A HISTORY OF CRICKET

AT

SHERBORNE SCHOOL

D.F. GIBBS

* * * F OREWORD

I find this an extremely interesting history of cricket at the School.

T he c r u cial thi ng i s that, over the last forty years, cricket is the one game w h ere stand ards have dropped. The reasons are not hard to find. Firstly. until t h e fifties, all boys played cricket; the season in schools lasted three month s; H ouse matches went on for a whole week, if necessary, to get a finish. The m a jority of members of the staff had played cricket and !IO could help in some capacity. All this has changed in the last twenty or so years; perhaps sixty boys over the age of sixteen play cricket, while others are involved with tennis or athletics. Because of 'A' levels, the season is not much more than five weeks and pressure of work means that less time in the week c a n be spent on the cric ket fi eld. In addition, m a ny m e n1bers of t he sta ff hav e n eve r played c r icket and so there tend s to b e a s hortage of

coaches . In the thir ties , many outstanding cricketers f rom Oxford and

Cambridge went to teach at Public Schools; now such men go and play

County cricket.

In spite of all this, enthusiasm survives and standar ds are being maintained even if at a lower level than before. Boys who "loathe cricket"

do not play, and so cannot h a ve an influence on those who lov e the game;

and so it is fair to say that c ricket in the Sc hool is in a very healthy state.

M.M. W. CONTENTS

1. Early Days 1841 - 1859 1 - 4

2. The Establishment of Cricket at Sherborne 1859 - 1878 4 - 8

3. Demise and Recovery 1878 - 1890 9 - 11

4. The Golden Age of Cricket 1890- 1914 11 - 14

5. The Golden Age of Sherborne Cricket 1914 - 1939 14 - 19

6. War and the Age of Sheppard 1939- 1950 20 - 21

7. The 1950's, 60's and 70's 21 - 25

APPENDICES

(a) Batsmen who have scored more than 450 runs in a season:- 1895 to 1979 26 - 27

{b) Bowlers who have taken 35 wickets or more in a season:- 1895 to 1979 28 - 29

{c) School XI's since 1900 30 38

{d) Record in School matches 1865 to 1979 39

(e) Schoolboy representative appearances 40

{f) Masters i/c cricket: masters coaching 1st XI: professionals and head groundsmen 41

{g) First Class cricketers 42 - 43 INTRODUCTION

Whenever a Sherborne cricketer achieves something remarkable one is asked whether his performance has ever been bettered. The School has , an unbeaten season - has this ever happened before ? A batsman scores 600 runs in a season - how many people have done this in previous -years ?

One of the aims of this booklet is to answer some of these questions. Another is to put Sherborne School cricket in its historical context.

Cricket at Sherborne grew up on a wave of obs essionalism with games in the years spanning the turn of the century. In the second half of the twentieth century the role of games in Public School life has changed substantially, yet Sherborne has remained a considerable force in the school­ boy cricketing world. It is interesting to trace these developments in the light of changes in the national game.

Finally, it is remarkable to see how history repeats itself. We lament today the dearth of fast bowlers in the School and we suggest that the benign nature of the Sherborne wickets is an important factor in this (when last was a bowler at Sherborne warned for bowling bouncers?), yet The Shirburnian was making these remarks a century ago. And still it remains true that in the past 120 years Sherborne has turned out any number of outstanding schoolboy cricketers yet its impact on the First Class game has been strictly limited.

Some of these features are explained in this booklet: there are many questions however which remain unanswered, or at least in dispute. The author would always be interested to receive observa tions and further details from those concerned in the years covered i:-1. this account, for it is only by understanding the past that one can explain the present, and thereby hope to improve the future. l. Early Days 1841 - 1859

The middle years of the 19th century saw Britain in the throes of immense changes induced by industrialisation. The growth of cricket as a national past-time and the establishment of the public schools were both directly related to these great changes. Throughout its history though Sherborne, probably by nature of its geographical position, has come in the rearguard of change. Thus it was not till 1860 that the railway reached the town; it was not till the 1860's that cricket became firmly established in the School and it was not till 1872 that the constitution of the School was changed enabling it to become a national public school instead of a small country grammar school.

The Shirburnian magazine was first published in 1859 and thereafter gives consistent coverage of all cricket played at the school. Until then there is only the evidence of scattered references in local newspapers. At this time sport in the schools was solely the province of the boys and it was they who submitted these reports. Not surprisingly, they are fragmentary and one-sided.

The first recorded cricket occurred in the month of August 1841, when a series of three matches was played between the Boarders and the Day Boys on Lenthay. Each match is recorded in the Sherborne Journal. The scores are low but the teams were Xl-a-side {by no means universal at this time) and the fixture seems to have become a regular event in the calendar, for the first edition of The Shirburnian comments : "the match generally causes great excitement in the School." Already there was a marked gulf between the local Foundationers, who received their education free and for whom the School had been initially founded in 1550, and the Boarders who came from further afield and paid fees.

The first fixture against an outsider seems to have been the Bruton School match in September 1846 and the report from the Western Flying Post is worth quoting in full:

"On Thursday last a match was played on L enthay Green between two picked elevens from the schools of Bruton and Sherborne, both foundations of King Edward the Sixth. As it was the first match ever played between the schools, it excited considerable interest, not only between the players and the separate establishments of which they were the selected champions, but also among the parents of many of the boys, and the lovers generally of this noble game. The challenge was sent from Sherborne to Bruton, but the match was played here, and on the ground of the S. C. C. The wickets were pitched at eleven o'clock, and the Sherborne boys having won the toss were the first to take the bat. It is no mere compliment to say that the play throughout, and on both sides, was very good, and displayed, even amongst these youthfui amateurs, evidence of the progress which has been made in the science of the game of cricket within the last few years. The bowling was for the most part "round arm" and the batting showed that, however the execution might occasionally fail, the theory of "hitting" was rightly understood; and there were not wanting some very pretty specimens of "forward play", the "cut to the off" and the "hit to the leg". The Sherborne School succeeded in their first innings_ in running up an account of 72, made up by the different contributions stated below . Their opponents were less fortunate, and were obliged to surrender the bat having only registered a score of 44. In their second hands Sherborne was less successful and added only 43 to their former account, thus putting Bruton in for 72 runs to win. These were soon made, mostly by a succession of fine hits by Linthwaite, and the match terminated in favour of Bruton, with four wickets to go down. Without saying a word in disparagement of the exct:llence of the play that won the· match, it is only fair to state that Linthwaite was one of the ma1ters not one of the boys of the Bruton School and no mean proficient in the game. This misapprehension of the character of the match interfered to a great extent with the interest it would else have created. It will be seen by the score, that it was to his superior batting that the result is to be ascribed, and there is no doubt but that, with the bowling with which he had to contend he could have won the match off his own bat. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how a man - and he amongst men probably a superior player - should have mixed himself up in a match intended {at least on one side) for boys only, and amongst whom therefore there was no equal player to compete with him. This little mistake (for doubtless it was one) gave a lopsidedness to the match, which in a great measure impaired the pleasure which else,. let the result have been the same, it would have imparted to all who witnessed it. The ground was well attended throughout the day and several of the respectable inhabitants of the town, together with some visitors from Bruton, including the Rev. Mr. Abrahall, the Headmaster of the School, partook ·of the dinner kindly provided on the occasion by the Rev. Mr. P!mrose. The day was fine and proved in every respect a pleasant one and we trust this friendly meeting is only the commencement of a long series of such, to be repeated for many years to come.".

The location of the ground is impossible to determine although the modern day Carey's would seem the most likely. Lenthay was then beyond the built-up area of Sherborne town and none of the land was owned by the School. 'Round-arm' bowling {i.e . the ball could not be delivered from

2 above the level of the shoulder) was the order of the day, h aving become generally established in the 1820's and it was not till 1864 that over-arm bowling was authorised by M. C. C.

The match was repeated in 184 7 (Sherborne won by 131 runs) and is again referred to in 1851 whe n the Western Flying Post talks about the 'annual match of cricket between the schools ' . It would appear that already the game was becoming significant at Sherborne, for the newspaper reports , that the Sherborne players had the benefit of a professional to coach them.

Also -in 1851. the School, including two masters, beat the Town and one of the Xl in his report to the newspa per wrote: "The game proved to be an interesting affair, especially to the juveniles who were scattered over the field and gave the most unequivocal demonstration of the joy they felt when their comrades had beaten what a ppeared to them to be an invincible body of cricketers .... " Again, in 1853 a victory for the School is recorded on the last Saturday of the half.

Three years later in 1856 the School acquired its own ground and the first match on 'The Upper' appears to have been that in which the School defeated the Westminster Club of Stalbridge by an innings and seven runs. As early as 1853 Mrs. Harper -the wife of the Headmaster -had recorded in her diary: "went with Hugo ..•... search for a cricket field without success though there are 2 - 3 places that would do if we could get them." The 'Upper' was merely a field rented from a local butcher at £33 per annum. There were no facilities at all, tents were set up for changing and the scorers and the outfield was really no more than a hayfield.

Cricket though, in the 1840's and 50's was still undeveloped as a national game. Braces and top hats were often worn and pitches were invariably poor in quality. The great centres of the game were Sussex and Kent, East Anglia and some of the great northern cities, but they were essentially localised. The focal points were the clubs not the counties; there was little contact between the different centres and in the West Country the game was only sparsely developed. Professionals were dominant and gambling was closely associated with the cricket field. It was not there­ fore a fashionable or respectable game, so much so that the immortal Felix, who along with Alfred Mynn, Fuller Pilch, Hillyer and Wenman, dominated the great Kent XL was merely a pseudonym used by a private school Headmaster who felt that his cricketing prowess was not good for business. \ How very different from subsequent generations ! It is not surprising therefore that the game caught on only slowly and rather spasmodically at Sherborne.

3 It must also be remembered that the King's School was only small. Although the n1-1mber of pupils had risen to a peak of 150 in 18 3 0 it had slumped to 40 by the mid-1840's, so that when Dr. Harper took over as Headmaster in 1850: "he found the place .... nothing more than a grammar school, its reputation temporarily tarnished, in a back­ water, its buildings dilapidated and cramped, covering an area much the same in extent as at the time of the Dissolution, its personnel still largely local. •.• ", (A. B. Gourlay, 'A History of Sherborne School.')

It was unlikely therefore that the School was going to be at the forefront of any great changes, particularly in the establishment of a national sport.

2. The Establishment of Cricket at Sherborne 1859- 1878

It was in the two decades of the 1860's and 1870's that Sherborne became a school of national repute and the game of cricket was firmly established in its bounds as well as on a national sea ~ Dr. Harper arrived in 1850 to find some 40 pupils; he left twenty-seven years later with 270 enrolled. The coming of the London and South Western Railway had obviously played a significant part in this growth, but above all he had a far wider vision than his predecessors, in an age when public schools were becoming fashionable and much in demand from the rapidly expanding middle classes. Crucial changes had occurred in 1872, when the local Foundationers paying no fees had been phased out, so that all pupils now paid and, with improved transport facilities, came from all over the country. But if Sherborne had aspirations as a national public school of repute, then it had to cultivate organised games and particularly cricket.

