THE FORTY CLUB RESULTS: 2010 SEASON

These results have been sent in by District representatives and are (usually) reproduced verbatim. Latest results come first.
(District and opposition shown in heavy type: Results are shown in RED : century makers and great bowling are shown in BLUE)

Note:
* = not out
Apologies, but only best performances which have been submitted via completed scorecards are listed here

RESULTS

22nd July 2010
vs West Midlands Police Veterans - won
West Midlands Police won the toss and elected to bat on what proved to be a very flat track. The openers McWalter and Johnson soon got to grips with the West Midlands opening bowling attack of Clay and Hamman, and quickly moved the score along to 68 before both were caught by Strong and Murphy respectively for 66 & 47. Tune then opened his shoulders and continued to score quite freely, until the catch of the match by Sterling Hamman, sent him back to the pavilion for 69, off the bowling of Wickson. Once these top order batsmen had departed, the rest of the team struggled to capitalise on the great start, and were eventually all out for 261 off 40 overs. Strong, Wickson and Morris all ended with three wickets apiece. In reply, Peter Bates and Julian Morris dominated the early bowling and Bates was eventually run out on 62, with Morris following soon after to a good catch by Hamilton off Butt’s bowling. John Waters and Roger Wickson saw the last few bowlers off to all but win the game, before Waters fell victim to the flight and guile of Roy Tinkler for 54. Sterling Hamman and Roger Wickson needed only one run to win at this stage, and this was achieved in the 39th over. Fortunately, the weather was kind to us and despite rain being forecast, the game finished without interruption. Our grateful thanks must go to WM Police for once again looking after us so well.

21st July 2010
vs Colston Bassett - lost
East Midlands enjoyed a fine day in idyllic surroundings contrary to the weather forecast where Colston Bassett elected to bat and reached 234-5 in their 40 overs. Ben Storey led the way with 107 before he top edged a delivery into his mouth and had to retire hurt. Bill Taylor and Ken Stewart were the pick of the EM bowlers with two wickets a piece. In reply the EM fell well short with only Richard Wood (34) and skipper Cliff Adwick (37) making any significant impression as we limped to 154 for 9. Matters were soon put right in The Martins Arms where a fine evening followed.

16th July 2010
vs Sussex Martlets - won
An excellent game of cricket played on a perfect wicket at the lovely Lancing College ground was won on the penultimate ball by Surrey & West Sussex. The Martlets racked up 247 for 4 before declaring after 45 overs with Carter scoring 102 of them. Highlights for the visitors were the batting performances of Nigel Angus (88) and Willie Boone (99) who shared an opening partnership of 171. They love this ground, previously they both scored centuries in a 10 wicket win. This time Willie Boone couldn’t quite make another century as he fell LBW on 99.

Inter-District Trophy: Northern Festival
14th July: The Final: North West v North East - NW won
The weather on the second day of the Festival was better but heavy showers were forecast for the afternoon so it was agreed that the final would be a 40 over game. North East decided to bat first but despite an early burst by Karl Tyler (13) they struggled against accurate bowling from Brendon Miskella and Paul Mather. Miskella removed both openers and bowled his 8 overs straight through to finish with 2 for 18. Howard Illingworth and Ling for the NE batted sensibly but with no real urgency against the NW’s trio of slow left armers; namely Keith Roscoe, Phil Deakin and Bautik Shukla. The threesome continued to make run scoring difficult and only Tony Wilson towards the end of the innings gave it any impetus as he hit 30 not out. NE finished on 115 for 7. In reply Danny Welbourne (42) and Richard Hope (28) put on 78 for the first wicket in just 16 overs before Hope was caught by Tyler. The NE bowlers had no answer to the North West’s aggressive approach apart from Tony Sheppard who bowled 8 accurate overs, took the wicket of Welbourne and finished with 1 for 19. Chis Dearden came in second wicket down and set about NE’s attack hitting 26 not out in quick time. NW won by 8 wickets with13 overs to spare and skipper Keith Roscoe held up the RE Ruebans Trophy for the first time since 2007 just as the rain stared to fall. All credit must go to Peter Mason and the East Midlands district and especially Cuckney CC for arranging a hugely enjoyable festival at an excellent venue.
14th July: East Midlands v Scotland - EM won
A delayed start following overnight rain meant that the match was reduced to a 20 overs per side event. Scotland posted a fair total of 150-3 with Mike Powell (68no) leading the way as the Scots took 54 off the last 5 overs. Local player Cliff Adwick led the way with the bowling as his four overs went for just 8 runs as he took 2 wickets. When East Midlands batted the runs came at a steady rate and the target was passed in the 19th over for the loss of no wickets with Nick Jelley on 83 and Tim Moult on 69
13th July: East Midlands v North East - NE won
A close match that saw both sides have clear chances to progress in the competition. The East Midlands XI total was dominated by Tony Pridmore's innings of 150 not out but was then surpassed as Carl Tyler posted an imposing score of 125 not out as the North East passed the total with four balls to spare.
13th July: North West v Scotland - NW won
After a drizzly morning this first round match was reduced to 40 overs per side and Scotland were asked to bat first. They took the score to 21 before Mike Powell was brilliantly caught one handed by Brett Storey at first slip. Storey himself bowled first change and took 3 vital wickets to leave the Scots 56 for 4. Richard Donald (33) then set about a recovery aided by Bruce Girvan. Donald hit 33 runs including a big six that rattled the tiles on the roof of the indoor cricket school off Keith Roscoe’s bowling. Not liking the short boundary Keith changed ends and soon accounted for Girvan. Sweeney (26) for the Scots had and end of innings flourish which included another big six as they ended on 135 for 8. NW in reply began well against some tight bowling from Powell and Bailwal. Richard Hope first out well caught by Powell for 16. Fellow opener Stuart Priestley was the pick of the batting scoring 58 before falling to a good catch by Blair Forrester. Danny Welbourne scored 37 not out as North West cruised home by 6 wickets with14 overs remaining. On the other pitch, NE beat EM in a close high scoring game so it was to be a NW verses NE final.

8th July 2010
vs Giggleswick School - lost
On a Lovely day in the stunning surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales, the North West chose to bat first on a decent surface. Danny Welbourne got us off to as bright start with 22 but the highlight was the partnership of 77 between Mark Keith (44) and Howard Illingworth (27). Howard had the daunting task of facing his son Teddy at one stage but came through with the family honours intact. The innings came to an end after Barry Hamilton smashed a quick 17 on 159 all out with 3 overs of the forty left. The school’s reply was built around a fine innings by McCracken (a kiwi on a scholarship) who carried his bat with 85 not out. He was supported in the end by Mitchell with 27 not out, the pair guiding the school home with a 6 wicket win with 3 overs to spare. McCracken hitting the winning six when the scores were tied. A fine afternoon and an enjoyable game celebrated later in the Black Horse in the village.
vs Bridgend Scchools - draw
Batting first at Newbridge fields the Schools lost an ealy wicket before father Bunston removed son Bunston to see the schools slip to 45 for 2. The Schools innings progressed with most of the batsmen getting a start and the innings closed at 173 for 5 dec. In reply Geoff Thomas (42) getting the 40s away and good support from Brian Hitchcott (17),and skipper Mike Staddon (26no) saw Wales progress before a final flurry from Alun Bunston (14),who’s son returned the compliment by dismissing him, to see the Wales close at 152 for 7, just short of their target to seal a hard fought draw.

6th July 2010
Inter-District Trophy: Wales vs West Midlands - WM won
On a beautiful sunny day, West Midlands ventured into Wales to play their much awaited Inter-District game at Penarth CC. WM won the toss and elected to field first. However, their initial attempts to dislodge Docherty and Matthews were in vain, as Wales piled on the runs in the early exchanges. Docherty was eventually caught by a truly athletic one handed catch on the boundary, by captain Simon Hollands, who managed to avoid treading on the rope. There followed a period of uncertainty for Wales who lost, Lloyd, Lewis & Bunston for very few runs, with some very accurate leg spin from Richard Strong. Keneally then took up the challenge and once again started to dominate the bowling with Matthews. However, after Steve Matthews departed for a magnificent 103 and Keneally for 45, the fight looked over for Wales. They eventually ended their innings with a formidable 264 for 7. All of the WM bowlers chipped in with good performances, but Richard Strong was the pick with 3 for 33 off 8 overs. In reply, Giles Clements and Kevin Truswell opened the innings for WM, and set a good early pace, before Truswell was run out for 29 going for a “third” run. Captain, Simon Hollands, then came to the crease, and carried on the attack with some fine running between the wickets to push the score ever closer to the winning post. Hollands was then adjudged LBW, and departed for 30. This brought the hard hitting John Hartley to the crease, and he soon found the slower bowling to his liking, with some lusty blows to all parts of Penarth. John was eventually caught by a great catch from” keeper” Owens, for a solid 61. Giles Clements was then stumped by Owens, after a two hour stretch at the crease, for a very cultured 53. Gary Betteridge (39 not out) and Mike Palmer (26 not out) ended the game in style with some fine shots, to record a hard fought victory for West Midlands, by 6 wickets. WM’s thanks must also go Phil Haines, and Keith for organising the match at Penarth CC, and to all the ladies who prepared the food and drinks. In would also be remiss not to mention the match umpires, David Cook for WM and Phil Haines for Wales, who allowed the game to be played in such a good natured way. No game can be recorded without the skills of a first class scorer. WM certainly have one in Veronica Murphy, who always does a very accurate job and Wales have their Phil Stallard - grateful thanks to them for jobs well done.

