Batting first, the pupils got off to a fantastic start, with openers Mike and Jed expressing themselves with the bat, playing expansive shots and piling on the runs at a rate of nearly 10 an over. Building on their dominance with the bat,​ they eased past 100 without the loss of a wicket, which saw Mike bring up his half century, only for his skipper to retire him.  Jed, with a new partner in Harrison, wanted to follow Mike and retire, only to miss a straight one and be bowled with one big hit away from his target of 50.  Mr Carmichael shone with the ball, showing his athletic prowess, pouncing on a caught and bowled opportunity to dismiss Harrison whilst in single figures. With Oliver and Sam at the crease, and some wayward bowling from the opposition, the scoreboard ticked over. Miss Alvey took the catch of the game on the long on boundary. Milo joined his partner at the crease and opened with a terrific pull to mid wicket for 4. With wickets falling at regular intervals, batsmen sacrificed their wickets for runs in an attempt to put the match out of reach of the staff.  Debutantes Katie and Tilly ​donned their pads and made their mark. 

The bowling was shared with impressive performances from Mr Grant, who had not played since his school days but looked as though he played every weekend.  Mr Van Wyk launched a few grenades, whilst the batsmen found it difficult to score from Mr Elliott.  Setting a challenging target of 174 to win, the staff had it all to do... once they had enjoyed their burgers during the interval.  

With all the funds raised being donated the Cricket Without Boundaries, a charity supporting HIV and AIDS education in Africa, players paid £5 to take part in this cricketing extravaganza. Over £120 was raised during the evening, so whatever the result, everyone had contributed to the success of the evening. 

Opening the batting for the staff, Mr Schlaefli and George Thrussell (ex Deer Park pupil on university placement in our PE Faculty) got them off to a good start, driving Oli for four. Jed made the breakthrough - bowling Mr Schaefli for 14 and, two balls later, getting Mr Grant out. Suddenly reduced to not many for 2, stalwart Mr Cumming took responsibility with Thrussell to steady the ship and give the staff some hope. Punishing the bad ball, the pair rotated the strike and Mr Cumming got value for money by using of the edges of his bat, whilst Thrussell struck the ball cleanly, driving the ball to the boundary. The bowling was shared amongst the pupils, who were seeking a breakthrough as the scoreboard crept towards the target. Fin brought his experience of leg spin into the attack to try and break partnerships. When Thrussell was dismissed, Mr Van Wyk ​mom​entarily occupied the crease and was replaced by Mr Carmichael, who supported Mr Cumming in edging closer and closer to the target.  ​Mr Carmichael's time came and went and he was replaced by Mr Green, who as another of our Maths teachers obviously had no problem calculating the run rate required. Needing 10 from the last over and with Katie stepping up to take responsibility for the last 6 balls, the atmosphere on the sideline was tense.  A defensive field was set, boundaries were required.  A single, 9 from 5.  Another single, 8 from 4.  Two mighty strikes and it would be game over.  Another two, 6 from 3.  ​Looking to push 2 from the fifth ball, Mr Green was run out, so it was 5 from 1. Finally, with Mr Cumming and Miss Alvey in the middle, anything was possible.  Unfortunately it was not to be, however, as only 1 run came. 

And so, for the second year in a row, the pupils beat the staff, this year by 4 runs.  

Our thanks to Harrison for organising the event, to the pupils and staff for participating in our now annual fixture in the sporting calendar, to Cirencester Cricket Club for hosting, to Mrs Reynolds for tending the BBQ and to to Mr Woodcock, Mr Jackson and Mr Howell for umpiring and organising things pitchside.  

We are already looking forward to next year's match - and perhaps our Staff need some time in the nets beforehand!