Pickering troubled by run of defeats

http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES3/articles/000034/003409.shtml

Cross Duck out of SCU Trophy

An ahem.... 'understrength' Cross side came up well short against DHSFP in the SCU Trophy 1st round. In a game shortened to 40 overs per side and interrupted by one very heavy shower-but ending in fine sunshine, Dundee simply had far greater strength in depth. Nice to play in a game played in good spirits with plenty of friendly banter.

full scorecard here

Dundee High School FP 211/ 7 (40 overs)
K. Ancell 46, A. Nadir 40, D. Bailwal 34, D. Kyles 45,
V. Gaware 8/1/23/2
S. Bonfield 8/0/34/2
C. Ellis 8/2/29/0
C. McGill 5/ 0/ 42/ 1
N. Webb 5/ 0/ 40/ 1
E. C. Smith 6/0 38/1

A decent effort in the field, keeping things tight for the 1st 17 overs or so and then sticking at it against the inevitable onslaught against the change bowlers in the later overs. Some good catches by Shannon (x2), Vikram and EC (running back), and two sharp ones by Spick. A good effort too by those from the 2nd and 3rd XIs.

Holy Cross 123ao (33 overs)
C. Ellis 76*, E.C. Smith 11, C. McGill 6......it would be fair to say that the middle and lower order didn't fire: ducks for nos 4, 5, 6, 7..... 8, 9...(Calum MacIntosh putting several others to shame with a spirited 2). At 64/1 off 17 we were well in the game before EC and Shannon fell in successive Bailwal overs. The drying pitch was a little tricky after overnight rain and the heavy shower but perhaps not THAT tricky.
D. Bailwal 4/20
Hyatt 2/22
Nadir 2/ 37

Thanks to those irregulars who turned out and to Andy Q for doing some scoring and washing up after tea -and Smudger for his encouraging comments from over the fence. Good luck to Dundee HSFP in the next round.

Valiant Seconds No Match for Impressive Carlton

In Ziggy's absence the President stood in and strategically lost the toss. Carlton confidently chose to bat on a handsome Peffermill strip which played well throughout. Their confidence was well placed as an opening partnership of 83 in about 15 overs methodically picked off any loose balls. Zeeshan battled manfully with a pulled hamstring and kept a solid off-stump line, just as the captain had commanded. There followed an exemplary display of disciplined, accurate (boring) bowling by Gerry and Admin which pulled the game right round. We strangled the runs very effectively and the pressure brought wickets. Smudger produced more of the same towards the end and a total of 220-6 seemed quite gettable in the excellent conditions.

It wasn't. An encouraging start by PVB and Nipun flattered to deceive as the middle order sank without trace. As Brian Fraser eloquently put it "116 on that is just piss". Credit to Carlton for a strong performance, Spry making a diligent 104no and some impressive bowling from the younger players. We gave a good account of ourselves in the field but were much too fragile with the bat.

Cross Cross defeated despite Spicker's Ton

Holy Cross 261-7
S. Pickering 117, K. Fraser 62.

Edinburgh CC 2nds 264/4 (48.2 overs)
Mazher 127*
Jaffrey 84

Worsnop 10/ 1/ 54/ 2
Bonfield 10/ 1/ 41/ 0
Ellis 9/ 1/ 33/ 0
Russell 4/ 0/ 28/ 0
Millington 6/ 0/ 51/ 0
Bainbridge 9.1/ 0/ 45/ 2

2nds lost:
Div 5 at Peffermill

Carlton 3rd XI beat Holy Cross 2nd XI by about 100 runs
Carlton about 220-6. Holy Cross about 117.

3rds beat Kismet 2nds
Believe McGill and Ellis Snr were in the wickets

Thirds get a mention here.

'We have to get rid of old attitudes' says Two Dogs

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Robin-Worsnop-We-have-to.6326118.jp

Think what he's saying is while our teas have improved in recent decades, the food offered in the Arbo Green Room could be better. Bags of out of date crisps, crumpled sandwiches and broken biscuits are no longer likely to attract the discerning visitor.

btw, for once the Scotsman spells his name correctly!

League Weekend 5 and the Week Ahead

Saturday's League fixtures -

• 1sts vs Edinburgh 2nds at Arbo.
• 2nds vs Carlton 3rds at Peffermill.
• 3rds vs Kismet 2nds away.

Other fixtures etc -

• Sunday 30th May, SCU Trophy 1st round vs Dundee HSFP, Arbo.
• Tuesday 1st June, evening friendly vs EU Staff, Arbo.
• Wednesday 2nd June, nets at New Field.
• Thursday 3rd June, ActivCity 20:20 1st round vs Edinburgh Accies, New Field.

If you'd like to play in the Tuesday evening game, comment below, e-mail secretary@holycrosscricket.co.uk or speak to Mr Midweek, Colin McGill.

Cricket on the Meadows: A promotional opportunity?

