Soham Grammarian Summer 1952
CRICKET SUMMARY
With the return of Scarfe, Bray, Kendall, Currie, Rouse and Bishop, hopes ran high for a successful season, and to a great extent these hopes have been justified. To be a successful cricketer having a match on Saturday afternoons is not enough. You must give more to the game than this. You must practice cricket, talk cricket, and almost live cricket. This year there has been much more evidence of this approach to the game than in previous seasons.
CB Scarfe, the captain, with the experience he gained in senior cricket last season, has been able to manage the team well, fielding lapses have been few, and field setting has been good. The idea of having 120 runs to get in 1½ hours has not been the crushing blow it has been in the past, and it is obvious by the declarations made, and attempts to reach opponents' totals in a limited time that the game is being played well.
It was, indeed, a pleasure to see how Scarfe and Bray set about the total of 148 set them by the County club. With roughly two hours to bat and against such an attack as FA Ridgeon and R Vallins, both of whom have opened the bowling for the County since the war, they put on a hundred without loss and thus enabled the score to get within twenty runs of the County club total for the loss of two wickets.
The match against Newport, at Newport, was another achievement. Here the match was left drawn, after having been set 130 to get in 110 minutes; we failed by 5 runs only for the loss of six wickets. Scarfe and Bray, captain and vice-captain, have proved themselves very good openers, an excellent right and left-hand combination who have hit hard and correctly.
Kendall, Bishop and Rouse have all bowled well, particularly the latter, since his off-spinners have been given less aid. Ansell is steadily improving as a pace bowler.
The Second XI have maintained a steady improvement throughout the term. The members of the Under 14 XI have amply justified our confidence in them and many of them have played and played well for the First XI. The stand between Pearson and Leonard at Newmarket, which added 32 runs on a turning wicket, after the big guns had gone, was most praiseworthy.
The future seems bright, but at this game especially you must practise, practise, practise.
RAT
RESULTS
FIRST ELEVEN
v Saffron Walden (away) - LOST
Saffron Walden 85 (Scarfe 3-13), School 59 (Currie 17)
v Bury KE VI (away) - DRAW
School 64-6 dec. (Bray 20), Bury 26-7 (Scarfe 4-0)
v Kings' School, Ely (home) - DRAW
School 118-6 dec. (Currie 39, Ibbott 24), Kings' 46-7 (Scarfe 3-11)
v Newport GS (away) - DRAW
Newport 129 (Scarfe 4-36), School 125-6 (Bray 77, Kendall 23)
v Newmarket GS (home) - WON
School 130-2 dec. (Bray 68 no., Kendall 37 no., Newmarket 50 (Kendall 5-10, Rouse 4-16)
v Bury KE VI (home) - DRAW
School 100-9 dec. (Scarfe 28), Bury 84-4 (Kenda11 3-28)
v March GS (home) - DRAW
School 117-5 dec. (Bray 35, Currie 34 no., March 87-5 (Kendall 3-23)
v Cambs. Club and Ground (home) - DRAW
Cambs C&G. 147-6 dec. (Rouse 3-37), School 126-2 (Scarfe 60 no., Bray 41)
v March GS (away) - DRAW
March 107-9 dec. (Rouse 3-18), School 61-5 (Scarfe 18 no.)
v Newmarket GS (away) - WON
School 90-6 dec. (Pearson 18 no., Newmarket 44 (Scarfe 4-23)
v Soham Town (home) - WON
Soham 84 (Ansell 4-13, Rouse 4-18), School 85-3 (Kendall 32 no., Currie 27)
v Kings' School (away) - DRAW
Kings' 145-8 dec. (Bishop 5-40), School 78-7 (Currie 23)
v Old Boys (home) - WON
OBs 84 (Scarfe 4-35, Kendall 4-36), School 86-0 (Scarfe 37 no., Bray 31 no.)SECOND ELEVEN
v Bury (home) - LOST. School 26, Bury 95-3
v Kings' (away) - LOST. School 34, Kings' 127-8
v Bury (away) - LOST. School 41, Bury 71-2
v March (home) - WON. March 26, School 33-1
v March (away) -WON. School 108-8 dec., March 55
v Kings' (home) - LOST. School 30, Kings' 39-4UNDER FOURTEENS
v Bury (away) - WON. School 85-3 dec., Bury 35
v Newport (away) - LOST. Newport 94, School 87
v Bury (home) - WON. School 102-6 dec., Bury 36
v Kings' (away) - TIE. Kings' 107, School 107-3UNDER THIRTEENS
v St. Faiths' (home) - DRAW. St. Faiths' 96-3 dec., School 69-2
v St. Faiths' (away) - DRAW. School 84, St. Faiths' 69-8
1st XI AVERAGES
BATTING
* Denotes not outInnings Not
OutRuns Highest
ScoreAverage DM Bray 13 2 295 77 26.82 CB Scarfe 13 3 225 60* 22.50 JOC Kendall 11 3 147 37* 18.38 JR Currie 11 1 168 39 16.80
BOWLING Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Average CA Rouse 69.2 11 196 21 9.33 CB Scarfe 144.5 46 302 30 10.07 JOC Kendall 133 35 277 27 10.26 R Bishop 77.5 27 150 14 10.71 Catches-Kendall 11, Scarfe 9, Bullman 6.
SCHOOL v CAMBS. CLUB AND GROUND
One of the most exciting matches played during the term was against the County Club and Ground XI. Five of the county players were qualified to wear their county caps, and the result - a draw - was a magnificent achievement for the School.
The Club and Ground opened with all the sobriety of the first day of a Test match. E Hobbs, nephew of the great JB, with his delicate cutting and turning to leg, delighted the spectators. Then Kendall sent Spragg's off-stump cartwheeling and the game sprang to life.
FA Ridgeon had three lofted boundaries and then was brilliantly caught and bowled by Kendall. JA Sunshine, however, continued in a similar vein and using the long handle had four fours straight over the bowler's head. The School attack faced up to this onslaught well and Rouse had three wickets for 37 runs when the County declared after tea for 147 for 6 wickets.
Scarfe and Bray, with two hours' batting time left, opened quietly against Vallins and Spragg. The bowling was accurate, but runs came and fifty were scored without loss. Ridgeon replaced Spragg, but still the School batsmen remained together. The score mounted and a leg-glide saw the century partnership reached. At 117 Bray was out, caught off RA Taylor's bowling, for an excellent 41, so ending a record first-wicket stand.
Currie went quickly, well caught at first slip. When stumps were drawn, the School were 126-2, Scarfe 60 not out, an excellent innings. Twenty runs behind - a draw, but what a great game. How it would have delighted Neville Cardus or Robertson-Glasgow.
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last update 4 Dec 2007