Sunday July 31st, v Hampshire Hogs, at Warnford

Sherborne Pilgrims 309-8 (E R Atkins 108, D Pugh 70); Hampshire Hogs 308-4 (T S G Cooke 110, T Grainzevelles 60 not out, O J D Kelly 53, Fellows 50). Match drawn

The season's finale against the Hampshire Hogs is always an especially enjoyable event and this year did not disappoint, with more than 600 runs scored on a beautiful summer’s day. The pitch and conditions at Warnford meant both sides were eager to bat first and to the relief of the Pilgrims, the toss was won by the visitors who proceeded to ask the Hogs to field.

Two natural stroke makers in Ed Atkins and George Bramble opened the batting. There are few on the circuit who strike the ball harder and cleaner than Atkins, and he displayed this to perfection with excellent batting on both sides of the wicket. Bramble played an attractive innings and it was great to see his signature cover drive brought into action on a number of occasions, unfortunately all too often going straight to the fielder. He was particularly unfortunate to fall victim to what must have been the catch of the season. Bramble swiped at a wide one from the tireless Dick Aldridge only to see the ball plucked out of the air one-handed by the man at cover. It was a superb catch and much to the disappointment of Bramble, and the crowd, he had to make his way back to the pavilion having scored 20.

Dave Pugh was next in and both Pugh and Atkins kept the scoreboard ticking over with some excellent batting. Pugh was then triggered leg-before much to his dislike, and with no option of a review, had to walk. Such was the strength in the Pilgrims batting that there was no concern in the ranks. Langly-Smith scored a strong 27 and it was a shame that having got in and looking to accelerate, he got out. Nevertheless he batted well, and despite being of heavy build, demonstrated that good running between the wickets and picking up singles is the best way to rotate strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The Pilgrims score trickled on nicely. Unfortunately Haycock did not trouble the scorers going for a soft caught and bowled. Harry Clifton added a free scoring 15 which typically came predominantly in boundaries, and Alex Pusinelli hit some marvellous maximums to add 37 to the scoreboard. Charlie Clifton and Nick Southwell enjoyed yet another late-order partnership together. They really have developed a good understanding and scored 33 not out and 16 not out respectively. Unfortunately Howland-Jackson did not get an opportunity this time, but his turn will come and the Pilgrims declared on 309 for 8 having batted for 56 overs.

Ed Atkins must be commended on an outstanding innings of 108. He really is a class act and oozes style and timing. His innings provided the platform for the Pilrgims innings, and it was great to see him reach his century. He is really developing into an exceptional Pilgrim.

The Hogs had a very strong batting line-up and the Pilgrims knew that in order to bowl them out early wickets were the key. However, the Hogs batsmen got off to a flyer and at tea had been scoring at just under ten an over with the loss of no wickets - game on.

Having bowled down the hill before tea Pusinelli was given the ball up the hill in search for a bit more control and immediately struck with a short ball that Fellows tried to pull only to loft it straight up for an easy catch for the awaiting Atkins. The next man in was Docker, who hadn’t had the best of starts to his day having crashed his bright orange Lamborghini. Nonetheless, he had few sympathisers out in the middle and his day was to only get worse when he nicked one behind on 4, and only after some expletives directed towards the umpire wandered off to take an early bath. Tom Atkins was soon to follow for 1 and after a slow start, the Pilgrims smelt blood.

However, Theo Cooke and Theo Grainzevelles had other ideas and built an excellent partnership and demonstrated why they are regulars in the Pilgrims Cricketer Cup side. Cooke scored a magnificent 110 and Grainzevelles 60 not out with both batsmen hitting fours and sixes as well as accumulating some sensible ones and twos.

With one over to go 15 runs were required and when Grainzevelles launched Dave Pugh for a maximum first ball, hearts were in the mouths of both players and spectators. He struck a four two balls later and with one ball to go the Hogs needed four runs for victory. If any man had the nerve to stay cool in a time of such pressure it was Pugh, who restricted Ed Kelly from striking the winning runs with some tight bowling on the final ball of the over. The Hogs ended up on 308 for 4 - a real nail-biter!