A nice photo of cricket on the Meadows last Saturday- from the BBC website.
Larger version here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/uk_enl_1274870336/html/1.stm

More spectators than Scotland had at the Grange, I'd venture (Indeed, I'd suggest - quite seriously - that Cricket Scotland ought to take advantage of the large number of potential spectators at the Meadows. Perhaps an exhibition match on a sunny summer evening might be a way to promote the game?? Any thoughts.

The pitches might be a problem - but a decent pitch wouldn't take that long to prepare with proper equipment/ covers etc

Parks Pain Again

For the umpteenth consecutive occasion, Holy Cross failed to make significant progress in the Parks Trophy; this year falling at the 1st hurdle to Standard Life.

After a mixed bowling and fielding display (including an 'Ellis Snr moment' from cje) and good batting from Thornton, we had a stiffish total of 141 to chase. Though fairly near the required run rate for most of their innings we eventually required 19 off the last over and only made ten. 44* from KF and bits and pieces from Mr Admin, EC and Shannon.

Standard Life v Holy Cross

25/05/2010	Newfield
Standard Life 142 for 9 (20 overs)	Holy Cross 132 for 6 (20 overs)
R.Thornton 52, H.Kumar 21, M.Gandhe 19	K.Fraser 44*, J.Bates 17
D.Russell 4-26, S.Bonfield 3-18, N.Webb 2-30	M.Gandhe 2-13, I.Wallace 2-26

Coaching Corner (part 2 of a continuing series)

Last year's analysis of the forward defensive has clearly helped promote better batting technique throughout the club. Now we turn to fielding with some advice on the 'long barrier': the best means for stopping a ball travelling fast towards you or fielding on a bumpy outfield. The basics of the long barrier are:

STEP ONE
Approach the ball at speed and as you get into line with the ball, twist your upper body, leading with the shoulder furthest from the ball.

STEP TWO

Bend both knees, so that the knee of the leg nearest to the ball touches the ground, but it is also next to the back of the heel of the other leg.

STEP THREE

With fingers down and head forward, pick up the ball and then stand back up ready to deliver an overarm throw.

The need for a secure long barrier was illustrated on Saturday at Arboretum. This picture (which illustrates Steps 1 and 2) recreates the scene when a product of Smudger's loins (as KF would describe him) went to field a ball struck in his direction on the midwicket boundary.

Did he:

a. pick it up securely in the prescribed manner and fire it in over the bails?

b. pick it up securely in the prescribed manner and limply push it in 'shot put' style in the general direction of the square?

c. allow it to roll gently through a minuscule gap in his legs and over the boundary; before blaming his captain/ twin brother for 'failing to listen to him'?

.........And yes, before anyone else mentions it, cje did indeed do something rather similar in the Parks Trophy match vs Standard Life. In his defence, the outfield was very uneven-and at least he didn't try and blame someone else.

Masterton Date

Our second round tie vs Marchmont is confirmed for Thursday 10th June at Cavalry Park.

Thirds pipped in 'cracking game'

Division 8
Teuchters Cricket Club 1st XI vs Holy Cross Cricket Club 3rd XI
[match report by James Gray of Teuchters CC from the ESCA Forum-reproduced with permission]

Captain Bartsch lost his fifth consecutive toss in the shadow of Murryafield stadium, where Teuchters had broken league records just two weeks previously, and was consequently asked to bowl in the hot afternoon sun. The bowling was tight, and run-rate was kept under control early on, with Styles picking up an early wicket. After the initial discipline, the sun got the better of the fielding side, catches went down, and the Holy Cross middle order cashed in style, launching the first and second match ball irretrievably into the SRU's back garden. Bartsch, in desperation, brought himself on as the seventh bowler of the innings, and it proved inspired, as regular wickets fell from 102-2 to 150 all out. Bartsch picked of five of them, and Styles three more, but it had been a hard slog to bowl in the heat on a batting arti at Roseburn, and 152 was the target.


The skipper opened up with Gray, and started in typically confident fashion while his partner battered down the hatches. While in good form, Bartsch drove firmly but uppishly to mid-off, where he was well taken by Graham for 25. Jones came to the wicket, and also looked confident making 28 before missing a straight one. Clark joined Gray, and quickly out-scored him as well. The opening bowlers bowled through, and when the change inevitably came it was Morcom's left arm swing which removed Gray, bowled through the gate. At 110-4, Teuchters were still confident with Clark still at the wicket. All of sudden, Marrs, Murray, Simpson and then Clark all fell in quick succession, the last three all to Morcom, whose prodigious swing caused all sorts of problems. It left Styles, on the back of an excellent bowling performance, batting with number 10, Graham Inch, with 33 to win, and no 11 not to be trusted. The tension was unbearable as Ellis' wily out-swingers beat the bat time and again. Both players survived appeals, and pick up singles here and there, and then the pivotal over came, 19 to win and Morcom to Styles. A couple of singles, and then Styles launched a full toss over mid-wicket for six. Two more boundaries followed and as suddenly as it had started, it finished, Teuchters home by 2 wickets.

