As anticipation builds for Clare Hall’s Annual Cricket Match next week, the College Cricket Club enjoyed a valuable outing on 31 May against The Interlopers. The fixture provided an excellent opportunity to sharpen skills, strengthen team spirit and continue a long-standing tradition of friendly yet competitive cricket.

A full account of the match, written by The Twelfth Man, can be found below, along with some photos by Zhenna Azimrayat Andrews.

Captain’s Catch can’t save Clare Hall!

The Clare Hall Cricket Club had a dress rehearsal for next week’s Midsummer Match on the last day of May with an “all-day” game against old rivals The Interlopers, a revival of a match first played ten years ago.

What were the highlights? For one thing, it was quite a family day. Lawrence opened the Clare Hall innings with his son Lorcan, John closed it out with his grandson Sam. Both the Elders failed to score, any dismay they may have felt at that turning to delight as their youngsters and betters top-scored, Lorcan with 54 and Sam with 45 not out.

There were fine contributions from Clare Hall students Leo, who proved to be an excellent all-rounder with both bat (36) and ball, and Ryan who contributed 24 with his usual array of boundaries.

The innings provided two curiosities. One was the very long over bowled by one of our opponents. He lost his way bowling wides and no-balls and had bowled an 18-ball over before the umpire put him out of his misery by calling “over” after just five legitimate balls.

The other curiosity was the damage done to Clare Hall by the bowling of our own Mr Cricket, Sam. Following the tradition of an old Clare Haller, Conrad, who led the Interlopers against Clare Hall in this fixture a decade ago, Sam turned his coat to take three crucial wickets for the Interlopers, so helping to restrict Clare Hall in their 35 overs to a respectable but by no means challenging enough total of 178.

Sam did further damage. He repeated a lovely stroke he had initiated ten years ago of providing between innings a lavish tea of late cut homemade sandwiches and other goodies such as Marks and Sparks never knew.
Thus fortified, the Interlopers always looked like getting the runs, in spite of Glen’s fiery mane and Leo bowling like a lion. One of their opening batters looked as if he might overtake our score all on his own. When he had scored 91, he hit the ball high back over Rishul’s head. Surely a six? But no, in the far distance in front of the sight- screen, there was Chris to take – and wonderfully hold on to – a memorable Captain’s Catch. He followed this up by snaring an edge for a wicket of his own.

In the field there were notable performances by two people who had never played cricket before: Zhenna, who bravely got in the way of every ball (bar one) that came her way and Ismail, who threw in with great accuracy. Both of them wisely avoided emulating the deft footwork of Rishul, fresh from playing football in the morning.
For all these efforts, the Interlopers were not to be denied and ran out comfortable winners, losing just three wickets before overtaking the Clare Hall score after only 27 overs.

Did losing so heavily matter? Not really. It’s nice to post a win but… It was a lovely ground: Wychfield up on Storey’s Way. The atmosphere between the teams, if competitive, was always friendly, fielders indicating if a ball had crossed the boundary. What more could you want from a summer’s day?

Take it from this correspondent. His own contribution was confined to walking out to the wicket and quickly walking back in one innings and in the next walking from one end of the wicket to the other between overs. It’s a great ritual to be out in the middle of a green Cambridge field in high summer.

What happier way to spend Midsummer’s Day, Wednesday June 24th, than at Clare Hall’s Annual Cricket Match on the green and pleasant field at nearby Leckhampton? A team of Students will play the President’s team. Absolutely everyone who works or studies onsite – or even off – is encouraged to join in, the more the merrier.

Cricket not your cup of tea? Well then, the scrumptious tea that provides a mid-afternoon interlude in this summer ritual might just be. Watch or play, if you are a newcomer to the game, you might surprise yourself and enjoy it more than you suppose.

If you wish to get involved with cricket in College, do write in to clarehall-cricket@lists.cam.ac.uk.