FIRST ELEVEN AVERAGES

Team Photograph: M J Barry (captain), K T Spray, G Barry, J F Scott, E Want, At B Feeny, J Jeffries, K .J Dunn, J J Killoran, P J Trinham, G P Knowles.

SECOND ELEVEN

v Newcastle HS. Lost by 104 runs. Away. Newcastle HS 168 for 2 dec. Cotton 64 (Want 27).

The team was: E Want (captain), M Williams, P J Wood, T P Hardy, J A Pereira, A J Rohan, J P Barry, J 191 Mott, D A Wilson, R S Dillon, A 0 Ethakpemi.

This was the only match played by the 2nd XI and they were outplayed by Newcastle in all departments of the game. Our bowlers strove manfully but did not really look like getting wickets and there were several bad lapses in our fielding. Spirited resistance came from Want and M Williams when we batted, but 'the writing was on the wall'. Want appears to enjoy the Newcastle pitch; two seasons ago he was our top-scorer, and in this match he captained the side admirably, scored 27 himself and took the only two Newcastle wickets to fall.

JUNIOR CRICKET UNDER 15

The following boys played: P Howard, S O'Malley,

M Northard, J Rogers, J O'Regan, D Sheppard, B Edgeworth, J Smiley, D Thompson, D Deneny, S Briggs, K Walker, K Corr, V Earley, A Kennedy, J McConnell.

v Macclesfield. Lost by 144 runs. Away. Macclesfield 188 for 6 dec. Cotton 44 (Rogers 10, O'Regan 10)

v Ratcliffe. Lost by 32 runs. Home. Ratcliffe. 103 (Thompson 5 for 16). Cotton 71 (Sheppard 34, O'Malley 10)

v Tollerton. Won by 9 wickets. Home. Tollerton 40 (Thompson 5 for 5, Edgeworth 3 for 13). Cotton 41 for I (Northard 18 not out, Deneny 15 not out)

The weather prevented the team from playing on grass before their first game at Macclesfield, and the lack of practice soon made itself felt in a poor performance in the field. The bowling was awry, the fielding, apart from two fine catches in the deep by Walker, was terrible, and the home batsmen took full advantage of the opportunity to get some unexpected practice. Two of them scored half centuries, and will never score runs so easily again, and the declaration at tea left us two hours to win or save the game. A good start was essential, but a silly run out before we had scored a run destroyed our last chance. Of the others, only O'Regan and Northard put their heads down and tried to make a fight of it. Rogers defiantly swung the bat, but it only delayed the end by a few minutes.

After some practice on grass, we discovered that Smiley could bowl left arm spinners with commendable accuracy, and the team gave a vastly improved performance against Ratcliffe. Apart from a stand of 44 for the 5th wicket, their batsmen came in and out with pleasant rapidity. Sheppard, with some strong if inelegant hitting, gave us a good start, with support from O'Regan and Northard. However, when Sheppard was third out at 60, the remaining batsmen scuttled back and forth from the pavilion to little purpose, apart from O'Malley's 10 in five minutes. The result was that, from 60 for 2, we were 71 all out in little over half an hour.

The visit of St Hugh's, Tollerton at last enabled the team to play up to their true capabilities, and, when we could afford a few batting failures, there were none. The bare figures tell the story very well, with another fine bowling performance from Thompson and Northard at last putting together the good innings his technique had led us to expect all the season.

On Speech Day the parents provided more than sufficient opposition for the team in a good-humoured game on a cold, blustery evening. The First Eleven wicketkeeper, who in other circumstances would have been a regular member of the side, was included to give a Little extra strength, but was dismissed first ball and did not keep wicket. It was that sort of match! The boys batted first and did not use their full allocation of 20 overs in being bowled out for 48. When the parents batted, Mr Howard swung a straighter bat than his son had done all the season! Mr Want, victim of a dubious 1. b. w. decision from Mr Dole, was unlucky, but had previously done enough with the ball. The parents scored runs steadily and were 49 for 6 in 15 overs. Perhaps, if the fixture remains next year, the boys will be less brash about it and maybe write another chapter in the book of the generations.

UNDER 14

The following boys played: B Edgeworth, D Thompson, M Northard, V Earley, J McConnell, A Byrne, T Devenney, P Ruane, C Doherty, J Dwyer, M Hearn.

v Mount St Mary's. Lost by 65 runs. Away.

A more frustrating season can hardly be imagined! Only one game played, and that in continuous rain for four and a half hours on a sodden pitch. It is impossible

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