5th July 2010
vs Tettenhall College - won
In what can only be described as an extraordinary game of cricket, West Midlands contrived a victory over Tettenhall College by 3 runs. With one or two late comers, XL decided to bat first, and were pegged back by some magnificent bowling from Sandhu and Schubert. Only John Waters got to grips with the early pace, and eventually fell victim on 35. Two good middle order performances from Ali Babar (30) and Martin Malone (52), helped to nudge the total towards respectability. However, the star of the batting for West Midlands, was guest Joey Brew, who hit 61 rapid runs to give XL a fighting chance with 257 all out. Tettenhall bowlers; Schubert had 3 for 35, Walker had 4 for 41 and Gill had 3 for 31. In reply, a whirlwind seemed to hit XL in the form of Alex Grant (121) and Sandhu (51), before “Golden Arm” Sam Raza weaved his magic with a magnificent haul of 7 for 81 off 15.4 overs. He was ably supported by veteran East Midland guest, Phil Mason, who polished off the tail with 3 for 86 from 14 overs. Tettenhall College managed to end 3 runs short of XL's total, and a famous victory was secured.

1st July 2010
vs Langley Park School - draw
Having elected to bat first the Kent & East Sussex opening pair of Neil Canham and Tom Carmichael got the innings off to a sound start, putting on 68 before the first wicket went down. The next wicket fell quickly but another good partnership between Neil Canham and Glynn Gunning (26) followed, taking the score to 161 for 3. With the declaration looming Ian Robinson came in and hit a quick fire 21 but the outstanding innings of the day came from Neil Canham who ended on 123 not out off 150 balls. His perfectly paced innings provided the backbone of the XL Club’s total of 232 for 5. In reply Langley Park School started well and reached 171 for 3 without undue alarm. The top four batsmen for the school all hit the ball hard and made contributions – T Hickey (35), Lockwood (30), A Shafique (58) and Wright (42) – but really one of them needed to stay in and manage the run chase. In the event the pressure for runs caused wickets to fall with both Alan Luff (3 for 20) and Duncan Innes (3 for 46) bowling tightly at the end of the innings to keep the pressure on. The school finished on 220 for 8 and deserve great credit for continuing to chase right up until the last over. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable game played in exactly the right spirit with both teams evenly matched so that at the beginning of the last over any one of four results was possible. The final result was a draw but a hard fought, competitive one.
vs Royal Hospital School - lost
On a testing wicket with occassional extreme bounce, Eastern Counties lost wickets regularly except during a 6th wicket stand of 71 between Russ Everson, whose 97 was worth well over 100 on a true wicket, and Robert Smith. Once the wicket claimed Russ from an unplayable lifter, Eastern Counties innings quickly subsided. The school looked as if they would win comfortably until XL’s “sleeper” spinner, Andrew Short, came on to partner John Elliott. Naggingly accurate slow bowling began to eat away at the school innings, supported by good catching and fielding by our modest standards. A fine catch-cum-stumping by Dave Clarke brought the school’s non-batting no. 11 to the crease, who was then well caught by Ash Patel to seal an exciting victory for us old-timers. Congratulations to Andrew Short on his 6 for 44 off 16 overs – Andrew’s accurate drifters must be one of the best-kept secrets in the Forty Club.

30th June 2010
vs King Henry VIII School - draw
After a frantic week of trying to replace the “dropouts” the West Midlands team must have changed at least twice!!. However, 7 able-bodied Forty Club souls, and two youngsters, turned up to do battle against King Henry VIII School, who very kindly lent us the shortfall of players. The openers soon departed with few runs on the board, and were quickly followed by the next four, albeit that Giles Clements had a ‘dodgy’ LBW decision against him. Roger Wickson and Peter Bates then shored up the defences with (56) & (45) ‘not out’ respectively to be able to declare on 191 for 7. The pick of the bowling for King Henry’s was Mann & Menon with 2 & 3 wickets respectively. In reply, Tom Grundy tore through the first three batsmen and was supported well by Paul Cross. Tom eventually ended with 4 for 30 off 9 overs. Joey Brew did the damage at the other end and snaffled 3 for 15 off 4 overs. The school looked rather forlorn at this stage, and but for the heroic innings of Punian, Menon & Sharma, the game would have been over early. In the end, the school held for a worthy draw and closed on 128 for 8.
vs Denstone College - lost
In this inaugural match the tone was set by Denstone's England U 18 squad opener Aneesh Kapil hitting the first ball of the match for 6 and the school taking 50 runs off the first 7 overs. On a fast outfield anything short was punished and strong pushes raced to the boundary. A change of pace from new member Phil Golding captured the first two wickets as the school reached 136 off the first 20 overs but they then kept the momentum going to reach 346 at the end of their 50 overs with opener Chris Beech remaining unbeaten on 158. In response the East Midlands fell a long way short at 180 all out with only Neil Sparham (56) and young guest player Jamie Kendall (40) scoring more than 15 runs. When in the 35th over the ball hit Bill Taylor on the pad his father Gerald had no hesitation in bringing proceedings to a close! This is an excellent fixture for the club to have on it's books but both the balance of the team and the format will need to be re-examined for future years.

29th June 2010
vs Dauntsey's School - lost
The South batted first and set the target of 278 to win, having declared at 277 for 6. Simon Elliott top scored with a fine 103; Dom McMullan and Ian Sykes had 39 and 31 respectively; and Stephen Coltman and Gary Thompson scored 24 and 23 not out. Sadly the XL bowling attack was not what it could have been, as Iain Mills turned up injured and could not participate as he or the team would have wanted. 'Deadly' Derek Candy bowled 14 overs conceding 73 runs: Iain Mills bowled 4 overs for 32 runs: Gary Thompson took 2 for 106 from his 15 overs, and Dom McMullen took 1 for 45 from 7 overs. The school's batsmen scored freely and ran quickly and the star of the batting line up was opener Jack Mynott who top scored with 109 before getting himself very tidily stumped by Kevin Smith. Jack is well known to the Forty Club - he carried his bat for 100 runs in the 2009 match, and in this 2010 match he also took 1 wicket for 38 runs in 5 overs. This year he was awarded the Man of the Match award and was presented with an XL pennant by the South skipper Hamish Millar. See the album page for photos.
vs Bolton School - lost
The North West decided to make first use of a good looking track on a beautiful summer’s day and got off to a good start with some purposeful batting. This trend carried on throughout the innings with fine knocks from Adam Barnes (63), Sharafat Shah (61 not out) and Barry Hamilton (39 not out). Prior to the game, Bolton’s Cricket Master had asked if it was ok to play a local league professional due to the shortcomings of their available side, and we agreed this would be fine. The Bolton innings began with an early loss to bring the affore-mentioned professional to the crease. He was ably supported by Bolton’s captain (Nick Davis 53) but the “pro” tended to hog the strike in a talented but selfish 149. Unfortunately this prevented several of the school team having the opportunity to bat. The end result being a school victory with approx 3 overs to spare. The cricket master apologised after the game having realised how it had affected the game. As always “The Forty Club” were treated like royalty by the school and so subsequently we are already looking forward to next year’s game.
vs Christ College - won
Wales bowled first on a good track with debutant Roger Edwards opening up with Howard Jones. The Brecon jinx struck again for Howard as he had to leave the field with a groin injury suffered during his fourth over. The College increased the tempo with a 104 partnership between Eddison (35) and Burton (107).The school innings ticked over after Burton’s retirement only to flounder against the wily Colin Griffiths ( 4-39) and they closed on a formidable 233 for 7. Wales lost 2 quick wickets before skipper John James (75) was joined by Paul Keneally (116no). Both batsmen took the attack the school bowlers and put together a match winning partnership of 151 before James fell. Lol Harris joined Keneally to see the visitors home by 7 wickets.

25th June 2010
vs Reading Blue Coat School - lost
Although the school was missing several first XI players they were still much too good for the South team. On paper the South batting line up looked quite strong but although several players “got in” they all quickly “got out”. A total of 168 was not good enough to trouble the School on an excellent pitch and lightning fast outfield. The Forty Club and School have verbally agreed to make this an all day fixture next year. Let’s hope the Club is able to field a side which take the match beyond lunch (assuming we bat first).