One of the many reasons we all play this fantastic and at times peculiar game is that it never ceases to cough up surprises and produce moments unlike that of any other sport. This match had everything from wonderful stroke playing, moments of brilliance in the field, and some good bowling too. As each sides shook hands there was a sense of appreciation that they had all been involved in an excellent day's cricket, and as ever a highly enjoyable occasion.

Charlie Clifton

Wednesday July 13th, v Bryanston Butterflies, at Bryanston

Bryanston Butterflies 243 (I Pearce 110; G A B Elwood 4 for 23); Sherborne Pilgrims 169 (S Street 4 for 45). Lost by 74 runs

On the Wednesday of the Week, the Pilgrims travelled to Bryanston for a timed game. On losing the toss, the Pilgrims were put into the field. Bryanston started and continued to score at a positive rate with Pearce, one of their openers, going on to score a hundred and acting as the anchor of the innings. Dampney bowled a particularly good line throughout the innings and was eventually rewarded for his hard work with two wickets, although Ellwod was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with four wickets. The Pilgrims eventually bowled the Butterflies out in the 53^rd over, being set a competitive yet reachable 243 to win.

The Pilgrims started positively with Langly-Smith followed by Cheal batting well. An unnecessary run-out saw the departure of Cheal and the anchor that was holding the Pilgrim run chase together. From this moment the run rate rose, wickets began to fall at regular intervals and the prospect of the Pilgrims winning faded. With 15 overs to go, requiring 140 to win with eight wickets down, James Clifton offered sterling resistance, batting with a runner having been injured in the field. However, the Pilgrims eventually succumbed in rather disappointing style with six overs left, with McKillop holing out to long-off when such aggressive strokeplay was not needed. While a more cautious approach would not have provided the most compelling spectacle, it would have been more conducive to filling the Pilgrims scorebook with a draw rather than a loss.

Archie Mackay-James

Monday July 11th, v Sherborne CC, at Sherborne

Sherborne Pilgrims 290–7 (E R Atkins 96, T Gibbs 59); Sherborne CC 261–7 (F Kotze 105).
Match drawn

With a 2 o’clock start in the diary, and 70 overs on the schedule, Sherborne CC took to the field to bowl at a Pilgrims team full of recent leavers - and not so recent - alike. Recovering from a fantastic Cricketer Cup victory against Downside the day before, Atkins made his mark and was to be at the crease for some time. McKillop chose to face the first ball, the second, the third and the fourth – however, the first night of Cricket Week had taken it’ toll – nought for one.

Atkins teed off with several accomplices. Mackay-James nurdled out an attractive 27, followed by a solid 59 by Tom Gibbs. Somewhere along the line Atkins got caught while trying to reach his century in style, but the damage was done. With a 96 scored in 65 balls by our No 2 bat, and a couple of useful knocks from those further down the order, the Pilgrims reached a respectable 290 after the 35 overs.

Leach and Francis led the attack on the Town openers, both claiming a wicket in their first overs, seeing the batting side on eight for two wickets. Guppy and Kotze weathered the storm, holding out for close to 80 runs before the next wicket fell. The Town eased off the pedal and Kotze crept slowly, and at times unsurely, towards a much coveted century on The Upper. Dawson was to add 84 to the Town’s total, but it wasn’t quite enough and they ended on 261, 30 short of the target.

A good start to a thoroughly enjoyable week.

Will Fegen

Thursday July 14th, v Clayesmore Cormorants, at Sherborne

Sherborne Pilgrims 184 (A Dike 4-19); Clayesmore Cormorants 185-7 (T Hicks 51 not out). Lost by 3 wickets

In my opinion the Upper has never looked as good as it did on this cloudless morning: the perfect setting for a game of cricket. The toss was won by Sherborne, and in typical fashion they elected to bat. The Pilgrims had a very balanced side, batting to 11, in the hope that
with runs on the board we could put sustained pressure throughout through tidy fielding and tight bowling.

