The cricket season at Gresham’s launched in spectacular fashion, with both promising performances and glorious spring weather.

Pre-Season Action

Over the Easter break, the U15 Boys kicked things off with an overnight trip to Newhall, securing two confident wins. Will C led the charge with an unbeaten 50 in the first match.

Meanwhile, the 1st XI faced Haileybury College in pre-season fixtures, splitting the games with one win and one loss. Notable performances included JC M’s fluent 72 and a blistering 100 from Charlie J off just 60 balls. The week wrapped up with a narrow defeat to The Leys in what was a closely contested encounter.

Week 1: Competitive Start Against Norwich

The first block fixture of the term was against Norwich, with the honours shared across six matches—three wins apiece.

• U14A chased down 89 comfortably to win by 9 wickets, with Monty W scoring a composed 50*.
• U15B continued last season’s momentum, with Freddy W starring with figures of 3-6.
• U15A fell short by 30 runs.
• 2nd XI secured their first win thanks to a brilliant 71* from James C-M.
• 1st XI came up short chasing 278, undone by a flurry of run-outs and missed opportunities, eventually losing by 62 runs.
• The Development XI won against Sheringham, with half-centuries from Charlie S and Elliot A, and an incredible 7-23 from Toby M.

Week 2: Mixed Results and Big Performances

Gresham’s bounced back well in Week 2, starting with victories for both the 1st and 3rd XI against Culford. JC and Josh K each scored fine half-centuries.

Against RHS and Uppingham, the school recorded five wins:

• U14B claimed their first win, with Stanley W scoring 25* and “Mr Extra” contributing generously.
• U14A pulled off a dramatic turnaround victory thanks to Thomas H’s 78* and four wickets in a single over—including a hat-trick.
• U15B beat RHS As in just 7 overs.
• 2nd XI continued their strong run with another dominant win.
• 3rd XI narrowly lost a thriller in the final over.
• 4th XI made their Saturday debut at Uppingham, with strong batting from Max C and Freddie B.
• In a high-quality fixture against Repton, the U15A lost despite fifties from Finley S (Year 8) and Charlie S, with over 400 runs scored in the match.
• The 1st XI wrapped up the week chasing 160 comfortably—Alf S took 3 wickets on debut, and JC and Josh K finished the job in 20 overs.

Week 3: Strong Bounce Back After Oundle Defeats

A tough block against Oundle on VE Day saw four losses:

• U14A suffered a heavy defeat despite 50s from Monty W and Theo C.
• U15 batted inconsistently and lost chasing a modest total.

Saturday’s fixtures against Framlingham brought better results:

• U14B edged a thriller by 3 runs thanks to Lewis H and Oscar F.
• U14A posted 190 with 70s from Oli C and Monty W.
• U15B remained unbeaten, with Benji L scoring 50 in a 6-wicket win.
• 3rd XI lost by 29 runs; Hugo G scored 29 and Austin L took 3-22.
• 2nd XI extended their unbeaten run with a commanding 7-wicket win—Alex K took 5-17, and Hector B smashed a 32-ball 53.
• 1st XI set a dominant 314 total, led by Josh K’s maiden 1st XI hundred (106) and supported by Cameron H (43). The bowlers shared the spoils as Framlingham made 230-9.
• The Development XI thrashed St Andrews CC by over 100 runs, thanks to 50s from Archie C, Jack H, and James C-M, and a 4-26 haul from Charlie W.
• In the County Cup, U14s defeated Langley, with Monty W just missing out on a century, ending 99*.

Week 4: Cup Highlights and More Milestones

• In the National U18 Cup vs Norwich, the 1st XI restricted their opponents to 158, but fell 18 runs short in the chase, despite 40s from JC and Will C.
• The U14A continued their County Cup success with another 99* from Monty Waters and four wickets—including a second hat-trick of the season—for Thomas Howe.
• The U15s were narrowly beaten by Norwich in the County Cup Final—an agonising loss in a competition they had real hopes of winning.

Saturday brought a successful block against Culford:

• U14B won convincingly with Stanley W scoring an unbeaten 83.
• U14A recorded another comfortable win with fifties from Monty and Thomas.
• U15B coasted to another win, while the U15A fell short again.
• The annual fixture against I Zingari saw a drawn result. Gresham’s declared on 277-6, with a 50 from JC and a stunning 100* from Will P—his first for the 1st XI. He also marked his 50th wicket for the team, a notable double milestone. I Zingari responded with 178-6.

The week wrapped up with anticipation for upcoming matches, including the U17s facing Cambridge University and more fixtures against Langley.

With standout performances, rising young stars, and numerous individual milestones, Gresham’s cricket season is off to a memorable start. From thrilling finishes to dominant displays, the boys are showing depth across all age groups—promising plenty more excitement as the term continues.