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Anthony Wreford (L70)
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The man that ran Lord’s
In the wake of a phenomenal year for English cricket, former President of the MCC Anthony Wreford (L70) speaks to Director of Cricket Martin Bicknell about his days at the School, his remarkable career, and the exciting future of the sport
MB: What do you remember about Charterhouse?
AW: In my first year I captained the U15s and I also bowled a little bit. One night in the nets, Doug (Wright, Charterhouse Cricket Coach) challenged me to the ‘old handkerchief’ – I had to hit the handkerchief nine times out of twelve times before I was allowed to go back to the House! I remember Headmaster Oliver van Oss (BH65–73) came out. I was standing there while they argued about what was best for me – more cricket or going back to the House! Unsurprisingly, the Headmaster won. But Doug was a huge influence. I was an average bat and he turned me into an OK bowler. I played two and a half years in the 1st XI. We played many of the same schools. Harrow was a two-day game. But we never played Tonbridge, which is ironic as they are now huge rivals.
MB: Why did you stop playing?
AW: Cricket was always my love, as it had been my father’s and grandfather’s, but I went to Oxford and got smashed on the head (no helmets then!). I spent eight hours unconscious in the infirmary – so no more cricket that summer. A few months after that I passed out driving on the M1 as I had delayed concussion. I just woke up in a hospital in Nottingham! So I missed a year’s cricket and then I just played for the Old Carthusians on tour, which is always great fun. I still wanted to keep involved in the sport though, so I kept my hand in on the admin side. One committee led to another until in the mid 90s I found myself invited to join the membership and general purposes committee of the MCC.
MB: As part of the MCC you’re widely credited with the movement to introduce women to the club; why did you want to drive this?
AW: The reason I did it was my mother. If she hadn’t driven me around in the school holidays and helped… well, she
ACTION PLUS SPORTS IMAGES / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Left: Anthony presents Jack Leach with his Player of the Test award versus Ireland in 2019 Right: England lift the Cricket World Cup after winning the final against New Zealand in Super Over play
made it all happen. And I knew a lot of other women who really liked watching cricket. I thought it completely unfair that women couldn’t become members. So we campaigned effectively, finding out what people’s objections might be – mainly queue jumping. To alleviate this, we made ten women honorary members straight away, but ensured everyone else would join the queue. It was also important that we put all our arguments out there first. Previously, the vote would be posted out with the case, but we campaigned it properly in advance, going round the country holding forums, and gaining support from some great cricketers like David Gower and Richie Benaud. There was hate mail and phone calls, but we succeeded. The women’s final was an amazing one and, in our small way, MCC has done its bit to push it along.
MB: What were your highlights of the year?
AW: It’s difficult to pick out one single highlight of the year, but two things stand out. You can’t ignore winning a World Cup title – that doesn’t happen every day! Until the last hour and a half it was a pretty old-fashioned game and then it suddenly came alight! I had Dexter, Gatting, Lewis and Brearley with me in the President’s Box and the words ‘Super Over’ came up on the replay screen in the size of print normally seen in terms and conditions. None of us knew what a ‘Super Over’ was!
The second highlight revolves around the eclectic guests we have. I’ll never forget hosting the oldest living cricketer in the world: 107-year-old Eileen Ash, who played seven Test matches for
England between 1937 and 1949 – and she was absolutely on the button! We unveiled a portrait of her just before the game. It was such a privilege to host someone like that.
MB: How did you decide on your successor at MCC?
AW: The President of the MCC nominates his successor. I analysed the past presidents of the MCC and these broadly fall into three camps: former England players; playing members of the MCC who become administrators; and the eclectic, like Tim Rice or the Duke of Edinburgh. There were two groups we had never covered: international and women. I spoke to a few people
Above: New MCC President Kumar Sangakarra watches a match with children at Lord’s
and we got consensus for Kumar Sangakkara. Kumar is the first nonBritish President of the MCC – a fairly big step, and a popular one. At the AGM, I reversed the batting order to make the announcement the first item. Kumar came in to a standing ovation of 600 people – the first ever for a President! This is a great step, and I hope that soon we will see a female President.
MB: What’s the direction of travel for cricket now?
