And now to the final

OCs 219 for 7 (Waters 57, M Crump 51) beat Old Alleynians 218 for 9 (Roy 57) by three wickets
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After three convincing and yet relatively straightforward wins, the semi-final against Old Alleynians was a far tougher affair, although the margin of our victory – three wickets – rather distorted our fairly calm progress until a late flurry of wickets within sight of the finish. The result was a place in the final at only the second time of asking, vindication for the organisers in allowing a new side into the competition for the first time in 40 years last summer, and also for the strength of Cranleigh cricket.

We had lost Stuart Meaker days before the game, called into the England Under-19 side for the Test series against New Zealand, and 19-year-old James Halton, a batsman highly rated by Stuart Welsh, came into the side. The weather was a rare scorcer in this otherwise wretched summer, and Alleynians had little hesitation on batting when again Henry Watkinson lost the toss.

Alan Cope opened with a brace of wides, but Watkinson, as he has so often done, broke through with the new ball, although on a good batting pitch, runs came quickly, especially when width was offered. But the innings turned on two run-outs. The first was a brilliant example of team-work, a seemingly fruitless chase to deep midwicket, a diving flick back on the rope to Seren Waters who had chased all the way as well, a bullet-like throw and a smart flick from Will Howard to leave the batsman inches short seeking a seemingly comfortable second.

Chris Jordan of Surrey, allowed to play on the condition he didn’t bowl fast, nonchalantly flicked Michael Chetwode off his legs to get off the mark and it appeared we were in for a long day in the field. But in the next over Roy pushed to point, Jordan called for a risky single only to be turned back and was never in the frame as Eds Coipleston’s throw scored a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Not needed as a batsman in the three previous rounds, it was his first real contribution to the cup run, but possibly it was a match-winning one. Jordan trooped off as the disbelieving Cranleighans mobbed the man with the plastacine arm.

Rattled, the Alleynians then found themselves pegged down by the teenage spinning duo of Waters and Phil Roper. Waters’ nagging legspin from the top end was hard to get away, while Roper, brought into the side in the previous round for the crocked Graham Webb, showed real potential.


Lunsh was entertaining, a barbeque on the run as Rick Johnson slightly miscalculated the time needed to cook chicken, but our young batsmen again came up with the goods when we started our chase. Howard and Waters made another good start, but hopes of another Howard onslaught were ended when he was caught behind for 20.

Matt Crump joined Waters and the scoring rate picked up as they took the score to 101 before Waters was caught behind off the bowling of Sivakumaran for 57. Cope arrived at the crease and looked at ease until falling LBW following an injudicious reverse sweep to a straight ball from Jordan, bowling off spin. It was not the first time the stroke had caused his downfall and won’t be the last.

The scoring rate had been good all the way through - however, with the arrival of Abeed Janmohamed, it picked up markedly. Hooking, pulling and driving the Dulwich opening bowler to distraction, Janmohamed made 35 in quick time before being caught on the boundary at long-leg going for another six. At 182 for 3, with Matt Crump again making batting look easy, we had one foot in the final. But Dulwich never gave up and, with the fall of the fourth wicket our lower middle order was exposed for the first time in the competition. A mini-collapse followed as we lost three further wickets in short order, including that of Crump to a top-edged swipe to leg for 51. Luckily, time was irrelevant and Tom Crump, aided first by Copleston and then by Roper, finally saw us home with Watkinson and Chetwode nervously padded up on the boundary.

“We have made it to the final at our first real attempt which is a testament to the strength of the school's cricket at the moment,” noted former captain and super veteran Michael Chetwode. “We mustn't forget that more than half this side are under 21 and, of the others, only two are over 30 (no names!). Dulwich came with what appeared to be a strong and well organised side but they should have been blown away. It's a credit to their tenacity and fighting spirit that they were in with a chance (however small) at the end despite looking down and out for long periods. It also shows that we can't be complacent in any facet of our game. We meet Old Malvernians on August 17 at Richmond and they will prove to be an altogether tougher assignment.”

Meaker gets England call

Stuart Meaker will miss the Cricketer Cup semi-final against Old Alleynians after being drafted into the England Under-19 squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand.

Squad named for Cricketer Cup semi-final

Henry Watkinson writes: Congratulations to all involved in Sundays convincing victory in the West country. A terrific performance again with the bat and well done to Will and Matt for terrific innings. Well done also to Mike, Seren and Crumpy again for steaming the flow of runs in the middle overs. I thought our fielding again was an improvement on the previous game.
We should be confident but not overly confident as we know that Old Alleynians strongest side will be thrown at us for a semi final and we cant expect to carry on winning at a cantor- it just wont happen - I assure you. We will have to show even more intensity in each facet of our game to come through this next round.

The squad for the semi-final is:

Henry Watkinson (capt), Mike Chetwode, Eds Copleston, Abeed Janmohamed, Will Howard (wk), Alan Cope, Matt Crump, Jumbo Jupp, Stuart Meaker, Tom Crump, James Halton, Seren Waters, Phil Roper.
Heather Dean (scorer).

More details to follow but those who havent had a bat for a while should do so in the intervening days.

I have received many emails of encouragment and congratulations from OCs as well as non OCs in the last few days - we have created a large amount of interest and should not lose sight of the fact that it would be a huge feather in our cap if we were to reach the final in our first real attempt in this competition. We are not there yet and we must give our utmost before and during the game.

