Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

 

Firstly let me say that I am greatly honoured to have been elected as your new president for the years 2026 and 2027. I think there are interesting times ahead, after a few rather depressing years post the Covid epidemic.

 

Let me also thank my predecessor Peter Bradburn, who toured the country fitting in almost every game the Pilgims played during his tenure. I am not sure my travels from leafy Buckinghamshire will be so frequent, but I am booked in for the Ampleforth game, in the preliminary round of the Cricketer Cup.

 

I would also like to thank Jim Blackwell, who has decided to step down as Hon Secretary. He and Ed Sloane, were rather press ganged into taking on the job in 2014. Ed retired in 2022 and Jim then took over the reins himself. So thank you for all your hard work. Jim’s successor is Freddie Cheshire and I am extremely confident that he will do an excellent job.

 

So coming to the new season, you can look at the website (now being looked after by Peter Bradburn) and see that we have some interesting fixtures in the pipeline and I do encourage new and old players to contact the match managers and start playing. My view is that ‘Cricket clubs are for the benefit of those that want to play the game.’ Former players of my generation can reminisce at any pub about our past glories and adventures with the Pilgrims (probably slightly exaggerated now), but being a Pilgrim gives you the opportunity to meet up with old friends and play the game on some of the most beautiful grounds in the country. Don’t miss the chance, get applying now. Fixtures have been arranged for your benefit and whilst we used to have the majority of matches in two chunks, The Week and The South Coast Tour, now they crop up throughout the summer.

 

The Cricketer Cup is a great competition, with a long history. The first winners were the Pilgrims back in 1967 and until recently we had a very strong record. I am pretty confident, having watched some of the match at Eton last year, thanks to encouragement from the headmaster and Cameron Wake, who knows what it is like to win with his successes at Oundle, that a return to our former glories is just around the corner.

 

This season also sees us entering the Over 50s Cricketer Cup and I encourage people to come to Repton at the end of April, to watch Jon Sheard and his merry men play in our first match. I know a few of the Bradfield Waifs team, who are the current holders, and this is competitive stuff.

 

We will also be entering a side in another new Cricketer Cup initiative the Women’s Cricket Cup in 2027. Cameron, Chris Simons and Peter Bradburn are working on getting this off the ground and we certainly have the players to do well.

 

I would ask you also to look at the updated website https://www.reptonpilgrims.com and if you attend any match, please take a few photos on your phone and send them to Peter, so he can add them to match reports. Also if you have a desktop version of Excel, download all of the Repton School Cricket archives from the website (Trial Tab) and take a tour of all the incredible work that James Ross, Peter Bradburn, Angela Aulton and Paul Stevens have put in. I am in the process with the help of an AI agent called Claude of making a website version. The history bits are easy but the complicated tables are not!

 

Finally we are considering holding the biennial dinner in London in Spring 2027. If anyone has an idea of venue or your views on the idea, please get in touch (frank@winnardsperch.org).

 

I look forward to seeing you on the Paddock or elsewhere, during my two year stint. I will certainly be at Merchant Taylor’s School on April 11th for the Arthur Dunn Final, where strangely the Repton Cricket 1st XI is also playing in a pre-season friendly against the school.

 

May the sun shine, and please set up your Bank Standing Orders if you have not done so, since you became a member. It is only £15 a year.  The club does not run on fresh air!

 

Regards

 

Frank Russell (O’69)

 

2026 Fixture List

 

• Sunday 26th April – vs Oundle Rovers (h) - Over 50s Cricketer Cup. 11.30 am 35 overs a side 

Match Manager Jon Sheard.  jonsheard@yahoo.co.uk  07767 161132

• Sunday 17th May – vs Old Amplefordians (a) – Bye Round Cricketer Cup 11.30 am 50 overs a side

Match Manager James Sookias.  sookiasjh@gmail.com  07958 102255

• Saturday 27th June – vs Repton School 1st XI (h) 11.30 am  40 overs a side

Match Manager James Sookias.  sookiasjh@gmail.com  07958 102255

• Friday 3rd July – vs Lincolnshire Gents (h) 11.00 am  All day game, last hour at 5.00pm 

Match Manager Jim Blackwell.  bsjwb1@hotmail.com  07903 232598

• Friday 17th July – vs Quarndon CC (h)  11.00am  All day game, last hour at 5.00pm

Match Manager Felix Waters.  felixwaters@me.com   07961 520002  

• Friday 21st August – vs Sheffield Collegiate CC (h) Evening T20  5.30pm 

Match Manager Henry Eldred.  heldred9@gmail.com  07484 680366

 

If successful in the main Cricketer Cup, there could be home fixtures on:

 

• Sunday 14th June          1st Round

• Sunday 28th June          2nd Round

• Sunday 5th July             Quarter-Final

• Sunday 26th July           Semi-Final

 

with the Final at Arundel Castle on Sunday 9th August

 

If successful in the Over 50s Cricketer Cup, there could be away fixtures on:

 

• Sunday 31st May           2nd  Round

• Sunday 28th June          Semi-Final

 

The final is to be played on Sunday 19th July at Bradfield College