Saturday April 28 v Emmanuel College at Cambridge - Won by 4 wickets
Emmanuel College 186-9 dec (J K Loney 128); Sherborne Pilgrims 187-6 (P N C Rowe 61)

The season started on a sunny April day against one of the strongest Cambridge colleges. Apart from Loney, the Emmanuel batting was never allowed to assert itself against some accurate bowling. Rowe and Wingfield Digby put on 84 for the first wicket and, after a brisk innings from Hughes, victory seemed imminent. However, we suffered a minor collapse and it was left to Boog-Scott (17*), batting as if in a five day Test, to steer us home in the last over.

Sunday April 29 v Magdalene College at Cambridge - Drawn
Sherborne Pilgrims 221-7 dec (H R J Walker 58); Magdalene College 160-8

Despite overnight rain and some sore heads we started on time. Rowe was very unpopular when he lost the toss but was forgiven when we were put in! The wicket was lively and we batted patchily to reach 158-4 in two hours before lunch. This included a whirlwind 58 in 25 minutes from Walker. The wicket was much easier after the interval and we raced to 221-7 in a further 45 minutes. In spite of many bowling changes we failed to bowl Magdalene out and by the close they had reached a tame 160-8. It was a successful weekend with no time lost through rain or snow, and keen support shown for such an early season outing.

Saturday May 12 v Oxford University Authentics at Oxford - Won by 16 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 135 (C J Harker 4-31); Oxford University Authentics 119 (A R Wingfield Digby 5-19)

An undistinguished batting performance was retrieved by good bowling and fielding, and in the end we achieved an exciting victory. Lack of match practice and poor shots were the problem. The Authentics batting was in the same vein. Fursdon (2-30) removed the openers cheaply, and A R and N J Wingfield Digby respectively, destroyed the middle and knew too much for the tail.

Sunday May 13 v Vincent's XI at Christ Church - Won by 2 wickets
Vincent's XI 193 (A R Wingfield Digby 4-58); Sherborne Pilgrims 194-8 (J M Wingfield Digby 57)

We faced a strong Vincent's side, including several University players, in a 50 over match. Our bowling was tight and at 133-7 we appeared to be in a strong position, but Michael Watson (28) and C B Hamblin (27) added a quick 46 for the next wicket. When we batted Wingfield Digby played the anchor role. Walker made a fine attacking 44, and Gould won the match with a controlled 27. This was an encouraging win with three overs to spare, but mention must be made of the heavy drizzle which Vincent's had to field in. We were most grateful to them for their sporting attitude in staying on the field.

Sunday May 27 - Cricketer Cup first round v St Edward's Martyrs at Sherborne - Won by 7 wickets
St Edward's Martyrs 82; Sherborne Pilgrims 85-3

For the first time in the seven years of the competition (apart from a replay in 1971) we were drawn to play on the Upper and were grateful for the arrangements made by the School. St Edward's won the toss and batting first lost an early wicket to a fine slip catch by Walker. They progressed slowly against some accurate bowling and in the 13th over with the score 23 lost their second wicket. Gould came on and got a wicket with his first ball. This was the start of a tight spell which at one point showed the unusual analysis of 7.2-6-1-3. Our bowling and fielding were most impressive and proved too much for most of the batsmen. Francis hit out bravely but just before lunch he ran out of partners. We made a horrible start with the old firm of Rowe and Wingfield Digby going cheaply. Gould, batting in his correct position at number three, played a masterly innings and, helped by a straight bat from Harris (18), saw us out of trouble. We won comfortably enough in the 30th over but another 70 or 80 runs might have been another story.

Sunday June 10 v Esher at Esher - Lost by 8 wickets
Sherborne Pilgrims 135 (J M S Broadley 57; R E A Lowe 6-62); Esher 136-2 (D J Fenn 77*)

We won the toss and batted first on a fiery wicket. We were soon in trouble and it needed a fine innings from Broadley to take us to 85-4 at lunch. The wicket was easier after the interval but the hospitality at lunch and our inert batting saw us out for a miserable 135. Esher, helped early on by some wild bowling, knocked off the runs with considerable ease.