24th June 2010
vs City Of London Freemen's School - lost
A multinational Surrey & West Sussex team including an Aussie, Italian, Dutchman and a Scot (Clive Huggins even claimed Indian ancestry) was unable to confuse a depleted City of London side who were comfortable winners on the day. Winning the toss, XL fielded first despite only having 9 present, subs were provided until the late arrivals appeared. The first few overs were steady if lacking penetration and only the introduction of Mark Nanovich caused any grounds for optimism as he took 2 quick (and only) wickets to leave the school at 152-2 at lunch. The scoring rate remained around 5 an over before the school accelerated to 271-2declared off 44 overs including a near chanceless 169* from Fred Davies. In reply XL were reliant on the upper order succeeding and only Tom Carmichael showed any resistance as there was a steady fall of wickets, Will Culhane taking 5-42. The last pair almost staved off defeat but with 6 overs to go the final wicket fell for a well below par score of 92. A distraught Nino Trapani the last wicket to fall on the day Italy were also knocked out of the World Cup.
vs Radcliffe CC - draw
A fine afternoon and a hard wicket saw the East Midlands accumulate 248-4 after 42 overs. An exciting 90 from Nigel Kinch and 44 from Richard Wood led the way with all of the other batsmen chipping in. A magnificent tea was followed by the home club grinding out 123-4 off 38 overs having given up the run chase with 180 needed off the last 20 overs

23rd June 2010
vs Dover College - lost
Three late arrivals for Kent & East Sussex raised the anxiety levels of the Match Manager with only 6 on the ground at the prescribed start time. An excellent innings from Paul Spencer (100 completed from 149 balls) provided the heart of the XL 180 for 7 dec. The over rate was a bit below par as the XL Club batted for 53 overs on a long hot day. In reply, the college's left-handed opener, Josh Harrison-Dring scored 124 not out (with his 100 coming from just 69 balls!) as the college reached their target in just 27 overs! Not the best of days for the Kent & East Sussex bowling attack!
vs Forfarshire U19s - lost
Despite the disparity in the score this match was lost in the second last over. Scotland batted first and on a very dry surface only Bruce Girvan (52) managed to get in. A cameo from Spider McLaren including a huge six and an eighth wicket partnership of 42 between Ingles and Baird produced an ok but below par 154-7 at tea. The declaration came but although bowling tightly the Forty club bowlers could not master the blustery conditions or the slow pitch. Despite that the Forfarshire youngsters were only able to complete victory with two overs to stumps.

22nd June 2010
vs Bromsgrove School - lost
West Midlands were able to field a fairly strong side including two new members and also one young guest opening bowler on whom we had to call upon due to a late withdrawal. West Midlands were soon aware of demons in the pitch which opening pace bowlers Wyres and Dudley fully exploited. Of the West Midlands first five batsmen, three totalled just 2 runs between them. John Waters and new signing Giles Clements compiled a painstaking 90 for the third wicket before Clements fell having scored fifty in his first game for the Club. Waters-ever watchful as he needed to be on a pitch giving some uneven bounce, took his score to 77 before he became one of Dudley’s five victims. Contributions from lower down the order inched the visitors past the 200-mark and the innings closed on 210 after 51 overs. Including drinks-breaks it had been a long, hot session lasting 222 minutes and the School had stuck to their task with admirable enthusiasm. The inspiration was their Captain and wicketkeeper Ben Cox whose last game it was for the School and he was rewarded with four victims. Cox first played first-class cricket for Worcestershire in 2009 and now departs for a Twenty/20 fixture later in the week and a career with the County Club. Resuming after the meal-break, the school lost two early wickets to Tom Grundy and then later he added the prize wicket of Ben Cox but not before he had played a major, final innings of 60 for his team. Nawaz played well too. No 8 batsman, Dudley, piloted his side through a jittery period hitting ten fours in his undefeated 46. West Midlands skipper Kevin Smith posted an attacking field throughout and late wickets gave his side a real sniff of victory but three boundaries from Dudley in the 16th of the final twenty overs settled the matter.
A fine competitive, game of Cricket with no ‘soft’ runs and much to applaud on both sides. A narrow but deserved win for an outstanding School team.

21st June 2010
vs Leighton Park School - draw
The School won the toss and not surprisingly chose to bat on a very warm day. All the South bowlers were extremely tidy with Andy Yorke and Derek Candy outstanding. After 51 overs the Club were left at most 50 overs and were clear winners all the way through until the final couple of overs. Mike Plumridge having been delayed, and therefore unable to field for best part of an hour, batted beautifully as ever for 59 and Andy Havard made just 50 including 10 fours. Andy Yorke did his utmost to claim the strike in the final few overs but clever field placing and very sharp fielding prevented the Club reaching their target exasperatingly by just 5 runs. Really good competitive match. The only slight concern was that the School appeared to play “any 11 from 13“ – how we would have enjoyed that luxury during our 3 hours in the field. Apparently this being due to players being required elsewhere at odd times.

17th June 2010
vs Beechen Cliff School - draw
As always at Beechen Cliff, a lovely weather day and a high-scoring draw of almost 500 runs. The school lost a very early wicket (even before the hospital helicopter arrived), but then MacKenzie and Canning, who most nobly walked on 93 when he would have been adjudged not out, took on the West attack with blows both graceful and lusty. A brief interlude of XL superiority was again broken as Clubbe and Wootton drove the score to 248 for 5 declared in 32 overs, with newcomer Akil Chokra flipping his leggers for a deserved 3 for 48 and keeper Rick Hutchinson claiming four victims. Against the hostility of opener Price, who ended with 5 for 51, several XL batsmen were beaten for pace, but first Charlie Samler (66) dug in and then Tim Smith (78) lambasted the school attack before the return of Price. Akil Chokra (17) and Roger Perkins (12 no) both played their part in ensuring that we reached at least 200, and in the event a few more overs might have seen an XL win, but in reality the school were the better side and we were grateful to avoid defeat after a few excellent performances from XL players.
vs Ardingly College - lost
Unfortunately Surrey & West Sussex were out-played in all departments – batting, bowling and fielding. The one exception and worthy of note was the exceptional catching of Malcolm Kirkland which accounted for all of the four batsmen to fall: 1 off his own bowling and two others which were ‘gazelle-like’ at slip.
vs Eltham College - draw
The school again did the Forty Club proud by providing a very good wicket and excellent hospitality. The school won the toss and decided to bat first. Initially Kent & East Sussex took 2 early wickets but from then on there was a magnificent batting display from two of the boys who scored 282 between them. Fleming hit 113 not out and Harden 158 not out. Both showed some very good discipline and some very big hitting as the college declared an hour after lunch on 323 for 2wkts. The Forty Club did not bowl badly but the boys did bat very well and a pleasure to watch. Kent & East Sussex then began the run chase but wickets fell on a regular basis. Glynn Gunning hit 71 and good contributions from John Gilder 34, Alan Luff 31 and a very quick 26 from Charlie O’Brian pushed the score closer to the target. However Nick Byers (39 not out) and Cliff Hayward (28 not out) took the score to a respectable 284 for 7. The game was played in an excellent spirit and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Looking forward to playing against them next year

16th June 2010
vs King Edward VI School - lost
West Midlands lost the toss and were asked to bat on a magnificent day at Edgbaston. Unfortunately, the weather was the best part of the day, as the batting for XL was pretty abysmal. Apart from three cameo innings by Waters (31) and Babar (41), and Humphreys (23), the rest of the team capitulated to some excellent bowling. The pick of the bowlers for KES was W Chesner with 5 for 47 off 12 overs. In reply, KES punished the bowling and soon got into their stride, scoring freely all around the ground. The only consolation wicket was snaffled by Sam Raza, who bowled Maini for 18. N Roberts (73) and J.Corneck (53) wrapped up the game in style, and KES eventually won by 9 wickets. Our grateful thanks must go to Lawson Roll for providing us with splendid hospitality, despite the one sided cricket match. Roll on 2011 !!! The lesson to be learnt from this encounter is to field first when possible against such strong opposition, and at least there is a chance of getting a more positive result.
vs William Hulme Grammar School - won
In gloriously hot and sunny Manchester at Whalley Range CC, the North West won the toss and elected to bat. John Morton and Liam Aspden put on 48 steady runs against some good bowling from Brown and Afzal before the latter was bowled for 18. There then followed a collapse before and after lunch where 5 wickets fell for the addition of just 37 runs, Morton having held it together somewhat the last of those out for 34. XL perilously placed on 85 for 6. There then followed a match saving partnership of 90 between Barry Hamilton [38 no] and Bhautik Shukla [35]. It was more of a meet aggression with aggression type of partnership, very entertaining to watch. When Shukla was out caught XL declared on 175 for 7 in even time. The school’s reply was brisk, Nathen Brown who played for Cheshire under 15’s last year was impressive, he and Afzal put on 34 before Barry Hamilton struck with the first of his 4 victims. Soon the school were in trouble on 87 for 6, a similar position as XL in the first innings. However there was no match saving partnership and all the bowlers chipped in with wickets as the school closed on 103 all out, a win for XL by 72 runs. Credit must go to Brown who battled through to 51 before he was 7th out and Barry Hamilton capped a fine all round game with 4 for 22. An enjoyable game played in the right spirit and the school were thanked for their excellent hospitality.
vs High School of Glasgow - lost
Batting first on another great day for cricket, Scotland posted a very competitive 174-6. The innings was built around a fine 88no from skipper Andrew MacKay who unselfishly declared at tea. There were also useful contributions from Clarke and Robertson. The school never baulked at the target and got off to a flier. A mid innings collapse sparked by Adam Bell (4-45) and Nigel Clarke slowed things up and if four or five chances had been taken who knows? The match went to the final over and a scampered single completed a two wicket win.

