Cricket Tour Programme

ST EDWARD’S CRICKET Peter Swainson, Master i/c Cricket

of a golden age and can, with one of the most successful records in the country (on a circuit that includes the likes of Eton, Harrow and Radley), fairly claim to be one of the top Cricketing schools in the country. Last summer the 1st XI won the prestigious John Harvey Cup for the fourth time in only six seasons, with captain Harrison Ward and leading run scorer, Ben Charlesworth, subsequently gaining selection for the England U19 squad. Recent leaver Miles Hammond also had a breakthrough season with Gloucestershire; scoring his maiden first-class century against Sussex and shining in the Vitality Blast. However, the most impressive feat must surely belong to current pupil Ben Charlesworth, who made his first-class debut for Gloucestershire in July; scoring two half centuries and taking four wickets in his first three matches. Ben is currently on tour with the England U19’s in Bangladesh, which is why he is not with us in Barbados. Last year, we also launched a girls’ Cricket programme, with a healthy number of girls enjoying developing their batting and bowling skills and their general understanding of the game. This season sees us enter the Girls’ National U15 Cup for the first time, with the future looking promising. Cricket at St Edward’s is currently in great shape, and our pre-season tour to Barbados will provide the boys with a fantastic opportunity to challenge themselves and develop their skills in a different environment, whilst also fostering a strong team spirit and, above all, forging new friendships and enjoying everything Barbados has to offer! Peter Swainson

St Edward’s enjoys a proud and distinguished cricketing history. The earliest records of a School Cricket XI date back to 1873. Since then it has produced a number of exceptional XIs and notable Cricketers. Foremost among these is R H Bencraft, the ‘father’ of Hampshire Cricket who acted as their first president, secretary and captain. Then there is E G Wynyard, who played three Tests for England, followed by P Hutchinson, who took a School record 118 wickets in the 1880 season and played two Tests for South Africa in 1889, and A M de Labat, who represented New Zealand from 1890 to 1897. Interestingly, de Labat still holds the oldest School cricketing record remaining: 267 wickets in a 1st XI career! P A Gibb, who played in eight Tests for England, has the great distinction of scoring 93 and 106 on Test debut against South Africa in 1938. The School has produced multiple first-class Cricketers too; the most notable in recent history being T H C Hancock, who scored 8,485 runs for Gloucestershire in 185 matches, as well as 15 Blues. The 1st XI has had two unbeaten seasons – under the captaincy of Peter Thackeray in 1968 and Olly Martin in 1998. However, over the last decade, the Club has entered something

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