It was the 1870's that saw cricket become a national sport and it was the Grace family above all who made this possible . W. G. was obviously the best known , but his brothers E. M. a nd G. F . gave him much support in revolutionising the sport. Their game was functional and effective rather than stylish; they scorned convention; they hit across the line which was decidedly 'bad form', but their success was phenomenal; soon cricket was to become an essential part of the curriculum in schools.

It was in the 1860's therefore that Sherborne began regular fixtures with clubs, such as Shaftesbury, South Wiltshire (Salisbury) and Kingston Park (Bournemouth), occasional fixtures with various Oxford college sides and in 1865 the first modern day school fixture with Clifton College (it was •

4 tied, a result to be repeated 101 years later.)

There were two distinct halves to the season; May and early June and then August and September, for it was not till 1872 that the current three-term system was adopted. In those days there were two halves - from mid-January to mid-June and from mid-August to just before Christmas. Modern-day pupils and masters would not be amused by such prospects ! However, playing cricket towards the end of September was not always a pleasant occupation, as The Shirburnian recorded of a visit to Salisbury to play South Wilts in 1863; " .... but in consequence of the day being rather a damp one, our opponents refused to play, and although our men remained on the ground and practised until three o'clock, they could not be persuaded either to go to the wickets themselves, or allow us to do so. We should scarcely have thought that rain was a sufficient excuse for putting off a cricket match, after we had gone such a distance for that purpose only."

In 1868 there emerged the first of a long line of outstanding school­ boy cricketers from Sherborne in A. F. E. Forman, who in all matches scored 513 runs in 46 innings and took 216 wickets at 9 runs each, "the bowler of the XI: his balls being both straight and well pitched", according to The Shirburnian. Statistics, however, for these early years have no real meaning, for there is no consistency in their recording and often (as in this case) they include internal practice matches as well.

The next season saw a highly successful Xl win eight of its ten fixtures. The Shirburnian felt that the "improvement is principally owing to the praiseworthy manner in which the professional, S. Morley, has exerted himself.... However there is still one great failing in several members, and that is the way in which they pull at straight balls, and then usually lose their wickets."

One marked characteristic of these early years was that the cricket was run principally by the boys. In the public schools as a whole organised games had begun to develop in the 1850's, by the 1860's they were becoming obsessional and this philosophy was to remain well into the 20th century. Previously it had been the task of the Captain of the XI to make all arrangements including the engagement of professional coaches , only occasionally were masters called in to help. However, the increasing importance attached to the results of school matches meant that masters were soon brought in to run the games directly. Sherborne, as so often, was behind the tim;;J .As....la-te--a-s--l-8-7-4 the Ge¥ernors' l.aid do~"' a 1 nl:ing J;h.a·t- ganres- we-p.e.. 'solely the prQyince of tfte boy s' and the Re•. Yoang, ..MatpeT 1 S SUG-G&~osi-t-i-¥&1-y discn=-ged-tfis S a r ramp aym \ a-e-tiv~. yThe situation was aptly summed up by one of h·is Head Boys

5 who wrote:-

"No master either played a game or interfered with advice except by express invitation of the boy who was Captain of games. We 11 were not efficient: we enjoyed oursel~

Hence at Sherborne the Cricket Committee (all boys) determined policy. In 1869 the following rules were established :-

1. The Committee shall :-

(a) Collect subscriptions and levy fines {usually 6d) for damage done in the field.

{b) Draw up and post averages.

(c) Choose XI's other than the 1st XI and shall be guided by averages.

{d) Provide scorebook, stumps and balls from the funds of the Club.

2. The Captain of each XI to be responsible for his team playing a match on at least two half-holidays per week.

3. Captains of lower XI's to be exempt from fagging.

In the next ten years the firm roots of the 1860's were consoli­ dated. The club fixtures were extended but Sherborne's geographical position, as well as her lack of reputation in the schoolboy cricketing world, meant that apart from Clifton there were no other regular school fixtures. There was a one-off match against Guildford School in 1871 and in 1874 Sherborne made their only appearance at Lord's against Rossall. A fixture at Headquarters reflected the fact that Sherborne as a national school had been accepted in cricketing terms in the highest circles. Strong lobbying was obviously necessary to obtain the match, but why it was never repeated is not recorded. Perhaps the parents did not like it, for 20 years previously some of the Winchester parents were so worried about the possibility of their sons being faced by 'temptation of the worst kind' whilst in London for the Lord's fixture, that they managed to persuade the college authorities to cease playing there ! Certainly it

6 was net through a poor performance, for Sherborne won by an innings and 25 runs as the scorecard records:-

LORD'S - 7th, 8th August 1874

Sherborne

H. A. Tudor lbw b. Weeks 2 H . W. Sheffle run out 52 R.A. Bewes c Metcalfe b. Hammond 5 E. Tanner b. Disney 37 W.M. Barnes c Bearcroft b. Disney 0 H. M. Merriman c Saxton b. Evans 105 W.A. Carver b. Weeks 2 R.T. Finch b. Weeks 13 F.F. Schacht b. Disney 0 E. A. Travers not out 27 w. Watts c Saxton b. Evans 0 extras 13

256

Rossall 114 {Watts 8 for 5 7, Bewes 2 for 16) and 117 {Merriman 5 for 25, Bewes 3 for 43)

The Clifton fixture however continued and for the first seven years finished very much in Sherborne's favour, four matches being won, two drawn and one tied. However, relations were not always cordial and one can imagine today the fumings of indignant and dedicated cricket masters at the situation as recorded in The Shirburnian in 18 71:-

''Play started at 9. 45 a. m. and from this point CRICKET ceased, the ground was in a most slippery and boggy state, and the ball, from being two hours in the rain, had become swollen and the case quite loos e, and was too slippery to bowl with any precision. During lunch it rained as hard as ever, but owing to the repeated requests of the Cliftonians that we should go out and field, we at

7 length consented to do so. The bowler could only walk up to the wickets and discharge the ball as best he could, running after it was impossible and therefore not attempted."

Clifton scored 385 leaving Sherborne an hour's batting in which they made 32 for 2.

There were compensations however, for in the same year the highest ever individual score was recorded on The Upper. Against Motc6mbe House, Sherborne took five hours in making 466 and in the one hour remaining bowled out their opponents for 31. In the Sherborne innings, W. H. Game made 281 and then followed it up by taking five wickets. However, his innings must be seen in its context, as The Shirburnian says: "though when the extreme weakness of the bowling and the tendency which the fielders displayed to allow the ball to slip between their legs is taken into consideration, this feat is hardly so marvellous as it might appear at first sight." Game had a distinguished career ahead of him, playing for four consecutive years for Oxford University and then for Middlesex, but it is probably fair to say that the opposition in these early days was variable in standard and it is not really till the 1890's that comparable competitive cricket as we know it today came into being and statistics can be compared with meaning over the seasons. Still, 281 in less than five hours is a fine achievement in any company and has never been exceeded by a Sherborne player.

Commensurate with the improvement in the standard of cricket at Sherborne School were developments in the facilities. In 1869 The Upper was levelled and the Northern entrance constructed and in 1883 a proper drainage system was installed. A cricket wicket takes many years to create. In the early 1860's consistently low scores suggest some room for improvement, as did The Shirburnian: "if anyone bowls fast downhill he stands a great chance of breaking the batsman's head", but towards the end of the 1860's and increasingly in the 1870's, larger scores suggest a marked improvement. Also in 1877 the Pavillion was re-constructed with the building of a dining room and verandah upstairs, together with changing rooms downstairs and it has not since been substantially changed.

Thus in the twenty year period 1859 - 1878, the game of cricket established itself in the life of this rapidly expanding West Country public school. There were two strands in this development. On the one hand was the expansion of the School itself in an age of economic growth and -· w'ith the ethos of games as a crucial part of a young man's upbringing, and on the other hand the emergence of crick et as a national and fashionable sport. Change in Sherborne happens slowly, but at least the movement was under way.

8 3. Demise and Recovery 1878 - 189 0

From sound beginnings and a promising future the fortunes of cricket at Sherborne slumped suddenly and alarmingly. In 1878 The Shirburnian recorded that "Cricket this year did not flourish throughout the school as it ought, and very little interest appeared to be taken in the game among the lower XI's." In the following year only one batsman had an average in double figures and the highest aggregate (maximum eight innings) was 86. The 1881 season was no better. It was sad that the captain, W. J. Harper (son of the former Headmaster), did not play at all owing to ill-health and in fact did not live to see the end of the cricket season; whilst The Shirburnian commented: "It is our opinion that Sherborne cricket will admit of much improvement; we do not know why our array of defeats should not be diminished." Runs were no easier to come by in 1882, the captain H. H. House is described as a good 'long stop', which was probably as well for he had an aggregate of 24 runs in 11 innings. Finally there was the annual disaster in the Clifton fixture. We have seen earlier that in the period 1865 - 1871 Sherborne had much the better of this contest, neve r in fact losing but, extraordinarily, in the period 1882 - 1887, apart from one draw, the match was lost by an innings and in successive years 197, 119, 34, 56 and 365 runs. In 1885 "there was no excuse for such an utter collapse especially as the wicket was such a perfect one for scoring and played true the whole time;" in 1886 the second innings "was a disastrous exhibition of pusillanimity", and finally in 1887 a "crushing and disgraceful defeat" is recorded.

One can imagine the way in which the ·Sherborne XI looked forward to this fixture each year, particularly when it was played at Clifton. Today the coach leaves the School at 9 a. m. for an 11. 30 start; then in order to start at the same time, it was necessary to take a trap at 5 a. m. from the School to catch the train at Pen Mill Station, Yeovil. The train made its way to Bath via Westbury, where a change was made to the broad-gauge GWR to Temple Meads. Another trap was then taken up to the College, where­ upon the XI would be given breakfast before being shown round the school buildings. An exhausting way to prepare for a two day game of cricket !

Again, surprisingly in these years Sherborne produced several outstanding cricketers. E. A. Nepe.an subsequently went on to play for Oxford University, Middlesex and the Gentleman of England; E. W. Bastard, who in 1880 took 75 wickets at 8. 8 runs each in 18 innings, including 6 for 52 and 9 for 20 in the Clifton match, gained a blue at Oxford; and most famous of all was F. E. Lacey, a Cambridge blue who played for Hampshire for 20 years, before becoming a distinguished Secretary of the M. C. C. from 1898 to 1926 and who was the first man to be knighted for services to cricket. Additionally, in 1880 was initiated the annual fixture with M. ·c. C., another

9 sign that the School had arrived.

