The cricket fixture between Taunton School’s 1st XI and the MCC goes all the way back to 1922! Since then, the match has been played most years, apart from during and after WW2.

Since 1956 there have been matches every year except for a few isolated years when possibly weather or time factors caused the game not to be played. The 2020 match was played in September after the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Overall, 84 matches have been played between Taunton School and the MCC, and all known results are as follows:

TS  wins:  20

TS losses:  32

Draws:  14

Games abandoned:  5

The School’s six most recent wins have been in:  2024, 2014, 2011, 2010, 2008 and 2006.   The first win was in 1926, the year of the 5th fixture following four defeats.

Other interested statistics and facts include:

Longest period without a win for TS: 23 years (1934-56, no games took places in 1940s)

Longest period without a TS loss: 14 years (1980-93, reflecting one of the greatest ever decades for TS cricket – the 1980s)

Biggest TS wins:                                                                                                               

1996     By 8 wickets    MCC  200-8 dec     TS  203-2 (Cooper 84, Tarr 72)

1985     By 7 wickets    MCC  198-8 dec (Kennedy 73)  TS  202-3  (Waters 101)

2010     By 6 wickets    MCC  221-3 dec     TS  223-4  (Skinner 98, Abell 74)

2011     See Highest Scoring Match below

Biggest TS defeat: 1925 (All out for 47, lost by 308 runs)

Highest scoring match: 2011   MCC  244 all out     TS  245-3   (Hallas 96, Abell 85) (TS winning by 7 wickets)

Highest scores at Declaration:

By  MCC:  355-7  in 1925 (may be the highest score ever made against the School)

By TS :   215-9 in 1962

Closest match:  1933   TS  151  all out   MCC  147  all out  (TS won by 4 runs)

Closest draws:

1962   TS  215-9 dec     MCC  215-7  at  TIME  (not strictly a Tie as match could not be played out beyond the time limit)

1965   MCC  188-9 dec    TS   176-9   at  TIME

1995   MCC  210 all out   TS   193-9  at   TIME

Lowest scores  all out: 

1925  TS  47  (see Biggest Defeat)

1931   MCC  79

Years TS  bowled  MCC all out: 1930 (106), 1931 (79), 1957 (148), 1968 (150), 1986  (163), 1995 (210),  2006 (141), 2011 (244)

Highest individual score by a TS player: 106  Nicholas Pringle  1984

Highest score by an MCC player: 124   Andrew Kennedy (TS staff)  1983

Most unusual game: In 1929 the match was 12 a side for some reason. The TS team had the honour of playing against  the England Test captain Jack White (OT) who recently returned from the Test series in Australia. He had also played in the first MCC match in 1922 – see below). In 1929 TS were all out for 98  (White took 6 wickets). The MCC innings was cut short by rain, but not before Jack White had been caught for 15. (c  W M Raw, b J H Cameron – best bowler in TS history and later West Indies international). Sadly the rain set in and the match was abandoned.

The match card for the first fixture in 1922 is interesting. Among the names are two future international sports captains, plus a player who won a reserve cap as a rugby international:

M.C.C.

Capt  C R Lewin, RN,   b Scott………………………………..15

Capt  C W Knowles-Pfeiffer,  c Stone  b Scott ………………13

J C White,  lbw    b Irvine ………………………………………4

Commander  P H Irwin, c Chadder  b Hankinson…….. …….46

C White,  b Scott ………………………………………………..1

Major R C Campbell,  c Hankinson   b Irvine  ………………..8

Col  V B  Thurston,  c Starkey  b Hankinson ………………..84

Col  F Seymour, lbw  b Scott ………………………………….28

Major  H  Imbut-Terry,  b Scott  ………………………………..8

S  Flory,  not out  ……………………………………………….13

Col  F P  Hutchinson,  did not bat

Extras  ……………………………………………………………10

                                                            (9 wkts)        230  (declared)

                                   TAUNTON  SCHOOL

W R  Collins,  b  J C White ……………………………………..15

R A  Vinson,  lbw  b Knowles-Pfeiffer  ………………………….0

A H  Chadder,   c  Lewin   b  J C White  ………………………14

J T  Hankinson,  b  Knowles-Pfeiffer  ………………………….8

W D  Scott,  b  J C White  ………………………………………9

E A  Stone,  b Knowles-Pfeiffer  ………………………………..7

D N  Hall,  b  J C White  …………………………………………1

H W  Starkey,  lbw   b  Knowles-Pfeiffer  ………………………0

A W C  Tanner,   c  &  b   Knowles-Pfeiffer  ……………………0

H M  Howell,  b  J C White  ……………………………………..0

L G  Irvine,   not out  ……………………………………………..6

Extras  …………………………………………………………….13

                                               73  all out, MCC  won by 157 runs.

In that first match of 1922 the School clearly could not cope with the demon bowling of J C White and Captain Knowles-Pfeiffer, who took all 10 wickets – 5 each. Jack White (OT) – often known as ‘Farmer White’ – played for Somerset and England, captaining the England Test team on their tour of Australia in 1928-29. It is notable that 8 of the MCC team have a military rank, presumably retained from the fairly recent First World War.

Of the Taunton team, W R (Bill) Collins was a reserve member of the England rugby squad in 1928. A H (Harvey) Chadder, known at school for his cricketing ability, went on to captain the England football team in the late 1920s. J T  Hankinson became a legendary sports master at the relatively new Canford School and was a prolific author of sports coaching books, rugby being his first love. E A Stone later became a member of the TS Staff.

Truly fascinating stuff; we can’t wait to welcome the MCC back next year!