Charlie, Editor of The Durham Eye, shares his thoughts on the Boys’ 1st Team Cricket season so far…
The 1st team cricket season sparked into a sensational start with sparkling sunshine flooding the Playground, rather than the rain of last year, enabling every game (bar one) to be played. Now that’s a change that any cricketer wants to see! As I write this, the season has seen some memorable victories which led to great celebration, but has also brought some more challenging games that are best forgotten quickly! The season began at Jesmond, in Newcastle, as we travelled North to face rivals RGS. Our hopes of beginning with a victory were soon disastrously demolished by the force of RGS’s power-hitting batsmen which seemed to be too much of a task for our tired and lethargic bowling line-up. Similarly with the bat, the late night of the previous evening certainly got the better of us as we ended up getting bowled out for a timid 107. Let’s move swiftly on!
However, determined to bounce back the following Saturday, we played much more positively to win convincingly by 61 runs. The following Friday, however, added to the oscillations of the season thus far. That afternoon, we suffered a detrimental setback from the boys of Yorkshire Cricket College, as we were pounded by their powerful batting and prominent bowling display.
However, the bouncebackability needed to succeed could be seen clearly the next day as, oozing with confidence, we travelled South to our neighbours, Barnard Castle School. Forgetting the previous day’s dire display we managed to turn things around dramatically by bowling in the right areas and using our superior batting strength, with powerful 51 from Patrick Hogg, guiding us to a much-needed victory.
After the half-term holidays, again, we faced RGS at home but in the exciting T20 format. Captain George Fishwick elected to bat first and led from the front as he gave an excellent display of power-hitting, blazing his way to a match winning 84, constantly smoking the ball into the depths of the Wear. Our monumental batting display thoroughly diminished the hopes of the RGS squad as we securely sealed the game.
However, the first half of the season was brought to a disappointing end as we took the long bus ride down to Woodhouse Grove in Bradford. We were very disappointed to be bowled out for a disheartening 162, with our defensive technique leaving Mr Fishwick apoplectic. The game finished before the drinks break in the second innings, and we made our way back to the bus for a sombre journey home. As I write this, trying to make sense of our topsy-turvy start to the season, there is much to look forward to in the coming weeks. Some notable fixtures to include are those against the MCC, the Pilgrims, an Australian touring side and our tour to Liverpool to conclude the season. Hopefully, we will be able to swing back into winning ways and end the season off with a bang! Floreat Dunelmia!
Charlie C, Year 12
Read more fantastic articles, including Lucy G’s reflection on the girls’ cricket season, in our student-led newsletter, The Durham Eye.