However, these successes were exceptional, Sherborne cricket had taken a marked step backwards and this had aroused much concern. Many correspondents to The Shirburnian put forward their explanations, the most common being as follows :- J 1. The quality of fixtures: Sherborne played none of the leading school sides apart from Clifton. A selection of invitation XI's and club sides provided some interesting but variable cricket and there was a lack of the excitement and competition that can only come· from good school matches.

2. Lack of assistance from masters: as we have seen already the School was slow to make the change from boy to master­ organised games which had happened elsewhere.

3. The system of colour-giving: one correspondent argued that no cricket colours should be awarded till the end of the season on the grounds that most members of the XI lost interest in their obligation to help coach junior members as soon as their colours were awarded.

4. A general lack of interest in the game: as a Shirburnian Editorial said:- "If we only played cricket with half the zest we give to football, or even to our House matches, there would not be such a series of disasters to chronicle year after year." One contributory factor here may be that the Upper is some way from the School and although in its own right a delightful ground for playing cricket, it can lack atmosphere; many of the best school grounds are flanked by school buildings.

5. Numbers in the School: all was not well in Young's reign as Headmaster, culminating in his being sued for libel by a School House Tutor and his resignation in 1892. Numbers fell by half from 28 0 to 140 ani undoubtedly this would have affected the cricket. Internal dissension at the top rarely leads to success in any sphere of activity.

There was much debate in the winter of 1888 - 1889 on these themes and it was generally agreed that something had to be done; If the demise had been remarkable, the recovery was even more spectacular. There was nothing particularly new about preparations for the 1889 season except that a new professional, Painter (on"e of W. G's henchmen in the great Gloucester­ shire side of the 1870's), had been appointed, but the results were the best

10 ever; nine matches won, two drawn and none lost. Indeed "The Public Schools Year Book" showed that only Marlborough College had also had an unbeaten year and that no batsman had a better average than A. H. Delme­ Radcliffe, with 60. 1 for 601 runs.

That one splendid summer had overturned a decade of gloom and paved the way for the continued growth and firm establishment of cricket in the Golden Age.

(

4. The Golden Age of Cricket 1890- 1914

The last years of Victoria's reign and the Edwardian period have come to be regarded as something of a Golden Age in cricket history. Since the transformation of the game by the Grace family in the 1870's, cricket had become a fashionable sport. The improved quality of pitches had made · dashing off-side play possible and a generation of outstanding amateur batsmen appeared- C. B. Fry (from Repton), P.F. Warner (Rugby), H. K . Foster (Malvern), A. C. Mclaren (Harrow) and the Indian Prince Ranjitsinghi. Bowling as an art was developing with the emergence of the swerve bowlers and in 1907 the first real use of the googly. The first Test Match had been played in 1880 and by the 1890's Tests, Tours and the County Championship were the well-established focal points of the cricketing world. The atmosphere in which the game was played wa.s warm and carefree reflecting the opulence (at least for the upper and middle classes) of this age. Not surprisingly, cricket had become an essential part of a school's curriculum. Obsession with games may have been slow to develop at Sherborne, but under the new Headmaster , Rev. F. B. Westcott, it soon caught up. In 1890 games had been made compulsory and after famous victories Westcott was renowned for his congratulatory sermons from the pulpit and his requests to the local railwaymen to put fog signals on the line to welcome· home victorious teams.

The lessons of the 1880's had been learned and new fixtures (not always repeated) were arranged- Wellington (1890), Bradfield (1891) , Malvern (1892), St. Paul's (1895), Tonbridge (1905) and Radley (1908) - this meant that the School could compete against the best. In addition the club list was strengthened by the inclusion of the Incogniti (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle appeared on the School ground in their colours for several years at the turn of the century), Knowle CC, Bristol (including several of the Gloucester­ shire team) and the Hampshire Hogs. Much travelling was involved, particularly with the new school fixtures, but in an age without academic pressure, a two day match in Kent or London or Oxford arous.ed great interest not concern.

11 .Another lesson learned was the much greater use of masters in the coaching and running of games. ·We have seen· that Young positively discouraged this, the next generation of Headmasters went out of their way to attract outstanding games players to their staffs. This enabled a greater depth of cricket in the school. · A second XI had been introduced several years earlier, but in 1907 Sherborne introduced a Colts team and further developed the range of House fixtures on half-holidays, as well as coaching in House nets on whole school days .

"By 1900 - 1914 the public schools, as far as the majority of their pupils were concerned, had really ceased to be academic institutions," J. Gathorne -Hardy in 'The Public School Phenomenom. ' "A great many people think of the public schools, when they think of them at all, as being primarily places where boys learn to play games • . • • • . the popular impression is in this matter broadly true," J. H. Simpson, a Rugby master. Sherborne was no exception to these generalisations and Westcott was a great proponent of games, believing their purpose was to provide exercise and create discipline, and to develop character.

We get an excellent insight into the atmosphere of cricket in the School at this time from the writings of Alec Waugh, himself no mean schoolboy cricketer {389 runs at 35.36 in 1915; 96 in Less than an hour against M. C. C., three days after he had been given notice to leave at the end of the term). In his autobiography 'The Early Years of Alec Waugh' and in his best-selling novel 'The Loom of Youth' {1917) the emphasis on games, in this case rugby and cricket, is clearly defined. In 'The Loom' the 'Bull'. {a thinly disguised G. M. Carey) at 'Fernhurst' {Sherborne) is the architypal public school games master: "If we are going to turn out good sides we must be in dead earnest the whole time. You imagine you are loyal to Fernhurst. My old sides followed me implicitly. I loved them, and they loved me. We worked together for Fernhurst; now are you doing your best for Fernhurst ? " And the words of Gathorne-Hardy and Simpson 1 are corroborated by this extract from 'The Loom : "The house was getting fed up with Simmonds. It's all very well working in moderation for scholarships, but when it comes to allowing games to suffer through it, it was getting serious." Cricket then at Sherborne had become a very serious business indeed.

In terms of producing outstanding schoolboy cricketers these policies began to bear fruit. At the turn of the century P. E.J:.lington s·cored prolifically, as did his nephew in a subsequent generation. J Then in 1910 - 1911 A. W. Carr appeared on the scene. He was to become one of the two Test cricketers (who both captained England), to come from the School, but they could not have been m ore different in character. Carr had been 1expelled from Eton for idleness at wor.k, somehow he found his way to

12 Sherborne and managed to stay the course: "they kept me there, I can only imagine, because I was a success athletically," he says in his autobiography. In 1910 he made over 600 runs including two hundreds, but was criticised by The Shirburnian: "His fault i.s his great recklessness, getting himself out by treating full tosses and long-hops too carelessly. " In the following year ~ he made 749 rune a:t an average of 62. 42, which included one score of 224' {v. Bruton Nomads) and another of 165 (v. Wells Clergy), not however the most taxing of opposition and again The Shirburnian found fault: "lacks grit

4 1 in an uphill fight." His subsequent career was controversial to say the least, as the title of his autobiography might suggest: 'Cricket with the Lid off' and the opening paragraph does nothing to dispel this idea: •ii am not boasting - heaven forbid - but I do not think that anyone in big cricket has ever had more rows than I have had; .... If there be anyone who thinks that I should keep the lid on they had at once better put this book aside and return it to the library. Such persons will not like it and some may foam at the mouth over it."

In fact Carr was captain of England v Australia in 1926, before being deposed somewhat unluckily for the last Test, ostensibly due to lack of fitness and he was captain of Nottinghamahire from 1919 to 1934.!lbefore being summarily sacked by his Committee for his unstinting support of Larwood and Voce in 'body-line' bowling. A major row in the cricket world ensueGl.

This Golden Age saw many high scores on the School ground, the highest being in 1898 when in the annual match at the end of term against Dorset, the Past and Present ran up a total of 511 for 3 declared in four hours. A. W.F. Rutty made 261, John Cowper Powys (another author) 110 not out, and Crosby 122. The ball used in this marathon innings is now suitably preserved and inscribed in the School archives in the Beckett Room beneath the library. It was a convincing win, too, for Dorset were bowled out for 206 and 149. This was not all. In 1903 the School had to face totals of 448 by the Incogniti and 393 for 2 declared by M. C. C. Two years later the School declared at 364 for 7 and left their opponents, South Wilts, a mere 2i hours to get the run.s, not a particular! y generous declara­ tion. Also in that year R. W. Jesson turned in a remarkable all-round performance in the Tonbridge match , scoring 96 not out and then taking 7 for 18; unfortunately rain interfered, denying Sherborne a rare victory against their strongest opponents.

These massive scores suggest that the quality of the wicket was now first class, but .t was true also of pitches as a whole at this time. Groundsmen had begun to use marl in the preparation of wicke.ts and the balance of the game had moved very much in favour of the batsman.

13 Repeatedly, matches at both first-class and school level were petering out into tame draws, as it proved impossible to bowl batsmen out.

By 1914 therefore cricket as an obsession was firmly established in the School. The Edwardian era had seen this Golden Age of cricket and Sherborne had certainly played a part in it. Allied to this was the fact that the School was slowly recovering from the traumas of the reign of Young and numbers were now back above 200, though still not at the level of 1877 w~en Harper retired. The impact of Sherborne on the cricketing world was just becoming apparent with the emergence of players such as Carr, but -for reasons that have been discussed already it had been slow in developing. Evidence of this can be seen in the numbers of Blues produced by the leading public,, schools since the first Univeraity Match in 1827 :- Eton 154 Harrow 109 Winchester 88 Rugby 65 Clifton 23 Tonbridge 16 Cheltenham 11 Sherborne 6 Dulwi ch 4

Although it must be remembered, of course, that serious cricket had not been played in the School until the 1860's.

5. The Golden Age of Sherborne Cricket 1914 - 1939

For many the year 1914 marked the end of a way of life never to be seen again. During the war, however, school life continued very much as before. Most of the School fixtures continued and although many of the club sides could no longer raise teams, there was a plethora of visiting army sides. The Shirburnian records a full programme of cricket, but this was not to everyone 's satisfaction. Many of the public schools put parts of their playing fields down to vegetables and sent their boys off to help as farm labourers. Not so at Sherborne , causing one correspondent to write to the School Magazine: ·•A list of nam es of those who are suitable should be got,

14 and how often they would go a week; these should be made into suitable gangs and posted day by day for their respective farms, instead of playing cricket."

