Cricket
Cricket is a key sport in the Summer term though indoor nets and conditioning take place throughout the winter months. There is a full fixture list comprising the likes of Oakham, Radley, Bedford, Oundle, Rugby and Uppingham.
Stowe has enjoyed several successes in recent years with unbeaten seasons in 2005 and 2007 as well as reaching the semi-finals of the National Twenty/20 in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 Stowe finished top of the National Cricket League and 3rd in 2008. During the 2009 season both U15’s and U14 teams finished second in the national league tables and both won the county cup competitions. Stowe has produced several professional cricketers over the years and currently there are three on the circuit. Rob White and Ben Howgego are at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club and Graeme White has recently signed for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. John Gurney (Leicestershire) and Ben Duckett (Northants) are two current pupils who are on county academies.
Stowe - a magnificent setting for cricket
There cannot be many better settings for cricket than the North Front at Stowe. Northamptonshire regularly play 2nd XI matches here and during the 2005 season Stowe hosted a Sunday Totesport League game between Northants Steelbacks and Gloucester Gladiators. We are hoping to welcome back Northamptonshire 1st XI next summer.
Overall Stowe is blessed with excellent facilities for cricket. There are six squares, eight lanes of turf nets, 10 lanes of Astroturf nets and an indoor sports centre with four lanes of nets (quite useful during a typical English summer!). Set in acres of countryside Stowe has ample space for its pitches and is a truly magnificent setting for cricket. With plenty of boarding facilities the School is also able to host teams from overseas as well as other English schools, which we do on a regular basis.
Teams and Coaches
Stowe runs 13 teams, five senior, seven junior and one girls XI. Dominic Mochan (who ran the cricket at Wallington County Grammar School before coming to Stowe) runs the Under 14's. The Under 15's are led by Phil Arnold who played for Gloucester Young Cricketers and Captained the West of England U19 side. The U16's have Isaac Michael at the helm, the Director of Sport and a previous master in charge of cricket at Stowe. The 1st XI has two coaches responsible for them: James Knott, who was a professional with Surrey County Cricket Club and currently plays for Bedfordshire CCC in the minor county championship. The other is Chris Townsend, another graduate of Gloucestershire youth cricket who went on to get three Blues at Oxford and is now Housemaster of Grafton. Performance teams have two coaches available to them to ensure players get the individual coaching required for them to reach their full potential.
With the arrival of his son Liam at the School, Darren Gough (the former Yorkshire, Essex and England fast bowler who took over 200 Test wickets) has become a part of the Stowe coaching team. He joins us for one day a week throughout the summer and will be involved in all age groups, from U14 up to the 1st XI.
At the end of the summer term the season finishes with two cricket festivals. One for the 1st XI, who play a 2-day Twenty/20 Festival; and one for new cricketers at the School, who compete in a 3-day tournament of over 50 fixtures.
Once every three years the 1st XI embark on a major tour abroad. Recent tours have included Grenada and India and a further tour is planned in 2010 to Australia. Recently, the U15’s returned unbeaten from a tour to Cape Town, South Africa.
Cricket Professional: Mr James Knott