Cheltenham brushed aside as semi-final looms

OCs 183 for 1 (Howard 89*, M Crump 69*) beat Old Cheltonians 182 (Lawrence 98, Brooksbank 29, M Crump 3-25, Watkinson 2-28, Waters 2-37, Chetwode 1-39, Cope 1-50) by nine wickets

On a glorious day in the almost perfect setting of Cheltenham College, we progressed through to the semi-finals of the Cricketer Cup with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Old Cheltonians, a victory achieved with almost 24 overs to spare.

The day got off to a dream start when Alan Cope struck first ball, the Cheltonian opener padding up to a delivery which held its line. For the next 45 minutes things went rather awry, Cope in particular coming in for some stick. At 70 for 1 after 12 overs, the home side seemed poised to rack up a large score on a good pitch. But Michael Chetwode and Seren Waters (younger than two of his bowling partner’s daughters) re-established control and then Matt Crump ripped through the middle order with three quick wickets, the best courtesy of an excellent leg-side stumping from Will Howard.

Cheltenham’s other opener, David Lawrence, familiar to members of the OCHC where he spends his winters, batted superbly to help his team close in on a decent score, and he was robbed of what would have been a deserved hundred when run-out by a direct hit from Cope when on 98. Nevertheless, the last three wickets added 71 to enable Cheltonians to post 182.

Waters and Howard got us off to a decent start before Waters fell for 15. But from 35 for 1, the batsmen took complete control. Howard, who admitted to being in a hurry because of a liaison with five American ladies in Fulham at 7.30pm, played in his typicall idiosyncratic manner, always offering bowlers hope but plundering runs with speed. He made the most of a reprieve when caught behind off a no-ball. Matt Crump, the hero of the second round, provided the perfect foil, unleashing some exquisite strokes without looking troubled.

In three games we have lost five wickets and, to date, our middle order has really not been tested. Spare a thought for Eds Copleston who has not bowled or batted so far in the competition.

We now face Dulwich, who beat Felsted in their quarter-final, on Jubilee on July 27.

Henderson plunders, Rosenfeldt eats

OCs 189 for 8 (Rosenfeldt 56, Henderson 53*) lost to Frogs 191 for 4 by six wickets

At 5pm on the day before the game we had eight players and no catering arrangements in place for Sunday's game against the Frogs. A thought shower and no little blue sky thinking later we had 11 men and a car boot full of economy meat and salad. Adam Takla and Dave Shapland came in for their OC debuts whilst Ed Henderson and Tristan Rosenfeldt scuttled off home to prepare some salads for the BBQ (green for the former, potato for the latter... under his mother's supervision).

Sunday was a fine day and and it was a pleasure to welcome Rob Warbuton as captain of the opposition. Rosenfeldt arranged for us to bat first so that we could prepare the BBQ and Warburton cleverly arranged for there to be no ten-over limit per bowler in the fifty-over match.

Johnny Gates composed an elegant 9 until he was shot out by an umpire keen to get into the action. Damian Hill butchered a quick twenty, Shapland didn't hang around and Tom Merry, still mentally in Infernos where he had been the previous night, thought he could steal a quick single. Rosenfeldt was at the other end and quite simply wasn't having any of it.

Henderson, flagrantly disobeying doctors orders not to aggravate his foot, came in at the allrounders position of No. 6 and scratched around for an unbeaten half century, his maiden for the club. A total of 180 in 50 overs wasn't enough but it was at least something and, given the relative weakness of the batting, was a decent effort.

Early wickets were required but not forthcoming. A Paul Vickersesque left hander wiped several ugly boundaries despite craven bowling with impressive control. Henderson claimed his first wicket as an off spinner and Hardy-King bowled with pace and aggression but the result was never in doubt. The Frogs won by six wickets with 10 overs to spare.

Cricket Week a damp squib

Appalling post-Wimbledon weather decimated the cricket week and left us with only one home game, the final second-Sunday fixture against the Frogs.

We lost four home games to rain – Sunday (Eton), Monday (Grasshoppers), Wednesday (Kings Canterbury) and Thursday (Charterhouse). Although the Monday and Thursday were actually quite sunny, so much rain had fallen in the previous 24 hours that the square was unplayable.

Only once before has the week been so blighted by poor weather. In 1987, the Saturday game was washed out at lunchtime and the next four days were abandoned before play finally resumed on the Thursday.

The two weekday matches we did play resulted in a six-wicket defeat at Old Georgians on the Tuesday and a thumping eight-wicket win at Tonbridge on the Friday.

The low of the week came on Sunday night when Rick took a number of young and old OCs to his favourite pub, the Fox in Bucks Green, for a meal of stunning appallingness which cost an arm and a leg.

Cricketer Cup quarter-final side named

The following have been selected for the Cricketer Cup quarter-final match at Cheltenham College.

Seren Waters, Stuart Meaker, Alan Cope, Matt Crump, Abeed Janmohamed, Will Howard (wk) ,Tom Crump, Eds Copleston, Henry Watkinson (capt), Jumbo Jupp, Mike Chetwode.

Seren Waters, who left Cranleigh last week after scoring almost 900 runs in the season, makes his cup debut. Graham Webb has failed to shake off a calf strain.

Annual OC Ladies cricket match?

It is hoped to have, at the very least, an annual OC Ladies' cricket match against the School. Interested OCs please contact May Millburn-Fryer: MayMillburn-Fryer@hotmail.com or call 07837 352759