PLAYING

TOP 100 SCHOOLS
QUEEN
ELIZABETH
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL
154 Northgate
Wakefield
WF1 3QX
RADLEY
COLLEGE
Kennington Road
Radley
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 2HR
Top man:
England’s
Andrew
Strauss
Established 1591
Notable fixtures MCC, Manchester
GS, Woodhouse Grove, Bolton School
Cricket professional Christopher
Lawson
Teams 1st XI, 2nd XI, U15, U14,
U13AB, U12AB
Facilities Three indoor lanes, six
outdoor synthetic nets, two grass
nets
Club/county affiliation
Yorkshire Schools
Brief history The first record of
fixtures at QEGS appeared in the
Savilian Magazine 1889. In 1992,
school historian Ronald Chapman
wrote: “When I arrived here in 1936
I was surprised at the mediocre
quality of the school’s cricket …
Established 1847
Notable fixtures Cowdrey Cup (Eton,
Harrow, Tonbridge, Charterhouse
and Wellington), John Harvey Cup
(Marlborough, Cheltenham, St
Edward’s, Winchester and Bradfield)
as well as the national T20 knockout
Cricket professional Andy Wagner (32
seasons, winning the Sky
Sports ECB Coach of the Year
award in 2013)
Teams 18 to 20 sides across
four age groups
Facilities Five indoor nets, 26
artificial nets outdoors, 10
grass nets and 10 grass squares
Club/county affiliation Middlesex
Brief history Radley’s cricket
it appeared to be treated as an
unavoidable interlude between
rugby seasons ... but that
changed with the appointment
of a professional coach, Miles
Coope.” In 1982 Trevor Barker was
appointed cricket master and his
transformational work (he continues
today as director of sport) led to
QEGS becoming one of Yorkshire’s
top cricket schools
Cricketers of note Peter Heseltine
(Sussex, Durham), Mike Smith
(Gloucestershire & England)
Extras In 2015 student George
Thompson scored 111 not out off
24 balls in the Bradford Grammar
School Sixes competition. He won
Most Outstanding Batsman this year
tradition is strong. Ted Dexter
and Andrew Strauss are among a
number who have gone on to play
the game at a professional level. The
school’s cricket programme mirrors
the MCCU system where the winter
is used for technical development
in preparation for the following
summer season. The jewel in the
crown of the winter programme
is the academy which meets on
Sunday mornings and has enjoyed
sessions delivered by Jason Gillespie,
Jamie Dalrymple and Strauss. The
1st XI squad travels to Spain for
pre-season trips and are planning to
participate in the ARCH trophy in
the UAE in March
Cricketers of note Ted Dexter
(Sussex & England), Andrew Strauss
(Middlesex & England), Ben Hutton
(Middlesex), Robin Martin-Jenkins
(Sussex), Charlie van der Gucht
(Hampshire), Jamie Dalrymple
(Middlesex, Glamorgan) and Nick
Gubbins (Middlesex)
Extras Wagner worked alongside
Bert Robinson for a total of 30 years.
They produced a string of unbeaten
sides in the 1990s and nurtured
Martin-Jenkins, Strauss, Hutton and
Dalrymple. The school is to host the
2016 Bunbury festival
REED’S SCHOOL
Sandy Lane
Cobham
Surrey
KT11 2ES
Established 1813
Notable fixtures MCC, Stock
Exchange CC, XL Club
Cricket professional Keith
Medlycott (Surrey)
Teams The school regularly turns
out 22 sides
Facilities Four squares (two senior,
two junior), eight grass nets, six
artificial nets, four indoor nets with
a dedicated indoor cricket centre
due 2016
Club/county affiliation Surrey,
Sutton CC
Brief history Cricket has been
played at Cobham on its extremely
beautiful grounds since the
school arrived from Watford after
World War Two. Headmasters
Bob Drayson, former Hampshire
allrounder Rodney Exton and now
David Jarrett, a Blue at Oxford
and Cambridge, have encouraged
the sport to the point of it now
reaching its highest standard in the
history of the school. The school
regularly tours the Caribbean
Extras Surrey Ladies play at
Reed’s. Surrey have trained on
the site when The Oval has been
unavailable due to international
commitments
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