With the end of the cricket season, we have one eye on next term with football in Games today and tomorrow afternoon. Boots and shin-pads are not required. Cricket bags may be taken home if boys don’t have any more nets sessions in commoners.
- Year 7 and 5 have sessions with collection from 1530
- Year 4 showcase their drama production
- Year 6 are away on the trip to Sandbanks
- Year 3 have Forest School as normal
Fly-fishing (collection from 1630), sailing (collection from 1830) and tennis (collection from 1530) remain on for those still in school.
On Saturday, we look forward to the Inter-Set Athletics, the sporting finale of the academic year. A copy of the full logistical details is included from the school mailing of 15 June, below. The programme of events comprises both open to all and selected events. All pupils can compete in three events on the day – the 75m/100m, the long jump and the vortex howler (juniors) / shot (seniors). The 75m/100m will comprise heats, followed by a final later in the session. The open jump and throw will be straight finals.
Beyond this, they may be selected for one track event and one field event. Additionally, they may be selected for a relay.
Inter-Set Athletics: – all boys in Years 3-8 arrive wearing PE kit.
Practicalities:
Juniors
All Junior day boys (including Year 3) should arrive at school by 0920 in their set polo shirts, white shorts and white socks, and meet on the Quad. Junior events will begin at 1000 and finish by 1145 with the Prize presentations, followed by visitor races and lunch. Parents of Juniors are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and stay for the Senior events, but if this is not possible, Junior boys may sign out with staff on the Wolvesey gate after the presentations.
Seniors
Senior day boys should arrive by 1145 in set polo shirts, white shorts and white socks directly to the Wolvesey playing field and sign in with duty staff there. Day boy parents are invited to bring picnics. Senior events will commence at 1230 (after lunch) and will conclude with presentations. The day should be finished by 1530.
Boarders
Boarder parents are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to share with their sons on Wolvesey at 1145. Lunch will be provided for boarders whose parents cannot attend. Senior boarders may choose to sign out and go home on Friday night if they would prefer, ensuring they arrive at Wolvesey for 1145 on Saturday morning. Those Senior boys who remain at school will be involved in helping with the Junior events during the morning.
Please note: no dogs are permitted on the playing fields.
DURING THE INTER-SET ATHLETICS, THE SCHOOL WILL BE LOCKED. The Front Office will be open from 0745-1000.
Match Reports
Wednesday 14 June
2nd XI v Farleigh
Farleigh 110-7
Pilgrims’ 109-6 (Sam Q 35)
Result Pilgrims’ lost by 3 wickets
Another glorious afternoon for cricket. Wednesday offered the chance for our Year 7 cricketers to represent the school, with Year 8 away on their residential. Pilgrims’ batted first and looked fairly secure out in the middle. Openers George S and Ben A looked comfortable against the bowling attack, putting on 26 runs for the first wicket. The top order were solid, all boys settled into the fixture and chipped away. Sam Q continued his excellent form, scoring 36 from 35 deliveries. Fairleigh worked through our lower order successfully, starving them of runs, however, we had something to defend after our 20 overs and positivity was high.
The game ran down to the wire. Pilgrims’ bowled well, offering little width for the batsmen to work with. Neil C picked up 2 wickets for his efforts, only going for 8 runs in his 3 overs. Farleigh's middle order gained some momentum as they pushed the score on, narrowing the deficit. Despite our best efforts, surpassed our score with 11 balls left. A shame not to have got the win but extremely encouraging with a view to next season. Well done. MTG
3rd XI v Farleigh
Farleigh - 133-6
Pilgrims’ 82-9 (Sammy P 14)
Farleigh won by 51 runs
On a baking hot day, we travelled the short distance to Farleigh for our first match on what looked like a very decent grass wicket. Farleigh won the toss and elected to bat. We removed their two openers, one who was very unlucky playing on after looking in pretty good nick, to leave us looking pretty competitive. However, unusually for us, our bowling was a bit wayward, and Farleigh were content to put away the bad balls. When we bowled straight, we caused them some problems and picked up wickets, we just didn’t do it often enough.
