A squad of twelve senior cricketers left Gordonstoun on the final Monday of the Summer Term for a short four match tour of Sussex. Despite missing four regular members of the 1st XI, it was still a strong group of players and this was reflected in the quality of the fixtures arranged by Mr Denyer.
After a very smooth journey to West Sussex via Inverness, Gatwick and a minibus transfer, we arrived at Pagham CC for the first match - a Twenty/20 game. Pagham batted first and made 171-8 on a flat pitch. Nathan R was the top wicket taker with 3-27. In reply the school team struggled to master some very accurate bowling and, despite an acceleration towards the end of the innings, could only reach 140-6 off their allocated overs. After fish and chips, a tour of Littlehampton and a much deserved sleep, the tour moved on to Arundel Castle.
Arundel Castle is, without doubt, one of the most scenic grounds in the whole of the United Kingdom. Cricket has been played on the ground for well over 100 years and the quality of the playing surfaces and pavilion are second to none. We received a very warm welcome from John Barclay, Director of Cricket, and his staff - fortunately the weather also played its part by producing an almost cloudless sky for the whole day. We were supported by a large crowd of around 200 parents, OGs and cricket lovers. The Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation XI batted first and made 280-6 on an outstanding pitch which made scoring runs appear very easy. J Lerwell made an excellent 133 and Farhan A was the pick of the Gordonstoun bowlers taking 3 for 54. In reply the school made a positive start making 71 without loss. Nathan R and Farhan A pushed the score along before Farhan was out for 72. His elder brother, Rijvan, then took the side to the brink of victory before unfortunately losing his wicket in the penultimate over. A tense series of deliveries followed culminating in Philip Eaton being run out off the last ball of the game to produce a tied match with Gordonstoun stranded on 280-6.
This was a fitting end to what had been an outstanding day. This was without doubt a game, and indeed an experience, that all present will remember for a long time.
Our next fixture was against St Bede’s at Eastbourne, a side coached by the ex-Sussex and England cricketer, Alan Wells. They had a strong XI and had only just missed out on the finals of the National Twenty/20 competition at Lord’s. We bowled quite well restricting St Bede’s to 193 but our lack of a top flight spinner became evident in our innings when we struggled against some dramatic bounce and turn. St Bede’s had a number of outstanding spinners who made the very best of a dry wicket and unfortunately we were dismissed for 130.
The final match was at Brighton College and once again was played in brilliant sunshine. After a dramatic start which saw Farhan Amin take two early wickets, their batsmen made the most of the excellent surface and some wayward Gordonstoun bowling to make a huge total of 357 from their 50 overs. Such a score was always going to be a real challenge but we batted sensibly with Jake M and Jonathan R both scoring respectable half centuries. The middle order however failed to produce the required momentum against an accurate attack and we were eventually bowled out for 235.
The squad then travelled into Brighton for an ‘eat as much as you can’ ... (and the boys did!) end of tour Dinner.
The welcome and the hospitality we received in all four venues was absolutely fantastic and we very much hope that we will be able to reciprocate in some way in the future. This was very much a ‘Development Tour’ with most of the side returning next year and hopefully these boys will form the nucleus of a strong 1st XI in 2011.