15th June 2010
vs Bloxham School - draw
West Midlands won the toss and elected to field first on a cool but sunny day at Bloxham school. Mike Bainton and Terry Brown opened the bowling and were met with some stiff resistance from the two openers, S. Ryan and T. Gurney. The school were definitely in control of the game, until guest for the day, Chris Page, from the South district, started to weave his flight and guile to remove Ryan for a well crafted 54. Richard Strong then had Gurney stumped by the ever youthful Kevin Smith, off some very fine leg spin. Once the two openers had departed, wickets fell at regular intervals, and Chris Page ended a very good afternoon’s work by getting 5 for 57 off his 14 overs. Bloxham eventually declared on 186 for 9 off 46 overs at tea. In reply, XL had the worst start with Briggs and Waters opening, when Waters was out LBW for 0, on what was becoming a very erratic surface. Had it not been for the stubborn resistance of Eral Anderson, with a very respectable 52, the result may have been much worse. There was a steady demise for XL until Terry Brown and Chris Page shored up the defences to see XL limp over the line to secure a draw. The pick of the bowling for Bloxham was Stephenson with 2 for 28, Fletcher with 3 for 18 and Williams with 2 for 13.

14th June 2010
vs Woodbridge School - draw
After a shaky start, Eastern Counties’ Dave Clarke, Dave Humphreys and Pat Patel took toll of some wayward and short school bowling. However our scoring rate was restricted by excellent school ground fielding. The school’s batsmen were no match for Ian Starling’s fast-medium bowling but ruthlessly exploited our geriatric fielding, “stealing” about half their runs. In the end the last wicket pair held out for a draw despite all efforts to cajole them into a final error.
vs Lomond School - won
Lomond School won a good toss at Ardencaple and subjected Scotland to an afternoon in the field. It was a beautiful day in Helensburgh and after a losing their first wicket early the Lomond batters built a substantial total. With the score at 114-2 Richard Donald was introduced into the attack and his first ball produced an incredible piece of fielding from Colin Neill as he plucked a catch inches from the ground, two balls later that combination struck again and Lomond slumped to 114-4. When Neill was introduced he also took two wickets in his first over and the Lomond innings was rocking at 132-6. Some big hitting followed but again two wickets fell in successive balls twice and the innings closed on 189. Neill (4-29) and Donald (4-33) had four wickets each. The Forty Club started aggressively and were always up with the rate. Steve Saxby who had flown up from Devon for his annual game was part of a 32 run, 4.2 over opening partnership. When he went Lewis completed a fine 59 and Redmond knocked off the winning runs with two great cover drives as the club won by 4 wickets. As always Lomond and Helensburgh CC were great hosts and the evening finished with both teams sharing a fine curry

13th June 2010
vs Sedbergh School - draw
A rain hit match, but nevertheless an enjoyable one. Playing on a Sunday, and with some leagues having a full fixture list, turning out an XL eleven was not possible, but the North West were supported by young players in the main from Worsley CC as well as Dave Stubbings’ son and a 14 year old from Sedbergh school. Sedbergh bowled very well in the early overs with Harrison and Davies outstanding, but as the drizzle started and the ball became wet the XL batters took over, and at Lunch XL were 134-1. The drizzle then turned into heavy rain, and it seemed the game would be abandoned, but we took an early tea to give the match every chance and were rewarded with play resuming at 4.30pm, and a further 30 mins playing time was agreed. XL declared at 185-5 with candidate Syed Shah top scoring on 84. In reply Sedbergh would have to go at almost 6 an over to win, but with youthful legs, and a good wicket this was always possible. They started well with Benn and Dutton (27 coming off the first 4 overs) but both fell in consecutive overs, starting a mini collapse. Sedbergh were then reduced to 45-5, Davies then batted well and supported by Samson and then Marshall, looked like giving Sedbergh a chance, but Mullineux struck with his first ball having Sampson superbly caught, and then later removed Davies for 47. From then on it was going to be a tall order, and whilst Marshall finished on 26, the game finished in a draw but not before our 14 yr old debutant from Sedbergh bowled 3 good overs.

10th June 2010
Inter-District Trophy: West Midlands vs West - WM won
West Midlands won the toss and elected to field on a rather damp and dreary day at Shipston CC. Feeling rather cold in the afternoon gloom, West lost their opening three of Jeffereys, McBride and Thackray to some superb pace bowling from Jon Simpson, who returned 3 for 20 of 10 overs. He was ably supported by Terry Brown and West struggled to 43 off the first 20 overs. There followed a period of consolidation from West with Andy Ashfold & A Fussell shoring up the defences. The wily bowling of Richard Strong saw Fussell caught in the deep by Morris for 34 and an unfortunate run out for Ashfold (41), effectively ended the charge for the West. The next four batsmen offered little resistance and West ended on 148 for 9 off their 50 overs. In reply, Julian Morris and Kevin Truswell got WM off to a good start and steadily pushed the score along. Morris eventually fell to a good ct & b by Fussell for 22. Simon Hollands took up the challenge and scored 27 before being caught by Saunders. Gary Betteridge and Terry Brown finished the game with 30 and 4 respectively. Honours were evenly shared amongst the West bowlers and West Midlands won the game by 7 wickets.
Inter-District Trophy: Eastern Counties vs South - EC won
An exciting match in which South’s fielding was excellent given that they arrived two men short. Eastern Counties prevailed in the end thanks to accurate bowling by Andy Squire, who made a well-paced 74 not out in difficult batting conditions and took 5 for 30.

7th June 2010
vs Dartford Grammar School - lost
A decent school attack kept Kent & East Sussex very quiet early on, but could not contain XL debutant and former Kent & England spinner Min Patel who made a rapid 66. Once he was out the scoring rate slowed again, and only a final flurry allowed a declaration on 158-6. Patel's bowling (1-25 in 11 overs) also kept the school in check, but the light rain and cold were not ideal conditions for XL's all spin attack. Despite the condition's Cliff Hayward bowled well to take 2-29 and Tony Macdonald-Barker's very slow bowling caused some initial panic as he took 2 wickets as well, but once the boys started to play him sensibly they steadied the ship and were able to achieve a narrow win in the final over.
vs Dollar Academy - won
Batting first on a beautiful day at Dollar the Forty Club Scotland built a formidable total. The final score was underpinned by a fine century from Richard Donald who finished 110 no at the declaration. Most batters contributed as the club posted 218. The school got off to a flying start with 45 runs coming from 6 overs, however Richard Young struck twice in the seventh over and after another fine stand Colin Neill and Jamie Frost reduced the school to 103-6. All this time the school wicketkeeper and opening bat was moving on beautifully but unfortunately for him on 99 he perished to an excellent catch and with that the school chase petered out 36 runs short. there were three wicket hauls for Frost (3-37), Neill (3-38) and Young (3-39) with Wolfe-Murray performing admirably behind the stumps

6th June 2010
vs Sussex Over 50s - won
If only every game could be played in this manor and on such a beautiful ground . The sun was over Heathfield Park whilst all around it was raining. The pitch was a batsman’s dream and so it turned out for Willie Boone who after making his 100 was asked to retire by his skipper! Batting first Kent & East Sussex only lost the one wicket plus Willie’s retirement with all 4 batsmen making good contributions in the 247 for 1 . In reply the Sussex Over 50s never really got the measure of the visitor’s bowling with Steve Brown 5 for 83 off 14 overs (a splendid all round performance). During the middle of the innings the Sussex XI surely felt they were in with a chance to claim victory however the last 4 wickets could only muster 17 runs in the final 8 overs.A sweet victory for the Kent & East Sussex.