Archie Mackay-James was caught behind in the second over, arguably being the only batsman to be "got out" in the innings (Henry Cheal will say differently) and Tom Gibbs was caught off a leading edge for three a few overs later. At the other end George Wayman proceeded to tuck into the opening bowlers and the score raced to 60 for two from 10 overs. He somehow manages to make agricultural hacks look elegant, especially his first of two sixes which flew comfortably over the midwicket boundary. The elegance usually subsides after each shot as he swaggers back to the striker's end. Unfortunately he has a tendency to hit the ball in the air, which, eventually was his demise falling for a very well compiled 49 (36 scored in boundaries).

This left Theo Cooke (18) and Charlie Carline (13) to rebuild, which they set about doing. At 83 for three the game looked tightly poised, but both fell in quick succession and after a further three wickets the Pilgrims found themselves in the bizarre position of 110 for seven with only 24 overs having been bowled. This brought Simon Lamb and Rupert Bagnall to the crease. After seeing off the left arm chinaman bowling of Dike who had by this point bowled 10 overs, taking 4 for 19, Lamb accelerated and started striking some pleasing boundaries. The best of the bunch was one on the up splitting cover and mid-off with marked precision. We made it to lunch, saving some embarrassment, and Bagnall’s beer obviously had effect as he missed a straight one bringing in last man Alex Willis.

He made 27 with only 5 dot balls, punishing the bad ball and knocking the good ones for singles. He and Lamb put on 43 for the last wicket before Lamb was bowled for a priceless 35. The Pilgrims had scored 184, but criminally six overs had been unused. Henry Cheal floated down the hill for his opening spell, bowling seven overs for just 15, including a wicket. Bagnall battled up the hill with similar success, in the process of displaying some phenomenal exhibits of appealing. 19 for two became 48 for four which soon was 87 for six with the Pilgrims right on top. Simon Lamb and Theo Cooke bowled 20 overs of
off spin, Lamb three for 33. With Clayesmore in considerable trouble, the two Hicks brothers came to the crease (one being captain of Dorset).

They never got away from the rate and played with evident skill and experience. Eventually 11 were needed off the last two overs. Henry Cheal bowled a tight over, but unfortunately Will Fegen couldn’t quite limit them to fewer than five from the last. In the end a good game of cricket that we were just on the wrong side of.

Theo Cooke

Sunday July 10, Twenty20 tournament

Sherborne Pilgrims 131-2; Bryanston Butterflies 129. Won by 8 wickets

With the Pilgrims playing Charterhouse in the Cricketer Cup quarter final on the Upper, raising a side to play in the annual Twenty20 tournament was always going to be a challenge. We scraped together seven players and were promised a few extras from the opposition, who had a surplus of players. We were drawn against Bryanston in the first game, and having lost the toss were sent into the field and spent most of the 20 overs chasing the ball around the outfield. Credit must go to the bowlers, Fegen, Leach, Kerridge and Willis, who did well to restrict the Bryanston total to 129, but the opposition's lower order assisted the process by playing risky shots and not taking full advantage of the depleted fielders.

The Pilgrims felt it was a "gettable" total but McKillop was out on the first ball of the innings, making the task that much more challenging ... however Leach, fresh from leaving the School, illustrated how to chase down the runs without taking the risks, and when he was joined by Langly-Smith the target was within sight. Leach ran everything he could and played the big shot when needed, Langly-Smith very much played second fiddle as he illustrated his capabilities as a batsmen. With four balls to spare, the runs had been chased down and it was a remarkable victory with only seven players in the field. We lunched full of confidence and excitement at the thought of a final against Canford.

Canford Cygnets 179-1; Sherborne Pilgrims 152. Lost by 27 runs

If Bryanston had struggled to take advantage of the shortage of fielders in the Pilgrims side, then Canford excelled in making the most of the gaps and the tired Pilgrims bowlers. The bowling performance was sound, and while it could have been tighter towards the end of the innings, both Upton and Pearce batted well, striking the ball cleanly to clear the ropes on several occasions, but also keeping the scorers busy with endless singles.

Canford were rightly in the driving seat at the halfway point, it was a large total, but with a team of nine it was going to be even more of a challenge. Only McKillop really contributed with a glamorous 48, while others chipped in, but no one supported him enough to ensure a tight finish. Realising we were well short of the target, risks had to be taken which led to wickets falling all too regularly and the innings came to a close with the Pilgrims total on 152. It could have been a little closer if we had a full complement of fielders and perhaps one or two more batsmen ... but it was not to be.

