In the sunshine of Arundel Castle Cricket Ground the Old Malvernians took to the pitch to take on their historic rivals, the Old Tonbridgians. Both sides put on an excellent display of high class cricket but it was our very own OMs that triumphed, winning by 94 runs. This was the OMs 17th appearance in the final of the Cricketer Cup and their 11th win, a terrific achievement. To read the full match report, please visit the official Nicholson Cricketer Cup website.
2023 Nicholson Cricketer Cup Final — The Cricketer Cup
Following the official match report I thought I would give you a review of the year and hopes for the future of both College and OM cricket.
I’m not sure where to start but I certainly know where I could finish and that is clearly last Sunday at Arundel Castle. It really was an outstanding TEAM performance which completely overpowered the opposition of Tonbridge. I have been involved as a player/spectator etc in the CC since its inception in 1967 and I have never seen a better all round performance in a Final. Batting, bowling and especially fielding were all of a very high quality.
This was the 5th CC match of the year and it is often quite difficult to get anywhere near our (in theory) best 11 on the field for each match because those top players are in demand at County / Minor County and leading club cricket teams. A special thank you to those OM’s who played in various rounds but not in the Final. You were there when we needed you and all did very well.
The team this year is certainly the youngest I can remember and there is no doubt that the introduction of these recent leavers has had a massive influence on our success – they have ‘freshened up’ the squad in every department of the game. Olly and Joel Cox, Tommy Boorman, Dan and Miles Holland, Josh Dickenson, Angus Catto and Josh Baker are all fine cricketers and hopefully will play CC cricket for years to come.
Having mentioned the “Hardinges’ Babes” it would be very remiss of me not to mention those regulars who have played for several years or more such as Alex Milton, Freddie Wynn & Ben Twohig -all are fine cricketers with Alex as wk/batsman and Freddie an allrounder with a superb 100 last Sunday. Mark Hardinges has been a regular for over 10 years and been part of 6 winning teams as well as being M/C of cricket at the College. He has been critical to the success of Malvern cricket since coming back to the school at a time close to the arrival of Antony Clark as Headmaster. Together with Noel Brett as the Professional they have brought through many fine cricketers. Now very sadly Mark has decided to stand down from his M/C role. We owe him a great debt of gratitude but hopefully his successor will be another very fine Cricketer with a passion for developing quality players who also enjoy playing for Malvern and the OMCC.
Josh Haynes our captain took over from the excellent Will Gifford some 3 years ago – Josh has proved to be a wise choice and has rapidly grown into the role – the burden is not on the field of play but the gathering together of the players round by round. This can be a nightmare but he does it with a smile and has the respect and friendship of all the players. He now has that first cup win under his belt and let’s hope for lots more to follow.
Finally I want to say a huge thank you to all the Patrons Club members / the OMCC members and all our supporters who regularly attend our matches – it is accepted that we are the best supported team in the CC.
It’s been great fun winning for the 11th time and in the Final for the 17th time – let’s get back to Arundel and win next year as well.
Report by Bryan Richardson (3.57-61)
President of The Patrons Club and OMCC