Winter fails to dampen clamour for cricket at Hurstpierpoint College

Sport in rude health among both boys and girls at school

The explosion in girls' cricket over the past decade presents welcome challenges for cricketing schools. Hurstpierpoint College are lucky to have eight cricket grounds to call on – six with grass squares, and a new one top-dressed this summer – to allow for cricket on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Head of cricket James Anyon, once a professional with Warwickshire and Sussex, said: "We’ve crunched the numbers and we were up 20 per cent in participation in 2023. Cricket is going from strength to strength. We have seven girls' teams in the senior school, which is pretty rare.

"The school had a decent season – our 1st XI reached the final of our local cup competition, losing to Eastbourne College, and the under-14s reached the County Cup final.

"Now we’ve entered winter training: no one wants to stop playing cricket these days, which is great."

Anyon, a fast bowler who played the bulk of his county cricket in the County Championship, is keen to ensure that young bowlers aren’t sent down the route of containment early on.

"We play 50-over or timed games on Wednesdays, which I think is very important. You want to see bowlers tested with the prospect of trying to bowl a side out, which means thinking about putting slips in, and testing out batters' defences too. It brings spinners into the game. It’s a completely different mindset to T20 cricket."

Hurstpierpoint has a fine track record of producing cricketers, and the next could be opening batter Henry Rogers. As he was about to start year 13, Rogers celebrated 166 for the English Schools Cricket Association at Lord’s, a big hundred for Sussex 2nd XI, and a fifty for England Under-19s against Ireland.

"It’s exciting times for him," said Anyon.

Both Rogers and Anyon play for Cuckfield CC in the Sussex Premier League.

Anyon was forced to retire at just 32 in 2016, with an inflammatory problem related to rheumatoid arthritis, but he can still play on a Saturday afternoon.

"Mind you, I only played two games for the 1st XI this summer," said Anyon. "They were top of the league and when school holidays kicked in I didn't want to burgle a spot from someone else. I have to bowl my 10 overs off the reel these days, because as soon as I stop I can’t come back."

Plenty of old bowlers can relate to that.