Our batting reply started well, with Sammy P looking good early on before being caught for 14. The run chase was on, but 1 run off overs 5 and 6 rather put pay to it and we batted our way quite sedately, seeing out our overs for 85 runs, ending up about 50 short.
Our cricket has improved massively this season, but ultimately, we need to hit boundaries in order to either chase or post a competitive target. But a good performance in some areas, and hopefully one we can build on ahead of Horris Hill next week. Well done to all. WD
Colts A XI v Farleigh 3rd XI
20 overs
Farleigh 165/8 from 20 overs (Finn R. 3-23; Jacob H 2-28)
Pilgrims’ 73 all out from 16.4 overs (Charles N. 18; Finn R. 15; Chenhan Z. 10)
Pilgrims’ lost by 92 runs
It is always interesting to see how opposing coaches go about their business; everyone has their own unique style, mine, I hope, is perceived as one which has the team’s best interests at heart, whilst striving for them to become better as individuals. One way the Colts A can, in the field, become better players individually is to make half chances into real chances. Sadly, this didn’t happen too many times and some reasonable chances were not taken. This very much plays to the advantage of the opposition, with Farleigh continuing to find the gaps in the increasingly defensive field. In reply, Pilgrims’ started well, but the scoring simple flatlined after four overs and they 8+ run rate became increasingly unattainable. What’s more, is that whenever we pierced the inner ring the ball always managed to seek its way to a Farleigh fielder out in the deep! With only three Pilgrims’ batsmen making double figures, and Farleigh fielding two 1st team players (for which they later apologized), it is clear to see why we were on the receiving end of a heavy loss. AA
Colts B XI v Farleigh
Pilgrims’: 88/5 (Rupert – 22 retired; Thomas – 9)
Farleigh: 89/4 (Teddy - 2/5; Timothy – 1/6)
Result: Pilgrims’ lost by 6 wickets
This has been by far the most enjoyable game of the season so far, and it provided much spectator value. The Pilgrims’ boys went out to bat, looking intent to score some decent runs. The innings started shakily with Pilgrims’ losing their first wicket for no runs in the first over. This was followed by wickets on 12 and 15 runs respectively. Rupert and Teddy then played a lovely anchor innings to score 23 runs in their partnership, before Teddy was caught for 7 runs off a quickish delivery at mid-wicket. Thomas then came in and batted reliably to contribute 9 runs to the total. With a score of 88 runs for the loss of 5 wickets on the board, Pilgrims’ looked set to have a game on their hands.
Farleigh came in to bat and started of solidly, scoring 15 runs off the first three overs. William then stemmed the tide by taking a much-needed wicket off a rather pacey delivery. The next three overs saw Pilgrims’ concede 23 more runs, and this was essentially where the Farleigh innings was built. Teddy took two beautiful wickets in succession in the 7th over, and Timothy played a lovely supporting role by following up with a maiden over in the 8th. Farleigh was able to gather a bit of momentum and played a sensible innings to the end of the game, eventually reaching their target of 89 with 3.2 overs to spare.