The Pilgrims should be proud that they fielded two sides on the same day (well, almost!) and if anyone was feeling a little downbeat with the runners-up medal, we were instantly buoyed by the climax of the cup game on the Upper which we managed to see the final few overs of. Thanks to all of those who played, next year there is talk of coloured kit, pink balls and black sightscreens which shows you how successful and enjoyable this T20 tournament has become.

Friday July 15^th, v Canford Cygnets, at Canford

Sherborne Pilgrims 217 (P F C Langly-Smith 61); Canford Cygnets 218-1 (G Hayward 100 not out, G Shepherd 60 not out). Lost by 9 wickets.

As the last game of The Week, this is traditionally a fixture fraught with fatigue. This year the Pilgrims had been blessed with a surfeit of players throughout The Week and had been able to rest players on a rotational basis. Surely fatigue would not be an issue this year and the Pilgrims would be able to repay the Cygnets for the Twenty20 defeat earlier in The Week?

The sun was shining at Canford Magna and the pitch was hard and flat – a perfect batting track with a lush outfield. Sherborne won the toss and after a week of generally high scores with plenty of in-form batsmen, duly elected to bat, hoping to post a more-than-competitive total and use the experience of our bowling attack to restrict the chasing batsmen.

The Pilgrims saw off the opening bowlers and got the innings off to a flyer, with McKillop and Langly-Smith punishing anything short of a length and rotating the strike regularly between the boundaries. At 68 for no wicket from 10 overs, the Pilgrims were perfectly positioned. Sadly McKillop then mistimed a cut shot to cover to depart for a quick-fire run-a-ball 34, bringing Cooke nursing a damaged wrist to the crease. Despite some elegant strokes, the pain of batting one handed proved too much and he allowed himself to be run out for 18 after putting on 47 runs for the 2^nd wicket, with Langly-Smith just having reached a very decent 50.

From here the Pilgrims lost regular wickets and crucially Langly-Smith who was caught on 61 in the 25^th over. Willis (22) and Selfe (31) provided some entertaining hitting and good batting to put on 45 for the 7^th wicket before Willis was bowled by the opening bowler, back on for a second spell. The innings finished when Selfe was bowled by the Canford skipper Mitchener, looking to hit the ball into Poole Harbour. Mitchener is a massive cricket fan and a hugely competitive character who gives everything for his beloved Cygnets. That said he is, possibly by his own admission, not a frontline bowler and it was a wasted opportunity by Selfe with three overs still to go. Criminally, the Pilgrims finished on 217 all out with 18 balls of the innings unused…

Despite tailing off from a strong start, 217 was still a competitive total and the Pilgrims had a strong bowling attack, spearheaded by two experienced Cricketer Cup bowlers, Bagnall and Nurton. Although there were plenty of chances, with balls regularly bouncing between fielders or just clearing their outstretched hands, the Cygnets openers did a decent job of holding out the Pilgrims attack. Bagnall and Nurton both bowled testing opening spells and after 10 overs, the score was 35 for no wicket and the Cygnets were behind the pace. However, a change in the bowling attack brought some relief to the Cygnets and they were able to accelerate the run rate.

Spin was introduced to take the pace off the ball and Lamb bowled well. The first wicket came in the 20^th over when Upton was unlucky to be stumped by part-time keeper McKillop for a fluent 41. Sadly that was the only wicket to fall for the Cygnets as the other opener Hayward made of the most of his lucky start and played with more much more authority and some decent stoke play to play through the innings and finish on 100 not out as the Cygnets chased down the total with two overs to spare. Shepherd also batted very well at No 3 for the Cygnets to finish on 60 not out.

Crouch, Selfe, Kerridge and Lamb bowled fairly well but were unable to provide that cutting edge to dislodge the incumbent Cygnets. Much could be made of the missing three overs at the end of the Pilgrims innings that might have made all the difference, but in my view the Pilgrims really lost this match with a poor performance in the field. There was a distinct lack of energy with some sloppy fielding that cost some important runs. I don’t think we can blame a week of cricket as the Cygnets were in exactly the same position! Until next year…

Thanks to everyone who played and in particular to Pete Langly-Smith for all his efforts in organising yet another splendid Week of cricket.

