By Scott Jackson
On 18 June, just a few days after the dust had settled on a busy and exciting K-Week, the College 1st XI cricket side left for England to play 11 fixtures in a very short space of time.
Whilst some pre-tour preparation in indoor and outdoor facilities was possible, it was fantastic to finally be able to play on turf wickets again, and to get straight into tough, competitive fixtures.
The school grounds that we were very fortunate to play at were immaculate, and the wickets, despite a poor English summer, played far better than expected.
Scores were higher than usual compared to what has been achieved on past tours to similar schools, which highlighted the fact that the English teams were playing far more aggressively than before and were prepared to take more risks. This placed pressure on the College bowlers to better execute their skills and the need for variations.
New schools that the College 1st XI faced on this trip were Clifton College in Bristol, Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and Cranleigh in Surrey. All had the most magnificent grounds and settings to play at and were great additions to the roster of schools that we played against.
One of the major highlights of the tour was the match against the OAs, in a T20 fixture. Chris Benjamin, a 2017 OA, who currently plays professionally for Warwickshire in Birmingham, saw the OAs home on the last ball of the game. Simon Taylor, who finished in 2016, was named man of the match after his initial spell of 2/7 in 3 immaculate overs of leg spin bowling. The energy and enjoyment of all who attended this fixture was clear to see.
For many of the College boys, a tour of this nature was a very new and unique experience. Eleven games in such a short space of time were not easy.
Our thanks go out to all those old boys who sent through information prior to the tour as part of our pre-tour preparation. Our thanks also go to OA, Adrian Birrell, who coaches one of the English County franchises, Hampshire, for the hour-long Zoom session he had with the boys. This was an informative and important session. Our thanks also to the parents for making this tour a possibility.
The players learned a lot, both from a cricketing perspective, from a touring perspective, and in how better to deal with pressure moments.
Well done to Murray Wilson and his team for the manner in which they conducted themselves throughout the tour, both on and off the field.
The positive comments from opposition coaches, parents and even strangers in airports and other public spaces showed what being on such a tour meant to the players. They were wonderful ambassadors both for their school, and the country.
