No . 136 The Trusty Servant
Downside Wanderers ’ appearance on Lords marked 100 years of the fixture , with a tree gifted by Downside to commemorate the milestone . The game was a fitting one , the OWs victorious by two wickets in the final over of the day , with Bill Holland anchoring the chase ( yet again !) with 64 *.
The final fixture of the OWCC season saw us take to the croquet lawns of The Hurlingham Club , whose side contained former Surrey captain Rory Hamilton-Brown . Our total of 203 looked pitiful when they had cantered to 90-1 off 13 overs . However , tight bowling reigned them in and with Hurlingham eight wickets down we witnessed their number 11 – who had already left for the day – running back to the boundary edge and frantically strapping on his pads , just as his teammates scraped over the line .
The OWCC Cricketer Cup side was drawn into the bye round , which meant an early season trip to powerhouse Cranleigh . However , in James Irvine-Fortescue ( K , 00-05 ) and Ben Stevens ( E , 05-10 ) our XI
OW Basketball News
Liam Taylor ( CoRo , 91- ) writes :
The basketball match between the school and the OWs is always a highlight of Wykeham Day , and this year the crowd in the Sports Hall was treated to a match of high skill , athleticism and excitement .
The Win Coll U18s started superbly , pulling out a healthy lead through speed , teamwork and no little individual skill . The OW legends were showing flashes of brilliance , especially Big Seb Steiner whose footwork was as sublime as ever , but the school team was playing so well that the second half looked like it would probably be a little dull . This is when the OWs contained two players who had just been named in the Match Day Squad of the ‘ Cricketer Cup Team of the Decade ’, and this quality showed as the all-spin OW attack led by Ben bamboozled the Old Cranleighans , bowling them out for 139 ( Henry Portman ( K , 10-15 ) with 4-35 ), which was chased down for the loss of four wickets , guided by a faultless 59 * from Dan Escott ( Coll , 10-15 ). The spinners worked their magic again in the next round against Downside Wanderers on a helpful Lords track , bowling them out for 164 which was knocked off , despite a mini collapse , with four wickets in hand . These successes led to a trip to Malvern , where we batted first and scrapped our way to 218 with half centuries from Freddie Egleston ( D , 14-19 ) and Henry Axtell ( C , 15-20 ). Unfortunately , this proved to be insufficient as a strong Old Malvernian side ( who went on to raise the Cup ) chased it down with time to spare .
The OWCC Legends continue to thrive , with 47 players turning out over 6 regular season fixtures and two tour games in Jersey , including 8 debutants and 6 sons of Legends
revealed their secret weapon : Nosa Okunbo walked through the door at half time with Omos Kuye . Nosa has been playing successfully in America and recently turned down full scholarships to play at division 1 NCAA level . He made his presence felt immediately with a couple of monstrous dunks , but our U18s are never easily intimidated and they stood strong , playing with determination and confidence .
The game was now on for real and was so balanced that at the end of 40 minutes the scores were even . There are no draws in basketball though , and it took three tough periods of
( greatly appreciated , especially in the field ). Honours were even , with hard-fought victories over the Broadhalfpenny Brigands , Radley Rangers and Eton Ramblers and ( mostly ) honourable defeats against IZ , St Tropez and the Sons of Bacchus . The tour similarly included a close defeat and a nail-biting win ( plus the standard middle-aged injury toll ).
Highlights included the Maclay and Shah family contributions on Broadhalfpenny Down , the dramatic end to the Eton match courtesy of another junior Maclay , important runs from Sabben-Clare and Wyman at crucial junctures , and age-defying heroics from Thompson , Watson and Thornycroft J . Lowlights included St Tropez CC Hon President , one D . I . Gower , casting a lugubrious eye over proceedings on Lords as the Legends collapsed like a wet cardboard box . Please get in touch with the Secretary , Ed Roe edward . roe @ hotmail . co . uk , if you would like to be added to the OWCC mailing list , as player or supporter , to receive the fixture list , sign-up sheet and match reports every year .
overtime to separate the teams . This was one of the best ever OW matches and credit should be given to both teams not just for their skill , but for making the match so enjoyable to watch .
The OW team with their former coach .
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