Stowe show strong character in MCC opener

Stowe School are on a competitive fixture circuit, playing in various formats including a timed match versus MCC. Jim Hindson reports.

It might have been cold with a sti­ff breeze, but the sun shone to brighten proceedings at this early-season school fixture between Stowe and MCC. The game provided an insight into our brave new post-pandemic era, with mandatory sanitisation breaks now a thing of the past, dressing rooms back to proper use and the treat of a sit-down lunch in the pavilion.

Sticking with tradition, MCC elected to bat first in an uncontested toss, with Stowe opening bowlers Will Pickard and Harvey Julyan taking a little while to settle back into outdoor action. MCC had posted 50 before a breakthrough was made, with Garth Davson the first to fall, bowled by Pickard. Julyan then struck twice in quick succession and when first change bowler Howard clean bowled Jack Chopping, MCC were left reeling at 87 for 4.

MCC were indebted to former Northamptonshire and Glamorgan batsman James Kettleborough, who came in at No.4 and used all of his experience to soak up the Stowe momentum and then put the students under pressure. Kettleborough compiled an entertaining innings of 69, which included a partnership of 92 for the fifth wicket with Ollie Tice who made 38. Daniel Wood then joined Adam Ball for an enterprising partnership of 73 for the seventh wicket, leaving the club to declare on 253 for 6 from 50 overs.

^{Former Northamptonshire and Glamorgan batsman, James Kettleborough} 

With a short boundary and an abundance of spin bowling in the MCC ranks, the total facing Stowe was certainly gettable. Stowe coach and former Surrey gloveman James Knott was relishing the challenge and explained that the boys had been practising for situations just like this for the last few months.

“We’ve had a full winter’s preparation, which is where we get the majority of the technical work done. This has been followed by a ‘proper’ pre-season and a full fixture list this year. It’s much better compared to last year when we were under Covid restrictions, and some schools even just played other schools in a bubble around them. It’s back to normal to be honest.”

This was a timed game and Knott revealed that the boys enjoyed this nuanced format: “We get to post two or three slips and a gully with the ball which you wouldn’t normally see in limited-overs cricket, where our focus would be dot balls and building pressure. Our chat today was to get four or five down for lunch and then to bowl MCC out. We executed the first part of our plan at least [MCC were four down at lunch] and now, with this format, even if the chase starts badly and we haven’t got a realistic chance of winning the game, we can still battle it out for a draw.”

Stowe’s innings began slowly with some accurate MCC bowling pegging back the youngsters and reducing them to 22 for 2 before a stand of 66 between Oscar Watson and Will Pickard. The innings had recovered but time was ticking away and despite a spirited cameo from Adi Sharma, a hard-hitting leg-spinning allrounder who is on the Northants Academy, 140 were required when the last hour was called – with a minimum 20 overs required to be bowled.

Wickets tumbled as the chase faltered and in the end, Stowe stuck to Knott’s word as the 10th wicket pair gamely hung on for a draw, surviving 23 deliveries. The students finished on 170 for 9 from 49 overs, still 83 behind MCC.

Opener Watson top scored with a plucky 46 and he was in reflective mood after the game. “I struggled to get the ball away and it was not the quickest of innings from me. I guess you’d say we almost battled ourselves out the game with the run rate rising to seven or eight an over in a short space of time. If we played the innings again, I’d try a different mentality to get the run-rate higher. But I backed myself to bat some time and I think my innings did enable some of the guys to come in and play with some freedom.”

Despite the toughest of starts to the school season, Watson was a huge fan of the timed format: “We actually love it and try to play as much as we can. Instead of having to blast runs, you have the extra time to stick out there and grind the opposition down. And our bowlers learn to be patient, to hold that line and length and to take wickets through pressure.” Stowe’s forthcoming fixtures this summer include Rugby, Oakham, Shrewsbury and Eton, a mouth-watering challenge for Knott’s students, who will enjoy a normal season at last.

The Cricketer would like to thank Durant Cricket for their ongoing support of our schools cricket coverage. For more on Durant Cricket, including booking a site visit, please click here

Related Topics

• Canterbury reign in Spain
• Putting cricket back on the curriculum