Numbers in the School were rising rapidly: 200 in 1909; 300 in 1919; 400 by 1927. Obviously the facilities of the Upper and Young's were going to be insufficient for games playing for these sorts of numbers. From the turn ~ of the century a small area of land beyond Ottery Lane had been rented, but in 1913 such was the pressure that _19 acres of Hyle Farm were purchased and at the same time Cricket Lodge, the residence of the Professional and c Head Groundsman on the Upper, was built. In the next fifteen years a massive task of levelling and preparation was undertaken on this new land, which came to be known as Carey's (after G. M. Carey, England rugby inter­ national, captain of cricket and subsequently master i/c, 'The Bull' in 'The Loom of Youth'). Much credit for the skilful levelling must go to E. J. Freeman {brother of the great 'Tich' of Kent), who.had become professional and Head Groundsman in 1911 and was to remain in that post until 194 7. Many generations of Sherborne pupils benefited from the superb facilities he provided for the games players.

In cricketing terms the 1920's and 30' s saw Sherborne at its peak; the progress made in the Edwardian period was consolidated and then built upon. By now Sherborne was one of the best known public schools, albeit a little remote and somewhat traditional, and her reputation in the cricket world was becoming well-established.

M. C. C. inaugurated the post-war era with a side in 1919 which included the great names of Lord Hawke, L.C.H. Palairet and S.M. ·J. Woods. They totalled 195 for 7 declared and·then removed the first five batsmen for a mere six runs, still however the obstinacy of the lower o~der batsmen aided by the quality of the wicket enabled the School to save the match - shades of Radley in 1974, as we shall see later.

One marked characteristic of these inter-war years was the continu­ ance of high-scoring. Sherborne cricket was increasingly being dominated by batsmen, In 1921. for example, the School declared at 425 for 6 against Radley; in 1923 only twice did the XI fail to total 200; in 1924 J.A. Nunn, later to play for Oxford University and Middlesex, scored 448 runs in eight consecutive innings at an average of 81.33 (the season had been reduced to eight matches by incessant rain in May and then an epidemic of mumps); in 1925 R. Eglington, later to play for Surrey, made 189 not out v The Old Shirburnians and in 1929 the School totalled 4i9 v Westminster, after being 7 for 2 and adding l 7 5 for the last two wickets.

Heavy scoring indeed, but more was to come. The 1930 team was one of the strongest ever to represent the School. D. E. Carey made 200 .. 15 not out in a total of 389 for 3 declared v The Old Shirburnians and P. H. F. Mermagen scored 863 runs in the season, a total never before or since exceeded; included in this were innings of 166 v Tonbridge and 153 v Westminster. He also took 40 wickets and played regularly for Somerset that summer, once term was over. In many respects this was a Golden Era in Sherborne cricket. The whole school watched matches on the Upper as a matter of course, the quality of the cricket played was high and the interest of the school considerable. Socially, too, cricket was well­ established in Sherborne life. Commemoration, centered around the Old Shirburnian match, wa·s the high spot of the social calendar whose atmosphere was captured in the film 'Goodbye Mr. Chips : The year 1930 was no exception: " •...• finally the last wicket fell .•.. and the XI with a sigh of relief, hastened off to bolt a dinner and featly foot it in the scholastic hall, profaned, thus one, by the sentimental saxophones of P. J. Shaw and his celebrated syncopatus swaying in ecstacies to the soul-stirring strains of King Jazz." Not every young cricketer in the country learned to play the game in auch splendid aurroundings; in Pudsey, for example, at this time the young Leonard Hutton was just beginning to make an impact on the school­ boy cricket world. 5ut the West Riding of Yorkshire in the 1930's was different indeed from the prosperous South of England, cricket there was a aerious business and far removed from the 'country house' atmosphere of Sherborne.

There was no end to the run-scoring. In 1933 R. V. Cook made 198 not out in a total of 327 v Tonbridge and then in 1936 two famous matches took place. First the School declared at 423 for 5 v Westminster (M. S. Glennie 176, J. M. Hutton 132, his f,irst hundred coming in 45 minutes), but inevitably the game petered out into a draw as Westminster was bowled out for 24 7 and, following on, finished up at 220 for 5. Then later in the summer at Tonbridge was perhaps the most exciting victory in the School's history. Since only 40 minutes play was possible before 5 p. m. on the first day because of rain and there was due to be an early firiish on the second day, it was agreed to play a one-innings match. Tonbridge eventually. declared at 271 for 8 (J. M. Hutton 5 for 66 off 24 overs), leaving Sherborne 2 hours 55 minutes to score the runs. They started badly and at lunch were 56 for 4, leaving exactly two hours to score 216. W.M. Elderton (88) and Hutton (five 6's and ten 4's in his 99), then formed a splendid partnership so that when the last over arrived 5 runs were required with one wicket standing and M. S. Glennie scored the winning runs off the penultimate ball to achieve a memorable victory.

Finally, in the immediate pre-war years, the School had an out­ standing pair of opening batsmen in G. W.L. Courtenay and D.P.T. Deshon, both of whom went on to play for Somerset. Their highlight was a stand of 243 for the first wicket against Downside. after the School had lost the toss and been put into bat. 16 Although these twenty years tended to be dominated by batsmen there were a number of fine bowlers produced by the School. The two biggest wicket takers in a season were R. G. Forbes-Bassett with 54 in 1923 andH.J.C. Bashford 51 in 1938; J.S. Harris took 9 for 28 vDownside in 1935; and C. J. M. Snowden had a splendid year in 1931 which included 7 for 53 off 31 overs v M. C. C. and 12 for 124 in the 10 wicket victory in the annual two day match against Westminster: whilst in 1933 P. J. Smith, 8 for 55, and B. H. D. Robins on, 10 for 32, bowled out Radley for 78 and 44, to accomplish a famous innings victory. ( Excepting these performances the bat was too often on top and Sherborne was involved in a disproportionately high number of drawn games. If much of the cricket played was good, the results were disappointing. Allied to this and surprisingly so, was the limited impact Sherborne cricketers had on the First-class game. In the period 1900- 1950, for example, the contribution of the major public schools in terms of players going on to play First-class cricket is as follows ·-

Eton 83 Winchester 76 Harrow 51 Charter house 44 Repton 36 Malvern 35 Uppingham 29 Marlborough 26 Haileybury 23 Rugby 20 Shrewsbury 19 Ton bridge 18 Cheltenham 16 Clifton 15 Dulwich 15 Sherborne ll Westminster 7

It is interesting to search for explanation for both these phenomena.

17 Perhaps more important than anything else is the benign nature of the Sherborne wicket. For a .long time it has been entirely true but with a low bounce, even the fastest bowlers have been unable to get the ball to rise above stump height. The result has been firstly to discourage bowlers, for even a mediocre batsman can survive at the wicket if he puts his.mind to it and secondly to breed batsmen who are technically sound, good drivers, but indifferent cutters and hookers. The Shirburnian has commented on this for a long time. In 1891, for example, it said: "There is a dearth of really fast overhand bowlers in the School and the bumping action should be cultivated; at the same time the young bowler must be warned not to sacrifice direction and pitch to pace and that a long-hop will not bounce on a Sherborn.e match wicket." Sherborne has produced few fast bowlers since. In 1895: "Bow1ey must again be congratulated on the wonderful condition of the field : in fact the pitches were almost too good. Some critics affirm that the reason why there have been so few cricketers of first class fame lately from Sherborne is because we are spoiled by the easiness and good quality of the ground." There seems to have been little change for in 1949: "The reason for the lack of medium pace bowling lay in the deadness and slowness of the Upper wickets where even a really fast bowler would be ineffective." And in 1953: "It is surely tim·e we had a good fast bowler in the XI. Part of the trouble lies in the easy pace of the wicket ...•..• " Batsmen certainly need a true surface on which to learn. the art of batting, but good cricket as a whole requires a wicket which provides a little bounce and pace to encourage bowler and batsman alike. The Sherborne wicket, like ~he sleepy Dorset atmosphere, has not always led to enterprising and lively cricket.

Another explanation lies in the whole amateur approach to cricket applied in the public schools generally. The establishment so upset by the Grace family believed that style was more important than effectiveness. The Shirburnian in its pen portraits of the members of the XI, makes repeated reference to the style of the batsmen and in 1888 comments, after the School had totalled 373 in one fixture : "Russell-Wright added a useful 46 to the score but we cannot compliment him upon his style, which he must quickly improve if he wishes to be a fixture in the XI." Style, team spirit, the right code of conduct were characteristic of the Sherborne and public school approach to games and the historian Correlli Barnett in his 'The Collapse of British Power' (1972) goes as far to suggest that this ethos rather than the determination to win lies at the heart of Britain's decline in the 20th century. He may over-play his hand and he may give rather a partial view but there is some evidence that this approach ensured that Sherborne made only a limited impact on the First-class game. It was epitomised by Mansell in 'The Loom' who said: "We are not going to set ourselves to win some rotten gym cup or house fi ves: we haven't time for that. We are amateurs. We play the h a rdest footer and the keenest cricket of all the houses, and that's

18 where we stop ..•. We aren't pros who train the whole year round: we are amateurs. 11

A third explanation is that, as in so many publi"c schools, cricket at Sherborne had been over-coached. The Sherborne sportsman had been characterised by his correct technique, the batsmen played with immacu'l.ately straight bats, the rugby forwards were superbly and expertly drilled, the hockey players technically sound, but it still remains true that many highly successful international sportsmen have had little formal coaching at school. Cricket is a game in which the basic principles are important, but equally requires a natural flair and improvisation. Would Ranji and Compton have become great players if they had gone to Sherborne ? Indeed in the section on Public School cricket in Ranji' s classic Jubilee Book of Cricket ( 1897) 11 W. J. Ford writes as follows:- ••••• 'natural capacity' is sometimes cramped by too much stress being laid by instructors on recognised prin­ ciples. It might be suggested that there is a tendency to introduce too much of the schoolroom into the cricket ground and to scathe a bad stroke as it were a grievous error in the 'comparison of adjectives' or the 'irregular verbs', with the result that the budding 'W. G. ' is treated much like the budding senior cl as sic, till he thinks that much cricket is weariness of the flesh, and feels that he has only escaped from the frying pan of school into the fire of cricket. In other words, his cricket is made so serious for him that his enthusiasm is checked. 11 Added to this coaching is .geared principally to the batsmen, somehow the amateur was invariably a batsman whilst the professionals bowled and yet it is bowlers that win matches. Bowling practice and coaching is generally starved, batting practice and coaching crammed,

It is for these reasons perhaps that Sherborne over the years had produced so many high-scoring aimless draws, the 'art' of cricket was there but rarely the winning. However, it is fair to say that this phenornena and many of its explanations w~re not unique to Sherborne. In the inter-war period, for example, Eton played Harrow 23 times, Winchester 21 and in both series of contests 17 were drawn. But whereas Eton produced numbers of First-class cricketers, Sherborne did not. These explanations, probably exaggerated, explain the lack of impact of Sherborne on the cricketing world. However, before taking this too far, it must be remembered that many out­ standing Sherborne cricketers entered the armed services and never had the time to play the First-class game.