Sunday June 17 - Cricketer Cup second round v Old Tonbridgians at Tonbridge - Lost by 49 runs
Old Tonbridgians 219-6 (P D Rylands 95*); Sherborne Pilgrims 170 (A R Wingfield Digby 73)

Our first mistake was to lose the toss on a hot June day. Cowdrey and Smith gave Tonbridge (who lost to Rugby in the final) a fine foundation with 65 comfortable runs in the first 19 overs and a large score looked on the cards. Gould caught Cowdrey off his own bowling, and with some clouds around and the ball moving a little, Tonbridge had a shaky period before lunch which saw the score at 107-5. This was a great fight back and the match was wide open. Unfortunately, the quick wicket after the interval, which was essential, did not materialise. Rylands, who was so nearly out for nought before lunch, gave two very hard chances and then batted beautifully. He found the gaps in the field almost at will and any ideas of restricting the run rate had to be abandoned. 50 runs came in the last five overs.

We made a disastrous start and with a stupid run out tea was taken at 27-4. Walker and Wingfield Digby set about repairing the damage but the required run rate meant that risks had to be taken. They had put on 70 in 19 overs when Walker played right across the line with fatal results. Wingfield Digby went on batting sensibly and at one stage, needing 63 in eight overs with four wickets left, Tonbridge were getting worried. This was the nearest we were to get, for with the fall of a wicket the spell was broken.

Sunday July 1 v Radley Rangers at Radley - Won by 118 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 225-7 dec (R J A Hughes 87*, E M R Brown 57); Radley Rangers 107 (P R D Gould 4-11)

We lost the toss but obligingly the Rangers asked us to bat. The ball did not move much before lunch but we were restricted by some tight medium paced bowling. Brown held the effort together as an ersatz opening bat and succeeded to such good effect that he was not out until after lunch. Later Hughes, aided by Hardie (21) and Wingfield Digby, and helped by some friendly slow bowling, accelerated the scoring rate and we declared five minutes after half time at a score that exceeded our expectations of only 40 minutes earlier. Our bowling was sufficiently accurate before tea to persuade three Rangers to surrender, but the worry was our over rate which was far too slow. However, the Rangers resolved our problem by giving up their wickets in a variety of ways. Hughes bought a crucial wicket and eventually we won with half an hour to spare, with all the bowlers and fielders contributing to the result.

Saturday July 14 v The School at Sherborne - Won by 20 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 212 (A R Wingfield Digby 73*, R J W Proctor 62); Sherborne School 192-5 (J N W Edwards 58)

Once again the Commem match had to be reduced to 40 overs. We were given a flying start by Brearley (17) and Proctor with 79 for the first wicket but there followed a major collapse through idle batting and 96-7 was a different story. Wingfield Digby and Kennedy steadied the innings and with some sound aggression got the scoring rate moving again putting on 83 for the eighth wicket. The School batted sensibly, but a scoring rate in excess of five an over was always going to be a stiff target, and they were well behind the rate for most of their 40 overs.

Friday July 20 v Old Sedberghians at Sherborne - Abandoned

Saturday July 21 v Hampshire Hogs at Sherborne - Drawn
Hampshire Hogs 221-3 dec (W F Hughes 102, M A R Burchett 59); Sherborne Pilgrims 220-6 (J R Garforth-Bles 85)

The heavy rain of the previous day threatened to upset the Hogs' first visit to Sherborne but it was travelling problems which caused a late start. We were short of accurate bowling and the Hogs had 65 up for the first wicket in even time. Lunch was taken at 85-1, with Hughes, who had been dropped early on, beginning to play well. After the interval he produced a wide selection of shots and with 13 fours and 4 sixes raced to a fine century in only 95 minutes. We started cautiously and it was not until Garforth-Bles and Parker put on 86 for the fourth wicket in an hour that we got into the hunt. Garforth-Bles played very well and could well have had a century on his first appearance for the Club. When he was out, Boog-Scott hit a breezy 27 but we just failed to get home. Why? 143 were wanted in the last 20 overs, 70 in ten, 26 in three, and only five off the last over with six wickets in hand. The build up had been judged to perfection but the finish was lacking in imagination.

Sunday July 22 v Sherborne Town at Sherborne - Drawn
Sherborne Town 199-8 dec (A S Hodgson 86*; A R Wingfield Digby 4-56); Sherborne Pilgrims 182-9 (H R J Walker 86)

A late night and a lost toss did not look promising but two hours later the Town were 112-8. Forty minutes later they declared at 199-8. It was not to be our afternoon after all. Walker struck some resounding blows, but the middle order got it wrong and we had to settle for a draw.

