The Wykehamist
The second day, on our familiar Lords ground, began slightly earlier to recover the overs lost at Eton, with a contingent of Old Wykehamist supporters offering encouragement from Hunters Tent. We afforded Eton’ s openers an untroubled start, but Stanley responded quickly, removing two wickets in quick succession before Aryan dismissed their young opener, assisted by a sharp catch from Hamish at slip. Eton began to lose their rhythm. After several overs of consistent spin from Tom Howard( E, 22-) and Archie Lawson( I, 21-), the pressure yielded its reward: a run out from a direct hit by Abilash, particularly satisfying given the emphasis we had placed on throwing accuracy over the winter. A change in the regulations, introduced to encourage a result, forced Eton to declare after 25 overs on 110-4, whereupon we took to the crease once more. We struggled initially, losing a couple of early wickets, though Ayush and Tom steadied matters with contributions of 23 and 20 respectively. With around five overs remaining before our own declaration was required, a late flourish from Archie and Casper Wilson( E, 23-) carried us to 147-7 off 24 overs.
We took the field hungry for early wickets. Stanley struck in the third over, drawing an edge from the Eton opener that carried cleanly into Abilash’ s hands at second slip, but showers were gathering on the horizon. Beginning as a light drizzle, the conditions at least offered us the moisture of the pitch to exploit— provided we bowled in the right areas. Our spin trio of Tom, Archie and Casper did precisely that, finding turn and bounce when pitching the ball up and claiming three further wickets between them before the umpires called time for tea. After a presentation of the Winchester-Eton trophy by EACR, the drizzle turned to steady rain with no sign of relenting and, given the unpromising forecast and already saturated outfield, the match was abandoned as a draw. This was a source of some frustration, with only six wickets required for victory and the advantage firmly in our favour. Nevertheless, this was a wonderful occasion for the players of both sides— one that no one took for granted. Thanks are due also to Eton for their generous hospitality on the first day. In all, it was a fitting conclusion to pre-season, with every player contributing and much to encourage in the weeks ahead.
Abilash Nanthakumar( C, 25-), Seb Kingsbury( A, 21-) and Hamish Peck( F, 25-).
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