Cricket

Eton cricket is known to most people for the annual Eton versus Harrow match at Lord’s. This last-remaining schools fixture at the ‘Home of Cricket’ has a history longer than any other cricket match, dating back to 1805. Even until recent years Eton versus Harrow was one of the highlights of ‘The Season’. In 1999 it was decided that the match should be played in a limited-overs format and there have subsequently been some close wins for both schools.

But Eton cricket is far more than one match. In the Summer Half there are 25 School teams: seven selected from the senior blocks, four under-sixteen teams, six under-fifteen and eight under-fourteen. This means that many boys have the chance to represent the School against other schools. Due to the strength and depth of the competition for places, on many Saturdays Eton plays against two or more schools simultaneously. This greatly strengthens our fixtures list and ensures that all boys of whatever ability are involved in exciting and closely-fought matches.

In the past few years there have been winter tours to Australia and the Caribbean. In addition to school matches, there are four internal House Competitions that run during the Summer Half. The standard of cricket at Eton is high. For nine of the past 10 years the Under 14s have won the Berkshire Cup. Following these successes, the Under 15s have regularly progressed a long way in the national competition and Eton was victorious at the final at Trent Bridge in 1995 and again in 2006 and 2007. The XI has a proud record in recent seasons, and very few schools can match the consistently high achievement of their top side. The explanation of this success is easy to find – the cricket professional, John Rice. A stalwart of Hampshire CCC in the seventies and early eighties, there is simply not a professional in England to compare to ‘Ricey’. He spends hours with boys, one to one, with a bowling machine, a video camera, and a vast supply of knowledge and experience. His standards and expertise influence all practices, both in the summer on the beautiful playing fields of Eton and in the winter in indoor nets.

The history of English cricket has, since the earliest days, been hugely influenced by Etonians – both in the playing and in the administration of the sport. This has been less obvious since the demise of the amateur at the highest level of the game. Even so in recent years Kent have been captained by an Etonian, Matthew Fleming, and in the eighties Sussex were captained by John Barclay, who went on to manage the England side. James Bruce at Hampshire and Alex Loudon at Kent and then Warwickshire have played first-class cricket in the past few years and with there are several boys in the School who are hoping to follow in their footsteps in the years ahead.

Click here for details of this half’s fixtures.