There were some slim margins in this game, and we look forward to our fixture against Horris Hill next Wednesday. CXC
Foals A vs Farleigh
Farleigh 149-4
Pilgrims’ 69 all out
Pilgrims’ lost by 80 runs
A difficult match today for the Foals A who, during the middle of an exam week and in the baking sun, played, unfortunately, below the level the team is now capable of. After putting Farleigh in and having them on the back foot – Patrick and Christian both taking wickets on their first balls of their overs, the team suddenly lost momentum after a few loose deliveries and never really recovered. In many ways cricket is very different to football and rugby in that a team is never ‘winning’ or ‘losing’. It is very unlikely for a team to consistently be on top for the whole of a game and it was sad to see Pilgrims’ throw away our advantage. Patience is a difficult skill to learn, and an even harder one to master, but it is important for a team to recover when something doesn’t go the team’s way, regroup and realise that the whole game can change in the next ball. Credit should go to Theo M, who managed a wicket for one run in his first over, and for holding a strong partnership with Austin for the eighth wicket. With one game to go in the season I’m hoping the that we manage to put in a final performance worthy of the skill levels this team has, and for the progress they’ve made this term. CAL
Foals C XI
A super game which was enthusiastically and competitively played throughout. Although Pilgrims’ were to eventually lose, we were in the game for long periods. Good bowling kept the Farleigh total to a reasonable total and Pilgrims’ were confident of chasing. Up until the final 3 overs there was little in terms of the chase. Pilgrims’ matching Farleigh's over rate throughout. However, whether it was a combination of heat, over-enthusiasm or poor running between the wickets, we managed to defeat ourselves giving wicket away and not taking easy runs. While the loss was at 11 runs, the performance deserved more. Throughout the season, we have enjoyed our matches with Farleigh, the welcome they have given us, and the way they have played.
More importantly, the boys have improved their individual performances and team performance. I have nothing but high praise for them and they have been a delight to coach. Who has enjoyed the season more, me or them, is very much open to debate. In the years to come some of these boys will step up and really love their cricket and become very good players. TWR
Friday 16 June
U9 Seawolves v Farleigh
Farleigh 333
Pilgrims’ 257
Pilgrims' lost by 76 runs
The boys should be proud of the progress that they have made since the start of the season, and despite the result this was evident in our match against Farleigh. We batted first and all the boys demonstrated an increased confidence in play suitable shots. The communication between the boys was good, which allowed us to keep our run rate ticking over. Cameron and William both managed to score boundaries, much to the delight of their teammates.
When bowling, most of the boys were able to bowl the correct line and length. It was great to see Julian C claim his first wicket of the season, and it was lovely to see the boys celebrate with Julian. At times we lost a little of our concentration when fielding, and all the boys need to improve this.
Well done boys for all your efforts! TMH
U8A v Farleigh
Farleigh 108 for 2
Pilgrims' 34 for 12
Pilgrims' lost by 74 runs
Pilgrims’ bowled first and put on a very accomplished fielding display. Good organisation and decision-making throughout the innings was clear to see. Some solid bowling limited Farleigh in the early overs but towards the end of the innings, the final Farleigh pair managed to get some impressive boundaries to take their total to 108. Pilgrims’ have reached that total on a few occasions this season so were confident they could chase it down and make it a close match, however, unfortunately it was ‘one of those days’. Although Farleigh did not bowl particularly fast, they were very straight and consistent, meaning they gave very few wides or no balls away. Pilgrims’ also struggled to protect their wickets from the straight balls and saw the bales fly off on numerous occasions. After beating Farleigh earlier in the season, it seemed to shock the team and then concentration was lost, resulting in a heavy loss. The boys will bounce back, and I am certain we will have better days with the bat. On to the next one! JB
U8 Strikers v Farleigh
Farleigh 282 for 2
Pilgrims’ 282 for 2
Match tied
Pilgrims’ lost the toss and Farleigh elected to have a bat first, which was fine by us. The quality of bowling continues to improve, which has been very pleasing to see. Wickets were minimal in both innings, with Farleigh suffering a couple of run-outs. 283 was the target for Pilgrims’ to win. Over for over, it was always going to be close, and indeed it was.