Apologies for the garble but it was a cracking game, which either side could have won, and was played in the best of spirits on a cracking day.

Final Scores
Holy Cross 3rd XI - 152 all out (Sharpe 34 (I think), Bartsch 5-30, Styles 4-8)
lost to
Teuchters 1st XI - 155-8 (Clark 34, Jones, 28, Morcom 5-42)

Team Spirit...we have it in abundance!

Games like today's are few and far between.

Zeeeshan takes an early wicket, bowling one of the openers through the gate.Smudger also bowling tight at the other end meant that they were about 25 for 1 off the first 8. The runs than started to flow more freely, which considering the size and speed of the outfield was not a surprise. The Smellies 2, 3, 4 and 5 all making some runs - notably the no4 who made 94. However, all the bowlers and fielders stuck with it, and we kept working hard. Catches were taken - well most - Smudger's being the pick, and we restricted them to 232 for 8, which, in my view, was about 20 runs light. Andy Killey taking his 2nd 5 for in 8 days and Nick Jones on debut kept very well - particularly as this was his first game in about 8 years!

Zeeshan 7 - 2 - 24 - 1
Smudger 7 - 1 - 40 - 0
Andy K 9 - 1 - 49 - 5
Ian Astley 5 - 0 - 28 - 0
Norrie 7 - 0 - 27 - 0
Gerry 7 - 0 - 45 - 1
JB 3 - 0 - 15 - 1

Catches by Zeeshan, Smudger, Norrie 'bucket hands' Webb (not a typo), Nipun and Andy K.

We too got off to a slow but steady start. 24 for 1 off 10. However, JB was just getting his eye in so that by 20 overs we were 90 for 1 and by 25 136 for 2. Unfortunately we then went through a bad spell where we lost a few wickets and momentum from one end - JB was still feasting on the bowling, eventually going for 91 trying to get us home. 5 for 189 after 37.

Thankfully our lower order came to our rescue once again, notably Andy K who managed to keep the tail together. Chasing 233 to win, we were 202 for 7 after 41, 209 for 7 after 42, 214 for 8 after 43 and 221 for 8 after 44. It wasn't looking great at this point and when Smudger was run out with 2 balls left we still needed 5 to win with 1 wicket left. Putting down his G and T and heard to mutter 'bugger', having found his box out strolled a statesman-like figure wearing cravat, jumper (it was still scorcio!) and cap. Thankfully this man is the best no11 in our division. Having decided to 'just hit it' he managed to middle his first delivery, but with loft, straight down the throat of long on. Both teams looked on, Smellies in hope, HX in dread. As I said, this is the best no11 in the division, we should have realised that although appearing to sleep through most of our innings, he had already sussed out the capabilities of each Smellies fielder, so we should not have not been surprised that the long on got to it, and then managed to let the ball through his hands for 4. Scores tied.

Unfortunately Gerry wasn't able to repeat his effort and was run out off the last ball. Game tied. Both sides walked off happy and frustrated as this game really could have gone either way at various points in the day. Condsidering that we needed 12 off the last to win, it was a great effort to even tie the game. Thankfully we are a team that has shown on several occasions this year it is one that plays for each other, rather than a team of selfish individuals who strop when things aren't going well.

PVB 26
Nipun 5
JB 91
Astley 17
Skip 3
Nick Jones 2
Norrie 5
Andy K 18 not out
Zeeshan 5
Smudger 7
Gerry 4

Win, Lose or...Tie

1st XI
at Arboretum
Holy Cross 245/6 (50 overs) (20 pts)
C. Ellis 49, S. Pickering 47, E. C. Smith 42, S. Bonfield 39,
R. Dannreuther 36; B. Powell 3/32

Grange 2 181ao (50 overs)(8pts)
B. Parkinson 82; R. Bainbridge 4/ 29, S. Bonfield 3/22

further details to follow...
brief newspaper mention here

2nds tied with SMRH 2nds
91 for J. Bates
5 wickets Andy Killey
Believe we needed 1 to win off the last ball but a (direct hit) run out denied us. Fully story from Ziggy at about 3.34am

3rds had a narrow loss vs Teuchters
5 wickets for Gavin Morcom

details from? (bit of a lack of 3rd team reports-can someone volunteer-sounds like a good match)

Masterton Round 2

Following our last ball Masterton win on Tuesday, the Stenhousemuir v Marchmont game also went to the last ball with our old friends Marchmont winning through by 1 run - so it's a short trip to Cavalry Park and not to Stenhousemuir next round.

So for the first time in years a non-SNCL team will reach the Masterton semi-finals.

League Weekend 4 and the Week Ahead

After the 3rds' rest last Saturday, we're back to a full slate of League fixtures this weekend.