Jimmy McKillop

Tuesday July 12, v Butterflies, at Sherborne.

Sherborne Pilgrims 325-7 dec (C A L Leach 72 not out, G H C Wayman 62, P F C Lasngly-Smith 51); Butterflies 191-7 (Hayes 64; Leach 4 for 39). Match drawn

Having lost the toss, the Pilgrims were expecting to be chasing the ball around The Upper for most of the morning and early afternoon, but much to the captain’s (Charlie Cooke) surprise we were gifted the chance to bat first, which given the timed format of the game gave us a free licence to bat all day. However, George Wayman, opening the batting, clearly felt that there was no need to take his time. Despite the early loss of Gibbs without troubling the scorers, Wayman hit 62 from 30 balls including one enormous maximum into the groundsmen’s shed leaving the Pilgrims on 73 for one after 10 overs. Once Wayman was dismissed (trying to better his earlier maximum) the scoring rate did slow, but this was a true team total, with the majority of the batsmen contributing to getting the Pilgrims up to a very respectable total of 325 for seven from 45 overs. Langly-Smith and Leach both hit half centuries, the former played with little elegance but struck the ball cleanly, while Leach reminded us of his youth and cricketing ability by simply running singles and punishing the bad ball. Sadly for Cheal he was left stranded on 49 on debut but the skipper had made his call on when the declaration would be made and the batsmen were also fully briefed, but Cheal is not one for personal milestones, and he seemed more interested in getting out in the field and bowling the Butterflies out rather than pondering missed opportunities to get to 50.

The Butterflies team was mixed in ability and there was always going to be a need to expose what we believed would be a fragile lower order. It seemed that they felt the chase was never a realistic target, so the game felt quite flat quite quickly, meaning wickets were very much the medicine needed to lift spirits. Charlie Clifton got the early breakthrough in the sixth over but the second wicket did not fall for a further 20 overs, and even though the score at that stage was still only 80 from 26 overs we knew that taking a further eight wickets on a fairly flat track would be challenging. Cooke regularly rotated the bowlers and played around with some inventive and aggressive field placings, having the luxury of an enormous total behind him, but the Butterflies resistance was too strong and the draw seemed inevitable from about 40 overs onwards. Ironically there was a late flurry of wickets, as a result of some tight bowling from Leach but it was too little too late, with the Butterflies finishing on 191 for seven having faced 52 overs, seven more than the Pilgrims faced.

For many of the younger Pilgrims they had never played timed cricket before, and this was not a great advert for that format of the game, but it did show a handful of the youngsters the skill of not giving your wicket away, perhaps something we should have taken more from when facing the Bryanston Butterflies the next day... Leach deserves special mention for his 71 not out and 4 wickets, we are hopeful that he, along with many other of the recent leavers who joined us on The Week will be there for many more years to come, we could most certainly do with their fitness and energy levels, but also their talent, of which there seems plenty, perhaps next year we can ensure that we come out with a win rather than a winning draw...

Peter Langly-Smith

Sunday May 22, v Marlborough Blues, at Marlborough

Marlborough Blues 334-6 (Bush 134, E Kilbee 52); Sherborne Pilgrims 245 (O J D Kelly 87, C A R Esson 51). Lost by 89 runs

Before the game, rumours had circulated that Marlborough were fielding a “Cricketer Cup XI” and even that the notorious and much feared Robbie Williams, an individual whose bowling talent is comparable to the singing talent of Take That’s 5^th member,  would be putting on his boots. Fortunately this was only half-true…

The Pilgrims were so confident in the skipper’s ability to win the toss and bat that no fielding practice or warm-up was conducted. Meanwhile, Marlborough ran through their drills with a token passing of a rugby ball and the occasional high catch. Clifton, always keen to insert, lost the toss and was asked to field.

