IPSWICH School's star batsman Archie Gravell has notched up five centuries in a dazzling season with the first team.

Stuart Watson

IPSWICH School's star batsman Archie Gravell has notched up five centuries in a dazzling season with the first team.

The 17-year-old accumulated 1,382 runs and averaged over 100 during the course of the season.

Gravell played in all five winning games during his school's Easter tour to Grenada and in all three festival fixtures in Edinburgh where his side won two of those matches.

In all, Ipswich School's first team played 20, won 13, drew four and lost just three over the course of the season.

Gravell was ably supported at the crease by vice-captain Hugh Thomas, Mark Hemy, Sasha Ward and Ashwin Raj. The bowling attack was led by skipper Ed Pope, who took 40 wickets, with strong support from Jack Hinshelwood, Matt Heal-Cohen, Mark Hemy and 15-year-old Harry Cook, who will lead the attack next season.

The side was coached by former Essex star Ray East, who is Ipswich School's cricket professional and head groundsman, and by Roger Ingham, who retires after 38 years of distinguished service as a teacher at Ipswich School.

East said: “There's plenty of promise for the future. Only five squad members are leaving, so next year's first team will be very experienced.”

Elsewhere, the Under 15A side, captained by Lewis Catlow, won ten of their 13 matches, gained the Suffolk Twenty20 Championship for the second successive year and came third in the Southern Region Championship.

The Under 15Bs, captained by Jorge Pashler, were unbeaten, while the Under 12As, captained by James Hodgkinson, won 11 of their 14 matches and made it to the Suffolk Cup final where they were narrowly beaten by Old Buckenham Hall School.