Played 13. Won 7. Lost 4. Drew 2. Cancelled 6.

A Twenty 20 match against the School in April kicked-off the season with some big hitting. The Old Boys made a big score of 204 for 6. Both Tim Marcon and Hugo Adair retired after making 49, and 53, having only received 22 and 25 balls respectively. The latter’s brother, George, nearly won the game for the college by hitting eleven fours and three sixes in a 42 ball knock of 82. However Andy Gough’s four overs 4 for 32 put a brake on the high scoring and his team won by seven runs.

Due to the wet spring only one of the scheduled Cricketer Cup trial matches took place. At Winchester the third wicket pair of Tom Stewart-Liberty and Ed Kilbee added over 150 runs at 10 an over, the former bringing up his century with a six, to add to his eighteen fours, and the latter collecting eleven fours in his 63. Helped by 39 wides, Andrew Gough’s 41 and Tom Burne’s 36 the visitors amassed a mammoth 364 all out. The Old Wykehamists lost all their wickets for exactly half that total.

In the first round of the Cricketer Cup competition, an away fixture at Shrewsbury, saw seven Marlborough batsmen get themselves in but disappointingly not going on to score more than Tom Stewart-Liberty’s 33. A total of 193 was easily passed by the Saracens for the loss of only three men.

In the Prize Day game Mike Bush opened the innings with a 55 and with Henry Adair, 37, took the score to 99 for 1. When they departed in quick succession the middle order, apart from a 30 from Andrew Gough, failed and at 161 for 7 the Old Boys were in danger of another quick defeat to the School, but Ed Nicholson with 41 and Rupert Hartley 23 not out enabled the declaration to be made at 210. When the College lost their captain and star batsman George Adair at 31 for 3, they lost their confidence in going for a win and held on for a draw, reaching 163 for 8 off 52 overs.

At Vincent Square Westminster started well making 52 without loss, but then lost nine wickets for the addition of another hundred runs. Unfortunately the Blues could not take the final wicket and a crucial 41 runs were scored before the declaration in the sixty first’s over. Alec Cunningham took 5 for 46 off his nineteen overs.

Batting before the tea interval proved too easy as the blues notched 95 runs for the loss of one player off only sixteen overs. Charlie Hicks, 64 and Peter Jarrold 54, continued their second wicket stand after the break and were finally parted at 117, a partnership of 105. Over confidence crept into the Marlborough batting and some extravagant shots meant that from needing 56 to win with 8 wickets in hand, suddenly 53 were needed from 5 wickets. A partnership of 30 steadied the nerves of the tail-end batsmen but then a poor run out and a dubious L.B.W. decision left the last pair requiring four runs for victory. Wicket keeper Bob Percival appeared to have hit the winning boundary to cow corner, but without T.V. cameras to judge whether either the fielder, or the ball had touched the rope he had to run as the ball was flicked back by the diving fielder to his team mate who was throwing to the bowlers end. The other batsman could see that Bob would not make the third run to tie the match, as he wasn’t moving as fast as he used to in his prime, so sent him back. The next ball saw him caught to lose the match by a single run.

As the College cricket team was hosting the Cricket Festival at Marlborough the Blues travelled up to Rugby for a couple of days. On the Monday the Meteors were soon in trouble at 56 for 6 before making 153 all out, James Hall taking 6 for 20. Jamie Bill opened the innings and made 63 and Tim Marcon with 29 not out steered the visitors to a five wicket win.

On the Tuesday Archie Montagu-Pollock 25, and Alec Cunningham 65 opened the batting registering 93 for the first wicket. The middle order batsmen must have had a good night out in Rugby as five wickets fell for only 3 runs, including two identical run outs to leave Marlborough in trouble at 127 for 7. Andy Foot with 41 not out and Mike Bush with 59 added exactly a hundred for the ninth wicket, bringing the declaration at 250.

Old Marlburians from different Generations Archie Montagu-Pollock (XI Captain 2005 - left) and Alec Cunningham (XI 1974) waiting to bat at Rugby July 2007.

An unusual opening bowling attack of Simon Battersby and Jamie Bill hinted at a shortage of bowlers and with the fielders dropping catches Rugby were in control at 186 for 3, but then Alec Cunningham took three quick wickets and suddenly the Meteors needed 51 runs to win with four wickets remaining. However their number four batsmen made 78 not out and guided his team to a two wicket victory.

The Blues celebrate victory at Rugby in the first of their two games against the Meteors in July 2007. (From left to right): Simon Battersby, Alec Cunningham, Alex Foot, Jamie Bill, Rupert Hartley, Archie Montagu-Pollock, James Hall, Mike Bush and Tim Marcon.

The Blues travelled down to Devizes for the next day’s game against the Wiltshire Queries and elected to bat. Mike Bush failed by three runs to score a century by lunch but with Harry Harvey 49 and James Oakden 36, posted a score of 178 for 1 at the interval. Mike Bush was eventually out for 108 and with quick twenties from Tom Stewart-Liberty, Tim Marcon and Mark Hopper the declaration came at 295 for 9.

To enable Tim Marcon to bowl Mike Bush agreed to keep wicket and all went well until the introduction of the left arm spin bowling of Rupert Hartley. The spinner and wicket keeper suffered as five catches and two stumpings were missed and the Queries were well place at 195 for 4, especially when the professional from Devizes Cricket Club started opening out.

However when he holed out at long-off the next few wickets fell quickly, bringing together the last pair, who managed to just survive the last four overs.

Three days later at Marlborough Peter Jarrold continued his good form opening for the Blues, top scoring with 85 but with only 150 on the board with three wickets to fall the hosts were in trouble but 33 from James Hall meant a final total of 217 was posted.

The H.A.C. were soon in trouble at 48 for 6 and lost by 119 runs.

The visitors the next day were the Old Amplefordians and despite 45 from James Caldwell, opening the innings, and 46 from Andy Bush the hosts were slightly uncomfortable at 110 for 5 in the twenty third over. Mike Bush, batting at number eight, rescued the situation with an unbeaten 51, and helped by 34 extras Marlborough declared at 247 for 9. For the second day running the home side’s bowling attack proved too strong, reducing Ampleforth to 51 for 5 and finishing the innings at 126.

At the picturesque Warnford ground wickets were hard to come by. The Hampshire Hogs closed their innings on 233 for 6. The Caldwell brothers started their partnership at 55 for 3 and proceeded to put on 171 runs together, James making 85 and Will unbeaten on 87, leading his side to a comfortable six wicket victory.

At Burton Court, Marlborough elected to bat but came up against Tom Burne opening the bowling attack for the Guards. He took two wickets to reduce the Blues to a slightly precarious 127 for 5 at lunch. Andy Gough made 56 and Hugh Twort 44 before he was out in the last over before the break.

The seventh wicket partnership of Ade Edmonds 46, and Captain Will Caldwell 51 in 57 minutes, added 98 runs and the declaration came at 275 for 8 off 55 overs.

The contest was virtually over by the fourth over as the Guards slumped to 10 for 4, including the wicket of Tom Burne, comprehensibly bowled by Will Caldwell, the last of his three victims. The end came in the twenty third over at 70.

The final match was played at Eton in September with Andrew Gough top scoring with 55 in a total of 179 all out. Tom Clift bowled straight through his ten overs, taking the first six Etonian wickets for a cost of 29 runs, but Eton managed to get home in a close finish in the last over by one wicket