• 1sts vs Grange 2nds, Arbo.
• 2nds vs SMRH 2nds, Not-Very-Far-Away, artifical track.
• 3rds vs Teuchters, away at Roseburn Park, artificial track.

I believe Saturday night also sees the celebration of Michael's birthday. The barbecue has been polished and the bar will be open.

Cup activity is picking up -

• Tuesday 25th May, Parks Trophy 2nd round vs Standard Life, New Field.
• Wednesday 26th May, Nets at New Field.
• Saturday 29th May, full League programme.
• Sunday 30th May, SCU Trophy 1st round vs Dundee HSFP, Arbo.

No Future? - KF on Scottish Cricket: part 3 of a continuing series

****** This post has been withdrawn on account of its controversial content ******

Electronic copies can be obtained (by registered HX members only) from cje and have also been 'Cross posted' via email.

Cup Dates Update

The latest news on our Cup campaigns. Please note in particular the start of the Parks Trophy next week, the Activcity Cup the week after and confirmation of date and opponents for the start of our defence of the Presidents Trophy.

• Parks Trophy - Tuesday 25th May, 2nd round vs Standard Life (Away, New Field) - eliminated.
• Murgitroyd Masterton Trophy - Thursday 10th June, 2nd round vs Marchmont (Away) - eliminated.
• Activcity Cup (fka the Cow Corner) - Thursday 3rd June, 1st round vs Edinburgh Accies (Away, New Field) - eliminated.
• Presidents Trophy - Thursday 8th July, 2nd round vs Westquarter (Away) - eliminated.
• SCU Trophy - Sunday 30th May, 1st round vs Dundee HSFP (Home) - eliminated.

Last ball win for Cross in Masterton.

MDafs 124/8, 20 overs
L. Hayes 26, S. Rangaswamy 21*
S. Bonfield 4 overs 3/20
V. Gaware 4 overs /18
A. Killey 4 overs 1/33
C. Ellis 4 overs 2/20
A. Millington 4 overs 0/30

Holy Cross 125/2, 20 overs
S. Pickering 48, S. Bonfield 37*

A good solid bowling and fielding performance led with tight opening spells by Shannon and Vikram. Good to see Andy Killey back and bowling well - he was unlucky that several of his best balls went for edged boundaries. We took most of the chances and never let the MDafs batmen get into striking rhythm ('only' 11 boundaries conceded), though there were a few too many wides. Andy G's bloodied knee illustrating the efforts made in the field. Their 124 was a little under-par given a decent firm deck (though the outfield was a little thick).

Spickers got the reply off to a positive start, smacking his first ball for 4 and scoring a fine 48 off 39 balls. Shannon continued his good recent form, playing the anchor role. The Cross seemed to have a easy task when needing 3 to tie (which would have been enough - us having lost fewer wickets) or 4 to win from the last over. A series of dot balls caused some tension amongst the watching Crossers (especially the next batsman) before a wide and then a scrambled leg bye secured the tightest of victories.

We will play Stenhousemuir or Marchmont (away) in the next round. Revised draw here

A very pleasant evening's cricket and as always against the Muffers a good-natured game. Their VC's view of events here.

Midweek Friendlies

Midweek friendlies start soon. We're conscious that a handful of newer players, and even one or two veterans, have not been getting regular Saturday cricket so far this season, so we'll try to rectify that by giving you some priority in selection for the midweek games.

The format is 20:20 (but no pyjamas, power plays, pyrotechnics or podium prancers), starting as soon after 6pm as possible.

I'll post up the details each week in our regular "and the Week Ahead" spot and volunteers can sign up in the comments section, by e-mail to me at secretary@holycrosscricket.co.uk or in person to our midweek captain, Colin "Coco" McGill.

In the meantime here's the schedule so far, with a nice illustration to keep Mr Anonymous happy - apparently he doesn't like stories without pictures.

• Tuesday 1st June, vs EU Staff, Arbo.
• Tuesday 8th June, vs Maccabi, Arbo.
• Tuesday 15th June, vs Edinburgh South, Arbo.
• Thursday 24th June, vs Bellevue Chapel, Arbo.
• Thursday 8th July, vs Old Contemptibles, Arbo.
• Tuesday 13th July, vs Murrayfield-DAFS, Away.
• Tuesday 27th July, vs Currie-Balerno, Arbo.
• Tuesday 3rd August, vs Scottish Widows, Arbo.
• Tuesday 12th August, vs Tranent, Arbo.
• Tuesday 17th August, vs EU Staff, Away.

Masterton 1st round

Just a reminder that the 1st XI play in the 1st round of the Masterton Trophy on Tuesday (18th)-vs MDafs at Arboretum, starting at 6pm.

The selectors have not yet revealed our team but it should be a strong one...lets hope that some of the batsmen can find some form after Saturday's poor showing. They will need to as MDafs have a good recent record in twenty over cricket.

