Nicholson Cricketer Cup Final Preview

The Nicholson Cricketer Cup final takes place at Arundel Castle this Sunday 11 August, starting at 1130. It is between Bradfield Waifs, who last won in 2022, and Old Tonbridgians, losing finalists in 2023 and winners in 2019. These two sides lie in second place (Tonbridge) and seventh (Bradfield) in the all-time Merit Table, but all of Bradfield’s seven appearances in the final have been in the last twenty-eight years and they have definitely been one of the strongest and most consistent teams in recent years. Around the turn of the century they met each other in three finals in five years, Tonbridge winning in 1999 and 2002, Bradfield in 1997. In 2023 Tonbridge won at Bradfield in the quarter-final on the way to the final. They are both well supported teams so a good crowd is expected on Sunday, when all friends and supporters of the Cricketer Cup are welcome at Arundel, with plenty of room for parking around the ground.

The result is hard to call. Neither side can call on their current Test player - Gus Atkinson (Bradfield) and Zak Crawley (Tonbridge) - both of whom have played in the competition in earlier years. Bradfield have been able to strengthen the side which won convincingly at Charterhouse in the semi-final to add to six of the players who won the cup in 2022. Sheridon Gumbs comes in to captain the side and he can call on Derbyshire batsman, Harry Came, who played a fine innings to win the game at Malvern in the quarter-final, and wicket-keeper Andrew MacEwan, the Bradfield College captain in 2024, who has Hampshire County 2nd XI experience. Interestingly Andrew’s uncle Ian was master-in-charge of cricket at Tonbridge in the 1990s. The 2022 man-of-the match, Tom Ettridge, plays again and they have a trio of good spinners from that game in Monty Mackenzie, Olly Birts and Charlie Gwynn. Hugo Darby, a prolific run-scorer in the competition, opens the innings after seeing his side to victory at Charterhouse in the semi-final.

Tonbridge by contrast largely rely on the players who have won them their semi-final at Haileybury. The two county-contracted players who helped them to beat Millfield in the quarter-final are unavailable - Marcus O’Riordan (Kent) and Ollie Sykes (Surrey) - while they also have Toby Pettman and Sam Seecharan on contracts with Notts who will not release them. They are captained by seam bowler, Hugo Snape, but the strength of their bowling is in the four young spinners - Sam Hadfield, Anthony Bissett, Joe Baldwin and Harry Bevan-Thomas and the more experienced off-spinner Tom Coldman and left-arm unorthodox Henry Cope. Ollie Morgan from the 2024 School side both opens the batting and keeps wicket, while Anthony Bissett comes in at number four following his match-winning innings at Haileybury in the semi-final.

One of the umpires for the game is Roger Tolchard, the England wicket-keeper who played over thirty times for Old Malvernians in the Cricketer Cup.