Head of Cricket, Ben Crump, writes of the match:

On Sunday 14th June, the School welcomed back a group of OBs for a memorial cricket fixture in honour of close friends and former 1st XI teammates, Nelson Pratt (O92/97) and Tom Rooke (O92/97).

Hyde provided the perfect setting for a day that meant far more than the game itself.

The Old Brutonian XI, captained by Mark Dunn (P95–00), won the uncontested toss and elected to bat first in a declaration-format match. The School XI, made up of pupils from the 1st XI, 2nd XI and Girls' 1st XI, started well, with Joel A. (U6th) taking the first wicket of the day in only his second over. Ava O'. (L6th) was unlucky not to be rewarded for an outstanding opening spell. The Old Brutonians looked to build a strong partnership between skipper Dunn and Ed Squire (P93–98), reaching lunch at 96–3.

The School XI capitalised early after lunch and regular wickets began to fall, with Charles P.(L6th) claiming the prized wicket of his father, Will Pitt (L93–98), shortly before the close of the innings. The Old Brutonians were eventually declared at 181-9 after 47 overs.

The School XI knew they required seven runs per over from their allotted 26 overs to stand a chance of victory, and openers Oliver W. (U6th) and Ted H.(L6th) made a positive start. When Oliver fell to Dan Wyatt (P91–96), the score stood at 38–1. Kristian B. (5th) and Ted H. then accelerated the scoring, sharing a partnership of 78 that brought the School ever closer to the target. Kristian B. was dismissed for 37, while Ted H. made 65 before departing shortly afterwards. Lucy W. (5th) and Harry M. (4th) both finished unbeaten on 19 as the School XI closed on 156–3, with the match ending in a draw.

I would like to thank the Old Brutonians and their families for their support throughout the day, the Old Brutonian Association for its contribution towards the catering, and Adie Davies and David Agutter for officiating as umpires. I very much hope this fixture can become a regular feature of the cricket calendar.