Excitingly, the batting pair of Caspar and Daniel needed 7 to win from the last over! With Caspar facing, the pressure was indeed on. First ball – dot. Seven needed from five deliveries. Second ball – another dot. Seven needed from four. The pressure was notching up. Third ball – wide! Two runs added. Five needed from three! Fourth and fifth balls – two more dots. What did this mean? It meant five runs needed to win – but four to tie. What pressure for the lad. But Caspar stepped up and smashed the final delivery of the match for four runs to tie the game! What scenes! AJS
Wednesday 21 June
1st XI vs Horris Hill
Horris Hill 89 all out
Pilgrims’ 123 for 7
Pilgrims won by 3 wickets
We were treated by another glorious afternoon for our final game of the season. Confidence and positivity amongst the team was on a high. The energy and enthusiasm this team have had throughout the season and been infectious. Pilgrims' batted first, looking to take a hold on the game. We played on a grass wicket, which was extremely lively. Sadly, Thomas R fell victim to this as a delivery jumped on him and he feathered one through to the 'keeper. Not the start we wanted, but plenty more batting left in reserve. Rory K looked very good for his 13. He harnessed his power excellently, looking very assured in the middle. The dynamic year 7 duo of Sam Q and Aditya S yet again found themeselves in the runs. Aditya hit a very mature 32, while Sam hit a clever 27, before being caught out reverse sweeping (for the fourth time..!). A cameo from Nikhil D saw us hit a very impressive 123 off our 20 overs.
If you blinked you would have missed it! The second innings started with a flurry of wickets. At one stage Horris were 2/2! The dynamic duo were back at it, this time, with the ball. The first 3 wickets fell through near identical dismissals; bowled Aditya, caught Sam at silly mid-off. Our bowling attack gave the Horris batsmen little to work with. No bowler went for more than 19 runs off their 2 or 3 overs. Pilgrims' were very alive in the field. Olly P played his part in 4 runouts and managed to pick up a wicket himself! This display with the bat and ball rounded off an excellent season. The best of the team was brought out in this final game. A well deserved win and a wonderful send-off for our leaving Year 8's. Every boy that has represented the 1st XI this season has offered so much throughout training and in matches. Thank you and well done. MTG
2nd XI vs Horris Hill
Horris Hill 89 for 8 (Yan Z 3 for 2, Edward B 5 for 1, Deepak S 13 for 2)
Pilgrims’ 92 for 1 (George s 18no, Freddie F 16no)
Pilgrims won by 9 wickets
Having won the toss and put Horris in, we started really well, getting Horris three down with just 2 runs on the board. Our excellent bowling performance continued, but to be fair to Horris, they stuck at it and recovered to 43 for 4 at the half way stage. Our fielding got a touch ragged, and they arguably made more in the 2nd half of their innings than they should have, but some tight bowling from Christian B and Deepak S brought things back under control. The chase was relatively straightforward. After Hector W got out early, George S and particularly Freddie F batted very sensibly. With extras adding quite a bit to the total, we were always comfortably placed and victory was achieved in the 15th over. Lovely to end the season on a victory and a thoroughly pleasant one at that. Well done, boys. ASD
Colts A v Horris Hill
20 overs
Horris Hill 48 all out from 16.3 overs (Jacob H. 5-2; Bertie Bradley 2-4)
Pilgrims’ 112-5 from 17 overs (Zachery M. 24*; Jacob H 16*; Bertie B. 15)
Pilgrims’ won by 5 wickets
There comes a point in some matches where, as a coach, referee, or umpire, you have to use your judgement and experience to manage a game. It is always a fine balance ensuring one team does not overly dominate the other, but equally, one does not wish to humiliate the weaker team too early in proceedings. Having already blowed three of his fours overs, Jacob had bagged two wickets, then he strolled up for his further and claimed a triple-wicket maiden. It was at this point that the decision was made to bowl everyone with Horris finding the going tough, scoring just ten from the bat of the first thirty. The Pilgrims’ fielders sensed blood and gradually tightened in the field, a la England’s ‘Brumbrella’ field against Khawaja in the first Ashes test! It took until the 16th over for Horris to score their first boundary, only to be all out in the following over. The parallels with the first Ashes continued as England, sorry, the Colts A saw the first ball go for four runs! The Colts were cruising along until the fourth over when the scoring flatlined as three wickets fell in quick succession, but it was left to Zachery and Jacob to steer the team home and beyond, with the match ending as Horris needed to return. It was a strong way to finish the season, but equally a shame that the better players in our team did not get the chance to cash in with bat or ball. AA
Foals A vs Prince's Mead
Pilgrims’ 135-1 (Christian 23*, Elliot 26*, Barney 20)
Prince's Mead 97-7 (Elliot 3 wickets)
Pilgrims’ won by 38 runs
Despite a couple of our regular players being absent for the fixture, this game was by far the most complete performance the Foals A boys have given this term - a wonderful game to end the season on. It was so clear that the boys have taken on the lessons of previous matches, and it was a pleasure to watch them execute in such a strong and confident fashion.
