was a memorable innings. In the last week of term after an outstanding season in the Under 14 Colts, Nick Kay joined the 1st XI and although he only batted three times he gave ample proof of his potential. The new ball was usually shared by Peter Batty and M. Scott Bradley. Scott bowled well on occasions, loosely on others. At his best his ability to swing the ball is a considerable asset. Peter looked very promising early in the season, but it was only at the festival that he began to fulfil the promise. I hope that his success will give him confidence for next year. It was a pity that Toby Cockcroft was unable to find any rhythm until late in the season. When bowling well he had the pace and penetration which the attack lacked. Alistair Rigby bowled steadily at medium-pace and was often effective when opponents were chasing runs. Tom Archer also bowled well on occasions, but sometimes lacked the necessary accuracy. Nick Ogden started the season disappointingly, bowling too many loose deliveries, but he settled down and it was pleasing to see him taking wickets regularly, even on the easy batting pitches at St. Peter's. Naithan McBride's offspin was inconsistent, but he did have the knack of taking wickets; not always with the best of deliveries. Nick Middleton showed promise with his leg-spin, but he was unlucky to be in a team with a lot of bowlers and he did not get the long spells of bowling that he needed. In their few games in the 1st XI, the 2nd XI opening bowlers Scott P. Bradley and Neil Forshaw bowled well.
in our achievements, and a big thank you to Major McCarter for his excellent coaching, advice, and driving the team to all our matches and competitions. Good luck to next year's team. Ryan Allworthy (Captain of Fencing 93-94)
CRICKET Retrospect The 1994 Eleven ended the season unbeaten and played very well to do so. The season was perhaps equally memorable for the high number of exciting, tense draws. The reasons for this were clear. Firstly, the batting had depth; indeed all eleven were capable of making a good score. Secondly, the outfielding was excellent. It was disappointing that, on several occasions when batting second, we played well to get into a winning position, but then failed to press home our advantage. All too often leading batsmen got out when victory was in sight. Inexperience was of course the main cause, but we must learn from our mistakes. It was significant that all the first six batsmen made big scores, but no one went on to make a hundred. Another strength of the team was the commitment of players like Naithan McBride, Nick Middleton and Alistair Rigby who in some matches did not bat or bowl. Their whole-hearted effort for the team was great to see and they set an example which the more self-centred players would do well to follow. Toby Cockcroft did a fine job as captain. Throughout the season he encouraged and cajoled his team, never allowing heads to drop.
The standard of the fielding was higher than for a number of years. Nick Walker was a good lively wicketkeeper and the ground fielding almost without exception was excellent. The Fielding Cup was awarded to Andrew Kay; no-one who was present will forget his wonderful catch in the last over against Barnard Castle. The Senior House Cricket Competition was won by The Manor, who defeated School House convincingly in the final. In the Junior House final Clifton beat The Manor. This year was the tenth of the Schools' Festival and it was the second time that we have been the hosts. In contrast to the 1988 festival in York, the weather was kind to us and we had an enjoyable and successful week. Matches were played at the School, York C.C. and Clifton Hospital C.C. We are very grateful to these clubs for allowing us to use their grounds. Three awards were presented at the festival dinner, the winners being Liam Botham of Rossall for his all-round performance, Tom Archer for his batting and Paul Harris of Merchant Taylors', Northwood for his bowling. I am very grateful to all my colleagues who helped to make the festival a success. D. Kirby
The oj>ening batsmen for most of the season were Tom Archer and Nick Ogden. Both have a good technique, particularly in defence, and they had the advantage of one being right-handed and the other left. Individually they played some good innings, but as a pair they were often too slow and put pressure on the later batsmen. After a moderate start Tom Archer made encouraging progress and his 81 not out against Cranleigh, when he batted through the innings, was a superb performance. Nick Ogden was also at his best playing the 'anchor' role and played several valuable innings, notably his 92 at Ampleforth. At No. 3, M. Scott Bradley was always aggressive, he hit the ball hard and scored his runs quickly. As yet application is not his strong point and he gives no respect to the bowler. If he can learn from this year's experience, he is capable of scoring a lot of runs. Andrew Kay started the season impressively making good scores in almost every match, but later in the term his best form eluded him. Toby Cockcroft's form was inconsistent, but he had a prolific spell mid-season when he batted with power and authority. Paul Taylor had a frustrating season, often playing useful innings, but never making a big score until in his last innings for the School when he made a splendid 96. All the other members of the team were capable batsmen, but inevitably their chances to build an innings were limited. Typical of their spirit was Alistair Rigby, who was the winner of the Colin Bosomworth Cup for the most improved player. His only dismissal during the season was a run-out and his 43 not out against Cranleigh
The following players represented the 1st XI: t*T. W. F. Cockcroft (captain) 1992-93-94, t*N. A. Walker 1992-93,94, *T. J. Archer 1993-94, *P. T. Batty 1994, *M. S. Bradley 1993-94, *A. L. T. Kay 1994, *N. P. R. McBride 1992-94, *N. J. Middleton 1994, *N. J. Ogden 1993-94, *A. F. Rigby 1994, *P. C. Taylor 1994. t = Cap * = Colours 57
