N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

Radley College Cricket Club
Could there be a more opportune time to write about Radley cricket? For a short spell,
from July to that ticker-tape August Sunday at the Oval, Radleians seemed to bestride the
cricketing world: three current members of the 1 st XI – Alex Hearne (Dragon, J Social),
Nick Gubbins (Elstree, H Social) and Wilf Marriott (Farleigh, G Social) - were selected for
the England Under 15 side, Jamie Dalrymple (Ashfold, H Social) captained the England
Lions against Australia and Andrew Strauss (Caldicott, B Social) led England to the
Ashes. Strauss scored important runs, of course, but when the analysts ran their rule over
England’s victory they chose to focus on the question of leadership. Michael Henderson
reminded his Telegraph readers of the quiet authority of the England captain in rescuing
his side from the hiatus of Kevin Pietersen’s resignation and in weathering some piercing
criticism after the Headingley rout. “One could say”, he wrote, “that the Ashes were won on
the playing fields of Radley.”
The only sadness in all this euphoria
was that just ten days before Australia
succumbed, so too did one of the pillars
of Radley cricket for nearly 60 years. Bert
Robinson, once of Northamptonshire and
cricket professional at Radley 1949-2008,
a dear man and a coach who influenced
so many from Dexter onwards, died
peacefully at the age of 92 before he could
see his most recent star in his finest hour.
Many dream of winning the Ashes but
few are chosen, and I can write in all
honesty that, while we are proud to the n th
degree of our internationals, we take equal
delight in seeing all 19 of our school XIs
strut their Saturday stuff in the summer
term against our traditional foes. Good
cricket on good surfaces for all our boys
is overwhelmingly our goal, and I am
hugely fortunate in having colleagues,
lovers of the game, who will coach and
cajole these teams. This summer term 30
members of Common Room looked after
these 19 sides, led in expertise by our
outstanding professional Andy Wagner,
now in his 25 th year here. 119 matches
were won of 176 played, and in addition,
a dozen 6 th formers turned out for the
Radley Village sides in the Oxfordshire
League. I can’t promise match cricket all of
the time for all the boys, but I can try.
Our fixture card is very strong – Eton,
Tonbridge and Harrow are always
powerful opponents – but we have set
ourselves the target of playing the sharpest
cricket on the best pitches on our circuit,
and Adam King’s squares from Bigside to
Death Row are exceptional. Increasingly,
school matches are played as limited overs
games (50 or 55 overs per side for the 1 st
and 2 nd XIs, 30-35 overs per side for other
teams), and this has quickened the pulse of
every player. There is nowhere to hide in a
game where the safety of a draw no longer
exists, but we have found that traditional
batting and bowling skills are still the key.
The 1 st XI has the toughest fixture list
of all, and the step up from Colts 1 is
considerable as many school 1 st XIs are
bolstered by 6 th form sports scholars.
None of the Radley sports clubs have a
recruitment programme, and we enjoy
coaching schoolboy cricketers and giving
them the chance to play and succeed in
the top side. Our approach throughout
the club reflects this. In matches all the
decision making is left to the captains and
players, and it has been a joy to see recent
captains such as Henry Mills (Harrodian, E
Social), George Coles (Woodcote House, G
Social), Jos North (Ludgrove, B Social) and
Hector Freyne (Summer Fields, J Social)
learn to think so clearly under pressure.
To improve the technique of our 1 st XI
hopefuls we have, on Sunday mornings
over the last two winters, introduced an
Academy squad for our best 18-20 boys
from the Remove to 6.2, to develop their
skills and understanding of the game. Last
year we welcomed guest coaches such as
Toby Radford (Middlesex 1 st team coach),
and this winter’s programme began with
the Hampshire spin bowling coach, Raj
Maru.
Right: Philip Hollis Photography
Front cover: Andrew Strauss - Getty Imiages
Some of our current high fliers may play
for England and win the Ashes – I hope
they do – but above all we will keep
offering the best cricket to all Radleians.
Running our sides is not about the talent
we could buy in but about what we can
do for those who choose to come here; as
John Claughton always said, “You dance
with the girl what brung you”.
John Beasley
Head of Cricket
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