Beechbrook Capital Cricketer Cup Final features two school rivals

The final of the Beechbrook Capital Cricketer Cup will be between Old Bedfordians and Old Tonbridgians at Arundel Castle, 11.30 start. This is a longstanding school rivalry, as a two-day match has been played between the two schools every year since the Second World War, perhaps the longest surviving two-day match in the school cricket calendar. Bedford have never reached a final, while Tonbridge sit on top of the merit table but have lost the two previous finals.

Old Bedfordians have a powerful batting side, which has won its last three matches by 10 wickets, 10 wickets and 7 wickets, chasing targets all in excess of 150. In this batting line-up are three players with first-team experience at Northants, most notably Alex Wakely with over 7000 first-class runs. He is joined by Charlie Thurston, who captains the side, and wicket-keeper Harry Gouldstone. Backing them up are Minor County batsmen in Ed Wharton (Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire) , Ben Slawinski and Ewan Cox (both Bedfordshire). The bowling might be a weaker suit but they have bowled out their last three opponents in Sherborne, Stowe and Clifton, so they cannot be taken lightly..

Old Tonbridgians rely largely on this side which has taken them through the last three hard-fought rounds against strong opponents, with away wins at Malvern and Repton and a home win against Millfield. Two contracted County players in Ollie Sykes (Surrey) and Sam Seecharan (Notts) have not been released, but all of their selected side, under captain Hugo Snape, have appeared in recent finals at Arundel. Their trump card against the strong Bedford batting should be seamer Toby Pettman, who played first-class games for Notts in the last two seasons and has not appeared in the Cricketer Cup since Tonbridge last won it in 2019. He is backed up by a strong spin attack in Tom Coldman, Sam Hadfield, Joe Baldwin, Ant Bissett and Harry Bevan-Thomas, and by youthfully athletic fielding. In the two finals lost in 2023 and 2024, they have not made enough runs, but they bat all the way down the order and this time they will be looking to batsmen like Freddie Geffen, Will Nolan and Ollie Morgan to make a big score on what is usually a wicket kind to batsmen.

Sadly two of England’s most recent and much contrasting openers, Alistair Cook (Bedford) and Zak Crawley (Tonbridge), will not be available. One other link between the two sides is Bedford’s Headmaster, James Hodgson, a Cricketer Cup winner himself with Old Wellingtonians, who was a housemaster and master-in-charge of cricket at Tonbridge when Hugo Snape, Tonbridge captain, was in the side.

Fine weather is hoped for and a good crowd expected, as both teams will be well supported while neutrals and Arundel members will swell the size. There is plenty of free car parking on the ground and light refreshments are available.