AW: There are three formats of cricket: Test, One-Day International and Twenty20. Soon a new competition will be introduced: The Hundred, which aims to get new people interested in the game. A key change will be minimising time spent changing over by having consecutive overs at the same end. It will be family oriented and entertainment driven, with games lasting approximately two hours. I can see this driving activity at the school and club level. The game is in a good place, with more interest than ever since the World Cup. The next step will be how we take advantage of this. b
Our thanks to Anthony Wreford for his time for this interview.
FROM WHERE I STAND
Sutton’s New Assistant Housemistress Charlotte Hughes D’Aeth (S07)
Our shoe-loving new French teacher tells us how it is ‘weirdly normal’ returning to the School she left as a pupil in 2007
I’d been boarding since the age of eight, attending an idyllic prep school in Dorset and then on to Rugby at the age of 13. Although it’s a brilliant school, it wasn’t the right environment for me so after quite a tough three years, I decided to change school for sixth form.
Having looked round a number of schools, it was Charterhouse that sparked that ‘yes!’ moment. The girls I met were really friendly and confident, without being arrogant. And Saunderites as a house fitted me really well. It was diverse – we weren’t particularly one thing or another – although I guess you could say we were bright as 12 or so out of the cohort applied to Oxbridge! Dr Peterken was our Housemaster and he ran a very inclusive house – you felt listened to, and you knew where the line was.
I loved being taught here. It was a big change for me from Rugby where I was relatively spoon-fed. Here, there was a lot more independence in learning and we were treated more like adults. The expectations were high but support was always there if you needed it.
Although my father is a Headmaster, and was a Housemaster before that, it was at Charterhouse that I had my first experiences of teaching. I remember my Latin teacher taking me to a local
teach Born to
primary school in Busbridge to help teach the pupils. So we stood up and we did our lesson. And at the end the teacher said to me, “Why didn’t you tell me you were good at this?” I didn’t know that I was! It was then that I knew I would follow in my parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. It was also at Charterhouse that I discovered my love of French. Dr Thurston (BH03–14) was my French teacher, and Housemaster of Duckites. He was a brilliant teacher and the reason I chose to pursue the subject. I studied French at the University of Bristol and then moved to Dubai, where my parents were teaching. One day, a French teacher at my father’s school failed to turn up, so I was hauled in. They also needed someone in the boarding house, so I soon became a resident tutor as well. It was all thanks to my experience in the primary school with Charterhouse that I knew what to do. So, prior to my move back to the UK to teach at Charterhouse I had only ever taught expat pupils. I had every intention of staying international, but when this opportunity came up, I had to apply. I knew that as a former female student I could offer great insight to help the School develop. It was an opportunity I couldn’t miss, and it is especially lovely to rejoin Dr Peterken now that he is Headmaster.
Charlotte photographed outside Modern Languages at Charterhouse
Did you know?
Charlotte is one of three OCs new to Brooke Hall for the 2019 academic year. The School also welcomes back Anthony Kane (g11) to teach Chemistry, and Cathrina ‘Fuzzy’ Hogg (B91) to teach Geography.
It’s an exciting time at Charterhouse with all the development and the move to coeducation. I’m so glad to be a part of that change. Having girls throughout the School will completely change the culture, and it will be great for the boys to be challenged and influenced by them. Life isn’t single sex – life is co-ed.
My new role as Assistant Housemistress of Sutton will allow me to draw on my experiences at School and as Head of Girls’ Boarding in Dubai. Mrs Lambeth (BH19–) and myself will be working with the girls to set up the identity of the new House and the legacy they will leave. We’re a wide range in Sutton: we are quite international, have some great sportswomen, some great musicians and some really bright girls winning academic prizes. I want to ensure the House we create is inclusive and kind, and that we speak up for one another.
I think the hardest thing to adjust to has been the weather! I’m not used to rain – and my footwear certainly isn’t! b “I remember Charlotte very well. She was part of a vintage year group of modern linguists – probably the most intellectually and linguistically capable class I ever taught at Charterhouse. I am delighted to hear that she has returned to the School to teach and to know that she will, in her turn, ‘pass it on’ to future generations.” ––Dr Thurston (BH03–14) French teacher, Housemaster of Duckites
