Rain overnight meant that we had a late start today. Prior the games we had the boys commemorate Anzac Day with a minutes silence. All wore their blazers with poppies.
The fixtures were T/20s with our squad being divided into Black and White teams led by McKellar and Beckett. Each played two games and three of the four were won.
Black XI 106 (O Macfarlane 29) lost to Cranbrook 1sts 108/2
Black XI 168/8 (Williamson 43, Murray 25) defeated Canbrook 2nds 22 (O Macfarlane and J Leggat both collected 5 wickets)
White XI 199/5 (Blake 46, Jones 43, Kerr 35) defeated Canbrook 2nds 92
White XI 104/8 (I Bird 38, Beckett 35) defeated Cranbrook 1sts 86 (Simpson 2/7, K Thatcher 2/20, Beckett 2/8)
Saturday 25 April 2015
Friday 24 April 2015
24 April - Gray Nicolls Bat Factory and arrival at Cranbrook
The boys certainly enjoyed their time with their billets. Eastbourne have always been terrific hosts and this year was certainly not an exception.
Today we ventured to the Gray Nicolls factory and learned about how bats are made. From one tree 40 bats may be made, while 40000 trees are used per year. A tree takes about 20 years to grow. Many then understood the significance and the cost of their bat. And yes, a number of bats were purchased after the tour.
All are now billeted. Tomorrow we are combining the teams into a Black and White teams and are playing a couple of T/20s against Cranbrook. It should be a fun way to end the tour. Plans for Sunday have been made and we are booked to go to a theme park with massive roller coasters.
Today we ventured to the Gray Nicolls factory and learned about how bats are made. From one tree 40 bats may be made, while 40000 trees are used per year. A tree takes about 20 years to grow. Many then understood the significance and the cost of their bat. And yes, a number of bats were purchased after the tour.
All are now billeted. Tomorrow we are combining the teams into a Black and White teams and are playing a couple of T/20s against Cranbrook. It should be a fun way to end the tour. Plans for Sunday have been made and we are booked to go to a theme park with massive roller coasters.
Thursday 23 April 2015
April 23 - Twin Development Centuries and 1st XI victory off final ball
The boys arrived at Eastbourne this morning all in good spirits after spending a night with billets. The day dawned overcast, but that soon dissipated into another brilliantly sunny day.
The 1st XI game saw College win their first match in three attempts against Eastbourne College. The margin was a mere 4 runs. College won the toss (a rarity) and batted first on a NZ-looking wicket. Williamson and Heselwood continued their good form and positiveness by slaying the opening Eastbourne attack. After 3 overs it was 20/0, but by the end of the 5th it was 26/2 with both openers dismissed. Chamberlain struggled at the start of his innings and was beaten on a number of occasions, but Thatcher (34) was striking at a run per ball. Suddenly Chamberlain (45) hit 16 off an over and a 6 in the next and both were dominating. Thatcher was lost to a leading edge (99/3) in the 17th over after a 74 run partnership in 12 overs. More runs came freely but then Chamberlain was stumped from a part-time spinner (136/4) in the 24th over. Lunch came at the 30th and College had now slowed to 150/4. Beckett (27) and J Bird (18) were about to increase the scoring after lunch but were both dismissed in the exact same manner within two balls of each other (164/6). Our great start had been lost. Freeman-Greene (16) and Kerr (29) then batted with real understanding and skill to add a further 51 in only 8 overs as they almost took a single every ball by hitting into gaps. Their half-century partnership had College 215/6 with 6 overs remaining. With two set batsman in a score of