Shiplake Runners-Up in RBC T20 Tournament

Shiplake College's 1st XI finished in second place after a closely fought match in the final against Eton College at the Reading Blue Coat T20 Cricket Tournament last Monday (28 June).

A win against Aylesbury Grammar School in the first round put the boys through to the semi-final against tournament hosts, Reading Blue Coat. They fought hard, ending with a dramatic win taking them to the final against Eton. It was close, however Eton claimed the trophy when the tables turned at the end of the match.

Head of Cricket, Mr Paul McCraw gives his account of the tournament: "Shiplake were drawn Aylesbury Grammar School in the first round of the day and kept them down to 97-9 in the 20 overs. Joe Rogers bowled particularly well taking 3 wickets and then chased Aylesbury down comfortably within our allotted overs. 

"Next was Reading Blue Coat in the semi-finals and our first half was a little scrappy but by taking regular wickets we kept them to an achievable target of 145. Despite losing captain Jai Angell's second ball of the innings, the top order did their job and put us into a good position going into the last few overs. Blue Coat put the pressure back on us by bowling well at the end and victory looked out of reach when new batsman Will Diver arrived at the crease. Will needed to score 10 runs to win with 3 balls remaining, and the young man showed real character by hitting 2 boundaries and then a 2 from the last ball to win a memorable and dramatic victory.  

"In the final we played an Eton Leavers team and looked to be in charge after setting them the target of 161 in 20 overs. Charlie Moss made a second useful contribution of the day, scoring 28 from 13 balls to boost our score. Ollie Stalder took 4 wickets in the second inning and at 87-6 it looked like Shiplake were bringing home the trophy. However, Eton's numbers 7 and 8 had different ideas and batted beautifully to win the match with four balls to spare."

This was a superb way to end the season and the boys showed again that a positive attitude and lots of focused practice leads to success on the field. The second half of the season saw victories over Gordon's School, The Oratory, Aylesbury Grammar, Reading Blue Coat and honourable draws against both the MCC and the South Oxfordshire Amateurs. Jai Angell captained the side superbly throughout.