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Cricket 2023

hope he can have an impact in the second half of the season. Daniel Steven-Jennings is a tough line and length bowler that always performs at his best when the odds are stacked against him. He performed especially well against Haileybury and St Albans. Krish Dhanuka has overcome injury problems to become a vital cog in the T20 side and regular batting line-up. He very nearly got us over the line from an impossible position against St Albans. Mr I. McGowan and Mr P. J. B. Davies Squad: R. Thapar (Capt.), A. Whiteside, A. Bhandarkar, P. Wijesinghe, A. Sawant (Vice-Capt.), K. P. Patel (Vice-Capt., W), A. Kundi, G. Puri, K. Dhanuka, P. Bhatia, V. Palekar, B. Doran, N. Shah, R. Rajkumar, R. Gnanakuru, D. Steven-Jennings, N. Shah, T. Ford. Coaches: Mr I. McGowan, Mr P. J. B. Davies, Mr A. J. Booth. 2nd XI One might say that this was a half term of two halves. Losses to Hampton, Whitgift and Avanti House saw questions being asked at the highest levels. Luckily, we were able to turn the ship around and we enter the half term break having won three matches on the bounce. Our bowling line-up has been a consistent strong point; we have been blessed with the pace of Roshen Gnanakuru; the nagging, often luckless, consistency of Daniel Steven-Jennings and Tommy Embleton; and the guile of the spin twins, Tilak Patel and Jacob Rose. Though chances have sometimes gone begging, the fielding unit has functioned well and against St Paul’s put in a shift that (contrary to everything I believe about cricket) actually did win us the game. Sometime captain Dillan Shah prowling about in the covers has been a sight to behold this term. Here comes the ‘but’. Too often, our batting has let us down. Shivam Sangani has been in top form and has rather carried us; others have chipped in. Really big scores have been beyond us, although Faaris Ahmed’s 61 against Haileybury was a highlight; moving into next season we need runs, runs and more runs. Mr M. T. Herring

by-game this season and Dhanuka (33); Doran (22); Wijesinghe (67); Thapar (26) all managed strike rates of above 100 in a destructive display that registered 19 boundaries in their score of 177/3. The Wijesinghe innings was one of high class; he went arial over the in-field, climbing into anything full. Eton responded promisingly and were 71 without loss, putting the game in the balance. The introduction of spinners Palekar (4-0-28-2) and Wijesinghe (4-0-27 1) turned the tide in our favour; their three wickets halted the Eton momentum and they fell 23 runs short on 154/5. This was the first fixture between the two schools was an amazing spectacle to boot; we are determined to make it a regular occurrence. So far, the 1st XI team management have handed out debuts to the following players: Aaditya Bhandarkar; Krish Dhanuka; Brayden Doran; Tom Ford; Affan Kundi; Roshen Gnanakuru and Rahul Rajkumar. All players have received their 1st XI baggy cap, as has Daniel Steven-Jennings, who made his debut last season. At the time of writing, Aaryan Sawant is leading the way with the bat – he has scored 395 runs at an average of 44 – while Pansilu Wijesinghe is the top bowler, taking 22 wickets at an average of just 11.68. A number of stalwarts have represented the School heroically over their time, and so it is only right that we pay tribute to them. Rishi Thapar is a no-nonsense, inspirational and selfless captain who battles with the bat and sets the standard in the field. Affan Kundi is a skilled swing bowler and death-over specialist; his opening spell against Whitgift changed the game for us. Angus Whiteside is a consistently masterful opening bowler who exerts an air of calm on the team up top. He rose to the occasion with 3 wickets against Forest. Pranav Bhatia is a talented and reliable bowler who is always hard to get away; he has also changed games with his exceptional boundary fielding. Gursimar Puri is a wholehearted all-rounder who exudes positivity and intensity on the field, as well as being a handy lower-order hitter. He famously injured himself celebrating a catch against Whitgift. Vedant Palekar is the life and soul of the team. The side is always weaker without his left arm spin; we

Squad: F. Ahmed, J. Beeby, K. Dhanuka, T. Embleton, T. Ford, R. Gnanakuru, T. Patel, G. Puri, D. Reddy, J. Rose, S. Sangani, D. Shah, N. Shah, V. Shah, D. Steven

Jennings, J. Steven-Jennings. 3rd XI, 4th XI and U16A

The combined squads of the U16A, 3rd and 4th XI have a joint report to reflect not only the squad they train in, but the sense of brotherhood that now binds them together. Forged in the unrelenting crucible of adversity, this ‘band of brothers’ is going from strength to strength. After a challenging start away at Hampton, where the U16A and 3rds tasted defeat, retribution was swift at home to Haberdashers’ for the 4ths in the first midweek fixture of the season. It was honours even against a strong Whitgift outfit, with the home teams defending their territory, but from that point on, a line was drawn in the sand. Strengthened by the rocky road they have walked, the 3rds and 4ths have gone undefeated since the end of April. Convincing away wins at the imposing environs of St Paul’s and Haileybury (whom we also dismantled at home) has built considerable momentum. Competition for the starting line-up is fierce and high standards are rigorously enforced by all. The only thing that has surpassed their grit, determination and guile on the field, has been the quality of their match reports. No one really knows what this group are capable of and only time will tell. A rematch against Habs and fixtures against Tonbridge, Hurstpierpoint, St Albans and even the Australian touring side of Brighton College remain this season. The only certainty is that these challenges will be faced together. Mr A. C. Bruce Squad: J. Hely-Hammond (Capt.), R. N. Shah, Y. Pashine (Capt.), S. Pankhania, A. Bhudia, K. S. Thakrar, A. Patel, A. Sacranie, N. Kakad, S. Patel, K. R. Thakrar, R. Jones (Capt.), T. Varsani (Capt.), R. S. Shah, M. Lodhi, G. Dalton, A. Bist, S. Tiwari, S. Sanjai, D. Rana, K. Lakhani, N. T. Patel, S. Siyyid, K. Shah, Y. Madhaparia, K. Thayaparan, S. Desai, K. Majumder, M. Bhimjiyani, R. Ahamed, K. Banerjee, T. Ranjan, J. Steven-Jennings, A. Minhas, J. Beeby, H. Walker, K. Shah.

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Taylorian 2023