19 6. War and The Age of Sheppard 1939 - 1950

During the War y~ars regular fixtures could not be maintained; instead a whole range of service teams appeared on the Upper: the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, OCTU, RASC, the Middlesex Regiment, the Grenadier Guards and in addition one faithful annual event R. J. 0. Meyer's XI (captain of Somerset and founder of Millfield School.) One remarkable achievement occurred in 1942 when the School played the RNC. After a rain delayed start Sherborne were soon 13 for 3, by lunch they had recovered slightly to 56 for 3, by4 p. m. they had declared with 296 on the board. The hero of this particular recovery was A. I. T. Robins on who made 206 not out. Not surprisingly however, the standard of cricket fell somewhat during these years. The younger and more energetic masters were away at the war and this harmed cricket in both preparatory and public schools. However with the re-establishment of First-class cricket in 1946, enthusiasm soon revived with the 1st XI now in the hands of M. M. Walford, an outstanding pre-war Oxford blue and Somerset player.

He helped to develop the talent of the second Test player to come out of Sherborne, fr5. S. Sheppard ~'8 , like Carr, subsequently wrote an 1 autobiography, 'Parsons Pitch , l but in character and nature it could not have been more different. Whereas Carr's was controversial with a little dash of drinJdng and gambling stori~, Sheppard' s was a calm account of his dual life as· cricketer and priest and he is now, of course, Bishop of Liverpool. He started his career in the XI with two ducks, but soon got into his stride scoring 492 runs at 44. 72 in 1946 and 78 6 at 78. 60 in the following season. the highest average ever,. e~eeptiag ~lumx's ftonx eight innings in 1924-. Sheppard made his debut for Sussex that summer and soon became one of the outstanding Cambridge University team of the early 1950's. He first played for England in 1950, was a most successful captain of Cambridge in 1952 and Sussex in 1953, and captained England twice in 1954 when Hutton was ill. Sadly though for cricket he soon decided that his contribution to life should be in the church and his cricketing appearances thereafter were limited. Altogether he played 22 Tests before disappearing from the scene at the end of the 1962-63 Australian tour.

When the 20th century had begun Sherborne was trying hard to establish itself as a power in the land. It was not helped by the fact that the School had gone through difficult days and was desperately trying to re-build its numbers. As the century entered its second half the School was firmly established with 500 pupils and Sherborne cricket had a sound reputation in school circles. The fixture list for 1950 showed several changes from the pre-war era. The Tonbridge and Westminster matches had not been renewed after the war, ostensibly because of travelling difficulties, but in their place a fixture against Marlborough had been

20 initiated in 194 7 and the Clifton match had been arranged again (played in 1938 for the first time for 50 years). Downside, Blundell!i and Radley remained on the list, together with the traditional club fixtures which had been renewed after the war.

7. The 1950's, 60's and 70's

One marked feature of the 1950's, 60's and 70's was that the fortunes of the cricket team fluctuated quite considerably. Often one outstandingly successful player will encourage the others about him and following him, and the successes of the late 1940's and early 50's owe much to the association of the School with David Sheppard, Additionally the presence in the team of two fine slow bowlers, J,S, W . Lush with slow left-arm and D. C. P. R. Jowett with off-breaks, was a great asset. The 1952 XI was: "a side with no stars but those who have been watching cricket for many years could not recall a side which played better cricket or a summer term which provided so many exciting finishes. " Marlborough was defeated by 7 wickets and chasing a Cryptics total of 238, t he School scored 78 in the last half hour . to win by 2 wickets. Less successful though was a 9 wicket defeat at the hands of Radley, who amongst others included E. R. Dexter.

The appointment of P.M. Wright as captain in 1953 was . unusual in that he had not previously played for the XI, but in a season much interrupted by rain five wins out of 14 matches was by no means unsatis­ factory. As so often the weather continued to play a significant role, 1954 saw "a term of cold, wet weather and slow wickets, " whilst in 195 5 the Upper was under snow on the 14th May. Ultimately, however , in this year the School had a good season, five batsman made over 300 runs, including P.D. Cowell (118 not out) and C. C. T. Henfrey (105), who put on 176 for the fourth wicket in a score of 353 for 7 against Radley. The team also included a fine bowler inS. P. Tindall, whose 48 wickets included a hat trick against Clifton and was led by G. P. Gimt •ian outstandingly good captain both on and off the field", according to The Shirburnian.

However, in the next few years there was something of a slump in the fortunes of the School team. The 1956 side "was, in fact, one of the weakest seen on the Upper for several years." In 1957 "batting really disappointing • . .• whenever determination was required it seemed as if the side collectively could not produce it." The Clifton match, on the Close in front of a large commemoration crowd that year, threatened to provide an example of this and then dramatically proved the theory wrong. The College made a mere 107 and with Sherborne 70 for 3 there were a number of gloomy

21 Clifton faces. Disaster then occurred as the School collapsed to 87 for 9 before J. J. Blacker and D. J . . Pegg put on 21 for the last wicket to win the tensest of matches. Another outstanding match in this period took place in 1958, Sherborne, after being 25 for 3; recovered to 164 for 9 declared against Winchester who at this time were very much a power in the land. The Nawab of Pataudi was dismissed for one and a fine spell of off-spin bowling by C. W. Yeldham (6 for 58) meant that Winchester finished 10 runs short with one wicket in hand. It is difficult to explain this .slump in the School's cricketing fortunes and in any event it was only temporary but·it does seem that in all schools the success of sporting teams goes in cycles.

The 1959 XI was "a better side than its immediate forerunners" and included a splendid last wicket stand of 58 by K. M. L. Porter and D. K. Geddes to win the Blundell's match, whilst the 1962 XI "was probably the best for several years." 1963 was an abysmally wet summer which probably accounts for a number of low scores which included Westminster who were bowled out for 82 and 55 (A. D. M. Gray 4 for 20 and 8 for 11).

· The 1964 team was unbeaten by schools and the 1965 XI included two outstanding players in P. N. C. Rowe, a left-handed opening batsman who made 516 .runs and the captain W.F. Hughes an all-rounder, who made 376 runs andtook 20 wickets. A year later the Clifton rm.tch was tied exactly 101 years after the first contest between the two schools had ended in the same result.

There then came the challenge of the late 1960's. It was an age of student riots and demonstrations in which established authority was challenged repeatedly. The public schools were more authoritarian institutions than most and somehow organised games such as cricket repre­ sented the traditionalism of the establishment. Public School cricket became unfashionable, other summer sports such as tennis, swimming and athletics and academic pressures competed for a boy's time and for some a visit to a pop festival was a far more exciting proposition. Cricket in the major schools suffered in varying degrees but Sherborne, as always was geographically isolated from the main centres of political and social change. If long hair was going to come, it would arrive later and shorter than in the main urban centres. Cricket as a traditional sport in the School continued much as before.

The period 1965-70 saw three wins and three draws against Radley always one of Sherborne's strongest opponents and included in this was an opening partnership of 153 by R . W. O'Hanlon and P. Frampton in 1968 and a very low scoring match in 1969, Sherborne 87, Radley 78.

The 1973 season saw yet another of the exciting series of Clifton

22 fixtures. With 50 minutes rema1mng Sherborne were 106 for 6 chasing a Clifton score of 209 for 7 declared, the School won in the last over with one wicket standing as H. R. J. Leman coming in at number 8 made a remarkable 71. The 1974 XI was unbeaten in all matches, the only time that this has happended since the War. There were however some close escapes before this record was achieved. At Radley, for example, the College declared at 207 and within 15 minutes Sherborne had lost their first five wickets for four runs before a century partnership by T . D. W. Edwards and P. G. C. Donald saved the day and the School ended up at 137 for 8.

The 1976 season was remarkable for a number of different reasons . "It was probably the best bowling side the School has had for a very long time ••.• an unusually high standard of catching and fielding," said The Shirburnian. Once more Clifton provided a tense finish with an almost identical repeat of the 1957 match. In chasing a Clifton score of 108 (107 in 1957), Sherborne were 70 for 9 (87 for 9) before the last pair J.G.B. Fish and M. J. Homfray put on 42 to win the game. Yet it was also the summer in which all cricket at the School came to a halt in the middle of June because of the drought. It proved impossible to water the wickets, the drought was at its worst in the mid-west and the wickets were soon unplayable. On the last Saturday of cricket at Sherborne in the middle of June it rained (the only rain during the term) and matches against Downside were washed out .••.. Fortunately the generous assisoonce of opponents made it possible to re-arrange most of the matches on their grounds but it was an unusual state of affairs, to say the least.

Much of the success of the School team in the middle of the 1970's was due to the presence of two outstanding players in T. D. W. Edwards and J. G. B. Fish. Edwards was a left-handed opening batsman who made his first hundred for the School at the age of 15 and in his four years in the XI made over 2, 000 runs at an average of 50. Fish was a fast-medium bowler who had a remarkable season in 1977. In the space of four days cricket at the end of term he took 29 wickets for the School: 8 for 32 against the Sherborne Pilgrims on Commemoration Saturday, followed by 7 for 37 v Marlborough, 7 for 29 v Haileybury and 7 for 21 v Cheltenham on the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of The Festival. This extra­ ordinary feat enabled the School to gain a clean sweep at the Festival and to be unbeaten by schools that year.

The inter-war period brought consistent high scoring performances and no little success, the post-war era has shown a greater range of fortunes. There have certainly been some very good teams but also some whose results have been somewhat disappointing. It must be remembered however that the conditions for cricket in the 1960's and 70's have been markedly different from those before the War. We have s een that in Sherborne, as in other public

23 schools, from the l atter part of the last century to 1939 cricket was the only real summer game. It was compulsory, the School watched matches on the Upper as a matter of course and there were no real academic pressures to distract a boy's attention. The 1960'·s and 70's however h ave seen a distinct c hallenge from the examination room. The two-day fixtures were redu ced to one, mid-week games have gone and the term has been truncated. Until the 1950's the summer t erm started in the first week in May and finished at the beginning of August, ideal timing from the cricketing pointof view. Today it starts in the middle of April and ends in the middle of July so that in 1979, for example, the first two matches on the Upper were played against a wintry backcloth of completely bare trees.

There has also been a challenge to cricket from the demands for a more balanced curriculum. Athletics, swimming and tennis are all now full­ s cale activities in a summe·r term when previously they were no more than a means of pas sing a few spare hours. Allied to this has been the decline of the age of sporting obsession as Gathorne-Hardy describes: "I mean that games as a prime engine of education, as an ideology, vanished. They were no longer considered a method of instilling moral values, no longer a yard­ stick of a successful school career and therefore a passport to outside careers generally. Games have reverted to what they were at the schools up till about the late 1840's -just games."

