Holey Murgitroid it’s T-20 time!

Tue 7^th May vs Fauldhouse at Arboretum Road.

On a stunning Tuesday evening a strong looking Holy Cross team looked forward to kicking off our first competition T-20 game of the season, after Bass Rock called off last week’s Parks Trophy encounter.

With another toss won, the choice was simple “We’ll have a bat”!

With Owais on the growing Holy Cross crocked list (which currently includes Jimmy, KF, Dougie and Dom), the Cross 1^st XI had their 3^rd opening partnership in as many games with Raja and Charlie heading out to the middle.

Charlie looked in ominous touch early on, perhaps somewhat baited by the comment from one of the opposition ‘is Charlie playing, oh great, we’ll keep him in as he can’t score quick runs’! He was operating in boundaries. However the usually aggressive Raja was somewhat subdued.

With the score at 41, Raja was the first to fall for 10. In came Skip, who it must be said is horribly out of touch and in need of a decent knock. Charlie continued to plunder the Fauldhous bowling attack and Skip ticked over the scoreboard and strike nicely.

Charlie was quick to bring up his 50, with roughly 40 of those runs coming in boundaries. He is in fine touch for this early in the season, so perhaps a move down the order might be needed to give some of his team mates a crack?

The 50 partnership came not long after Charlie reached his personal milestone and with 8 overs remaining the Cross were on a handy 103-1! Up stepped the Fauldhouse skipper to close out the innings from the Ferry Road end. His first ball accounted for the Holy Cross Skip who played a rather limp attempt at a late cut, bowled off pin for a run a ball 22. Just as quickly as he walked out to the middle, Arch was back in the hut for a 2^nd ball duck. Not a bad first over for the Fauldhouse Skip a 2 wicket maiden!

BAF fell an over or two later, all while Charlie continued to batter the ball to all parts of the ground. With 5 overs remaining the onlookers were anticipation a potential T20 ton. In a horrible example of Jug avoidance, Charlie rapidly reduced his scoring rate to end the inning on an extremely well compiled 84*, which was well supported by Bonners who ended with a handy 14odd to his name.

With an unusually warm breeze blowing, Bonners took the new cherry and produced a fine opening spell of 4 overs 3-14! Like Charlie, Bonners is looking in ominous form at the start of the season.

Bimbo took a bit of tap at the other end, but managed to account for his tormentor with an absolute peach that clipped the top of off stump. Raja was introduced from the Ferry Rd end and bowled 2 superb overs and took 2 wickets for a solitary run – a wide.

 

At the end of the 8^th over Fauldhouse were in real trouble 6 down for about 42. Kev took over from Bonners and looked in pretty good nick for his first bowl of the season taking 2-20 off 4 overs, which should have been 3, had it not been for Skip dropping a sitter at gully diving full stretch to his right.

Robin, fresh from his trip to the States to chat with the lads at Google, returned equally as good figures of 2-26. His first wicket was a spectacular reflex caught and bowled that a man half his age would have been happy with!

All in all a superb performance with Fauldhouse being bowled out for just 75. On to the next round where Heriots or Marchmont await! Thanks to Coco for umpiring and Michael for diligently doing the scoreboard.