Cricket U17s National Cup Final 2025

By Adhrit Pande

Hampton School’s U17 side were crowned National Champions after a hard-fought and thrilling victory over Rugby School in the 2025 U17 Cricket Paper National Cup Final.

The final, although played in the Summer holidays, was the culmination of a campaign that had begun in the previous academic year, where Hampton progressed through the previous rounds of the competition, with a number of closely contested matches that had helped shape a well-balanced and confident side.

Having lost the toss, Hampton were put into bat first with James S and Oliver K opening the innings. The pair put together a strong opening partnership of 78, taking Hampton through the early overs without losing a wicket. James S led the way with a controlled 55, anchoring the innings, while Oliver K’s 38 provided important support at the other end helping Hampton to build a solid foundation early on.

With Hampton looking to capitalise on the positive start, Aston C increased the tempo by putting pressure on the Rugby bowlers, scoring freely and taking advantage of anything loose. His innings of 65 from 42 balls helped to maintain a high scoring rate through the middle overs. Rohan M then added a useful 26 continuing the momentum and ensuring the scoreboard keeps ticking over. In the final overs, James E delivered the important finish, scoring an unbeaten 27 off 8 balls finding the boundary regularly with clean striking. His late acceleration helped Hampton surge in the final overs, closing the innings on 241 for 6 from their 35 overs.

In reply, Rugby were rocked early with Edward R taking a wicket on the very first ball of the innings. Along with Joe P they kept things tight early on, limiting scoring opportunities and building pressure. As Rugby worked to rebuild, Hampton’s first-changed bowlers Raphael T and Rohan P maintained control, consistently hitting their lines and lengths and picking up crucial wickets, preventing the Rugby batsmen from forming long partnerships. 

Through the middle overs, Rugby stayed in contention with a number of steady contributions from the middle order. At this stage Hampton turned to their spinners; Adhrit P and Xavier K, who between them picked up 5 wickets. Bowling with a tight line and length, they were able to restrict the flow of runs for the Rugby batmen keeping them below the required rate. In the field, Hampton were sharp in the ring and disciplined on the boundary, with important catches from Richard P and Edward R helping to back up the bowlers.

As the match moved into the final overs, the responsibility fell onto Joe P and Rohan P with Rugby accelerating and pushing towards the target. With the tension in the ground mounting ball by ball, they stuck to their plans and executed under pressure and while the Rugby batsmen were able to find the boundaries at key moments, they were prevented from getting ahead, leaving the game to be decided in the final over with Rugby needing 12 to win.

Rohan P was given the task of bowling the final over, with the outcome still hanging in the balance and everything riding on the last 6 deliveries. Around the ground, the tension was palpable, with supporters on the edge and anxiety high. The first 4 balls brought 6 runs, with the ball going in the air twice and coming down both times with the sense of the occasion showing as these two massive moments could’ve easily swung the game in Hampton’s favour. Nevertheless, with 6 off 2 required, Rohan P went for a wide yorker, but missed his length slightly, allowing the Rugby batmen to get underneath the ball and slice it over extra cover with the ball trickling over the boundary for 4. With the tension on a knife-edge and Rugby needing 2 runs from the last ball, Rohan P nailed a leg stump yorker, hitting the batsmen on the pad. The batters could only scramble through for a leg-bye to short fine leg leaving the scores level at the end of the match, the first time in the competition’s history!

With the game tied, as per the competition rules, since they had lost fewer wickets than Rugby, 241-6 against 241-8, Hampton School were crowned The Cricket Paper National Cup champions. Rohan P was awarded player of the match for his cameo with the bat and the composure he showed in bowling the final over to win Hampton the game.

Captain Zaid A described that “Lifting the National Cup for the first time in the school’s history is an incredibly special feeling, particularly in such a tight final where every run mattered. The way every player stepped up throughout the season says a lot about our character. It’s one of those moments you dream about as a team, and one that will stay with us for a long time”