Henry Lamb and Nick Southwell were given the fresh nut, the latter with the arduous and laborious task of running into what can only be described as gale force winds. Southwell, whose bowling display was mirrored only by his ponytail in terms of class, displaced one of the openers with a floating delivery which trapped the batsman on the bottom of the pads for a plum LBW - the first time one has witnessed a batsman walk for LBW. In spite of the tireless Southwell picking up the initial two wickets, Henry Lamb must be commended on his tight bowling which continued to build pressure at the other end - undoubtedly the pick of the bowlers who looks to be a useful weapon in this year’s cup team.

After an early wobble from Marlborough, their batsman found their feet and began putting the Pilgrims to the sword with boundaries coming all too easily. Ed Kilbee showed signs of his devastating ability by swiping sixes and fours before retiring at 50. In gentlemanly form the Pilgrims clapped him off, in respect and appreciation for an amazing talent as much as relief to see him departing the field. Regardless of some poor fielding at times, the Pilgrims worked hard to stay alert and keep the batsman under pressure. Bush scored a hard fought century, though it was not the prettiest innings (or batsman) the Pilgrims have confronted. Eventually after a long 50 overs lunch was called with Marlborough amassing 334 for six, a score that was chase-able given the conditions and size of pitch.

As always Marlborough’s lunch was delicious and the Pilgrims were well energised to go out and chase down their opponents imposing total.

The Pilgrims got off to a great start with the ever reliable Charlie Esson scoring yet another half-century. He was dismissed for 51 but Olly Kelly steadied the ship at the other end with a very impressive and patient knock of 87. Charlie Cooke made a solid start but was unfortunately out for 29, just as the Pilgrims were beginning to gather momentum and when talk of a record run chase was just beginning to circulate around the many fans. Henry Lamb was the only other notable run scorer who also added 29 to the Pilgrims tally. The Pilgrims were eventually bowled out in 44 overs for 245.

In spite of the defeat positives could be taken from the performance. Lamb’s opening spell with the ball, Esson and in particular Kelly’s innings gave the Pilgrims a solid foundation with the bat, and had the Pilgrims not consistently lost wickets at crucial moments of the game it perhaps could have had a closer ending. Many thanks to all those who played.

Charlie Clifton

Our Head Groundsman, John Old has been a great supporter of Pilgrims cricket during his 13 years at Sherborne. John has encouraged a whole generation of Pilgrims cricketers from elite Cricketer Cup sides through to the tyros playing in their first cricket week. It was therefore wholly appropriate that a large band of Pilgrims were present on The Upper to thank John following his last home Pilgrims fixture. President Hugh Archer made a presentation to John and thanked him for all he had done for the Club and wished him a long and happy retirement. Hugh also commented that he had never seen The Upper in such wonderful condition. In a touching reply, John included his favourite piece of advice to the young players surrounding him – ‘Keep playing Cricket!’  

v Marlborough Blues (a), Sunday May 22

Marlborough Blues 334-6 (50 overs); Sherborne Pilgrims 245 (44.2 overs). Lost by 89 runs

Marlborough were the better side throughout in this match in blustery weather. A century from Mike Bush underpinned their sizeable total and this was rarely threatened by the Pilgrims.

Full report to follow.

CRICKET FIXTURES 2011

Sun May 15 Haileybury Hermits (a) - cancelled

Sun May 22 Marlborough Blues (a) - lost by 89 runs

Sun June 12 Downside Wanderers * - no play, rain, rescheduled

Sun June 19 Downside Wanderers * (a) - won, match forfeited

Sun June 26 Repton Pilgrims * (a) - won by 10 runs

Sat July 2 The School - lost by 55 runs

Sun July 10 Charterhouse Friars * - won by 13 runs

Sun July 10 Twenty20 tournament (a) - beat Bryanston Butterflies by 8 wickets,  lost to Canford Cygnets by 27 runs

Mon July 11 Sherborne CC (2.00pm) - match drawn

Tues July 12 The Butterflies - match drawn

Wed July 13 Bryanston Butterflies (a) - lost by 74 runs

Thur July 14 Clayesmore Cormorants - lost by 3 wickets

Fri July 15 Canford Cygnets (a) - lost by 9 wickets

Sun July 24 Eton Ramblers * (a) - lost by 91 runs

Sun July 31 Hampshire Hogs (a) - match drawn

* Cricketer Cup fixtures