Can those playing try to get down as early as possible - to assist with getting the ground ready etc.

Supporters most welcome - bar will be open from 6ish.

Naive/Complacent Performance From 2s?

Having won the toss and stuck Falkland in, Zeeshan and Smudger did a good job early doors removing three of the top 4 for under 50. Andy Killey then came on for his first game in 2 years, replacing Zeeshan, and soon had their batsman jumping out of the way and trudging back to the pavilion. After 22 overs Falkland were 89 for 8. Unfortunatly we took our foot off the pedal and a further 36 runs were conceded before Andy K took 2 in 3 balls to finish off Falklannd's innings on 125 in the 29th over. Considering the position we were in and the disbelief of Falkland's followers that the no.10 survived more than 1 ball (he ended on 25 not out!), this was at least 20 runs too many!

No matter, 126 to win for a team that to date was full of runs and confidence should not have been a difficult ask. Disappointingly we lost our first wicket in the first over to a run out and were 2 down after 4 for only 8. No matter, we had been here before i.e. last game of last season vs Falkland, and produced the win. A 36 run partnership followed between PVB and Skip to take us to 44. We then lost 5 wickets for 9 runs as A.Melville re-lived his success against us last year by repeating the feat, coming on as their fifth bowler and ending with figures of 9 overs 5 for 24.

We never recovered, ending on 95 all out. It was only due to the tail, led by Brian Fraser, that we managed to pick up 2 batting points, which, believe it or not, means that we are still at least 2nd in Division 5 after this weekend's round of games. Roll of honour/shame as follows:

Zeeshan 6 overs 1 for 20.
Smudger 9 overs 2 for 36.
Andy Killey 8.5 overs 6 for 37.
Gerry 4 overs 1 for 18
JB 1 over 0 for 6.
Three catches taken (Zeeshan, JB and most surprisingly Norrie!) and none dropped.

PVB 5
Nipun 0
JB 4
Skip 24
Andy Q 0
Norrie 5
Brian F 19
Andy K 2
Smudger 4
Zeeshan 7
Gerry 10 not out

Next week Smellies away on the artificial. They have won their last 2 so it won't be easy, but I am certain that we have the players and the attitude to be able to bounce back from this weekend's disappointment.

Winning Streak Ends as 1sts and 2nds Collapse

Two fairly dismal batting performances ended the club's run of success.

Don't have details for the 2nds but believe they made 95ao chasing just 125 to beat Falkland 2nds on a testing artificial wicket-Ziggy will provide details once he's finished his Kebab...believe the returning Andy Killey took 6 wickets.

At Arbo the 1sts were below par against some aggressive Carlton batting. A few slices of fortune went in Carlton's favour; but though we kept taking wickets we never stemmed the flow of runs. 183 was a decent score on a wicket that (having been waterlogged the day before) lacked pace and bounce but we should have at least got close. The final partnership of 39 between the two Andys showed what could have been achieved.

Carton 2nds 183ao off 41.2 overs (P. Swan 60, A. Majunder 33, F. Boyd 31; A. Millington 3/42, S.Bonfield 2/22)

Holy Cross 131 ao off 44.2 overs (A. Millington 23, C. Ellis 20; O. Ahmed 3/11, T. Clarke 3/38)

Carlton's view of proceedings here

Scotsman report here

League Weekend 3 and the Week Ahead

There'll be no triple treble this weekend as the 3rds are taking a well-earned/much-needed* rest and so there are just two sides in action on Saturday.

• 1sts vs Carlton 2nds at Arbo.
• 2nds vs Falklands 3rds, away - artificial track.

Next week sees the start of cup cricket for 2010, as well as another opportunity for net practice.

• Tuesday 18th May, Murgitroyd Masterton Trophy, Round 1 vs Murrayfield-DAFS at Arbo.
• Wednesday 19th May, Nets at New Field.

Good luck to all.

* delete as applicable.

Casual Cross 1sts Claim 2nd Win

The lack of the promised umpires and then the lack of stumps (!) set the scene for a slightly sluggish start to the match. The pitch was shaved low and firm on top but it was clear from Shannon’s first short ball that bounce would be slow and a bit low. With Simon delayed, it was fortunate that Shifty could take over behind the stumps; doing well and leaving EC with a Clegg-like choice: go with the slightly grumpy incumbent or choose the younger man. Shifty's injured thumb relieved the skipper from taking this tricky decision.

Despite a couple of early wickets, the Cross were rather passive in the early stages as Hopcroft and the experienced Dale put together a solid partnership. A missed chance and some other misfields didn’t help and though Dougie trapped Dale lbw (and - following the Dr's example - injuring himself whilst celebrating!), this only brought in the dangerous Farooq.

