My College Experience - Toby Phipps
“The decision to go to Myerscough was undoubtedly the correct one”
Toby left us last year after completing his two year programme, he is currently taking a gap year before starting his study at University next year.
Similar to other students in Toby’s cohort, his first year was affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. In his second year however, Toby played 11 games for the colleges first XI, bowling 102 overs and taking 24 wickets in the process. Toby finished second leading wicket taker for the season, he took 4 catches and was not required to bat for the college.
September 2019, the beginning of a two year experience that contained a virus, zoom lessons, super overs and many funny moments along the way. Who could have predicted all this on our first day as we awkwardly sat in the classroom, no one really saying anything? This, however would change extremely quickly, possibly much to Dan’s disappointment, as we got to know each other through lessons, cricket and fitness sessions, the infamous bleep test being a personal favourite of mine.
The curriculum covered a wide range of topics, from anatomy and physiology to event management, which culminated in a college wide cricket draft, a self proclaimed Myerscough’s answer to the Hundred. The mixture of assignments, some practical and some written, ensures no two are the same.
However, to be honest, the highlight of the two years was always going to be cricket. This all started in the indoor centre at Old Trafford, with Brett providing expert coaching that could improve anyone’s game, even if my batting was beyond a lost cause. The mixture of training sessions meant not only technique was worked on, but also allowed us to improve how we thought about the game. We were also lucky enough to have the opportunity to see the Lancashire players’ sessions, allowing us to see how professionals train.
This year we were able to play a full fixture list, playing our home games at fortress Ashton on Mersey. The away fixtures took us to schools such as Sedbergh, where the college won for the first time ever. We also played in a variety of tournaments and formats, allowing us to improve all aspects of our game. This included a run to the semi-final of the North West t20 competition. This semi-final was probably the best game I have ever been involved in, with a high scoring game culminating in a tense super over, which we unfortunately came out on the losing side.
Our time at Myerscough came to end with a two day game at Merchant Taylors School played in excellent spirit, encapsulating our time at the college fittingly.
Overall, the decision to go to Myerscough was undoubtedly the correct one, having given me the opportunity to go on to university and most importantly making friends for life.
Finally, I hope my record of never batting for college remains unbroken.