well in excess of 250 was certainly on the cards. The innings had been resurrected. Eight balls later we were dismissed ... for 220 and just under 5 overs remained in the innings. All were very disappointed as it felt as if our chance for victory had been taken from us (again). Eastbourne started slowly but were gaining some ascendency as they reached tea at 80/2 after 20 overs. Chamberlain (2/45) had dismissed both openers. Immediately after tea Kerr (3/44) enticed an edge (85/3) and in combination with Freeman-Greene (2/35) were able to restrict and continue to pick up wickets. Eastbourne, through this bowling pair slumped to 113/6 and later 141/7 after 35 overs. College was on top and in the box seat. A fight back, although initially slow, saw Eastbourne start to launch their comeback and the pressure was mounting on the College fielders and bowlers. A couple of missed catches, an over throw, wides and no-balls, and suddenly Eastboure were in the box seat requiring 28 from 24 balls. Then a wicket to Macfarlane, caught by Beckett, calmed the nerves. Chamberlain and Kerr were left with the job of securing victory in the final three overs. 24 were required from 18 balls, 19 from 12 and 12 from 6. First ball - wide and a bye, now 10 required. Then a two. 8 from 5. A swing and miss. 8 from 4. A single next ball. 7 from 3. A slog to the boundary ... the throw from Heselwood bet the player back for his second. 9 down, 6 required from 2. Then a single ... last ball ... four required for a tie, a six for victory. Kerr bowls a full toss on leg stump, the batsman swings ... and misses. Game over ... a 4 run victory. It was a great game!
Scorecard
Heselwood 8
Williamson 13
Chamberlain 45
Thatcher 34
Beckett 27
J Bird 18
Freeman-Greene 16
Kerr 29
Thomson 3
Leggat 0no
Macfarlane 0
Macfarlane 7-1-29-1
Thomson 4-0-19-0
Chamberlain 10-0-45-2
McKellar 10-0-41-0
Freeman-Greene 10-2-35-2
Kerr 9-0-44-3
Catches: Thatcher, Leggat (2), Heselwood, Beckett, Kerr
The Development XI had a 100+ run win in their 35 over match with Eastbourne 2nd XI. After the initial loss of Blake, Mafarlane and Weeks batted outstandingly in disptaching any loose ball. Weeks was especially aggressive and took advantage of a superb batting surface. He struck 18 boundaries and 5 sixes as he scored 138. He reached his century while Macfarlane was still in the low 40s; such was his domination. Macfarlane then took the initiative and did the same. He brought up his century and continued batting on to carry his bat for the innings in scoring 136no. Dickie (12) and Murray (15no) helped take the total to 319/3. The batting performance was superb and the Macfarane/Weeks partnership of 239 will go down in College's history as one of the higher partnerships! The Eastbourne reply of 200 in itself was very sound but it still led to a heavy defeat. Most were able to have a bowl. Macfarlane was able to cap off his day as he took two wickets in his over.
Scorecard:
Macfarlane 136no
Blake 0
Weeks 138
Dickie 12
Murray 15no
Thatcher 6-1-27-1
Simpson 3-0-15-0
Tempero 5-0-27-0
Raymond 3-0-13-0
Murray 7-1-19-1
Jones 7-0-39-2
Bird 1-0-12-0
Aitken 2-0-23-0
Macfarlane 1-0-10-2
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| Tremendous views of Eastbourne College's main ground |
