Sherborne School 1st XI 208 (49.5 overs) Fergus O’C 88

Marlborough College 1st XI 210-6 (40.1 overs)

Lost by 4 wickets.

This was an excellent game of cricket in which Marlborough’s depth prevailed and where we let our opponents off the hook twice, despite playing some high quality cricket through the rest of the game.

Electing to bat was the right decision and Jordan G and Charlie R made a confident start. Two excellent pieces of fielding removed the openers: Jordan played an extravagant drive to the cover boundary where Holmes caught a superb catch and then Charlie, after an excellent 100 partnership with Fergus O’C, was run out with a direct hit at one stump. From a great position of 137-1 we then subsided to 139-4. Sam G must have felt after last week that his luck was out, but the air between his bat and ball was enough to pump up a beach ball. To his credit he walked off recognising that cricketing luck can work both ways. Fergus had taken a particular like to Carroll’s first over taking it for 23 (perhaps the carol was We Three Kings?) and after lunch he continued batting with great maturity scoring runs all round the wicket. Sadly the accompaniment was like a limp salad to a fine steak, our final 8 batsmen contributing only 41 runs between them. The other Marlborough spinners all bowled well, none of them going for above 3.5 runs an over. Eventually Fergus holed out for 88 and we wilted meekly to 208.

Unfortunately JP T injured his back in the warm up and we were left with just two seamers. Despite an early wicket from Ben L, who manages to contribute something to every game, Marlborough got off to a flyer with 41 off the first 6 overs. We dropped a couple of catches which did not help. At 60-1 they were in control but the introduction of Arthur R-G and Tom M turned the game on its head. Arthur bowled their number 3 and then had Carroll, who was threatening to smash us to early defeat, stumped by the ever-reliable Sam G. Tom M then struck twice in the 13th over to leave Marlborough 66-5. It was at that moment that a battle-hardened side would have turned the screw but we were unable to build the pressure and Marlborough’s late middle order batted with great sense, running intelligently and putting away the bad balls. Particular credit should go to Max Cordle a Junior Colt whose 60* showed real maturity. Charlie R picked up one wicket and at 115-6 there was another window of opportunity but the Marlborough captain Welch, in a man of the match performance, having already taken 3-32, scored a fine 50 to slam that window on our fingers, fingers that continued to be a little buttery with one more dropped catch. Against top teams small moments like that can come back to bite you (those fingers are taking a mixed metaphor bashing).

In conclusion we gave unbeaten Marlborough a real fright and by playing more games of this quality, we will continue to improve. The Upper was filled with people and the game was a fitting tribute to Josh Lawrence, for whom the teams wore black armbands and about whom Hugh Tatham spoke movingly to the two teams at the start of the game.