3rd June 2010
vs Canford School - won
As in previous years the match was determined from 40 overs per side. The school decided to bat first on what seemed to be a generous batting wicket. The South struggled to muster much in the way of penetrative bowling, yet guile and experience began to peg back what seemed like a solid start from the Canford opening pair of Downey and Hayward. The latter went on to score 52 but the School needed to score runs quickly in the last ten overs to post a decent score. Of the XL Club bowlers to shine Smith, Lack and Candy only went for a total of 52 runs in 24 overs!! In the last ten overs Canford accelerated thanks to some fine hitting by both Anstee and Triniman. However the total of 206 never looked as if it would be enough. The XL Club reply started well enough with Coltman firing off a number of boundaries before missing a straight one. Despite losing a couple of further wickets, a partnership soon established between Warne and Smith who dominated at the crease to see the XL Club home to victory. Smith looked particularly impressive punishing anything too short or over pitched. Warne finished on 82 not out whilst Smith was 59 not out. A quite magnificent day was had by all. There cannot be many better places to play cricket on a good day. Mike Griggs (the school coach) took keen interest in the progress of the boys and was encouraging them at every opportunity.
vs Kent Over 50s - won
The Kent Over 50s batsmen struggled against some excellent bowling by new member Nick Heater and Barry Adams resulting in only 33 on the board after 20 Overs. Two quite stunning catches by Glyn Gunning, not for the first time, gave wonderful continued support to all the bowlers resulting in a final score of 176 for 7 dec. Kent & East Sussex got off to an incredibly slow start against a very good opening attack with Rupert Staple bowling 9 overs with 6 maidens for just 6 runs. Glyn Gunning batted beautifully until caught by Nigel Keess and then lost Willie Boone whose 9 runs came off 52 balls! With the arrival of both Bob Green & Charlie O’Brien at the wicket the run rate picked up and although Kent & East Sussex waited until the final over for victory there was never any real danger of them not winning.
vs Strathallen School - lost
The annual fixture with Strathallan had Scotland's newest and youngest internationalist captaining the school team. Freddie Coleman who had made his Scotland debut a couple of weeks earlier was making a rare appearance for Strathallan but he certainly made the most of it against the Forty Club Scotland. Featuring in an opening stand of 156, Coleman was first out after completing a fine century. His opening partner also scored a hundred and this allowed Strathallan to declare just short of tea on 266-2. The Forty Club would have around three and a half hours, fifty overs to chase down the total or survive the draw. A good opening stand of 50 set up the platform but a clatter of wickets after tea left the club floundering at 130-6 with an hour to go. Douglas Smith and Iain Redmond supported Dinesh Bailwal in a vain effort to bat out time. Bailwal was the Forty Club top scorer, last out for 49.

2nd June 2010
vs Vale of Glamorgan Colts - draw
Wales batted first at Penarth in a game that saw three fathers and sons in opposition with Messrs Bunston, Matthews and Andy Jones taking the field against their sons. Batting first the 40s got off to a flier with regional skipper Gareth Owen racing to 107 in an opening partnership of 164 with the evergreen Geoff Thomas (52).The 40s pushed on to declare at 230 with useful contributions from Alun Bunston 31no (dropped by his son) and John James 27 no. In reply the Colts were pegged back against a fine spell of bowling by Chris Hudson and John Williams, before Gwyn Price and Steve Matthew took 4 quick wickets. Seeing that the target was beyond them the Colts skilfully batted out with Scott Matthews 42no defying his dad Steve to the end.

27th May 2010
vs Cumbria U17s - won
On a two-paced pitch, in the beautiful surroundings of Keswick, the North West declared on 140 for 8. The innings was held together by Dave Stubbings’ 71 with great support from Steve Dalby (28). The U17’s bowled tidily but Jordan Hughes impressed most with his leg-spin unlike some of the home side’s fielding. Th U17’s response was slow but steady at first but once wickets started to fall, Rodgers held firm until losing patience with Roscoe’s accuracy. A middle order response kept the home side in with a chance until a final collapse of the tail saw the innings close in the final over. Keith Roscoe, who had to shoulder responsibility for the bulk of the bowling after Pearson broke down, had remarkable figures of 9 for 41 whilst Stuart Dixon, guesting for the visitors, took the last wicket as well as four excellent catches during the innings.
vs Wales Over 50s - won
Winning the toss and batting first on an excellent wicket at Llangennech the Wales Over 50s posted an excellent score of 213 for 3 dec with Richard Harris top scoring with 93 and supported by Jim Watkins (56) in a 118 run partnership for the 2nd wicket. In reply the Wales district started well with the top 5 all getting a start but not kicking on. A 40 run partnership between Keith James and Colin Tucker saw the XLs home.
Inter-District Trophy: Kent & East Sussex vs South - SO won
An over confident Kent & East Sussex allowed a South District XI to secure victory by 4 runs with 5 wickets still in hand. Congratulations to the South District on keeping their nerve when it was all pointing to a comfortable win for Kent & East Sussex. Kent & East Sussex District now awaits the outcome of the remaining 2 games in the group for who will win the Group. It is possible as Kent & E.S. have a good chance of making the Finals with the best 2nd place with an average of 51 runs per wicket lost.

19th May 2010
vs Bethany School - won
Kent & East Sussex batted steadily against an excellent bowling attack and a super fielding display by the school. Boone, Quantrill and Warne, plus Adams, all made useful contributions to the total. Churchill and Gibson both bowled excellently. In reply, the school openers looked untroubled until the dismissal of the school captain, matt Churchill, at which point Kent & East Sussex took control and eased to victory by 59 runs with Peter Hartland taking 7 for 53 in 16.5 overs.
vs Glasgow Academy - won
After a fine spell of weather the Forty Club Scotland was disappointed to find a damp New Anniesland. On losing the toss the Forties were inserted and despite a fighting 22 from Andrew MacKay, on his return from a knee op, the club arrived at lunch at 82-6. After lunch first Coffey (58) and Shiels and then Neill and Bell got the club to a competitive score of 147. The Academy were confident of chasing down the total and despite losing an early wicket were progressing well when a heavy shower brought an early tea. After tea Ian Shiels (5-39) and Richard Young (5-22) took three quick wickets but the match changing incident was a spectacular catch from Andrew Mackay to dismiss the Academy's danger man. A fighting seventh wicket partnership was broken by a brute of a ball from Shiels and unfortunately for the Academy 3 further wickets fell with no addition to the score as the Academy were bowled out for 113. Eight of the Academy wickets to fall were bowled or LBW as the boys failed to deal with the straight ball!
vs Spalding Grammar School - draw
The match started off with early wickets for the school with East Midland’s John Waters and David Dakin back in the pavilion within 3 overs and only 3 runs on the board. Time then for Adrian Kitchen and Pete Howard to steady the ship - a feat that they achieved admirably in their first few overs together. Then assisted by a few wides and no balls they began to score steadily moving the score on to 77 before Kitchen fell bowled by the young 16-year old seamer Vale, who then repeated the performance a few balls later to dismiss Howard. Once again two new batsmen were starting out together with Simpson joining Poulson at the crease. Initially Simpson was the more circumspect of the two with Poulson opening his scoring by tucking into the hapless off spinner Beavis - he plundered 17 off the first over he faced. Within four overs however, the bowler had his revenge with Poulson caught in the outfield for 23 and the score at 114 from 23 overs. Supported now by new member Paul Adams, Simpson steadily built his innings and they built a partnership of 71 before Adams was well caught in the covers off the bowling of Jex. With the score standing at 185 for 6 in the 38th over and the tea break beckoning East Midlands were well placed to post a decent total for the bowlers to work with. Bill Taylor joined Simpson and together they rotated the strike taking boundary scoring opportunities every over to knock up a further 44 runs before Taylor was caught on the offside boundary. The innings then declared at 229 for 7 after 44 overs. From the start of their innings the Spalding batsmen looked to make an impression plundering 21 runs from opening bowlers Ward and Adams in the first two overs. With the ball coming on to the bat nicely they had raced to 52 runs without loss within 8 overs. This despite the bowlers working hard to find the edge several times with a couple of chances going to ground. A change was called for to take the pace off the ball, so Ken Stewart stepped forward to deliver an initial 10 over spell that put the squeeze on the scoring rate (he finished the day with figures of 14 overs 2 for 25). Supported initially by Paul Adams bowling consecutive maidens to finish off his opening spell Stewart was then partnered by the left arm off spin of Pete Howard. This combination enabled the XL Club to slowly exert control and despite both the Spalding openers achieving half centuries the scoreboard pressure steadily increased. This eventually told with Stewart breaking through Barnett's defences to end an opening partnership of 123 in the 27th over. However with 15 overs still to play, 9 wickets in hand, opener Jex now in the 70's and starting to hit out, a close run finish was in prospect. Unfortunately for the school the new batsman Rayner fell quickly and Jex succumbed 3 overs later after a fine innings of 81. This left the school requiring 71 from the last 10 overs - surely an attractive target in the modern game? However the youngsters were not inspired to chase the glory with the next four overs being dotted out as maidens despite Simpson then coming on with a spirited 3 overs in an effort to blast out the new batsmen. Only one more wicket was taken as the school shut up shop and the game fizzled out to a draw as only 25 runs were scored in the last 8 overs. 13 of the runs coming from the bowling of John Waters who "guested" to deliver the final over) meant that after 42 overs bowled this match ended very much as perhaps a "winning draw" for the XL Club? The school team all played the game in a manner supportive of each other and cogniscent of the sporting “spirit of cricket”. Excellent hospitality was received on arrival with players invited in for a pre-match lunch. A very pleasant welcome from everyone we met – including many teachers and pupils not involved in the cricket. On the boundary throughout the game a convivial atmosphere prevailed with teachers, pupils, parents and other guests stopping by to watch the cricket. Equally on the field the game was played in a fine spirit. Whilst played very much as a competitive contest the match was characterised by pleasant exchanges throughout.