The 1st XI game saw College win their first match in three attempts against Eastbourne College. The margin was a mere 4 runs. College won the toss (a rarity) and batted first on a NZ-looking wicket. Williamson and Heselwood continued their good form and positiveness by slaying the opening Eastbourne attack. After 3 overs it was 20/0, but by the end of the 5th it was 26/2 with both openers dismissed. Chamberlain struggled at the start of his innings and was beaten on a number of occasions, but Thatcher (34) was striking at a run per ball. Suddenly Chamberlain (45) hit 16 off an over and a 6 in the next and both were dominating. Thatcher was lost to a leading edge (99/3) in the 17th over after a 74 run partnership in 12 overs. More runs came freely but then Chamberlain was stumped from a part-time spinner (136/4) in the 24th over. Lunch came at the 30th and College had now slowed to 150/4. Beckett (27) and J Bird (18) were about to increase the scoring after lunch but were both dismissed in the exact same manner within two balls of each other (164/6). Our great start had been lost. Freeman-Greene (16) and Kerr (29) then batted with real understanding and skill to add a further 51 in only 8 overs as they almost took a single every ball by hitting into gaps. Their half-century partnership had College 215/6 with 6 overs remaining. With two set batsman in a score of well in excess of 250 was certainly on the cards. The innings had been resurrected. Eight balls later we were dismissed ... for 220 and just under 5 overs remained in the innings. All were very disappointed as it felt as if our chance for victory had been taken from us (again). Eastbourne started slowly but were gaining some ascendency as they reached tea at 80/2 after 20 overs. Chamberlain (2/45) had dismissed both openers. Immediately after tea Kerr (3/44) enticed an edge (85/3) and in combination with Freeman-Greene (2/35) were able to restrict and continue to pick up wickets. Eastbourne, through this bowling pair slumped to 113/6 and later 141/7 after 35 overs. College was on top and in the box seat. A fight back, although initially slow, saw Eastbourne start to launch their comeback and the pressure was mounting on the College fielders and bowlers. A couple of missed catches, an over throw, wides and no-balls, and suddenly Eastboure were in the box seat requiring 28 from 24 balls. Then a wicket to Macfarlane, caught by Beckett, calmed the nerves. Chamberlain and Kerr were left with the job of securing victory in the final three overs. 24 were required from 18 balls, 19 from 12 and 12 from 6. First ball - wide and a bye, now 10 required. Then a two. 8 from 5. A swing and miss. 8 from 4. A single next ball. 7 from 3. A slog to the boundary ... the throw from Heselwood bet the player back for his second. 9 down, 6 required from 2. Then a single ... last ball ... four required for a tie, a six for victory. Kerr bowls a full toss on leg stump, the batsman swings ... and misses. Game over ... a 4 run victory. It was a great game!
Scorecard
Heselwood 8
Williamson 13
Chamberlain 45
Thatcher 34
Beckett 27
J Bird 18
Freeman-Greene 16
Kerr 29
Thomson 3
Leggat 0no
Macfarlane 0
Macfarlane 7-1-29-1
Thomson 4-0-19-0
Chamberlain 10-0-45-2
McKellar 10-0-41-0
Freeman-Greene 10-2-35-2
Kerr 9-0-44-3
Catches: Thatcher, Leggat (2), Heselwood, Beckett, Kerr
The Development XI had a 100+ run win in their 35 over match with Eastbourne 2nd XI. After the initial loss of Blake, Mafarlane and Weeks batted outstandingly in disptaching any loose ball. Weeks was especially aggressive and took advantage of a superb batting surface. He struck 18 boundaries and 5 sixes as he scored 138. He reached his century while Macfarlane was still in the low 40s; such was his domination. Macfarlane then took the initiative and did the same. He brought up his century and continued batting on to carry his bat for the innings in scoring 136no. Dickie (12) and Murray (15no) helped take the total to 319/3. The batting performance was superb and the Macfarane/Weeks partnership of 239 will go down in College's history as one of the higher partnerships! The Eastbourne reply of 200 in itself was very sound but it still led to a heavy defeat. Most were able to have a bowl. Macfarlane was able to cap off his day as he took two wickets in his over.