Aware that there we needed a strong performance from the top 3, Christian and Elliot played superbly in the opening overs, with both styles of batting complementing each other perfectly. Christian carried his bat throughout, scoring an extremely impressive 22 not out and, once again, provided a much-needed anchor right at the top of the order. Elliot played some glorious shots, particularly the cover drive, before retiring on 26, and deserves special mention for the first six of the season on the long-on boundary. Barney continued to press home Pilgrims’ advantage, scoring an impressive 20 before falling in the latter stages of the game. It was great to see all three batters play a full innings, with each player getting themselves in before looking to accelerate (ignoring Barney’s failed ‘ramp-shot’ that almost got him out!).
Finishing on 135, Pilgrims’ were reminded of how games of cricket can go quickly from beneath our feet if we take our eye off the ball, and it was impressive to see our team press home our advantage with some accurate bowling and staying alert in the field. A fantastic direct hit run-out from Farid in the third ball of the innings, a strong catch from Lucas off Elliot’s bowling, and some great keeping as always from Theo W behind the stumps ensured Pilgrims’ had just enough to stay ahead in the game. It was great to see the boys regroup after bowling a bad ball (which happens to everyone), and Rufus, Boris, Farid and all bowled some corkers in their overs as they got settled into their rhythm and recovered from any initial ‘looseners’.
What impressed me most was how there was far more positive support for the team in this game than some previous matches: a dropped catch was met by calls of “unlucky” and “great ball, we’ll get him next time” - far more likely to bring about a future wicket than the bickering or ‘blame-game’ culture that we have seen in games gone by. A catch was dropped off Christian’s bowling in the 10th over, only for Theo M to take one two balls later due to the positive support and atmosphere that the team had created. Prince's Mead finished 38 runs short of our total, leaving the boys with a great sense of victory as we end the season. Thoroughly well played boys, a truly remarkable result, and a firm reminder of how to play as we look ahead to the next season. Well done. CAL.
Foals B vs Prince's Mead
Pilgrims – 295
Prince's Mead – 283
Pilgrims' won by 12 runs
The boys concluded their season with a super victory over Prince's Mead in what was a very even match, although the Foals B looked in control throughout. Having lost the toss, we were put into bat. Austin and Seb made a tentative start, and neither demonstrated their usual combative batting style. However, Hal and Edward D came in a quickly upped the run rate, with Edward scoring a pleasing four. Other impressive batting displays came from Henry C and Eddie, whose runs enabled us to reach a solid score of 295.
Yet again our bowling showed pleasing signs of improvement. As a team, all the boys should be proud of the developments that they have made. We gained a wicket with the very first ball thanks to some smart fielding that enabled us to run out the opposition batsman. Freddie W bowled nicely, as did Alfie H, whilst Hal continues to show what a threat his left arm over the wicket action can be. The boys managed to restrict Prince's Mead to 283, allowing us to win by 12 runs.
The season was one of perseverance. The boys never gave up trying, despite several defeats earlier in the term. Every single boy who played in the Foals B improved their bowling, batting, and fielding skills this term, and they have all developed their overall understanding of the game. Most pleasing was seeing the enjoyment that the boys took from playing the game, whether in victory or defeat.
Well done boys for all your effort this term.