18th May 2010
Inter-District Trophy: Kent & East Sussex vs Easterm Counties - CP won
A convincing victory for Kent & East Sussex against their ‘Bogey Team‘ Batting first Eastern Counties found runs hard to come by against an extremely well balanced Kent & East Sussex attack with the Man of The Match Steve Hebditch taking 6 for 28 in his 9 overs. Kent & East Sussex replied in comfortable fashion securing victory with 3 overs to spare with skipper Simon Routh top scoring with 52 not out.

16th May 2010
vs West of Scotland - won
A new fixture with the West of Scotland Sunday XI. A great day saw the Forty club Scotland bat first. Runs were hard to come by on a slow West wicket but the Forties batsmen showed patience as first Neill (42) and Donald (24) put on 50 then Neill and Coffey (29) put on 40. Some good late order hitting and running as West rotated their bowlers meant a respectable 156-8 was reached. Gregg Watson, a late replacement on Sunday morning, was keen to show off his bowling skills and Gregg didn't disappoint as West slumped to 42-6 with Gregg having taken 4-16. The seventh wicket staged a fightback before Tony Lewis broke through twice. Richard Donald (3-20) also bowled well but it was Watson who finished off the innings to record the fine figures of 5-29 and see West close at 114, 43 runs short

12th May 2010
vs Llandovery School - abandoned
Invited to bat first, Wales got away to a poor start slipping to 16 for 3 before Gwyn Price (50) and Geoff Thomas (28) steadied the ship with a stand of 50. Price was then joined by Howard Jones (37). The pair set about the school attack and with the assistance of Andrew Williams (10) took the score to 176 at the close. The school reply was pegged back by a fine run out by Colin Griffiths before the heavens opened with a hail storm to draw proceedings to a premature close thus thwarting skipper Peter Williams’ quest for a much deserved victory against the ‘old enemy’.
vs Ratcliffe College - lost
Competent batting by East Midlands based around the second-wicket partnership of John Waters and candidate/debutante Clewlow together with some good striking at the end from Simpson, Baber and Wicklow enabled a declaration at 210 for 5 wkts. Ratcliffe’s reply was dominated by the 17 year-old Northants Academy player, Phillips – albeit at times with some risky stroke play. Chances were put down, particularly off the unfortunate Cook which would certainly have reversed the result of the match. Phillips also kept wicket very tidily. Wicklow also suffered hard luck when bowling at the end.
vs Worth School - draw
At Surrey & West Sussex’s request this was a timed match of which the young school side had no experience. Batting first the school made 196 for 7 dec in just over 2 hours against a three-man XL bowling attack. Peter Hartland bowling unchanged for 18.3 overs took 4 for 88. In reply Surrey & West Sussex made a slow start and had lost three wickets for only 51 runs off the seventeen overs bowled before the last hour. Coming together at this point, Rob Warne and Rob Stewart added 107 off only 16 overs, bringing the visitors very much into the game. Following the dismissal of these two, Surrey & West Sussex required 19 off the last two overs and finished 10 short to complete an exciting drawn match.

11th May 2010
vs Queen Elizabeth GS - lost
Remember the name: Alex Davies: just turned 16, already played for England under 19’s and Lancashire Second Team. Alex scored a near faultless 126 not out to steer his team to a 7 wicket win to retain the Arthur Carefoot Trophy. The North West batted first on what proved to be a batting paradise at East Lancashire CC. Although John Waters was caught down the legside by the keeper early on Eddie McLoughlin (61) and Sharafat Shah (27) pushed on at over 4 an over to lunch. After the break the runs continued to flow. Captain for the day Stuart Priestley scored 56 not out and a few lusty blows from Brett Storey (33no) allowed XL to declare during a shower of hail on 217 for 4. The school set about their target briskly. Barry Hamilton’s early swing accounted for Jones but that hastened the arrival of Alex Davies to the middle. Alex cut and drove powerfully and superbly; the ball finding the middle of the bat then the boundary with ease. Both he and Bhojani put on nearly 150 before the latter was bowled by Storey. Davies batted through to claim victory in the penultimate over of the last 20, easily the best innings by a 16 year old we have seen for many years. Remember the name, Alex Davies.
vs Aldenham School - lost
In a 35-over match, Aldenham School coasted past Eastern Counties meagre 134 for 6 with 4 and a half overs to spare and 8 wickets in hand. Skipper Bob Collins top scored (45) for the visitors ably supported by Jim Keys.

9th May 2010
vs Dollar CC - lost
Asked to bat first the Forty Club Scotland composed a reasonable score after a fine 70 run partnership between Peter Robertson (50no) and Doug Smith. Perhaps 10/20 under par, but a good score never the less. All the Forty Club batters contributed except last season's two top scorers! Dollar lost an early wicket but thanks to a good second wicket partnership were cruising at 149-3. Richard Donald and Tony Lewis had other ideas as 6 wickets fell for 17 runs. With one wicket to fall and 5 runs to win the result was in the balance. The Dollar captain took matters into his own hands and smote a winning six to finish an enjoyable day and a close match
vs Milton Abbey School - lost
The game was played in a bitterly cold wind and near freezing temperatures. The wicket was a bit variable when the ball got soft (which Milton Abbey’s ball did). The South batted first and only Bungay and Smallbone made any real progress. Milton Abbey bowled quite well but very although their fielding was good. Nevertheless the visitors made a reasonable score and declared at 181-8. Only 3 of the Milton Abbey’s batsmen came off against quite reasonable bowling although nearly all of the shots in the air dropped in no-man’s land. The last 2 batsmen kept their heads and won the match for Milton Abbey in the last over. A good game in spite of the weather.

6th May 2010
vs Fettes College - lost
A strong batting line up. a later start in the season and a warm May afternoon bode well or so Scotland thought. Apart from Forrester the top six XL batsman all got a start and debutant Duncan Hodge was looking decidedly dangerous. However, poor shot selection meant a constant fall of wickets but no-one could have predicted the slump from 72-4 to 117 all out. A well below par score was put in perspective as the school batters thrashed the bowling all around the park. The final result was a 10 wicket loss as the opening pair scored 119 in 19 overs

5th May 2010
vs Cowbridge School - draw
Wales opened the 2010 season with a hard fought draw at Cowbridge. Batting first the School progressed to 212-7 dec with the highlight for Wales being the performance of regional skipper Gareth Owen with 5 stumpings, a catch and a run out. It was pleasing to see the debuts of Jon Corden and Steve Richards and we hope to see much more of them in the season. In reply Wales reached 179-8 at the close with skipper Peter Docherty leading the way with 43. In the tea interval skipper Docherty presented the school with the inaugural Wales District School of the year award for 2009 – a much deserved award for this progressive school and tribute to the efforts of Huw and Glan Williams.
vs Shrewsbury School - won
On a rather dull and cloudy day at Shrewsbury, West Midlands won the toss and elected to field. They were rewarded with an early wicket for Cook by a sharp catch from K Smith behinds the stumps. However, there then followed a period of cultured stroke play from J James and R Abrol, who pushed the score along with some stunning shots to the boundary on several occasions. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, in the shape of Terry Brown. In what can only be described as superb swing bowling, Terry dispatched J James for 17 and Ram Abrol for an excellent 30. Regrettably, there followed a dramatic batting collapse for Shrewsbury, and despite a rear guard assault by G Barker (19), Shrewsbury were all out for 95 off 27.5 overs. Terry Brown finished with a magnificent haul of 6 for 40 off 14 overs, and was ably abetted by Alan Cook with 3 for 39 off 13 overs. In reply, Shrewsbury were jubilant at the early departure of J Waters (0) and N Harper (4), off the bowling of Barker and Shutz. However, XL debutant, Eral Anderson and the ever youthful Terry Brown put the game beyond doubt with scores of 39 and 30 respectively, to put XL in a winning position. Alan Cook and Roger Wickson eventually scored the winning runs to give XL a famous victory by 6 wickets. To commemorate the fact Shrewsbury School were awarded to Henry Grierson Trophy for 2009, a small presentation was made at tea to captain Ram Abrol. Once again, our thanks go to Rob Morris for the sumptuous meal provided after the game at the school.
vs Myerscough College - draw
The North West won the toss and batted first but soon lost Mike Davies, bowled by the lively Ibbotson. Prospective member Ross Ormiston and guest David Wiese then batted sensibly putting 65 for the second wicket. Runs from the middle order, 50 not out by Danny Welbourne and 42 from Chris Dearden, enabled XL to declare after 45 overs with a competitive 214 on the board. Two early wickets each from Barry Hamilton and new member Mark Clayton had the college in trouble at one stage on 75 for 5 but a steady partnership by Browes and Elgee brought their team back into contention, they put on 110 together Elgee eventually falling for 20. Another three quick wickets, one each from Eddie McLoughlin and Kes Roscoe plus a run out soon had them wobbling again but the impressive Browes saw his team to the draw and he deserved to end his innings on an even 100 not out. A good game of cricket played in the manner expected.
vs Wymondham College - won
Eastern Counties prevailed in a close and exciting game thanks to good knocks by Dave Clarke and Neil Bridgestock and economical bowling by Brett Gates and Jim Keys on the usual slow wicket and outfield.

