25 Years on The 1995 Cricketer Cup Final Old Malvernians v Old Wellingtonians
The Wellingtonian reported the match as follows: ‘The Final of the 1995 Cricketer Cup was played at the Bank of England ground at Roehampton. The weather was set fair, and in ideal conditions the Malvernians won the toss and batted. Price and Fordham put on 50 for the first wicket but Bishop, who was sharp, and Alexander metronomic kept the score in check and this was to be a feature of the innings, as Malvern struggled to cut loose, with every batsman getting a start but no-one kicking on. MacLaurin top scored with 36 and an eventual total of 237 for 8 in the 55 overs was boosted by 41 extras. The wickets were shared with 2 each for the opening bowlers and for Mark Hodgson. Churton , standing up to the quicks, nabbed two stumpings and a catch. 238 seemed about par for the course.
A horrible mix-up saw Churton run out early when the Wellingtonians batted but a partnership of 86 between Sawrey-Cookson and Tim Hodgson made inroads before Sawrey went for 43, quickly followed by captain Dyer so that at 112 for 3 the game was balanced. Tim Hodgson departed at 143 for a fine 79, Salmon made an entertaining 20 but Newman, who had earlier bowled tidy off-spin, and Mark Hodgson batted with confidence and a flurry of fine strokes from the former who was unbeaten on 65 took Wellington home with 2 overs to spare. MacLaurin with 2 wickets, Usher and Ashworth all bowled well for Malvern but it was not to be their day. A first Cricketer Cup triumph for Wellington in a fine match played in good spirit.’
Tim Hodgson has his own memories: ‘The 1995 OW Cricketer Cup winning side gathered in London in 2016 for the 21 year anniversary of winning the cup. It was a good excuse for a bunch of old mates to catch up, and rarely are friendships more deeply engrained than in your school sports team, even if you haven’t seen each other for a couple of decades. The gathering really emphasised how much that win meant to the school and the Old Boys team. It was a rarity for the OW’s, and one to celebrate and remember. The run up to the final was strong. The team undoubtedly benefitted from having the cricketing nous of the Warwickshire veteran, Robin Dyer, and the competitive juices of the dual rugby union international, Jamie Salmon. As the competition went on, we simply gathered momentum and confidence.
The Bank of England is a ground I remember as having a flat wicket, a fast outfield and sat right under the Heathrow flight path, so you had to be strategic about when you edged one to the keeper! The OW’s managed to restrict the OM’s to under 250, which was probably slightly below par. Wickets were shared across our varied bowling attack, from Hugo ‘Buggy’ Bishop, the youngest in the team, who always took the Mitchell Starc approach of ‘just bowl as fast as you can’, to the more measured approach of the older crew. The chase in the end was relatively comfortable. But I remember the feeling of responsibility coming on when Robin Dyer was out early, a rarity, and we were two down for not many. Toby Sawrey-Cookson was a run machine though, and across a couple of partnerships, and with a late wobble, we edged home. I also remember being accused of edging one, and not walking, so I imagine a plane was flying over at the right time. I usually have an over-riding sense of guilt if I know I have hit it, which I didn't have from that day, so I am claiming I never touched it still! I remember the hugs and general excitement that the OW’s had finally won. I remember the champagne corks and the long evening. I remember a call to my older brother in Sydney, who was feeling jealous not to be there.'
Old Malvernians 237-8 (Neil Maclaurin 36, Ben Usher 31, Mark Hodgson 2-28) Old Wellingtonians 238-5 (Tim Hodgson 79, Tom Newman 65*, Toby Sawrey-Cookson 43)
In the photo below Robin Dyer receives the cup from Sir Oliver Popplewell.
