Chronicle January 2021

50 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Cricket By Rob Craze

Alex Horton

Autumnal sun shone upon the cricket club at the start of the academic year enabling a fantastic five weeks of development and enjoyment. Given the lack of external fixtures, the Cricket Club took the opportunity to develop technical skills, game-awareness and decision making with a mixture of training and inter-school matches of varying formats. 1st and 2nd XI training was designed to promote technical progress in preparation for their inter-squad matches. A tri-match series between the Marsh and Charlesworth XIs was held over the first three Saturdays. The pupils embraced the modern style of cricket donning coloured kit and playing with a pink ball throughout. The attitude on Upper One was exceptional throughout the five weeks and whilst the Marsh XI won 3-0 against the Charlesworth XI, the professional, fun approach embraced by the two squads was exciting and augurs well for the 2021 season. The Junior Colts As were able to train together as a squad for the first time and were highly competitive against the Colts As during their Saturday inter-school fixtures. The standard was excellent, boding well for future seasons in their respective age groups and for when they integrate into the senior teams in the years to come. Meanwhile, high levels of participation were seen across the Lower Fields in the form of Colt and

Junior Colt House tournaments – small-sided matches encouraged an attacking and tactical brand of cricket which were all played in admirable spirit. In our final week of cricket, the 1st XI, 2nd XI, Colts A and Junior Colts A had the opportunity to play against Radley. The 1st XI were unable to get close to an above-par 166 whilst the 2nd XI and Junior Colts As provided the stiffest opposition, both teams getting close with their respective run chases. The results were not in our favour, however

there was no doubt the experience will have provided excellent motivation and will stand the boys in good stead for the coming season. Last summer, there were notable individual successes. Alex Horton signed his first professional contract for Glamorgan Cricket Club alongside representing the 2nd XI regularly and Luke Charlesworth made his full Oxfordshire minor counties debut. Meanwhile, Toby Kershaw and Stanley Brown represented Hampshire and Gloucestershire academies respectively.

James Marsh