Barney Rubble
International Coach
As a 17 year old currently "playing" for a highly unsuccessful school 3rd XI side, I have been witness to a few slightly bizarre matches in recent years. School cricket often throws up really weird anomalies, which I think is what makes it such fun to be involved in. I figured there must be some people around here with stories of great games, massive thrashings, great performances, and strange goings-on.
For example, there was a player whom I played with in our Under 15 'B' team three years ago who was a decent bowler, but who couldn't bat, or field, and had no commitment of any kind, but we played him because we weren't exactly full of options. He performed unremarkably for two years after joining the squad at Under 13 level - best figures of about 3-30 (with a limit of 7 overs per bowler), and worst of about 3-0-41-0, and a top score of 12. Then one day he pulls out a performance of 7-23 and 51, and then gave up playing three weeks later after he was dropped for arriving late for a match as he was watching the FA Cup Final!
There is an off-chance that a few of you may have heard of the Wisden Young All-Rounder of the Year 2002, Andries Kruger, a South African who came to my school for two years. He was the first to use the Woodworm Wand bats that Flintoff, Murali, Anderson and others now use (our former deputy head's son developed it), and he became an absolute hero to our school's young players, people used to flock to watch him play. In 2002 he scored around 850 runs in 18 games at about 78, and took 19 wickets at an average of 11 (he was often tired after his exertions with the bat, so didn't always bowl - we were pretty much a team of all-rounders!) and everyone thought he was going to be a top player, Chris Adams (Sussex captain who also did some coaching at our school - I played football with him once and nutmegged him!) offered him the chance at a Sussex contract, but he turned it down to go to medical school in South Africa. School cricket tends to produce cult figures like that, we've got a few here at the moment.
Maybe someone here has even played against us - Christ's Hospital in West Sussex ring any bells?
For example, there was a player whom I played with in our Under 15 'B' team three years ago who was a decent bowler, but who couldn't bat, or field, and had no commitment of any kind, but we played him because we weren't exactly full of options. He performed unremarkably for two years after joining the squad at Under 13 level - best figures of about 3-30 (with a limit of 7 overs per bowler), and worst of about 3-0-41-0, and a top score of 12. Then one day he pulls out a performance of 7-23 and 51, and then gave up playing three weeks later after he was dropped for arriving late for a match as he was watching the FA Cup Final!
There is an off-chance that a few of you may have heard of the Wisden Young All-Rounder of the Year 2002, Andries Kruger, a South African who came to my school for two years. He was the first to use the Woodworm Wand bats that Flintoff, Murali, Anderson and others now use (our former deputy head's son developed it), and he became an absolute hero to our school's young players, people used to flock to watch him play. In 2002 he scored around 850 runs in 18 games at about 78, and took 19 wickets at an average of 11 (he was often tired after his exertions with the bat, so didn't always bowl - we were pretty much a team of all-rounders!) and everyone thought he was going to be a top player, Chris Adams (Sussex captain who also did some coaching at our school - I played football with him once and nutmegged him!) offered him the chance at a Sussex contract, but he turned it down to go to medical school in South Africa. School cricket tends to produce cult figures like that, we've got a few here at the moment.
Maybe someone here has even played against us - Christ's Hospital in West Sussex ring any bells?
The next man in ducked his 2nd ball (a Beamer) and it clipped the bails off. But the next man in and the number-three (Mr. Howe again) took the score all but to the win.