He smacked 5 big sixes in his 35 and Glens were soon in the ascendancy. Andy got him with a short one that kept a little low and his skiddy bounce helped him gain figures of 5-41 (a week after taking 5 for the 2nds…hope he’s in your fantasy side). Among his wickets were two good c & b’s. Hopcroft finally fell for an excellent 73, mixing good defence with strong cuts and his trademark lofted drives. 189 was a competitive score and perhaps 40 more than would have been achieved against a tighter bowling and fielding display.

Openers Ellis and Pickering were given some gifts by some erratic Glens bowling and were soon on top. Pickering in particular was busy and ran well until running out of puff and falling for 51 out of an opening stand of 90. Charlie lost a bit of concentration and fell to a good nut from Hopcroft.

As the ball got softer and the Glens bowling got tighter, the Cross batsmen started to struggle and the run-rate fell to a trickle. Shannon lofted one to mid-off and Euan and Praveen were dismissed by Khan, returning with a good spell from the top end. Amid this collapse Calum played brightly and scored at a good rate. But, after missing with the same shot twice in the over, he tried to pull a short ball from Khan and was lb - at least he took it in good grace (I hope repairing the crater in the Glenrothes’ square won’t take too many hours…C. A. Smith clearly the early leader in the 'race' for the Bradley Trophy). The Cross run-rate declined to a trickle before specialist tonker Vikram joined the action and struck his 4th ball for a big straight 6 to complete victory.

Some good play from Cross but far too much sloppy stuff. A better standard of play (especially in the field) will be needed this Saturday at home to Carlton 2nds.

scorecard here

brief mention for Spick here

Beer Match

The President has been experiencing the miraculous effects of alcohol after cricket (see below), but, according to this recent story from Yahoo Eurosport, drinking before a game can produce almost as extraordinary a result -

Teenage cricketer has smashed the world record for the highest score ever recorded in a one-day match.


Eighteen-year-old Oliver Hardaker blasted 329 not out in a 40-over Sunday league match, recording 27 sixes and 29 fours as he raced to the incredible score from just 144 balls.

And it wasn't just his big-hitting that evoked memories of Ian Botham and Freddie Flintoff, because Hardaker admitted that he made his record score despite feeling the worse for wear having been out on the town just a few hours earlier.

"I'd been celebrating a friend's birthday and hardly had any sleep the night before," said Hardaker.


"It was the best day of my life," said the schoolboy, whose innings provided nearly 80 per cent of Horsforth's total of 419-5 against Upper Wharfedale.


The player has a trial with Yorkshire U19s later this summer, and hopes that his record-breaking exploits will help him earn a professional contract.


"I've played cricket since I was five years old and I would love to become a professional cricketer," he said.


The world record one-day score in international cricket is held by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, who made 200 not out off 147 balls against South Africa in February of this year.

Holy Cross Season of Miracles Continues - Broken Thumb Cured by Cider

Pilgrims from across the world were converging on Arboretum Road after news emerged of one of the most sensational miracles of modern times.

The bemused owner of the benighted thumb, one Shifty Robertson of no fixed abode, Edinburgh, could hardly believe the events which unfolded over Saturday night and Sunday morning. "My thumb was in shards. I took a Bonfield inswinger right on the top of the thumb and it exploded like a grenade. There wasn't much point in going to hospital - I knew what they were going to say, so I headed for Arbo and got stuck into the Magners."

"I don't know how much I had but during the night I had a dream. Our Lady of Blessed Fermentation came to me and said 'Be of good cheer, Shifty, for I have soothed your damaged digit with the balm of apples, for this is the year of the Cross.'"

"When I came to and took the plasters off I couldn't believe my eyes - the thumb was in one piece."

Reaction to the news of the miracle was swift. Holy Cross's albino monk enforcer, Mr. Admin, wasn't surprised. "Oh, you're all believers now, aren't you? Well some of us didn't need so-called miracles. Anyway, if you want to see the thumb get in line and get your fiver ready."

In the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Benedict the nth made a solemn statement to the joyous masses. "Christ on a bike. Mit ze apples he has been blessed. For thirty years I haf treated my lumbago mit Schnapps und nothing. I haf been barking up ze wrong tree, zo?"

We checked with Robertson on the latest state of the divine digit. "It's still fucked. But thanks for asking."

A Miracle

Click here and I promise that you will witness a genuine miracle.

Can it last....

Kebab required...

