Bedford School Reaches Three National School Cricket Finals

Published by Bedford School on Wednesday 27th of June 2018

Cricketers of all ages are leading the charge for glory for Bedford School this season. Renowned as one of the top sporting schools in the UK, the school’s cricketers have been putting willow to leather to place them in an unprecedented position this summer. With just one week of the season remaining, they are not only U14 county champions after a convincing win over local rivals Bedford Modern School, but are also in prime position for national titles at U15, U17 and U18 level. This is an enviable position that demonstrates the strength of cricket at Bedford School - a position many schools would wish to be able to match. The 1st XI set the standard with a superb performance on Monday 21 June, chasing down a daunting 215 to beat Stamford and progress to the quarter finals in the National Schools T20 Competition. A further impressive win over Malvern College the following Monday secured their place at the national finals at Arundel Castle on Thursday 28 June, where they will play top schools Sedbergh, Charterhouse and Millfield. Bedford School’s U15A team also showed that they are a force to be reckoned with. They won against Repton School, who put up a powerful performance in the semi-finals of the English Schools Cricket Association (ESCA) U15 Cup (formerly the Lord’s Taverners Cup - a national competition which is notoriously difficult to win). This was an excellent show for Bedford School, who won the match with nine wickets still intact and 20 overs to spare. They will now play Tonbridge School in the final, which will take place at Oakham on Monday 9 July. The school’s U17 eased through to finals of The Cricket Paper National Schools U17 Cup with a comprehensive win by eight wickets in the semi-final against a good Shrewsbury School. Shrewsbury batted first and scored 162 for the loss of nine wickets in their 35 overs. Bedford School reached the target fairly comfortably with 11 overs to spare. They will now play Millfield School in the final in September. Gary Steer, Director of Cricket at Bedford School, commented, “So far, it has been a phenomenal season for our cricket teams reaching three national cup finals and winning a county competition. The boys and all of the cricket staff have worked hard for a number of years to get various teams into this position and, whilst we have some very tough games ahead, with one final push, hopefully we can bring home some silverware in the national competitions.” Four of Bedford School’s current pupils have already signed with Academies: Upper Sixth Former Emilio Gay has signed with Northants Academy and 2nd XI; Lower Sixth Former Harry Gouldstone with Northants Academy; Lower Sixth Former Rahul Sheemar with Essex Academy and 2nd XI, and finally Fifth Former Gus Miller with Northants Academy. Additionally, Bedford School can boast 33 county cricketers representing Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Essex, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. Head Master James Hodgson, said, “Bedford School has a proud cricketing history, but it is hard to imagine a more exciting season than this one. The boys have played some fine cricket, whilst upholding the spirit and traditions of the game in all they do. They have deserved to do well and I wish them all the best for all three national finals.” Match Scores: 1st XI - Bedford School versus Stamford School Stamford 215/3 off 20 overs Bedford School 216/3 off 16.1 overs (Gouldstone 56 , Blythman 33, Miller 52) 1st XI - Bedford School versus Malvern College Malvern College 135/7 off 20 overs Bedford School 197/4 off 19.2 overs (Blythman 51, Gouldstone 33, Miller 26) U15 – Bedford School versus Repton School Repton 130/10 off 37 overs (Sheemar 3/26, Warren 2/27, Mehmi 2/24) Bedford 133/1 off 19.4 overs (Byrne 66, Chandrapu 40*) U17 – Bedford School versus Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury 162/9 off 35 overs Bedford School 165/2 off 24.1 overs (Blythman 80, Gouldstone 58)