, is a former pupil of the School, as is Reece’s father, Don Topley, who took nearly 600 first class and one day wickets for the county.

Toby Allday presented with the Jack Petchey Award for Achievement by North Essex District Cricket Board

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Jack Petchey Award winner Toby Allday

Toby, Year 10 at the Royal Hospital School, joined the North Essex District Cricket Board in 2012 and played with distinction in that year’s unbeaten U13 side.

Paul Lees, U13 manager, said

Toby always played his best and more importantly played the role the team needed most. His efforts were recognised by Essex and he played for the U13 Essex side. The following year, as an U14, he again was on the fringes of Essex, but still committed himself to the District U15 side and always contributed selflessly what was required by the team. He showed great leadership and set the standard the team needed to aspire to. Always a popular member of the team, both with players and coaches, his performances and attitude has made the team perform to the highest level.

As a result Toby Allday was awarded the Jack Petchey Award for achievement. The Jack Petchey Foundation ‘helps young people to raise their aspirations, believe in themselves and make a contribution to society’.

Dates confirmed for the 2014 Minor Counties Cricket Festivals

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cricket, MCCF, Minor counties, RHS, royal hospital school, sport, the royal hospital school

The Under 12s Minor Counties Cricket Festival (MCCF) begins at the Royal Hospital School on Friday 1^st August with matches on Saturday 2^nd, Sunday 3^rd, Monday 4^th Tuesday 5^th August and Wednesday 6th August.

The Under 11s arrive on Thursday 7^th August and have fixtures on Friday 8^th, Saturday 9^th, Sunday 10^th and depart after their fourth and final game on Monday 11^th August.

For more information please contact the organiser, Don Topley, on 07920 164126 or 01787 211163 or by email dtopley@royalhospitalschool.org

 

Ex-Cricketer David Young talks of Winning Minds to RHS Middle School

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cricket, david young, RHS, rhs sport, sports psychology, the royal hospital school, winning mind

On Wednesday 20 November David Young, ex-cricketer turned sports and performance psychologist, visited the Royal Hospital School to talk to pupils of the Middle School (Years 9 to 11).

David Young, Founder of Winning Mind

Following his career as a professional cricketer with the Middlesex Cricket Board, David has worked in talent development and coaching with the ECB and studied an MSc in Sport Psychology to become a specialist performance psychologist. His research into the characteristics of High Performing Environments has gained excellent reviews and he has worked with a range of clients including Wolverhampton Wanderers and our own former RHS pupil, Reece Topley.

In 2011 David founded ‘Winning Mind’ offering his expertise to a wider audience and helping individuals and teams to fulfil their potential. Using robust psychological theory and research to enhance performance, four main themes are developed: leadership development, mental toughness, team dynamics and one-to-one performance psychology. 

His talk to the RHS pupils gave interesting insights into the way our minds work when under pressure. A lot of his work has been in helping the individual to not only work on the skills they wish to improve but also to work on them in pressured situations once they have mastered it. For example, when it comes to the penalty shoot out in the World Cup or those final match points at Wimbledon they are used to performing to their best under pressure.

Chris Graham, Head of Middle School, said, “I would like to thank David Young on behalf of all the pupils and staff who were lucky enough to hear his insightful words. Many of our pupils are working hard towards their GCSEs in what is often a pressurised environment and I am sure many of the techniques he outlined will help with their academic studies as well as on the sports field”.

A Successful Season for Mistley CC helped by three RHS boys

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During the Summer break three RHS boys played vital roles in a successful season for the Mistley CC 2nd XI. Drew Felsted, Josh Allday and Toby Allday joined a side that won 7 of the first 10 games and their impact on the team was immediate.

Drew Felsted

Josh Allday

Toby Allday

A win away at Ipswich and East Suffolk saw Drew score his maiden half-century for the club as they collectively scored more than half the runs off the bat; this proved to just be a precursor of what was to follow.

As Mistley entered a crucial run of games against clubs at the top of the league, Josh embarked upon an incredible series of four consecutive 50s which earned him a number of votes for the Player of the Season award.

Toby was also making a name for himself as he repeatedly provided the team with a platform to build on opening the batting with a variety of partners.

By the end of the season the three boys had seen Mistley win their final 11 games to be crowned champions on the final day. Josh scored 322 runs from 8 innings at an average of 46, his seemingly effortless ability to accumulate runs quickly, along with near perfect timing, proving too much for the opposition.

In turn Toby scored 252 runs at 42, showing a temperament belying his years as he passed double figures in every innings and protected his wicket superbly.

Drew’s opportunities with the bat were limited, partly by the Allday brothers, but he scored 99 runs, averaging 33, and in his 7 games took 9 catches and 4 stumpings.

There was even time for elder brother Ben Allday to show his class in a cameo appearance at Clacton!