Cricket's response in the various schools to these challenges has been varied, some have declined, others have improved. At Sherborne it would appear that there is more cricket played today tha n ever before. At the turn of the century apart from the lst XI there were only occasional 2nd X I fixtures, in 1979 the School put nine t eams into the field every Saturday of t he summer term { lst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Colts, Junior Colts A and B, Mini -Colts A and B): the l st XI play twelve matches in term-time and then Marlborough, Cheltenham and Haileybury in a Festival immediately after the end of term on each other's ground by rotation. In 1979, too, the School ventured abroad for the first time playing f ive matches in Holland against club and youth teams. All this increased activity has meant an expansion of the playing fields so that now there are twelve pitches on C arey' s and even this is not a lways sufficient.

One of the great strengths of Sherborne cricket over the years h a s been the dedication of the coaches and managers of the various teams in building up cricke t in the School and then i ts consolidation in the face of conaiderable c hallenge in the second. h alf of the 2Oth century, the enthusiasm and skill of the staff, has b een crucial. The devotion to duty is rema rkable. G. M. Carey was in charge of cri cket in the School as a whol e for 26 years: D . J. W. Bridge for only five years l ess ; E. J. Freeman .was Professiona l and Head Groundsman for a mere 36 years and M . M. Walford recently

24 completed his 40th season of coaching. These were principally concerned with the lst XI but in fostering a successful school team the depth of coaching in the junior XI's is crucial. A wh·ole series of members of staff have spent many afternoons coaching and umpiring and their enthusiasm and 'skills have created a considerable depth to the cricket at Sherborne.

In many respects the growth and development of cricket at Sherborne has mirrored the fortunes of the game in the country as a whole. In the second half of the last century it became established from small beginnings, after some stuttering it flowered into the golden age of the 1930's and then in the post-war period it has consolidated its position in the face of much opposition as a significant force in the world of Public School cricket. In 1979 indeed the School played just over lOO fixtures at nine different levels, a far cry from that one solitary match in August 1841.

25 BATSMEN WHO HAVE SCORED MORE THAN 450 RUNS IN A SEASON 1895 - 1979

Year Inns. N.O. Runs H.S. Average 1930 P. H. F. Mermagen 14 863 166 66.38 1900 P . Eg1ington 17 814 123 50.87 1947 D. S. Sheppard 14 4 786 i41 78.60 1911 A. W. Carr 12 0 749 224 62.42 1975 T.D. W. Edwards 15 0 682 104 45.46

1910 A.W. Carr 15 638 144 '" 45.47 1899 P. Eg1ington 14 3 632 176 57.45 1939 G.W.L. Courtenay 11 0 620 166 56.36 1921 H. C. Partridge 12 603 125 54.81 1916 J. D. Wyatt-Smith 14 4 575 122 * 57.50 1931 D . E. Carey 12 2 567 129 56.70 1926 R. Eg1ington 12 566 140 51.45 1953 C. J. M. Marshall 14 555 75 42.69 1900 R. B. Rickman 16 0 550 115 34.37 1927 R. Eglington 11 546 102 54,60

1960 A.R. Brown 14 4 545 12 7 '" 54.50 1939 D. P. T. Deshon 11 0 542 112 49.27 1979 R. M. Eckers1ey-Maslin 15 3 540 72 45. 00 .1901 P.H. Wi1son 14 540 157 41. 53 1925 R. Eglington 14 2 533 189 * 44.42 1941 D.P.T. Deshon 11 0 530 120 48. 18 1900 J. A. Lush 14 527 119 40.53 1977 T.D.W. Edwards 11 3 523 114 * 65.37

1965 P.N.C. Rowe 12 516 124 '~ 46.90 1930 D . E. Carey 14 515 200 ,:, 39.' 61 1930 R. J. Brown 14 3 514 96 46.72 1906 C. H. Co1e 13 0 513 125 39.46

26 Year Inns . N.O. ·Runs H.S. Average 18 98 C. F. Stanger-Leathes 14 0 506 144 36. 14 1929 F.A. Simmonds 11 0 502 165 45.64 19 38 A.L.A. Tasker 14 0 502 72 35.85 1940 D.P.T. Deshon 9 498 124 62.25 1899 C. F . Stanger-Leathes 14 2 498 127 41. 50 1936 J.M. Hut ton 11 0 497 132 45. 18 1946 D. S. Sheppard 14 3 492 87 44.72 1937 M. S . G1ennie 15 0 489 97 32.60 1924 J.A. Nunn 8 2 488 141 * 81.33 1964 R . C. Constant 11 0 485 91 44.09 1973 J. R. Garforth-B1es 13 2 466 104 * 42.36 1934 W. J. Eldridge 15 0 463 107 30.86 1925 J.A. Nunn 14 0 460 81 32.85 1978 D. J. M. Dally 13 4 456 149 * 50. 66 1941 A. I. T. Robinson 10 2 455 119 56.87 1901 E.R. Lewis 15 455 137 32.50 1923 J.A. Nunn 14 452 130 * 34.77 1961 P.R.D. Gou1d 13 0 451 144 34.69

27 BOWLERS WHO HAVE TAKEN 35 WICKETS OR MORE IN A SEASON: · 1895 - 1979

Year Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Average 1923 R.G. Forbes•Bassett 230 41 597 54 11. 06 1900 G.R. Birks 292 57 900 54 16. 66 1904 R. W. Jesson 216 830 53 15.66 1938 H.J.C. Bashford 256.3 71 630 51 12.35 1977 J.G.B. Fish 186. 1 57 344 49 7.02 1896 W. 0. Prichard 293.2 79 692 49 14.6 1919 R. B. Wyatt-Smith · 202.2 14 843 49 17.20 1955 S.P. Tindall 216. 1 53 632 48 13. 16 1906 E.S. Hornidge 251 722 47 15. 36 1921 C. B. Sharpe 274 58 762 46 16.56 1900 R.B. Rickman 235 52 837 45 18. 60 194B D. C. P. R. Jowett 201. 3 44 519 44 11. 79 1946 J.S. W. Lush 212.2 56 541 44 12.29 1920 J.L.P. Norris 201.4 42 589 44 13.39 1934 B. H. D. Robins on 259. 1 47 741 44 16.84 1929 E.R.K. Glover 227.4 47 611 43 14.21 1958 C.W. Yeldham 270.4 100 522 41 12.73 1905 R.W. Jesson 129. 1 466 40 11. 65 1930 P . H. F. Mermagen 206 38 552 40 13.80 1935 J. S. Harris 254 45 732 40 18.30 1960 D.K. Geddes 246.3 59 753 40 18.82 . 1917 J. D. Wyatt-Smith 96 19 247 39 6.33 1926 C. M. G. Moberley 205 58 431 39 11. os 1937 D.P.R. Maddison 195 39 592 38 15.57 1975 P.R. Saunders 205 79 454 37 12.27 1949 D. C. P. R. Jowett 220.3 67 495 37 13.37 1907 R. H. Hornidge 509 37 13.75 28 Year Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Average

1947 J. S. W. Lush 243.5 67 548 37 14.81 1925 G. C. W. Neve 228.2 35 625 37 16.89 1915 E. C. D. de Vitre 407 36 11. 30 1936 J.M. Hutton 185. 5 45 503 36 13.97 1941 R.C. Holm an 123.3 15 426 35 12. 17 1932 D. Evans 212. 3 70 449 35 12.82 1956 C. J. A. Robbie 216.2 52 534 35 15 . 25 1901 C. G. N. Marsh 142 8 563 35 16.08 1908 H. C . Terry 673 35 19.22

29 SHERBORNE XI's SINCE 1900

1900 1902 P. Eglington P.H. Wilson C. G. Marsh H. M. Greenhill G. R. Birks P. Smith R. B. Rickman C. G. Marsh G. L. Ollivier P. H. ·wnson G. L. Leigh-Clare A. H. Trel.awny-Ross J.A. Lush E. R. Lewis C.A. Gordon G. R. Birks G. G. F. F. Greville T. Lang C. G. Bond P. Smith G. 0. H. Hirsch L. G. Horsfall G . L. Ollivier R. J. Bamberger C. G. Marsh A. H. Trelawny-Ross T. M. Hors fall R. G. MacDonald M. F. Radclyffe W. E. T. Trelawny-Ross G. L. Leigh-Clare C.A. Gordon D. G. Campbell P. Smith

1903 P. Smith A. H. Trelawny-Ross A. H. Trelawny-Ross A. H. Trelawny-Ross R . W. F. Jesson R. W.F. Jesson T. Lang J. Homfray E. F. Bond R. J. Bamberger D. G. Campbell G.L. Cole W. E. T. Tre1awny-Ros s E. F. Bond H.G. May R. W.F. Jesson G. L. Cole E. F. Rawlins J' .. Homfray W. S. Horton C. H. Cole D. G. Camp bell H.G. May E. S. Hornidge E.F. Bond A. R. Gibbs W. R. Bull C.L. Co1e E. F. Rawlins W. J. Dow W. S. Horton C. H. Cole R. M. Ward

1906 1907 1908 (G. L. Cole} H.G. May C. O'D. Carey H.G. May W.R. Bull E. G. T. Simey C.H. Cole W. J. Dow G.H. Shaw E. S. Hornidge C. O'D. Carey G . C. W. Sweet W.R. Bull R. H. Hornidge J. R. Tayler W. J. Dow G.H. Shaw A. G. Chester- Master L. Frewen H. A. F. Leyborne- A . B. Read P. P. Hope Popham H. C. Terry C. O'D. Carey N. H. Smith D. G. Smith E. G. T. Simey G. C. W. Sweet T.J. Cronshaw R. H. Hornidge J. R. Tayler I. N. Mason A. G. Chester-Master A. G. Chester-Master

30 1909 1910 G. C. W. Sweet A. B. Read I. N. Mason J. R . Tay1er I.N. Mason A. W. Carr A. G . Chester-Master A. W. Carr C. Corfe A. B. Read R. O'D. Carey G . E. M. Gray H. C . Terry A. H. S. Tuke G. D. Coleman D. G. Smith C . Corfe E. G. Bramall T.J. Cronshaw G. E. M. Gray P.A. T. Simey I. N. Mason G. D. Coleman A. D. Crowther A. W. Carr E. G. Bramall M. J. Morrison J. Vincent P.A. T. Simey R. E. Hudgson R. O'D. Carey C. D. Gullick W. M. Robertson

1912 1913 1914 G. E. M. Gray R. E. Hodgs on M.E. K. Westlake E . G. Bramall M. E. K. Westlake D. Stuart Prince A. D. Crowther G . M. Cornish F. 0. Wheeler M. J. Morrison A. B. L. Crosby H. C. Toogood R. E. Hodgson G. S. Dixon H. V. Puckridge M. E . K. Westlake G. Y. Blair R. J. Morton G. M. Cornish H. P. Clarke E. C. Denis-de-Vitre A. B. L. Crosby R. W. Chetham-Strode E. Elliott L. F. Colebrook D. 0. Lumley G. E. D. Lane G. S. Dixon D. Stuart Prince A.R. Waugh M.H. Webb F. 0. Wheeler P.G. Carr

