Abingdonian 2017

69 www.abingdon.org.uk Summer Term wicket victory over MCS in their final and now progress into the national rounds of the competition next season. Both the U14A and U14C sides lost only one fixture each this season in an impressive run of results. Our Lower School teams show great promise for the future. Both age groups struggled a little to inject tempo into their innings when batting, but have showed great technical ability, which I am sure will provide excellent foundations for success in the years to come. The final fixtures of the season were played at the three-day 1st XI festival held this year at Brentwood, providing a great opportunity to field a younger side, looking towards next summer. The Abingdon side beat Brentwood comprehensively on the first day, before losing to eventual winners, Ipswich School on day two. The last fixture against St John’s School Leatherhead was a close affair, but the Abingdon bowlers held their nerves at the end of the game to complete a 19 run victory. There were a number of notable performances over the course of the three days. William Webb took 7 for 24 on debut versus Brentwood, Fergus Mitchell bowled tirelessly on some very unreceptive pitches, and Andrew Russell, also on debut, produced a fine 50 to set up a competitive total after the side were 56 for 6 versus the hosts, Brentwood. Maiden 1st XI 50s were scored by third year Freddie Smith and fourth year James Coombs whilst the festival captain, Oscar Fountain, found some late season form with a stylish 63 in the second game against Ipswich. The end of the season saw us say goodbye to Chad Keegan, who is to pursue other opportunities outside of cricket. He has been with us as a coach for the last two seasons and has been an incredibly popular member of staff, also assisting with the coaching of football and rugby. In 2018, we welcome Rupert Evans to the Cricket Club, who brings a wealth of cricket playing and coaching experience with him. I am sure our boys will benefit greatly from his advice and tutorage. Overall, the Cricket Club ended the 2017 season with a win percentage marginally in excess of 50%. Full colours were awarded to captain Max Mortimer, Alex Ling, Alexander Sayeed and Toby Collins, whilst half colours went to Hamish Garland, Rory Finch, Jonathan Hurrell, Oscar Fountain and Samuel Warren. Lower School full colours were awarded to Matthew Fowler and George Owen and half colours to Theo Mara, Caspar Mannix, Max Siriwardene and Alastair Gray. James Golding