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| Weeks' Century |
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| Weeks and Macfarlane celebrate Weeks' century |
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| Macfarlane's Century |
Scorecard:
Macfarlane 136no
Blake 0
Weeks 138
Dickie 12
Murray 15no
Thatcher 6-1-27-1
Simpson 3-0-15-0
Tempero 5-0-27-0
Raymond 3-0-13-0
Murray 7-1-19-1
Jones 7-0-39-2
Bird 1-0-12-0
Aitken 2-0-23-0
Macfarlane 1-0-10-2
Wednesday 22 April 2015
22 April - Development XI finally beat Wellington, 1st XI in another close run chase
The 1st XI played a much-vaunted Wellington XI at another fabulous school. College again lost the toss and fielded. Our opening was probably the best on the tour. A wicket was taken by Thomson in the second over, but the Wellington batsmen did put away the half volley. The good aspect was that the there were only few of these. However, the #3 for Wellington was an exceptional player (in a the England U19 squad and looking likely to play first class cricket this year). He was able to play himself in and then play beautifully. As he scored at over a run per ball the signs were looking ominous. However, McKellar (2/36) was bowling superbly and was able to deceive the batsmen and secure his wicket by a stumping. A further wicket to McKellar and one to Whyte (1/32) brought College back into the game at 146/4 after 31 overs when lunch was taken. Like yesterday, wickets and runs occurred frequently in the final 19 overs. Wellington did not finish the innings well as they tried to go too hard, and as a result no significant scores were made. Thomson (5/32) was able to prosper and gained his maiden 5 wicket haul. Wellington were dismissed for 248 in the final over. This was a pleasing effort considering there was certainly the prospect of over 300 being easily scored. Facing this target was daunting, but certainly achievable as we had a real understanding about how to chase targets. Williamson (72) and Heselwood (67) took up the challenge immediately and struck the ball with real intent. Together they ran well and were happy to attack. Boundaries flowed, singles were accumulating. After 15 overs the score was 82/0, and at tea 102/0 after 20 overs. The openers had the Wellington attack at their mercy. Both brought up their half-centuries just after the tea break and then they relaunched their attack. However, Williamson's dismissal (141/1 in the 28th over) brought a real change on the game. The next 10 overs saw only 34 runs scored and three wickets lost. Again the scenario was a run per ball off the final 10 overs. Much like the game vs Eton we continued to lose wickets without a batsman really being able to exert his dominance or remain at the crease. Beckett (27) but by the final three overs the team was struggling keep in the game. Wellington bowled 39 overs of spin and one bowler conceded only 19 runs from his final 9 overs ... in the end this was the difference. College finished 228/9, 20 runs short. All were very disappointed as this was certainly a game that got away.
Scorecards:
Macfarlane 6-0-30-0
Thomson 8.2-0-32-5
Kerr 8-0-43-0
Chamberlain 7-0-31-0
McKellar 10-0-36-2
Whyte 4-0-32-1
Freeman-Greene 6-0-36-1
Catches: Leggat 2 (and one stumping), Beckett, Whyte
Williamson 72
Heselwood 67
Chamberlain 3
Thatcher 11
Beckett 27
J Bird 2
Freeman-Greene 14no
Kerr 10
Thomson 0
Leggat 0
McKellar 2no
The Development XI was able to secure a good victory against a a strong Wellington Development XI. Simpson (2/50) opened well with two good wickets (including a boy who had recently scored a century for the 1st XI) and but the Wellington batsmen then prospered. The introduction of Thatcher (2/15) and Jones (2/25) saw both pick up two wickets, while Tempero (2/31) bowled well at the end to ensure the total was kept in check. The score of 203 was a very good score off 35 overs. This 'test' was certainly going to offer a challenge to the batsmen. I Bird (16) and Blake (23) opened aggressively but three wickets were lost before the score was 55. Macfarlane (55no) played an anchor role but Dickie (18), Thatcher (23), Abbot (10), Tempero (25) upped the ante all scoring at a run per ball or better. This wet up the team achieve the total in the 31st over. This was a very good result and the first time College has won this development game.