1916 1917 H. V. Puck ridge S. E. Dreschfeld J. D. Wyatt-Smith E. c. Denis-de-Vitre J. D. Wyatt-Smith R. M. S. Pasley G. E. D. Lane E. J . Wheeler R. F. W. Leonard A.R. Waugh E.L. W. Fox J. Howard-Smith J. D. Wyatt-Smith B. C. W. Windle J. N. Goodwyn E. J. Wheeler R. M. S. Pas1ey R. B. Wyatt-Smith S. E. Dreschfeld T. A. R. Scott W.W. Harston E. L. W. Fox R. de V. R. Fox C. H. E. Phillips B. C. W. Windle A. T. Grim1ey K. R. Gray H. H. Wyatt-Smith H. R. Oldnall H. R. C. Frink B. D. Frost R. M. H. Simonds G. F. Peters on

31 1918 1919 1920 R.F.W. Leonard R.B. Wyatt-Smith A. G. Archer J. Howard-Smith K.R. Gray H. C. Partridge R.B. Wyatt-Smith e.G. Watney D. E. Griffin K.R. Gray R. J.L. Kingsford A. W. Brakspear e.G. Watney A. G. Archer D. H. Phillips R. J.L. Kingsford H. C. Partri dge D. MacDona1d A. G. Archer H.R. Rix J. L. P. Norris R . L.L. Ingpen D. E. Griffin T. G. Devitt I. H . A. King A.W. Brakspear C . B . Sharpe G. M. Pitts-Tucker H. N. -de Villiers D. B. Gaye H.R. Rix E. A. Langdon H. N , de Villiers C. B. Sharpe

1921 1922 1923 H. C. Partridge D. MacDonald D. MacDonald D. H. Phillips ·T.G. Devitt J .A. Nunn D. MacDona1d G. A. Wallinger L. H. Bean J. L. P. Norris W. E . Tucker G. Peddie T. G. Devitt H.J. Tucker S. J. Olivier C. B. Sharpe H. G. Jenkins R.G. Forbes-Bassett D . B. Gaye J. A. Nunn R. H. Smith H. N. de Villiers L.H. Bean F. H . Wright G. A. Wallinger G. Peddie F. M. Turnbull W. E . Tucker S. J. Olivier A. L. Spens H. J. Tucker W . A. Newman G. C. W. Neve H. G. Jenkins

1924 1925 1926 J.A. Nunn J.A. Nunn R. Eglington G. Peddie F.H. Wright C. M. G. Moberly R. G. Forbes-Bassett G . C. W. Neve R. V. Payne .F. H. Wright R. Eglington D. A. Hodgkinson A.L. Spens J. K. Hill P. G. Marriman G. C . W. Neve J. E . F. Rawlins J . R. Anderson J.A. C. Grant C. M. G. Moberly R. G . Kreyer R. Eglington R. V. Payne R.H. Kendal J. K . Hill S. R. Rickman R. H. Gladden w·. P. Haines J . P. Whitham E . Knight L. T. Bond K. C. P. Horsford I. D. M. Wilson

32 1927

R. Eglington D. A. Hodgkinson P.H. F. Mermagen D. A. Hodgkinson R. G. Kreyer A. W . Hopcraft J. R. Anderson R. H. Gladden E. R. K. Glover R. G. Kreyer P. H. F. Mermagen N. R. Seddon R. H. Gladden E. Knight R. C. Eglington I.D.M. Wilson A. W Hopcraft F. A. Simmond s C. B. Meyer K. E. Boome J. A. Tallent J. W. N. Sharpe J. C. D, Gould J. F. B. Carey P. H. F. Mermagen E. R. K. Glover K. F. Ferguson E. Knight N. R. Seddon R. J. Brown A. W. Hopcraft R. C. Eglington C. D. B. Smith

1931 1932 P. H. F. Mermagen A, A. E. Morgan H. F. W, Fox J.F.B. Carey D. E. Carey D. Evans R. J. Brown H. F. W. Fox T. Fenwick J. E. Le M. Halliley C. J. M. Snowden P. J. Smith A. A. E. Morgan D. Evans J. E. C. Innes D. E. Carey R. C. S. Dick P.L. Candler G. D. Lean T. Fenwick R. V. Cook D. H. D. Alexander P. J. Smith R.H. Chase H. F. W. Fox J.E.C. lnnes B. H, D. Robins on C. J. M, Snowden W. G. Warre-Dymond B. H. Lock D. Evans P. G. W, Manning T. V.R, Wilson

1933 1935 P. J. Smith B. H. D. Robins on L. Sherley-Price R. V. Cook D. R. Morgan W. J. Eldridge B. H. D. Robins on J.T.A. Wilson D. E. B. Harris K. E. Meredith C. Bell C. W.A. Murray D . R. Morgan 0. Clarke R. S, Llewelyn J. T. A, Wilson •J.D, Watney J, S. Harris C. Bell A, V. Williams J. M. Hutton 0. C1arke L. Sherley-Price H.J.S. Muriel J.D. Watney W. J. Eldridge S. J. D. R.obinson A. V. Williams D. E. B. Harris D. M, Amoore R. D. Hope raft T. B. Wilkinson W,M, Amoore

33 1938 S. J . D. Robins on M. S. Glennie R . F. S. Chignell J. M . Hutton R.F.S. Chignell A. L . A. Tasker W. M. E1derton A. L . A. Tasker H.J.C. Bashford M. S. G1ennie J.F. N. Hodgkinson S. F. St M. Williams R . F. S. Chignell H. J. C. Baehford I. Henderson R. I. C. Boissier C. F. V. Martin F.A. Coombe J. F. N. Hodgkinson D. R. P . Maddilion D . F. Ricketts G . H. W. Manning S. F. St M. Williams P.S.D. Griffin G. G . Lilley I. Henderson G.W.L. Courtenay A.L.A. Tasker F.A. Coombe M.R.G. Ear1s-Davis H. J . C. Bashford J. B. Aylward P.H. Humphreys D. F. Ricketts

1939 1940 1941 H. J. C. Bashford H. L. Watson D.P.T. Deshon S. F. St M. Williams G. W. L. Courtenay N. W. Hea1e G. W.L. Courtenay D . P . T . Deshon H. E . S. Farrer M . R. G. Earls-Davis T. L. Brayne R.C. Holman D. P. T. Peshon N. W. Heale D . P . L . Dry P. H. fiumpfiY:~ys R . H. Leslie-Jones A. I. T. Robins on H. L. Watson J . L.T . Evans M . R. Ricketts P.G.A. Irvine D. S. Hawkins W. T. Rice F. E . Slingsby H. E. S. Farrer J. N. Arkell G. B. Hewitt D. P. L. Dry D. B. Bartlett R. H. Gardner R. C. Holman D. S. Hawkins

1943 1944 M. R. Ricketts D. I. T. Wilson E. B . A. Edwards A. I. T . Robins on A. I. T. Robins on R. W. Forbes A . W. C. Pearn A. T. Whitehead P . W . R. Coate D . T. Evans C. A . Paters on J . M . S , Broadley W. P . Webb R. W. Forbes C. E. N . Arkell J. B. Hosegood R . N. T. Dowson A. H. Blanford I. R. A. Leakey M. M. L. Hudson J.P.T. Trelawny- Ross R. B. Brayne G. R. W. Lovell R. M. Gibbon D. I. T. Wilson E. B. A. Edwards D. T . Davies G. D. James P. W . R. Coate P . K. Cuthbert M. A . Ricketts C.S. Clarke C . W. Thomas

34 1945 1946 1947 J. M. S. Broadley J.S. W. Lush J.S. W. Lush P. K. Cuthbert P.G. Allerton D. S. Sheppard P. J.G. Carson-Parker D.S. Sheppard P.H. Wake1y W.J.E. Stanford J. W. Hunter J.R. Tozer J.S. W. Lush P.H. Wake1y A. A. de C. Hunter A. E. Day J.R. Toze:v D.C.P.R. Jowett C. W. Thomas C. D. Gibbon F. M. Anderton P. G. Allerton A, A. de C. Hunter D. M. Turner T.C. Leader R. Pavey P. N. Wilson D.F. Stevens A, H, L. Lovell R. Pavey J. W. Hunter R. L. G. Peek M. W. Pailthorpe

M.W. Pailthorpe M. W. Pailthorpe F.M. Anderton D.C.P.R. Jowett D.C.P.R. Jowett R.K. Day R.M. Skinner D. M. Turner P,T.I. Smith D. M. Turner F. M, Anderton D. I. Gillespie F. M. Anderton w.s. Blacks haw T. J. Horn D.S. Wrinch R.K. Day P.A. Elliott J.R. Norris T. J. Horn A. G. Stoughton-Harris R.G. Chavasse D. I. Gillespie J.K. Walker w.s. Blacks haw P. J. Topliss J.A. Blandford-Newson R.K. Day P . T. I. Smith K.A. O'Connor D. I. Gillespie R.B. Bridges R.N. Hutchings

1953 D. I. Gillespie P. M. Lewis P. M. Wright T. J . Horn B. D. C. Shields C. J. M. Marshall K. A . O'Connor A. J. T. Brown R. Preston B . D.C. Shields A. D. Pickering A. J. T. Brown C.R. D awnay J.M. Carter D. W. Kenyon R . N . Hutchings J. D. F. Tucker J. Lawrence P. M. Lew is W. M. Robson A. J. R. Waterfield A. J. T. Brown R. Preston A. D. Pickering W. M. Robson J. Rydon J.D.F. Tucker C. J . M. Mars hall G. Read G. P. Gent A . D. Pickering B. E. C. Thomson P.D. Cowell

35 1954 1955 1956 A. D. Pickering G. P. Gent C. R. J. Eglington G. P. Gent P.D. Cowell C. J. A. Robbie R. Preston M. B. Wilson M. Ma1ey J. D. F. Tucker S.P. Tindall S. P. Tindall J. J. Barber J. Lawrence C. S. Carwardine P, D. Cowell J.J. Barber A.F.N. Dew J. B. Blackshaw P.C. Eglington D. B. Hill J. Lawrence C. R. J. Eglington J.A.D. Curtis J. N. Franklin C.C.T. Henfrey M. C. Brookes M. B . Wilson J. P. Devitt P.J.C. Rowe J. P. Devitt M. Maley J. S. B. Price