2nd May 2010
vs Gordonstoun School - lost
Poor weather had threatened the much anticipated match against Gordonstoun always considered a prestigious fixture in the Gordonstoun School cricket calendar. However, early signs looked good and, with only a damp outfield and slightly gray skies to contend with when the Scotland XL club arrived, nothing could stop this match from going ahead. The Gordonstoun captain marched out to do the toss, knowing Gordonstoun wanted to bowl first on a damp but firm wicket. The clouds then parted and the sun poured onto the magnificent North Lawn setting. From the first ball early signs indicated good swing. Suddenly, getting a big inside edge, the opening batsman Anderson had played onto his own stumps bringing rejoicing to the Gordonstoun team and despair for the XL Club. The first over belonged to the home side. With positive intent the boys pushed hard for the next wicket but experience proved to have the upper hand and the XL side dug deep and ground out the first session only losing two more wickets leaving them 72-2 at lunch. The Gordonstoun spinner was in sprightly mood and was handed the ball to tempt the experienced batsman with some deadly spin. Still getting warm, a long hop proved very effective as XL's Keith, having batted so beautifully, carved the ball straight into the safe hands of mid wicket. This signalled the beginning of the end for the visitors and, although wickets didn't fall immediately, they did so regularly for the rest of the innings. Soon the XL Club found themselves 110-4, then 137-5 and 172-6. However, a challenging score crept up on the slightly sun dazed, inexperienced Gordonstoun team as the XL Club finished on 199 all out with Paul Coffey top scoring with 70. Wickets were shared amongst the bowlers. Missing regular opening batsmen the captain confidently stepped in to fill the void. Unfortunately, he was unable to replicate the same heroics that he had shown while keeping wicket earlier in the match, scoring a modest five, being dismissed LBW for leaving a ball that pitched on middle and hit his back leg. Jake Marnie however, continued to bat quite wonderfully and at a good pace while being supported by Jonathan Roberts at the other end. Fielders looked on in disbelief as the young South Australian flicked good bowlers off his legs for six and produced some excellent placement of shots. Despairingly, on a pitch that played beautifully all day, Jake got a ball that kept a bit lower, possibly highlighting the difference between Australia and Scotland, but very frustrating for the young batsman as he was given out LBW for 68. Rijvan Amin then arrived at the crease to help Gordonstoun resume control of the match and batted sensibly while supporting Roberts who was soon stumped on 49, which brought hard hitting Nathan Roberts to the crease. A sudden mix up and lack of communication was the only chance the batsman gave their more experienced opponents. After the visitors missed the opportunity of a run out, Amin and Roberts managed to remain at the crease till the end scoring 21* and 49* respectively. Gordonstoun School won by 7 wickets, having enjoyed the day immensely. Many of the XL Club members had made the special trip from various parts of Scotland and already look forward to being entertained again next year.

29th April 2010
vs Sutton Valence School - lost
Mike Plumridge who went to watch the match filled in at the last minute because of a late withdrawal due to illness On a good sunny afternoon, Kent & East Sussex won the toss and decided to bat first, The openers, Peter Eames & Mike Plumridge, never got going and in the second over the first wicket fell, This was not a good omen as in the fourth over the second wicket went, sixth over the third wicket and the tenth over the fourth wicket: for just 29 runs, But a plucky 41 from Steve Brown did enable the visitors to pass the three figure mark, albeit finishing with a total of 115 all out as Miles Henslow took 6 for 19. The weather changed during the tea interval as rain delayed the start of the second innings and again (for 27 minutes) when the school’s openers Chris Vernon & Ben Leal-Green had put 40 on the board. Sutton Valences’ first wicket fell at 89 and they reached the winning target for the loss of only 4 wkts with Chris Vernon making 57 of them.
vs Western Regional Academy U17's - draw
Scotland drew with the Western District Junior Academy at Titwood. Batting first, the XL Club posted 204 for 6 decl with Dave Wolton top-scoring with an unbeaten 60, and Fin Stuart just missing out on a half century getting out on 47. There were also useful contributions from Neill (28) and Coffey (18 no). In reply the Academy struggled to get close to the winning post, their innings eventually closing on 119 for 9. Although five of the Academy batters got in to double figures, none reached 25. The Forty Club bowlers were tight and the honours went to the spin twins of Young (3-10) and Hill (2-9). The Academy however did well to hold out for the draw as the last pair batted out the last four overs.

28th April 2010
vs King Edward VI GS - draw
KES won the toss and elected to bat first, which in the early stages of the game, seemed imprudent, when they lost the opening pair to some wonderful bowling off Terry Brown. Green threatened to impose himself, but eventually fell to the guile of Martin Woodward for 35. The next three batsmen didn’t do much better and Terry Brown ended his spell with 4 for 27 off 11 overs. Martin Woodward took 3 for 43 off 12 overs. The final four batsmen did most of the damage with some brutal hitting and the school eventually were all out for 164 off 53 overs. This left West Midlands with approx 38 overs to reach the total, and with the opening threesome of Kevin Truswell, Terry Brown and Mike Bainton scoring 95 runs between them, looked well within reach. However, but for the innings of Alan Cook and John Harrop, there was a mid order collapse, and XL held on for a draw at stumps, finishing just 26 runs short, but having had 15 overs less. The bowling honours for KES were evenly spread as XL had allowed the school to use 14 rolling players throughout the course of the match.
vs Alleyn's School - lost
Once again, batting first in this early season match against some good, accurate bowling proved a tricky task and after a steady start from David Steele and Richard Godfrey, the Kent & East Sussex innings was heavily reliant on Matthew Quantrill to hold things together, compiling a fine 66 in the process, especially with two wickets falling in the over before another first class lunch. The struggle to post a target continued after the interval, when John Gilder upped the pace with a very valuable innings of 39, 32 of which came in 4’s. It was always going to be hard to restrict the School side to less than 180, if they batted sensibly but exceptional spells of 15 and an unchanged 17 by Peter Hartland and Jim Dodgin respectively looked, on a couple of occasions, as though they just might carry the day. Peter, looking to emulate his “9 for” of the previous year bowled beautifully again and Jim’s spell was as accurate as they come but innings of 50 by School skipper, Matt Syrett, an expensive drop earlier on, and a composed 36 by Miller at no.6 saw the School into the home stretch and a well-deserved win with 8 overs to spare. Thanks to Tony March for returning to his alma mater to umpire and to the School for its tremendoushospitality
vs Highgate School - lost
Evoking many similarities with last season’s encounter, the 2010 North Thames game saw the current crop of Cholmeleians pull through in a close low-scoring battle, but not before their experienced opposition had threaten to rally dramatically. Batting first, the veterans began comfortably enough with an opening stand of 24 before Graham Allen chopped on a delivery from Lambert for 14. Lambert had deserved some reward for a nagging spell, but his opening partner Masefield more than equalled him for accuracy and movement, three of his first five overs registering as maidens. The XL club would have been relieved to survive the pairing only one wicket in arrears, although Johnny Bruce suffered at his unfavoured position of number three before falling for a 26 minute duck to the first of several impressive catches, Lethbridge holding on to a edge off Rory Blackshaw. The second dismissal was the catalyst for a tumultuous fall of wickets as Blackshaw reaped the rewards for an immaculate line and length. His next victim was the remaining opening bat Andy Newton, also out to a Lethbridge catch for 17. The XL club middle order arrived and departed in a matter of minutes – Varma accounted for number four Short, who swatted him into the hands of Lambert for a duck, before Blackshaw hit the purplest of patches. Pat Marshall succumbed scoreless in the sixteenth over to the ball of the day, pitching on middle and drifting in late to take out leg stump. Blackshaw followed this up in his next over with a double maiden. First he had Freddie Mills to thank for plucking out a fiercely struck Scott Haughton drive in the deep, before he conjured up a rapturously celebrated fifth wicket, inducing a thin edge from Emmerson (4) through to wicketkeeper Powe. With the XL club seemingly shattered at 47-7 the schoolboys could be forgiven for losing a little intensity, captain Adrian Fawden and Kevin Heffernan sharing a 13 run stand including a couple of caressed drives from the skipper before he was awarded padding up to Thomas for 8. Yet the last two wickets more than doubled the total, as Heffernan took the apparent hopelessness of the scenario as a license to play strokes, with a profitable pull shot bringing him plenty of several boundaries as the fielders started to become distracted and irritated by the delay. Suddenly the ninth wicket partnership of 35 looked blissfully untroubled, until Thomas was the fortunate recipient of a Heffernan slice to Varma at mid-on. Out for 30, Heffernan had provided the lead for the final stand of Tim Waine (18*) and Rawson (22) to follow, as they traded booming off drives with one another over a 42 stand before Rawson fell to a Lambert catch off the returning Masefield. The contest had been revived to a degree but the Highgate bowlers could still be pleased with their efforts, not least Blackshaw with his figures of 5-18. The juniors’ reply was jolted by the loss of their first wicket before they’d even scored a run, as opener and captain Buchanan played over the top of a pitched up Rawson delivery. Yet the other opening batsman Paul displayed effortless timing and elegant strokeplay which suggested the target would provide only a minor preoccupation that afternoon, especially once his new batting partner Thomas emerged from a quiet start to dispatch four boundaries in the space of ten balls off Rawson and Waine, both starting to flag after their batting efforts. In the ninth over the captain elected to bring himself on and his flighted offspin reaped instant dividends, breaking the 2nd wicket partnership of 52 after confused calling led Heffernan’s alert fielding to run out Thomas for 21. Four balls later and Paul was also out on 29, LBW to a Fawden delivery that drifted in. In a direct parallel to the first innings, Highgate school’s middle order began to cave in. Bruce’s military medium pacers tied up the other end, delivering consecutive maidens, while Fawden’s well honed off breaks winkled out Masefield (LBW for 3) and Lambert (bowled for a twelve ball duck) to leave the students faltering on 66-5. Yet just as the XL club turned their thoughts to victory celebrations, Lethbridge’s mental fortitude salvaged the run chase, with Powe providing judicious support. Both took care to establish themselves at the crease before Lethbridge started taking the attack to the bowlers with vicious square shots on both sides of the wicket. Bruce’s sterling effort (1-34) was unkindly dented by the concession of 16 runs from his eight and final wicket, although he picked up a consolation wicket as Lethbridge perished on 38 in his acceleration towards the victory target, floating a catch to Fawden. The sixth wicket stand had put on a decisive 55 runs, and even Fawden (3-24) couldn’t bring his side back into contention. Instead, Mills (13*) pulled off a composed sequence of big hits to seal victory, leaving Powe on 19 not out. An entertaining game played in cordial spirits.
vs Bedford Modern School - draw
Eastern Counties acquitted themselves well in the field but with far fewer overs to score the 173 needed for victory. The XL chase subsided once Nigel Gadsby’s enterprising innings of 72 was ended by the school skipper George Thurstance as the visitors hung on for a well-earned draw.