Scoreboards:
Tempero 7-0-31-2
Simpson 7-0-50-2
Aitken 7-0-35-0
Murray 5-0-43-0
Thatcher 5-0-15-2
Jones 4-0-25-2
I Bird 16
Blake 23
Jones 0
Macfarlane 55no
Dickie 18
Thatcher 23
Abbot 10
Tempero 25
Murray 4no
Scorecards:
Macfarlane 6-0-30-0
Thomson 8.2-0-32-5
Kerr 8-0-43-0
Chamberlain 7-0-31-0
McKellar 10-0-36-2
Whyte 4-0-32-1
Freeman-Greene 6-0-36-1
Catches: Leggat 2 (and one stumping), Beckett, Whyte
Williamson 72
Heselwood 67
Chamberlain 3
Thatcher 11
Beckett 27
J Bird 2
Freeman-Greene 14no
Kerr 10
Thomson 0
Leggat 0
McKellar 2no
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| Heselwood Half Century |
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| Williamson Half Century |
The Development XI was able to secure a good victory against a a strong Wellington Development XI. Simpson (2/50) opened well with two good wickets (including a boy who had recently scored a century for the 1st XI) and but the Wellington batsmen then prospered. The introduction of Thatcher (2/15) and Jones (2/25) saw both pick up two wickets, while Tempero (2/31) bowled well at the end to ensure the total was kept in check. The score of 203 was a very good score off 35 overs. This 'test' was certainly going to offer a challenge to the batsmen. I Bird (16) and Blake (23) opened aggressively but three wickets were lost before the score was 55. Macfarlane (55no) played an anchor role but Dickie (18), Thatcher (23), Abbot (10), Tempero (25) upped the ante all scoring at a run per ball or better. This wet up the team achieve the total in the 31st over. This was a very good result and the first time College has won this development game.
Scoreboards:
Tempero 7-0-31-2
Simpson 7-0-50-2
Aitken 7-0-35-0
Murray 5-0-43-0
Thatcher 5-0-15-2
Jones 4-0-25-2
I Bird 16
Blake 23
Jones 0
Macfarlane 55no
Dickie 18
Thatcher 23
Abbot 10
Tempero 25
Murray 4no
Tuesday 21 April 2015
April 21 - Two Wins over Winchester
Development XI faced a scratch Winchester team made up of boys, teachers and brothers. They had issues! College batted first in the 30 over match. Macfarlane (79) and Dickie (13) opened very slowly as only 29 runs were scored in the first 10 overs. Macfarlane got into his stride and upon reaching 10 only faced 10 further dot balls in his innings. I Bird (25), Blake (15), Murray (13) were all positive but could not go on with their innings. Thatcher entered the innings very late and plundered the bowling in a style approaching that of McCullum. He scored 58 off 27 balls. The final score of 229/7 was impressive, especially the 200 off the final 20 overs. Tempero (1/10) and Simpson (1/12) started well when bowling, but again Aitken (4/15) was the destroyer. Raymond also picked up a wicket as the opposition were dismissed for 85. A number of catches were dropped in this final total. While this fixture was one-sided the expectation is that tomorrow will be a mammoth task. The Development XI has yet to defeat the Wellington equivalent. This will be a test match!