1957 1959 D. B. Hill M. C. Brookes R. C. R. Cotterell M. C. Brookes D. J. Pegg C. W. Yeldham J.A.D. Curtis C. W. Yeldham S. C. Nicholas D. J. Pegg R. M. Morgan D. J. Youngman R. J. A. Hughes K. M. L. Porter R. W. Beeney C. W. Yeldham· D. J. Wyatt-Smith K. M. L, Porter R. M. Morgan H. R. J. Walker R.P.L, Garland R. C. J. Pink A. R. Fitch A. G. C. Howland.Jackscn S. T. 0. Shirley A. R. Brown J.R.H. Mermagen R. C. R. Cotter ell S. T. 0. Shirley D. K. Geddes P. R. Whitehurst R. C. R. Cotterell F. V, Harris

1960 1961 1962 J. R. H. Mermagen J. M. S. Kennedy P. R. D. Gould A.R. Brown P. R.D. Gould A.S. Legg D:K. Geddes A. S. Legg A. J. Whiteway N. R. H. Parker T. W. Marshall T. W. Mar shall J. M.S. Kennedy A. J. Whiteway J.H.L. Hoskins.A.brahall R. M. Nichols J. H. L . Hoskins.A.brahall S.P. Carey J. M. H. Hunt H. S. Dobbs A, D. M. Gray N. P . H. R. Chamberlin J. R . Field A, D. Brearley M. P. B . Falconer S. B. Gavin G. J, Webb-Wilson P.R.D. Gould S.P. Carey H. C. Ridgwell C. H. Collingwood N .P.H.R. Chamberlin N. J. Scotland S. B. Gavin

36 1964 1965 T. W. Mar shall A. D. M. Gray W.F. Hughes N. J. Scotland D. M. Moss P.N. C. Rowe A . D. M . Gray R. C. Constant J. B. Gillingham R. C. Constant R. D. C. Bevis D. J. D. Mills D. M. Moss D. C. Watney A. M. Southa ll I. A. du Pre W.F. Hughes R. W. J. Hardie S. F . W. Moore D. J. D. Mills P.R. Bashford D. C. Watney P.N. C. Rowe A. D. Everett R . D. C. Bevis J. B. Gillingham D.A. Haworth A. D . Brearley A. M. Southall A. C. Charter M. Nelson D. M. Lowless

1966 1967 R. W. J. Hardie N. H. E. Stamp A. D. W. Robertson A . M. Southall N.H. Bates R. W. O'Hanlon A. C. Charter C . T. Rogers P. V. Frampton D. A. Haworth C. W. J. Snushall R. J. Frost R. R. M. Lytle A. D. W. Robe rtson R. J. W. Proctor N.H.E. Stamp N. J. Wingfield Dig by E.P. J .F. Lyons T. M. S. Geake J. G. Malco1m T. E. Hall N.H. Bates P. V. Frampton J. S. S chroeter A. D. W. Robertson R. G. J. Cavendish D. A. B. Lough C. T. Rogers R. W. 0 1Hanlon J. L. Carey C. W. J. Snushall W. A. M. Carey A. R. Wingfield Digby

1969 1971 J. L. Carey J. L. Carey E. D. Fursdon E.P. J. F. Lyons E. P. J. F. Lyons D. J. Wilson J. S. Schroeter J.S. Schroeter C. W.E. Hume R. H. Jobson P. J. Lough J. R. Garforth-Bles D.R. Scott A. D. Leakey J. G. S. Waite E . D. Fursdon C.L. Mayhew C. G. Jacks on P. J. Lough W. G. N. Manning J. B. Jackson A. D. Leakey E. D. Fursdon J. A . Wilkinson C. B. Martin C. B. Martin R. M. McAndrew D. J. Wilson D. R. Scott A. D. L. Stebbings D.P. Devitt D. J .. Wilson

37 1973 1974 C. W. E. Hume J, R. Garforth-Bles J, N. W. Edwards D. J. Wilson R . D. Knight RD. Knight J. R . Garforth-Bles H. R. J. Leman B. C. Symondson M. J. Corlett J. N. W. Edwards J, P, Sugden J. B. Jackson J. G. St P. Burridge J. Powe B. C. Symondson M. J. Corlett T. D. W. Edwards J. N. W. Edwards B. C. Symondson P, C. G. Donald R. D. Knight J. P. Sugden A . J, G. Symondson N. A. C. Dudley P. G. Davies R. J, Waterfield R.A.L. Leach J. Powe C. M. Francis S. G. W. Yates G. H. Humphries J, M. Hockley

1975 1976 1977 P.C.G, Donald T. D. W. Edwards P. W,S, Madley T.D. W. Edwards A, J , G. Symondson T. D. W, Edwards A. J. G. Symondson P. R. Saunders J,G,B.Fish R . F. Symondson J. G. B. Fish J.H. Stebbings C.K. Cuthbert J.J.Powe M. J, Homfray J. G. B. Fish P. W.S. Madley A. Lovatt-Williams P. R. Saunders S. A. Archer S.A. Archer A. K. MacKeith D. R. Bryant D. R, Bryant P. W.S. Madley J. H. Stebbings R, M. Ambrose C. J. S, Maxwell A. Chi1ds N. D. Oborne J.P. Cobb M. J. Homfray B.H. Kenny

1978

S. A. Archer R. M. Eckersley-Maslin N.D. Oborne J. J. Fisher S. E. V, Bennett J. F. Black burn D.J.M. Dally J.M,P. C. Turner R. M. Eckersley-Maslin W. J. Rydon C. J. E. Bulford M. M. Webb N. C. R. lsaac J. D. Peplow J.J. Fisher R. C . M. Henshaw J.F. Blackburn A. C. Quinlan P.E.J. Sanderson N.J. Ford D. J . W. Badcock R.M. W . Edwards

38 RECORD IN SCHOOL MATCHES 1865 - 1979

Played Won ---Drawn Lost Tied Blundell's 54 24 16 13 (1919 - 1979) Bradfield 15 7 6 2 (1891- 1902 and 1974- 1979) Canford 9 2 3 4 (1969 - 1979) Cheltenham 6 4 (1974- 1979) Clifton 51 14 14 21 2 (1865 - 1887 and 1938 - 1979) Downside 62 34 19 9 (1915 - 1979) Dulwich 7 0 6 (1913 - 1916 and 1920- 1922) Haileybury 6 2 3 (1974- 1979) Malvern 4 0 3 (1892 - 1895) Marlborough 28 6 15 7 (1947 - 1979) Radley 58 15 29 . 14 (1908- 1979) St. Paul's 8 6 (1895- 1905) Taunton 4 2 (1943- 1946) Tonbridge 26 2 12 12 (1905- 1915 and 1925- 1940) Westminster 36 23 9 4 (1921 - 1939 and 195~ - 1973) Winchester 5 0 2 3 (1956- 1960)

379 140 132 104 3 39 SCHOOLBOY REPRESENTATIVE APPEARANCES

. 1905 * E. W. Rawlins 1911 * A. W. Carr 1917 + J. D. Wyatt-Smith 1919 * R. B. Wyatt-Smith 1921 + H. C. Partridge 1924 + J.A. Nunn 1925 + J.A. Nunn 1927 + R. Eglington 1929 + E. R. K. Glover 1930 * P. H. F. Mermagen 1936 * J. M. Hutton 1937 * M. S. Glennie 1942 + A. I. T . Robins on 1943 + A. I. T . Robins on 1945 * J. M. S. Broadley 1946 * J.S.W. Lush 1947 * D. S. Sheppard 1949 + D.C.P.R. Jowett 1953 + C.J.M. Marshal! 1964 + R. C. Constant 1965 *• P.N.C.Rowe 1977 • T. D . W. Edwards

+ Southern Schools v The Rest * Public Schools XI • M. C: C. Schools

40 MASTERS I/C CRICKET

1901 - J927 G. M. Carey 1928 - 1936 . A. H. Trelawny-Ross 1937 - 1938 M. B. Elderton 1939- 1940 F. King 1941 - 1945 S. Hey 1946- 1955 F. King 1956- 1977 D. J. W. Bridge 1978 T. J. L. Chandler 1979 - D. F. Gibbs

MASTERS COACHING FIRST XI

1900 - 1901 F. Portman 1902 - 1907 G. M. Carey 1908 - 1938 M. B. Elderton 1939 - 1940 F. King 1941 - 1945 S. Hey 1946- 1947 F. King 1948 - 1955 M. M. Walford 1956 - 1968 D. J. W. Bridge 1969 - 1973 C. M. G. Hunter 1974- 1976 D. J. W. Bridge 1977- 1978 T. J. L. Chandler 1979 - D. F. Gibbs

PROFESSIONALS AND HEAD GROUNDSMEN

1889 - 1893 S. Painter {Gloucestershire) 1894- 1910 T. Bowley (Surrey) 1911 - 1947 E. J. Freeman {Essex) 1948 - 1954 W.L. Creese (Hampshire) 1955 - 1959 R.R. Dovey {Kent) 1960 - 1976 W. Lander (Nottinghamshire) 1978 - R.W. C1arke (Northamptonshire)

41 FIRST CLASS CRICKETERS

Year of debut at School W.H. Game Oxford University 1873 - 1876 Surrey

E.W. Wallington Oxford University 1877

A . O. Whiting Oxford University 1881 - 1882

F.E. Lacey Cambridge University 1882 Hampshire

E.W. Bastard Oxford University 1883 - 1885

E. A. Nepean Oxford University 1887 - 1888 Gentlemen of England

R. B. Rickman Derbyshire

1903 R.W.F . Jesson Hampshire

1906 P. P. Hope Somerset

1909 A. W. Carr Nottinghamshire (Capt 1919- 1934) England vS. Africa 1922-23 (5) v Australia 1926 (4) (Capt v S. Africa 1929 (2) (Capt

1922 J .A. Nunn Oxford University 1926- 1927 Middlesex

1922 L.H. Bean Somerset

1924 R. Eglington Surrey

1927 P. H. F. Mermagen Somerset

1928 E. R. K. Glover Glamorgan

1938 G. W. L. Courtenay Somerset

1938 D. P. T. Deshon Somerset

42 1939 M.R.G. Earls-Davis Cambridge University* Somerset

1946 D . S. Sheppard Camb. University 1950-52 (Capt '52) Sussex (Capt. 1953) England vW. Indiesl950(1) v Australia 1950 (2) v New Zealand 1951 (1) v India 1952 (2) (Capt) vPakistan 1954(2) v Australia 1956 (2) v W. Indies 1957 (2) v Pakistan 1962 (2) vAustralia 1962 (5) vNew Zealand 1963 (3)

1947 D.C.P.R. Jowett Oxford University 1952 - 1955

1969 E. D. Fursdon Oxford University 1974- 1975

1968 A. R. Wingfield Digby Oxford University .1971, 1975 - 1977

1974 P.C. G. Donald Oxford University *

1974 T.D. W. Edwards Cambridge University *

* Did not gain a blue.

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