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OA CRICKET The summer of 2025 saw the OA cricket team take part in five fixtures, enjoying some positive performances. The Cricketer Cup team travelled to Radley in June to play in the first round. Despite posting a highly competitive 244 from
ALLEYNIAN SAILING SOCIETY Approaching the end of my second year leading the Alleynian Sailing Society, I’m excited to reflect on another busy and fulfilling year of activities. The year started with the well-attended AGM lunch held in the James Caird Auditorium. A moment’s silence was taken to mark the passing of Brigadier Johnny Walker (51-59), past president of the OAA, who was a great supporter of the society and a Vice Commodore. It was particularly pleasing to again have parents and representatives from the Friends of Dulwich (FDC) who provide vital funding for our College related activities. The end of May cruising rally saw two boats participating but it was unfortunately a week of challenging weather conditions. The hopes of long sunny days gave way to finely tuned short passage dashes around the Solent, to make sure that we were safely berthed as very strong winds picked up. We’re hoping for better weather in 2026! Much of our focus this year has been to expand our racing expertise and participation. Under the guidance of Reg Kheraj (02-07), we have successfully partnered with Unity Sailing, a sail race training and coaching company in Hamble. So, on 14th and 15th June, five of us took part in the JOG Cowes-Yarmouth race weekend on ‘Hair of the Dog’, a Sunfast 32 racing yacht skippered by Unity’s Lou Clayton. The event was excellently organised, very rewarding and hard work but we all gained valuable skills and insights, and all look forward to our next opportunity. Reg Kheraj himself took part in the renowned Fastnet race with a Unity crew at the end of July, having taken part in several other JOG offshore races to gain the qualifying miles. This was followed by the inaugural Shackleton Cup over the last weekend of August, pitting young society members against a racing team from the College. The crews trained hard on the Saturday with a three-race series sailed on the Sunday. The society emerged victorious, and the weekend was a great success and testament to our efforts to bring on young OAs and promising student. Our thanks go to Raj Joshi and Victoria Goldsack, along with Reg and the Unity skippers, for their time and organisation. The annual Boys Sail Training Week took place at the beginning of July. It was a great week on the water, six yachts and 24 boys– quite an exercise in the logistics of sailing, berthing and feeding! We continue to celebrate returning boys from previous years along with young OA leavers who have taken part as boys but transition into crew members. Our thanks go to the skippers and crew who make it all possible. In October, we chalked up our 30th consecutive entry (excluding 2020) in the Arrow Trophy Regatta for independent schools. Saturday’s racing was abandoned due to winds exceeding safety limits, but Sunday saw three races completed, resulting in a 6th place overall finish. Our recent crews have been relatively young and inexperienced, but we are intent on continuing to improve our competitiveness. We have also published a very polished ASS brochure, thanks in large part to the Hon. Secretary’s diligent identification of marketing opportunities. This effort culminated on 7th November at the OAA dinner, where the Master (our Admiral) proudly wore our Society tie.
their 50 overs, highlighted by Jonny Waugh’s (04-15) 71 from only 48 balls, they unfortunately lost by seven wickets. That Cricketer Cup side was probably one of the strongest we have presented in recent years and with nearly 60 OA’s now part of the OA Cricket WhatsApp group - a number of whom are recent leavers, the future of OA cricket is looking promising. I would seriously like to thank Alex Rackow (10-15) for all the efforts he has put in captaining the side over the last four years and wish the new captain Jake Scarisbrick (07-18) the best of luck in taking on the role this year. The first round this year is against Rugby Meteors (A) on Sunday 17th May, with a warmup T20 match v the College 1st XI on Wednesday 13th May. If you would like to be considered for either of these fixtures and/or are interested in playing some OA cricket this summer, please email me and I will add you to our group.
Phil Hulston (74-83) philiphulston22@gmail.com
OLD ALLEYNIAN VETS CRICKET TEAM The Old Alleynian Vets cricket team was unofficially created in 2017 to celebrate the life of one of our club’s legends Steve Mayers (70-77), who sadly passed away the previous winter. Since then, we have played one or two games a season, including ‘Steve’s Match’, usually of the 20/20 variety and either at the College or at the OA club, where the square has recently been re-laid. 2025 took an interesting turn when we applied to join the newly formed Over 50s Cricketer Cup competition with nine other old boys’ clubs. The competition is, like the main younger version, a knockout competition though at 35 overs it is slightly shorter than the main competition (50 overs). We were drawn in the first round against the previous inaugural season’s winners, Bradfield Waifs, who included a former county player in their midst. While it would be a stretch to say we made them work hard for their victory, we at least managed to make a decent and enjoyable game out of it. As it happens, we were knocked out by the competition’s eventual winners, with Bradfield going on to retain the trophy. This year we have been drawn at home to Harrow and have had the pleasure of playing on the 1st XI square again. The standard of our team varies from former 2nd and 3rd team players, to current over 60s and over 70s Kent County players. Phil Hulston (74-83) and Chris Tarrant (66-73) both captained the College in their heyday and indeed Chris has represented England in the over 60 age group. We are on the hunt for new players so please email me if you are interested in joining our club. If we could build a bigger squad, there is scope to increase our fixture list to three or four matches per season – maybe even more if we progress in the Cricketer Cup. Andy McKee (76-83) andym.baraka@gmail.com
Finally, it is a matter of great pride that Simon Brown (69–76), our Hon. Treasurer, is serving as the current President of the OAA. Coincidentally, our Hon. Secretary, Anthony Frankford (62-69), is acting Vice President and will assume the presidency of the OAA in November 2026. It is an exceptional honour for the society. My thanks go to everyone who took part in all the sailing events during the year and particularly to Anthony Frankford for his sterling work on our behalf. We look forward to seeing everyone on the water in 2026. We are an ‘open’ Society to all who are involved within the College network, whether College personnel, Old Alleynians, parents, FDC, if you would like to become involved, please contact Ben Turnbull (Hon Sec) secretary@alleyniansailingsociety.org
Alistair Capon (73-80) Commodore
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