As well as the impressive statistics above, what the scorecards do not show is the wider contribution to the team made by the boys. All three fully bought into what the side was trying to achieve, in turn providing other players with a renewed sense of belief that success was possible. Their fielding was exemplary, and the way they became such vital team members is testament to their hard work, commitment to the cause and understanding of what it is to be part of a team.

Captain Phil Palmer said: “It was a pleasure to have them in the side and I look forward to experiencing that again many times in the future!”

Cricket Report Week 7 by Don Topley

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cricket, RHS, rhs cricket, rhs sport, the royal hospital school

Following the Half Term holiday, we were quickly back playing representative cricket. On Saturday 8 June the School fields looked both busy and impressive with six home fixtures and three away at Woodbridge. The following results were recorded:

The RHS 1^st XI  won the toss and put Woodbridge in who amassed 180 for 8 off their 40 overs on a good and fast wicket. The 1^st team appeared a bit rusty and this was evident in the 21 wides offered.  Matt Rudston claimed 3 wickets and the pick of the bowlers was Ben Moore with 1 for 23 of his 8 overs.

In reply, RHS got off to poor start as Captain Ben Allday and Ben Moore both were bowled by Woodbridge’s only impressive bowler, Carter, who delivered some toe-crushing yorkers.  Wickets were taken at regular intervals by Woodbridge with only Rudston making a notable contribution of 40 before Drew Felstead witnessed our tail’s demise.  Disappointingly RHS 1^st XI were bowled out for 110 and duly lost by 70 runs.

Our 2nds performed better and dominated their game at Woodbridge.  Although they didn’t win they played most of the cricket having been in trouble at 15 for 3 before Cam Kerr with 56 and Toby Eaton with 33 allowed us a competitive 184 all out. Tait and Kerr opened-up impressively but it was the consistent medium pace of Ollie Sellers who claimed 3 wickets as Woodbridge 2^nd XI survived on 116 for 8 at stumps.

Our Under 15s enjoyed a 7 wicket victory at Woodbridge. Our fielding was a highlight of the afternoon with a fantastic catch in the gulley from Ollie Lovejoy and an equally impressive slip catch by Lyam Thorpe. This was backed up by a direct hit form distance for a run out by Harvey Sellers.  Sellers was the pick of the seamers with 3 wickets as the hosts made 123 all out.  Our U15 captain, Ollie Lovejoy, remained undefeated on 69 as we completed the victory in 24 overs with the loss of just the three wickets.

The U14A had another convincing win. Disciplined bowling and much improved fielding saw our U14s dismiss Woodbridge for 92, with Charlie Kerr, the fast-improving Cedric Hoskyns-Abrahall and Toby Allday – who claimed three wickets.  After losing Charlie Kerr, Mikey Cowdrey and captain, Toby Allday, then led a batting charge that saw us chase down Woodbridge’s score in just 14 overs for the loss of just one wicket. Cowdrey scoring 42 not out and Toby Allday 41 not out.

The U14Bs won the toss and decided to bowl first and it proved to be the right decision with RHS bowling and fielding well, restricting Woodbridge to 62 all out on the astro wicket. Our three seamers Adam Clough, Rouxhan de Nysschen and Riley Faulkner claimed the wickets with some excellent and disciplined bowling for ‘B’ team level.  Adam Clough and Fergus Tribe opened the batting and made a confident start which meant that RHS easily got to the victory target of 63 with the loss of just two wickets.  Man of the match was Adam Clough for a fine catch, good bowling and sensible batting and Mr Gould went home an extremely happy cricket coach.  RHS U14Bs won by 8 wickets.

The U13s also put in an excellent winning performance.  Woodbridge made 75 all out with captain, Ben Arulampalam, continuing with this good form with 4 wickets as did leg spinner, Nick Paddon. Paceman, Zac Puckey, claimed the remaining two wickets. Our Under 13s completed a 7 wicket victory in just 18 overs with Paddon, PC Du Toit, Elliot Rayment, and Ben Barker all making some runs in the search for victory. Mention must be made of our fielding especially Kieran Farrer and Ben Arulampalam’s run out.

The Under 12s were not to be out-done by the older age groups as they also won by a large 203 run margin.  We won the toss and decided to bat with William Kemspter making 81, Josh Frame 52 and Max Orr 48 in our impressive total of 247 for 2.  In reply, Woodbridge struggled against our bowling and were bowled out for 44, with wickets two wickets each for Cillian Rew, Thomas Paddon and Elliott Chilvers.

The sixth home fixture on Saturday was with our Under 14Cs who had a hastily arranged 20/20 fixture with a School touring from Middlesex. Kingsbury High are not new to RHS as they have toured annually in North Essex and Suffolk.  This year, they played our Under 14Cs with their more experienced U14A side.  Not surprisingly, we were defeated as Kingsbury made 165 in their allocated 20 overs and RHS U14Cs could only must 79 in our 20 overs.  Kingsbury High really enjoyed coming to Holbrook and look forward to playing here again in 2014.