...and i have one, it's geeting getting cold, but i don't care as i need to submit this first! (i have chips too....and a lot of wine....and monday off...magic!) 3 wins in 3 league games for the 2s (inc. last season), who'd have believed it!
Having arrived at Arbo to view a glorious strip (cheers to those who prerpared it - you know who you are) skip lost the toss but was asked to bat!!! The one time in 3 years i wanted to bat first but lose the toss - there is a god!
Nipun and pvb but on 68 (2nd 50 opening stand for 1st wicket in 2 weeks - different partnership but who cares - stregth in depth - magic!...makes life a lot easier for those that follow in the order) before pvb did a ziggy and missed a full toss. We then had a bit of a wobble but thankfully extras kept us in the game (40 off 45 overs). Nipun ending on 69 out in the 40th over.
Amjid and smudger did a grand job in strangling their reply, but their no4 was still there and batted very well. Thankfully wickets kept falling (Smudger, Gerry and Gavin) and they were 9 down for about 100 in the 27 over. We then had a bit of a traditional HX brain storm, suddenly fielding and bowling like muppets - it wouldn't be HX without it! The last wicket put on about 40 till Amjid, who had bowled very well in his first spell, bowled a decent delivery in his second and it was all over.
Another excellent performance by HX IIs.
20 more points!
Amjid 5.4 overs 1 for 24
smudger 9 overs 3 for 24
andy g 2 overs 0 for 20
gerry 7 overs 4 for 25
gavin morcom 8 overs 2 for 30
jb 3 overs 0 for 5
well done guys!
right then...where is that kebab....and the microwave!

3 wins..again!

Despite sustaining a suspected broken thumb, President Robertson was a contented man, gurgling with delight in the green room as all three sides won (yes even the 2nds!!) for a 2nd week in succession.

1sts beat Glenrothes by 3 wickets at Riverside Park.
Glenrothes 189/9 (G. Hopcroft 73, F. Khan 35, A. Millington 5-41)
Holy Cross 193/7 (S. Pickering 51, C. Ellis 48, C. A. Smith 43, F. Khan 3/25, G. Hopcroft 3/36)

2nds beat Leith FAB by 74 runs at Arbo
Holy Cross 206/9 (N. Metha 69, A. Cydzik 44, P. V. Bailey 20, Saeed 4/22)
Leith FAB 132 ao (McKean 69, Lohan 4/25, C. O. Smith 3/25).

3rds beat Preston Village at Polwarth Oval.Don't have full details
Think they made 170 odd (50 for Scott, 37* for Ellis Snr.....)
Bowling PV out for about 105 (4 wickets for Astley, 3 for Ellis Snr)

League Weekend 2 and the Week Ahead

Saturday's fixtures are as follows. Please remember all games start at 1pm. -

• 1sts vs Glenrothes (away, Hippo Park) - umpires: Eric Jeffrey and Mike Blackshaw.
• 2nds vs Leith 2nds at Arbo.
• 3rds vs Preston Village 2nds, away.

Good luck to all. Nets as usual at New Field on Wednesday night.

No politics please

As we near the time that polling stations open, can contributors to this blog please refrain from posting political material on May 6th (between 7am and 10pm)-
in line with media guidelines which prohibit anything which could be construed as influencing the ballots on polling day.

This needs to be emphasised as this club is full of easily persuadable swing bowlers voters.

Those interested in the methods used to measure swing may find this BBC archive collection of interest:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/swingometer/

Probe launched into suspicious overs

The world of snooker has been rocked by allegations of bribes being offered to a player to under-perform in certain frames. But cricket is not immune from financial scandal and indeed allegations have been made that at least one East League cricketer has taken part in similarly crooked activities.

Concerns were raised when an unnamed East League Div 1 allrounder (referred to only as Player X) performed suspiciously poorly in a match on Saturday 1st May. Leaving a ball headed for his leg stump aroused some suspicion* but his bowling spell is the main focus of investigation. In the 2009 season Player X had bowled several fine spells (including having a leading SNCL Premier batsman 'on toast') and conceded a respectable average of 4.15 rpo. However, in the spell under scrutiny, he conceded a barely credible 9.8 per over. Anyone 'spread-betting' on his spell could have made a fortune - several apparently did.

Fingers have also been pointed at Player X's captain for giving Player X a second spell (unwarranted in the eyes of most observers**). However, the authorities have made little headway on this line of investigation; not least because the two gentlemen mentioned have denied being the captain during the suspicious match.

A paper trail appears to connect this player and Malaysian betting syndicates who - it is believed - regularly place bets of 100 thousand Dollars on East League matches***. Though he has angrily refuted these allegations, this photo (shot by a member of our undercover team) shows Player X receiving gifts from a couple of dubious characters: both with connections (past and present) to shady financial institutions as well as the Russian Mafia. Such links would help explain how Player X funds his lavish lifestyle.

Player X has been unavailable for further comment but one can surely read much from his decision to withdraw from his club's next 2 league fixtures.

* Especially given that he asked his batting partner whether he had more or less than 10 runs (he had 8) the ball before his dismissal.

**including an undercover ESCA representative, posing as a Holy Cross player with a injured hand.

***Who can forget the millions of dollars made by one investor who regularly placed a massive accumulator bet on one Div 1 side to lose their final match of each league campaign. It cannot be denied that each year the team in question has indeed consistently badly 'under-performed' in their final fixture. The same club was the target of such an allegation made by members of a current East League Div 2 side who believe they witnessed an obvious example of 'match-throwing' at Myreside on the last Saturday of the 2009 season.

