Taylorian

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TAYLORIAN 2024 CR ICKET

2nd XI

No fewer than 25 players have been used this season as the 2nd XI has continued to demonstrate the strength in depth of Taylors’ cricket. We always find a new way to lose to Hampton and managed a spectacular 2024 version of this: having reduced them to 24-5 we promptly lost by thirty-something runs chasing 167. This unedifying start aside, it has been plain sailing with a PH (post-Hampton) perfect record. Our success has been built on outstanding bowling, especially from the sadly departed (to the 1st XI) James Beeby, and from Toby Whittaker and Himal Palanivelu. Our spin cupboard has been well stocked with Messrs Malhi, Rose, Ruparelia and Pankhania all producing probing, economical spells. Runs have been harder to come by since Embleton left for the 1st XI, but Abdullah Minhas has led our efforts and others have chipped in, not least Tejas Pail and Sohan Desai who so nearly chased down 100 to win at St Albans without being 3rd/4th XI The combined 3rd/4th XI squad is a good barometer of the health of cricket at the school. This year the school need not have worried. Of the 30 plus names below, nearly a quarter have represented the 2nd XI, showing true strength in depth. For the 3rd XI, it’s all even after 6 games. We have secured wins against Haberdashers’, Berkhamsted and Haileybury, and been defeated by Hampton, St Dominic’s and St Albans. It has been a dramatic season; the combined defeats to Hampton and St Dominic’s yielded a total of just three runs! The 4th XI, after some cancellations from opposition, have only had two matches so far, beating Haberdashers’ and coming up short against Hampton. The season should not and will not be measured in terms of wins and losses, but shared experience. There was once again healthy competition for ‘drop of the season’. Shyam Pankhania is a serious contender for his calamitous stumble against Haileybury, but at least in that game he managed to bowl three overs, all of which were maidens. The winner will of course be Sujieth Sanjai, whose fumble was perhaps the most

separated. The side has been well led, though consistency in this regard has been lacking with at least three captains used in the course of our seven fixtures (take a bow Embleton, Ford and Minhas). We say goodbye to some stalwarts of 2nd XI cricket this year: Suleiman Malhi has bamboozled countless batters; Tom Ford has been a picture of elegance with bat and gloves; Roshen Gnanakuru has simply been too quick; James Hely-Hammond has whacked it and kept up spirits; and Tilak Patel, though absent more recently, has spun his way into many a batter’s

nightmares. All have served with absolute distinction, and we have been lucky to have them. The future, though, looks to be in safe hands! Mr M. T. Herring Squad: A. Arun, J. Beeby, J. Bindra, S. Desai, T. Embleton, T. Ford, R. Gnanakuru, J. Hely-Hammond, K. Shah, K. Shah, A. Kandala, S. Malhi, A. Minhas, T. Pail, H. Palanivelu, R. Pankhania, T. Patel, J. Rose, R. Ruparelia, S. Sanjai, K. Thakrar, V. Verma, H. Walker, T. Whittaker.

Squad: S. Desai, R. Ruparelia, J. Bindra, S. Sanjai, R. Khanna, A. Kandala, K. Shah, R. Pankhania, R. Bains, T. Easterbrook, K. S, A. Shah, T. Thevarajah, Z. Khan, S. Pankhania, V. Sethi, S. Siyyid, S. Dhir, C. Haley, V. Kashyapa, N. Shah, D. Thind, Y. Parwez, N. Rao, H. Walker, A. Patel, U. Baig, Y. Madhaparia, Y. Shah, H. Palanivelu, K. S. Thakrar, K. Dixit, Z. Momin, V. Weerasinghe.

remarkable moment of an unremarkable game against Haberdashers’. The season’s defining moment, though, appropriately came from captain Rohan Pankhania. A remarkable three-wicket haul in the last over, to save the game against Haileybury, will live long in the memory. It was an over that encapsulates the joy, ability and tenacity of these young men, who will certainly remember these days fondly for many years to come. Mr A. C. Bruce