27th April 2010
vs Lancing College - won
A truly magnificent performance by Surrey & West Sussex. The opening bowling attack of Andy Shanks and debutant Steve Hebditch (whose figures were 18-8-31-5) was as good as ever been seen for The Forty Club. These two were ably supported by Steven Ballard & McDonald plus Nigel Keess (who picked up 4 wkts for 6 runs in just 4.2 overs). Plus there was an electric performance by the XL wicket keeper, Simon Routh, with 4 stumpings to his credit. The boys had no answer to the XL Club bowling with the exception of a 64 run partnership for the 6th wkt enabling the College to post a gettable 155 target which was reached comfortably in 39 overs with all the XL batsmen making a contribution.
vs Merchiston Castle School - draw
Scotland's visit to Colinton found a cold spring April day. Against tradition the club inserted Merchiston on winning the toss. The school then made us chase leather as they compiled a substantial total. An early success for Ramsay was small return as seven catches were shelled and the second wicket put on over 100. The introduction of spinners Young and Robinson put a brake on the scoring and 5 wickets fell for 22 runs leaving Merchiston 186-6 at tea. After tea the school bowlers tore through the XL Club top order and at 64-6 it looked like the club's lowest total ever. Bailwall and Sheils however restored some order and despite rotating their bowlers Merchiston were unable to claim the final few wickets as the XL club closed on 106-7
vs Norwich School - lost
An ageing Eastern Counties team was comprehensively thrashed by 10 wickets. Plater’s (on Northants books we are told) bowling and batting were in a different class to ours resulting in an unequal struggle, not aided by our usual quota of dropped catches!

22nd April 2010
vs George Watson's College - lost
The second match of the season saw Scotland lose to George Watson's College by eight wickets. On another bright but chilly day the club scored 145-9 dec. A first fifty for the club by Keith Flannigan and a resolute 40 no from Douglas Smith was the backbone of the innings. Alas, David Sole did not trouble their scorers, stranded in mid wicket and run out by a country mile. Unfortunately a late call off had meant no Tim Bunker and without him the Forties did not have the bowling to really test the school. A solid opening partnership built the foundation for some fast scoring and captain Chalmers smashed the final six to claim victory by eight wickets
vs Haileybury School - lost
Eastern Counties’ openers, Gadsby and Waters, survived a hostile opening spell from Boothby and progressed to a century opening stand, but once John Waters was out the XL innings disintegrated to 169-7 before declaration. The boys knocked off the 170 runs required comfortably despite losing 4 wickets.

21st April 2010
vs Birkenhead School - lost
The North West started their 2010 campaign with a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Birkenhead School who amassed an impressive total of 235-3 from the 35 overs. An outstanding partnership of 156 between A Hoard (104) & W Lamb (88 no) who consistently found the boundary and displayed excellent running between the wickets tested the NW bowlers and fielders who seemed, (despite the experience on display) to have no answers. In the latter part of the innings they pasted the XL bowling to all corners of field. In reply NW batted steady and with contributions from Mike Davies 52, Chris Dearden 32 & Ted Whitehead 31no ensured that scoring was up with the required run rate. Some accurate bowling & excellent fielding restricted NW and the School won back the laurels after NW victory last season. An excellent day dry & sunny but with a little chill and NW spirits remain high despite the heavy defeat.
vs Warwick School - won
West Midlands won the toss and elected to field on a cool but very sunny April afternoon. The opening pair of Cumberland and Hooper were contained by some very fine opening bowling from Brown and Simpson, and rode their luck with a lot of air shots early on. However, after Hooper was dismissed for 7, Howard took up the gauntlet, and between them, started to gain in confidence and increase the score considerably. The first change bowler in the shape of “Fingers” Wild, turned the tide for XL, and three wickets were snaffled to keep the total in reach. Howard and Williams both scored good 50’s and the school eventually declared on 199 for 4 off 46 overs at tea. This left XL with approx 33 overs in reply, and after losing Morris on 7, it was still looking a daunting task. However, Waters and Cooper were up for the challenge and started to dominate the bowling to score quite freely. Unfortunately, Cooper was run out on 60, having looked in complete control. Mike Bainton joined Waters and quickly set about moving the field back to the boundary with some fine aerial shots. Waters then perished for a solid 38 and John Simpson continued to punish the bad balls to accumulate very quick runs. In the 18th over of the last twenty, the winning run was struck, and this gave West Midlands XL a good first win for the season by 5 wickets.

20th April 2010
vs Loretto School - won
On a cold but bright and sunny day the XL Scotland District kicked off season 2010 with an exciting last ball win at Musselburgh. The first game of the new season saw the club pitted against Loretto School in a competitive fixture that was played in good spirit by both teams. The XL club batted first and captain Richard Donald led from the front as the club posted a stretching target of 144-8 declared. The Loretto boys set about chasing down the total and David Ramsay broke a good opening stand. As the overs went by and despite a tight spell from Dinesh Bailwal, Loretto were looking strong. The introduction of Richard Young tilted the match back towards the Forty Club however. Bowling a nagging line and length "Siggy" pinned the batters on the crease and was rewarded with consecutive LBWs. Although unable to complete his hat trick Young was able to return the excellent figures of 7-18. At the other end John Cameron offered opportunities to score but only by taking risks and he was rewarded with an important wicket that meant we entered the last over needing one more for victory. Loretto's best batsman was also 2 shy of his own personal 50. The fifty was recorded and Loretto were one ball from saving the game. A well flighted last ball however found a leading edge and Sandy Baird took a fine catch and a famous last ball win was recorded
vs Pocklington School - won
The North East placed into bat on a good dry wicket, made excellent progress against all the bowling with the 100 opening partnership coming from 23 overs before Crawfurd Porter had to retire hurt with a knee injury. The school quickly took 3 wickets before Cawood joined Barker who continued to bat aggressively narrowly missing out on a century, scoring a leg bye from the last ball of the innings to finish unbeaten on 99. The school batsmen had little idea against the leg spin and googly bowling of Lawrence, who was ably backed up by Green and Bedford. A flurry of runs from the hard hitting Axup threatened to deliver an unexpected victory by the school, but Green returned to the attack to take his wicket and the XL club won comfortably.

Past Performances, Results & Match Reports