Bon-fires as 1sts claim opening win.

1st XI
At Arboretum.
Holy Cross 204-7 (S. Bonfield 68, C. A. Smith 34, A Fleming 3/52)
Watsonians 2nds 160ao (R. Crosby 58, D, Breach 32, R. Worsnop 4/34, C. Ellis 4/19)

A heavy shower at 7am had transformed a firm deck into a classic Arbo ‘sticky top’ which meant fluent batting was unlikely and some unusual bounce could be expected when the ball hit indentations made by earlier deliveries.

Cross made a very slow start against the tricky bounce of Leggett and the swing and nip of Sevak (who started with 4 straight maidens), with Rob playing a couple of good leg side shots before failing to move his feet against a fuller delivery and Charlie playing across a fairly straight one. Shannon ‘how dare you not describe me as an all-rounder in the HX fantasy league’ Bonfield then continued his fine form of the previous week with a composed and classy 68. He got good support from Calum (34 with several fine boundaries) as they put on 115 excellent runs at a good rate in a match-winning partnership. Despite a slump from 134/2 to 163/7, Dougie, Praveen and Vikram (24*) did well in the final overs to get us to a defendable total of 204 (28 wides also helped-the umpires wideing anything missing leg stump).

The solid Breach opened (though dropped 1st ball) with the aggressive (in batting style, not personality) Flannigan, who was dismissed by a Worsnop via a debatable lb decision. Then Fox (with a good record against Cross bowlers) was undone by one that kept low and soon after Yellowlees was adjudged caught behind as Robin found his line and length. 204 now looked a big total, especially after Fleming played on (just!) to Shannon, leaving Watsonians on 34/4.

But Watsonians now had their tricky wicket specialists at the crease: Breach who’d scored runs at Roseburn whilst playing for Cramond and Jaya who’d batted for several season on the Muirhouse ‘wicket’. Jaya was in threatening form and struck Robin for a cracking six before getting unluckily ‘strangled’ down the leg side. Crosby made clear his intentions early as he walloped a slow Bimbo long-hop most of the way towards Andy G’s house. He and Breach threatened to put together a significant partnership until Praveen (making up for an earlier indiscretion) took a superb slip catch (low and well to his left) off cje to dismiss the Watsonians' skipper.

Crosby’s fine striking and some sloppy fielding (sorry Dougie!), and ‘rusty’ bowling (Bimbo!-figures not for public consumption) kept Watsonians in the game but we kept chipping away with steady bowling (cje confirming his reputation as one of the most ‘boring’ bowlers in the league, just missing out on his 1st ever 5-for). With Crosby at the crease, Watsonians still had a chance (they certainly had enough overs to get the runs) before Shannon (returning from the bottom end) got one through Crosby’s defence to end the game. Certainly not a flawless performance (plus we got a larger share of fortune than our opposition) but an important opening win against a good Watsonians side.

Err, 2s win - not a typo

On a strip never seen before at Watsionians skip thankfully won the toss and stuck them in.

They got off to great start being 90 odd for 1 off 15.

Norrie fitted in straight away by dropping a catch in/out of the bread basket early on - welcome. Thankfully he castled their opener, albeit after he made 66, and we were in. Milly came on and bowled beautifully, ending up with figures of 5 for 21 off 9. Zeeshan had no luck finishing with 0 off 9 for 25.

Catches were taken (albeit most of them and at times using legs/thighs rather than hands) and we restricted them to 169.

To be fair to Norrie, he still had time to drop even more of a sitter off Shammo (soon to be lost to Aberdeen!?!?) and then run out Andy Q (but it's ok, Andy has vanquished the memory with help of some shampoo!?!?).

We replied in dodgy style, with both Nippun and James dropped off genuine dollies when our reply was in single digitits. They put on about 70 before James took a nasty blow - the whole club wishes you well James.

The first genuine wicket went down when we were on 94.

We then had our traditional wobble before Norrie and Milly brought us home with 5 wickets and 10 overs to spare.

Crosstastic!

Rare Threesome for Cross on opening Saturday

All three sides gained victories on the opening Saturday of the season (though the thirds had begun in week 0).

1st XI
At Arboretum.
Holy Cross 204-7 (S. Bonfield 59, C. A. Smith 34, A Fleming 3/52)
Watsonians 2nds 160ao (R. Crosby 58, D, Breach 32, R. Worsnop 4/34, C. Ellis 4/19).

2nd XI beat Watsonians 3rds by 5 wickets at Craiglockhart.
see Ziggy's match report above.

3rd XI beat Kirkbrae 2nds by about 120 runs at Inverleith.
(with Coastal absent, can we have a guest match reporter? Scott, Smudger?-you have permission to mention your 3 wickets in 4 balls...or was it the other way round?).