The Wykehamist
Commoners v OTH, Girls
There had been much talk in the build-up to the final VIs game of the season. Practice sessions held with both teams had always been very tightly fought with the outcome going either way. With the crowd built up from the boys’ match, the game began.
The match started not with a hot in the centre of the pitch, but rather a hot on ropes. OTH started the game on better form, letting the ball escape the cagey affair in the middle of the pitch for a goal. Commoners attempted to respond, but Ami Butler kicked a flyer, only for Hesper House to catch the ball for a big bust. The rivalry continued; soon after, Ami caught the ball from Hesper’ s flyer, only for Hesper to respond with a tackle, sending her opponent to the ground. A low-scoring match so far, the crowd was eager for more goals as the whistle blew for half time: 8-5 to OTH.
In the second half, the flyers of Liv Palser were great to watch as she undermined the defensive attempts of OTH. There were more goals this half, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Both teams really went for it; neither side wanted to be in the history books as the loser of the second EVER girls VIs. OTH, though, were the stronger side, and as Ella Marsh was subbed on for Houses, her chasing made a difference, and they pulled further ahead in points. The end was near, and Commoners appeared to have run out of steam. The game was over, and OTH had won for the second year in a row. 17-13.
Anton Oliver( H, 2021-)
Sri Lanka Cricket Tour
After eleven hours on the plane, Lords XI touched down in Colombo, greeted by a mild 30 degrees and the sound of crickets chattering in the trees. The first hotel we stayed at boasted a picturesque seaside view and an-all-you-can-eat Sri Lankan buffet, which we gratefully indulged in before our first match the following day against a local school.
We arrived bright and early and got some practice in in the school’ s nets, which produced rather unpredictable and inconsistent bounce – but was nevertheless valuable. As would become a pleasing trend throughout the tour, Seb Morgan( D, 2020-) won the toss, electing to bat first in a T20, though not before we took some photos and signed some autographs with the local kids, whose passion for cricket was there for all to see. We began the first innings well with Jack Bristowe( A, 2020-) being the standout, with a fluid 45 supported well by Seb Morgan and Amaar Malik( I, 2020-) taking us up to 174-5. We started with the ball in a similar vein, taking wickets at consistent intervals throughout the innings to restrict the opposition to 157 from their 20 overs, despite some late hitting damaging the bowlers’ figures. It was nonetheless a pleasing way to start our first of the eight games of the tour.
Day two brought with it more cricket with a plan to play two 30-over matches against another school. The ground itself was situated inside the school grounds, with one end of it lying beneath a towering school building with open air classrooms, mimicking a stadium. Batting first again we posted an excellent 244-8, spearheaded by Amaar M striking a fantastic 64( 41) which revitalised our innings when was looking as if we were on the verge of sliding to an under-par total on what was a good pitch. When it was our turn to bowl, George Davies( D, 2020-) took a wicket in the first over, utilising the new ball well. This set the tone and the bowlers took consistent wickets to knock the opposition over for approximately 130. Despite the preliminary plan to play another 30 over game, the sweltering 35 degrees meant that we only had time for a 15 over game which we won comfortably, aided by an excellent half-century from Ayush Shah( E, 2022-). It was fair to say that we had started the tour as well as we could have liked, despite, perhaps, some under-par opposition. We had the great pleasure of spending the evening at the Colombo Swimming Club, where we made the most of some delicious food. However, the main event was a Q & A with legendary Sri Lankan batsman Aravinda de Silva, who had scored an unbeaten century in the 1996 world cup final to defeat Australia on home turf. What he had to say was truly inspiring, reflecting on the value of failure and mental fortitude of success. Special thanks must go to Amaar M’ s Dad, Dumith, for organising
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