Thursday 22 June
U9A
Hardball pairs
Pilgrims’ 225 for 6
Twyford 275 for 5
Pilgrims’ lost by 50 runs
There were many positives to take from this match, the bowling being a real strength. However, Pilgrims’ batted first and it was a case of three steps forward, two steps back as wickets fell just as the momentum was getting going. Some fine shots were played but, in the main, the accurate Twyford bowling pinned us back a little. The running between the stumps will develop as players’ calling and committing to the run improve. However, there were two A1 pieces of fielding from distance which claimed two Pilgrim run outs.
225 is not a huge target but at the interval we spoke about what could be done to keep things tight and restrict the chase. Things looked up when Rafe bowled a wicket first ball and more wickets followed with Twyford struggling to get past the baseline of 200 for a couple of overs. However, some big hitters arrived later and the chase accelerated. Overall, this was a great experience on a lovely afternoon and a fun game of cricket. AJS
U9 Seawolves
Twyford 310 for 2
Pilgrims’ 262 for 4
Pilgrims’ lost by 48 runs
The Seawolves enjoyed a good game of cricket on this sunny afternoon. Having lost the toss with Twyford electing to bowl first, our boys were sent into the middle. The 3 pairs put up a strong batting performance, managing to capitalise of Twyford’s more wayward bowls. A special mention goes to both Cameron (team captain for the day) and Ryan for being selected to go in again for a second innings due to their high-quality batting – both of whom hit some great shots including several boundaries.
When it was Twyford’s turn to bat, the Seawolves were determined to restrict the run chase. This saw Pilgrims’ taking 2 impressive wickets due to class bowling from Cameron and Julian. However, they were unable to prevent their opposition from capitalising on leg side balls which were hit for boundaries a few too many times, resulting in the loss of the game. Despite this, Pilgrims displayed great sportsmanship and perseverance which I highly commend them for – well done boys!
U8 Scorcher Vs Twyford 264-257
Pilgrims’ 257 for 4
Twyford 264 for 3
Lost by 7
With today being the boys final fixture of the school year, undoubtedly all the boys were focused in and wanted to play their hardest for one last time this year. The game started out with Twyford batting and Pilgrims took the field. Zachary P and Scipio S were our joint “birthday boy” captains and directed the team to the right spots around the wicket in order to put in a good defensive showing. Amazingly, with the first bowl of the game Teddy C-H managed to get a bullet of a wicket down leg stump, setting the tone for the game early. The boys continued to show their cricketing brains throughout the innings by shuffling around, communicating and backing up. However, with it being a small boundary Twyford did manage to run up the runs a little bit higher than we would have liked, but not before the boys could put together some amazing fielding plays and get 2 more run outs by the time it was our turn to bat. With Twyford reaching 264, the boys knew it was quite the mountain to climb. But after a quick pep talk about confident running, smart batting and having fun, batting was well on the way and things were looking good. Zach P and Anthony C put in a solid 18 runs of 16 balls as well as Daniel H and Tommy P got a respectable 17 runs. This put us at 240 going into the last 4 overs, giving us a higher run rate than Twyford at this point in the match. Unfortunately, we would take 2 wickets from some wonderful Twyford bowling in the next 2 overs which put us on the backfoot. However, the boys pushed through and never gave up, culminating in Zach P and Scipio S who were out to bat for the second time that evening getting 22 runs in the last 2 overs to bring us within 7. While we did not manage a win for our last game. I think both the boys and the coaching staff could clearly see the improvement they have made over the year and are excited for the years to come, to watch them grow and develop. Good job this year boys! EJG
Fencing success
Leo L has recently competed in the English Youth Championships, U11 Boys Foil, and he is currently ranked 7th in the country! This is a massive achievement – well done Leo!
Fly-fishing fun...
Casting practice on New Piece...
What a whopper! We thought Harrison’s fish might die on unhooking but after floating downstream momentarily, he came back to life and swam away...
Andrew Short
Director of Sport