PLAYING

TOP 100 SCHOOLS
LOUGHBOROUGH
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
3 Burton Walks
Loughborough
LE11 2DU
Established 1495
Notable fixtures MCC, Manchester
Grammar School
Master i/c cricket Martyn Gidley
(Leicestershire, Free State,
Griqualand West)
Teams 1st XI, 2nd XI, U15AB, U14AB,
U13AB, U12AB
Facilities Main square plus two
junior squares on site, plus three
additional squares at the nearby
village of Quorn, four indoor nets, 10
lanes outside, eight further lanes at
Quorn
Club/county affiliation
Leicestershire
Brief history Founded in 1495
by prosperous wool merchant
Thomas Burton. In the early 1850s
demand for space motivated the
move from the heart of the town
to the leafy Walks and beautiful
Victorian gothic buildings evident
today. Since then award-winning
architects have added to the
original building, meticulously
adhering to its distinctive style
Cricketers of note Harry Gurney
(Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire
& England), Shiv Thakor
(Leicestershire, Derbyshire), Chris
Hawkes (Leicestershire), Wayne
Dessaur (Notts, Derbyshire),
Michael Davies (Northamptonshire)
Pace ace:
Harry
Gurney
in action
for Notts
MAGDALEN COLLEGE
SCHOOL, OXFORD
Cowley Place
Oxford
OX4 1DZ
Established 1480
Notable fixtures MCC, Abingdon,
St Edwards, Rugby, Haberdashers’
Aske’s, Marlborough, Radley,
Eton, Melbourne Grammar School
(Australia)
Head cricket coach Alan Duncan
Head of cricket David Bebbington
Cricket professional Phillip DeFreitas
(Leicestershire, Lancashire,
Derbyshire & England)
Teams 1st XI, 2nd XI, 3rd XI, 4th XI,
U15ABC, U14ABC, U13ABC, U12ABC,
plus girls’ cricket played during
sixth-form games sessions
Facilities A five-lane indoor cricket
facility with three bowling machines,
plus a Merlin spin-bowling machine,
eight grass nets, eight grounds
(includes a network of grounds
within Oxford University Colleges)
Club/county affiliation Sussex, plus a
formal partnership with Magdalen
College School, Oxford, as part of the
existing tie-up with the Oxfordshire
Cricket Board
Brief history Founded in 1480 by
William Waynflete, MCS was
initially set up as a school of the
university and quickly became
established as one of the leading
centres of learning in Europe. In
1894 the school acquired the playing
fields now known as School Field,
a unique island setting accessed
via two listed white bridges. The
cricket ground is considered one
of the most picturesque grounds
in England, with the backdrop of
punts on the Cherwell, the Botanic
Gardens, Magdalen Tower and the
dreaming spires beyond. In 1913
the unique and iconic pavilion was
built and now stands as a tribute
to those who played, only to lose
their lives in The Great War. Today’s
school has expanded to become a
centre of academic excellence while
maintaining a formidable sporting
profile both locally and regionally
Cricketers of note David Ligertwood
(Durham, Surrey), John Martin
(Somerset), Francis Roberts
(Gloucestershire), Arthur Roberts
(Gloucestershire), Octavius Radcliffe
(Gloucestershire, Somerset)
Extras The school hosts an annual
two-day U15 T20 festival involving
eight teams, including Eton College.
In recent years MCS has hosted the
Lashings World XI and the PCA.
School Field is the only ‘island’
cricket ground in schools’ cricket.
Don Bradman played at the school’s
Christ Church ground three times
for Australia (1930, 1934 and 1938)
versus Oxford University, averaging
only 42. The record ‘biggest hit’ (as
recorded by Wisden) was made on
the school’s Christ Church ground in
1856 (the Rev W Fellows drove a ball
bowled by Charles Rogers 175 yards
from hit to pitch). John Crawley
(Cambridge University, Lancashire,
Hampshire & England) is a previous
head of cricket
34 / thecricketer.com