Monday July 23 v Somerset Stragglers at Sherborne - Won by 8 wickets
Somerset Stragglers 148; Sherborne Pilgrims 149-2 (J M Wingfield Digby 82*)

We lost the toss and the Stragglers batted with great caution reaching 60-4 at lunch. We continued to take cheap wickets after the interval and it needed a last wicket stand of 36 to make their score reasonable. Brearley (18) and Wingfield Digby put on 71 for the first wicket although the latter was in scratchy batting form. We won with 35 minutes to spare but it was not great cricket.

Tuesday July 24 v Dorset Rangers at Sherborne - Won by 81 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 240-8 dec (G P Gent 59, N R H Parker 50); Dorset Rangers 159 (N A C Dudley 5-38, H R J Walker 4-54)

We lost our first two wickets for 33 but Scott and Gould (24) settled down and added 64 in 45 minutes. Gould was stupidly run out just after lunch, and with Gent joining Parker 99 runs came in the hour. The Rangers reached 51-1 by tea, but then suffered a sharp collapse with a good spell from Dudley and Walker's tantalising off-breaks doing the damage. 66-6 with 90 minutes left looked like an early finish, but stands of 28, 33 and 32 for the next wickets were helped by several missed chances and we eventually finished the tail off with a few overs remaining.

Wednesday July 25 v Old Cliftonians at Sherborne - Drawn
Sherborne Pilgrims 223 (R J W Proctor 62, C W E Hume 60; H R StG Hammersley 4-58, M S Lockyer 4-65); Old Cliftonians 223-8 (A S Dixon 114*)

We won the toss and the Hume-Proctor partnership had 118 on the board in 83 minutes. The lunch score was 136-1 and the only problem was how many we wanted and when to declare. Clifton kept their spinners on after the interval, and for no apparent reason batting was made to look difficult. No one ventured from the crease to deal with the half volleys, and full tosses were played as if it were a fielding practice. It was a classic example of how not to bat. Clifton had just over three hours' batting. Caisley retired hurt with the score at 20 and was replaced by King who helped Dixon add 105 in just under two hours. Our bowling was rather wayward and several chances were put down. King was missed at 0, 27, 37 and 42 and Dixon at 27, 37 and 81.

At the start of the last 20 overs Clifton were 126-1. Dixon was going well and if he got sensible support they were in a strong position. The required run rate was maintained for ten overs when the score was 170-3. We had a lucky break with a silly run out and this helped to slow the rate so that with 5 overs left Clifton were behind at 185-6. Dixon was striking the ball with majestic ease and, launching a final assault, 29 were added in four overs. Ten were wanted in the last over and seven off the last ball. A gigantic six brought the scores level and gave a fitting end to an exciting last hour.

Sunday July 29 v Old Tonbridgians at Tonbridge - Cancelled

The OTs were playing in the semi-final of the Cricketer Cup: they beat Old Blundellians by seven wickets and lost to Rugby Meteors by five wickets in the final.

Saturday August 11 v Bluemantles at Tunbridge Wells - Lost by 18 runs
Bluemantles 124 (A C W Peck 4-59); Sherborne Pilgrims 106 (R G L Cheatle 4-27)

To bowl out a side containing three of the Tonbridge Cricketer Cup stars for just over a hundred runs was no mean feat, but to do so on the Nevil, and in the process drop several catches, was quite remarkable. The seed of their downfall was Peck, who in a fine spell destroyed the meat of the Bluemantles' batting. We made a good start and were well placed at 60-1, but the sensible strokes of Hume (21), Lough (26) and Robertson (26) gave way to batting of a lower calibre and not even Robert Beeney's "blue" bat could save us.

Sunday August 12 v Bradfield Waifs at Warnford - Drawn
Bradfield Waifs 167-7 dec (J J Blackham 65*; N A C Dudley 4-55); Sherborne Pilgrims 140-9 (D P Manners 4-29)

After a late start, due to the "cross-country" route taken by our wicket-keeper, the Waifs elected to bat. This they did for some considerable time, refusing to respond to the temptation provided by the bowlers. Lytle bowled well and had the good figures of 16-8-17-1. After the eventual declaration and a very moderate start, Lough and Kennedy put on a quick 55, but the task of scoring the runs in 22 overs less proved to be too much.