Eton win by three wickets

Eton scraped home against a determined Caulfield Grammar School side today.  Set 141 to win in 50 overs they hit their target with the last ball of the 49th over.  On a typically enormous oval, the Caulfield innings got off to a strong start against the new ball.  The first drinks break brought some control for the fielding side, and four wickets for Gross helped to bowl the opposition out.  Our innings started slowly and wickets fell steadily until a controlled and patient innings from Hobson (62 n.o.) saw us home.  Mixing belligerence with watchful defence he won his second man of the match award of the tour.  Today's win sees a tour record of played 7 won 5 lost 2.  This is a considerable achievement for this team and they have learnt a lot from their opponents: patience, resilience and good humour chief among the qualities we have seen on the field from the Australian schoolboys.  Off the field we have enjoyed wonderful hospitality wherever we have been welcomed.

Ponting lights up the Boxing Day crowd

A lively and thirsty MCG crowd watched a great innings from Ricky Ponting today (101 off 126 balls).  The Eton tourists among the green and gold shirts survived the heat and the prevailing atmosphere for a real cricketing treat.  MCG ground regulations seem to forbid many things (Mexican waves and batting around beach balls, for instance) and some very active stewarding provided entertainment alongside the cricket.  After a quiet Christmas lunch spent in a hotel with our visiting families, we spent Christmas evening looking for (and finding) kangaroos at the holiday property of a local architect. Today's cricket gave us the authentic flavour of Christmas in Australia.  Tomorrow we take on Caulfield Grammar School in the last match of the tour before flying out at 23.59 local time.

Eton win by four wickets

A truly magnificent innings of 147 not out by Rory Cox led Eton to victory over a Melbourne Grammar School side who had won the APS championship.  Rory, who had been billetted in Adelaide with Australian Test selector Andrew Hilditch, batted with great skill and authority against good bowling from the varied and disciplined MGS attack, including a left-arm spinner who had recently been summoned to bowl at the Australian Test batsmen.  His parents and his brother, Harry, watched with justifiable pride.  With support from Sangha (30) and Gibson (25 n.o), Cox scored the winning runs with five overs to go.  MGS had battled hard throughout the day and maintained both intensity and a high level of performance, but it was Rory's day.  In his unflappable way, he accepted the award of a very battered Kookaburra cricket ball at the end of the match.  We welcome MGS to Eton in June and look forward to the renewal of rivalries as well as an opportunity to return their warm and generous hospitality.

Eton trail Melbourne Grammar School by 207 with 8 first innings wickets standing

The day started overcast and breezy and Melbourne Grammar School chose to bat. After 80 overs in the field yesterday Eton started another marathon - 85 overs today. MGS batted patiently and a century by Trotter (whose grandfather, Simon Douglas-Pennant, was an Eton cricketer in the 50s) was the anchor of their innings. The fielding improved as the day wore on, and Eton dug deep to maintain their resistance, and showed tremendous resilience. Here are the bowling figures: Priest 15-1-66-4, Sangha 20-3-62-0, Barber 16-1-43-0, Hopton 11-1-37-1, Fox 9-1-37-0, Hobson 10-1-26-2, Gross 4-0-29-1. A total of 307 for 9 represents a very fair target. Eton's reply has started well and play closed at 100-2 in bright sunshine. 25 from Hobson, 37 from Nath, with Cox and Gross the overnight batsmen. A strong MGS bowling attack will look to dominate in the morning while Eton's batsmen must maintain their patience and their concentration if they are to force a win.

Scotch College win by two wickets

Scoth College won the inaugural Tom Batty Shield by two wickets today on a breezy day in Melbourne. Runs in the morning from Nadeem (54) and Gibson (30) helped to set a target of 274 to win in what turned out to be 80 overs. Patient batting from the Scotch top order saw them through to tea, slightly behind the putative rate but with wickets in hand. Eton failed to capitalise on chances and at the 20 overs to go mark Scotch required 100 with six wickets in hand. Renewed Eton pressure in the field, with good bowling from Clowes, Fox and Sangha (31 overs in the innings) helped to ensure an exciting finish. Scotch scored the winning runs in the last over, and more than 200 overs of competitive cricket had led to a fitting climax.

Eton lead by 104 runs with all second innings wickets in hand

A beautiful sunny day in Melbourne saw Eton struggling at 30-3 but good runs from Sangha (63) and Hopton (38) rescued the situation and saw us through to a total of 181. The Scotch College reply followed a similar pattern - good early bowling from Clowes (2-33) put them on the back foot and some late striking in the now familiar Australian fashion saw them to 170. Vanderspar (45 n.o.) and Nath (41 n.o.) then took Eton through to the close without losing a wicket in an increasingly assured partnership. Tomorrow there will be a minumum of 100 overs as Eton seek to set a target and bowl Scotch out, and Scotch seek to limit the runs and chase down Eton's score.

Safely in Melbourne

After saying goodbye rather reluctantly to our hosts in Adelaide we arrived in Melbourne this afternoon and met our new hosts from Scotch College. We play them tomorrow in a two-day game (with a cap on the first innings) and are looking anxiously at the weather forecast. Melbourne's famous 'four seasons in a day' weather may threaten the game. Principal of Scotch College, Tom Batty, met us at the school and welcomed us to his new home.