Cricket   Close

Cricket at The Royal Hospital School, Suffolk.

Boys at the Royal Hospital School, Suffolk, enjoy their cricket and it is the traditional Summer Term sport. This year will see a record 12 representative school teams compete from Senior 1st XI down to Under 12B.

The Royal Hospital School is regarded by many as one of the most progressive cricket schools in Southern England and possess an extremely strong fixture list on the East Anglican school's circuit.

RHS Master i/c cricket is Don Topley who enjoyed a distinguished professional career with Essex CCC and also was an international coach with Zimbabwe (3 years) during the World Cup of 1992. The former bowler also enjoyed his own formative cricketing years at RHS, before becoming a professional cricketer.

The School possesses 96 acres of playing fields which roll down to the banks of the beautiful River Stour. We they have 4 representative squares (Lord's, Oval, Canterbury and Newlands) which are situated at the bottom of the playing fields and six house wickets which are at the top, nearest the impressive 'Queen Anne' style school buildings.

The school fixtures are varied, from the annual block fixtures against other schools, to local cricket clubs and that of the MCC and XL Club. It is not only the boys who play cricket, as the Staff XI compete in the weekly Inter Ipswich Business Firm League.

As well as the huge amount of school cricket played, the school hosts the annual Minor Counties Cricket Festivals at both, Under 11s and Under 12s who all reside at RHS. These are played in July and annually involve the counties: Cumbria, Cleveland, Northumberland, Pembrokeshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Herefordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

During recent times the school has invested in a new 1st team square which has tremendous pace and bounce, a digital scoreboard, a bowling machine and a set of first class mobile hoop-covers. Most recently the School has had two splendid indoor nets constructed in the gymnasium which offer full length run-ups.

The School is proud to have a number of pupils who have represented the County including: Jed Cawkwell (Suffolk U14), Matt Drury, Luke Jones, James Kerr (all Suffolk U14), Ben Allday (Suffolk U13) and Reece Topley (Essex U13). Reece and Matt also had the distinction of being the first Suffolk schoolboys ever to be selected for the South of England with Reece going on to full England honours.

The RHS groundsman is Mr Tim Parker, who is a stalwart playing member and groundsman of Woolpit Cricket Club. He is also the ECB Pitches inspector for Suffolk.

For more information about RHS cricket please telephone Don Topley on 07747 012533.