Oakham School recently made school history by fielding its first mixed cricket team in its 50th year of co-education.
With the rapid growth in interest and ability amongst the Oakham girls over the last few years, the Oakham Cricket Department has recently been in a position where it can include girls’ teams at U18 and U15 level.
Taking the opportunity to strengthen Oakham’s U14C team, 6 girls were selected to join 5 boys in the game at Bedford School. Bedford, a traditionally very strong all boys’ school in all sports, did not disappoint. They fielded a team which contained talented players that would prove a stern test for any opponents.
Mr Patrick Latham, Visiting Sports Coach, tells us more about the historical match.
“Batting first, Bedford scored quickly and set a challenging total for the Oakham team to chase. It was fantastic to see the girls, who were nervous at the start, challenge themselves and take the ball to bowl overs in the game. Wickets for Molly S, Esther M and Izzy N were great to see and reward for their courage in going out of their comfort zones to put themselves in the spotlight.
In reply, Oakham did not challenge the Bedford score, but in some ways this game was never about that. This was an incredible experience for all the players, some of whom were playing a school match for the first time. A few had never heard of cricket until this term, but all played with smiles on their faces and enjoyed each other’s company and successes. It felt an important moment and I hope it is a day they will remember for a long time; the day Oakham fielded a mixed cricket team in the 50th year of Co-Education at the school.”