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| Images of the historic wall surrounding the Development XIs field |
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| The final handshakes ... |
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| ... and leaving the ground |
Macfarlane 79
Dickie 13
I Bird 25
Weeks 6
Blake 15
Murray 13
Jones 0
Thatcher 58no
Aitken 1no
Tempero 4-0-10-1
Simpson 4.3-1-12-1
Aitken 6-1-15-4
Murray 4-0-14-0
Raymond 3-0-11-1
I Bird 2-0-21-0
The 1st XI won their fixture by 5 wickets, although victory was only gained in the final over. Jacob Bird was given his debut in the XI after a number of stirling performances in the Development XI. College again lost the toss and fielded first. The wicket was a little slower than most we played on so the run rate was a little under 4 at the 10 over mark. Whyte (1/35) and Kerr (0/18) further slowed the rate, although only 1 wicket had been had taken. The final 15 minutes before lunch saw College lose focus and simply go through the motions. Consequently Winchester scored about 35 runs in 5 overs. At lunch they were 133/1 after 36 overs. We were in a good position, however, there were plenty of wickets in hand for a 230+ score, especially as their captain was undefeated on 70. Runs and a few wickets flowed in the final 14 overs as Winchester reached 213/5. Potentially this should have been more but we had done a good job in the middle stages. The loss of an early wicket, in reply, saw Williamson (33) and Chamberlain (86) combine in a strong 68 run partnership. They both batted positively and had the team in a good position at 79/1 after 20 overs. Williamson was lost just before tea, while Beckett was dismissed in the first over after ... work was now needed. Chamberlain continued batting very attractively. Over the last week he has certainly beginning to show his experience and his pushing for gaps has certainly improved. Debutant Bird joined him and after a tough initiation where he had to work hard, he prospered and was able to aid Chamberlain with strong running and great shots off the back foot. Together they reignited the innings which had now got to requiring more than a run per ball over the final 16 overs. Together they controlled the innings to put on 96 before Chamberlain was strangely given out (191/4 after 46). The pressure was back on. Bird (67no, off only 71 balls) was able to steer the side home with the aid of Freeman-Greene (7) and Kerr (3no). A couple of balls remained, but it did always feel we were in control of the situation. It was a very good batting performance from the three main run-makers. Bird was outstanding in his debut.
Scorecard:
Thomson 8-0-43-1
Macfarlane 4-0-14-0
McKellar 10-1-30-0
Chamberlain 8-1-36-1
Whyte 10-0-35-1
Kerr 5-0-18-0
Freeman-Greene 5-0-32-0
Catches: Beckett, Leggat
Heselwood 6
Williamson 33
Chamberlain 86
Beckett 3
J Bird 67no
Freeman-Greene 7
Kerr 3no
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| The view back to the pavilion |
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| Chamberlain acknowledging his half century |
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| Bird on the drive |
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| Bird reaches his maiden 1st XI 50 |
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| Bird and Chamberlain clapped off after the match |
Players of the Day - Bird (1st XI), Thatcher (Dev XI)
Monday 20 April 2015
April 20 - Wembley ... and Wicked tonight
This blog is written in the afternoon as we are soon off out for dinner in town and then attending 'Wicked'. Some have already been to shows and really enjoyed them so we are hoping we can boost the cultural experience of the others. This morning we went off to Wembley. Our tour took us through the media centre, changing rooms onto the sidelines and then up into the stands to have witness the FA Cup. It was also great entering the field as the interior tunnels were still made up from yesterday's semi-final. We even had the opportunity to witness a game and a couple of great goals while we were there; actually, the game on was a charity game involving the major FA sponsors' employees ... but at least we can say we witnessed England playing (one team was kitted as England Home and one as England Away). An interesting fact. Wembley has the most toilets of any building in the world (2600+).
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| Sam, Ben, Jono at the 'media' conference |
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| Inside the Home dressing room |
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| On the ground |
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| FA Cup |
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| Holding the FA Cup |
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| In the royal box ... we tripled the crowd |
Sunday 19 April 2015
19 April - London
The morning saw us go to Madame Tussuads. The boys all seemed to enjoy the various exhibitions from London, to movie stars, leaders to a 4d movie. After this the boys then ventured to destinations of their own choice. These ranged from movies, to Ripleys Believe it or Not, to the London Eye. This evening some of us went back into town to see the lights.
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| With the little master ... Isaac, Kale, Ben, Ben |
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| Zac, Riley, Kale, Jono, Nic |
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| Doing our bit for international relations with the Spanish |
Tomorrow we are going to a 10.30 Wembley tour and will be back at the hotel by 1pm. The boys are free in the afternoon, but need to be back at the hotel at 4.30pm to then go off to dinner and then to the show. Tomorrow afternoon the boys can go out with parents and it also gives he boys their last opportunity to visit some of the museums we have suggested.
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