Despite a fantastic ton from Julius, the 1sts lost out in a high-scoring game at Arbo...as to the 2's and 3's...poor availability left both teams short of players...with rather inevitable results..
More details to follow..
33 for next week please...
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Thursday, 26 June 2014
League Weekend 10 and the Week Ahead
Saturday's fixtures -
Midweek -
- 1sts vs West Lothian at Arbo.
- 2nds vs Dunfermline Carnegie, away.
- 3rds vs Largo 3rds, away at St Andrews.
Midweek -
- Monday, Parks Trophy round 2 vs Casuals at Arbo.
- Tuesday, friendly vs Old Contemptibles at Arbo.
Souters Boot Us (but a little more gently this time)
Apparently, in the '80s there were annual Selkirk-HX Sunday friendlies, one year at Arbo, the next at lovely Philiphaugh. But for most current Crossers first contact with Selkirk came only last year as the Border League merged into the East League and the Souters joined our 2nds in Division 5. Even before we played them it was pretty apparent that the inevitable randomness of League reconstruction had left them, along with most of the other Borders sides, at least a couple of divisions too low. We were duly bowled out for 47 and could take just one wicket as they knocked them off in under 11 overs, one of several massacres as Selkirk stormed to the divisional title and promotion.
And so we thought (wistfully) that we'd seen the last of Philiphaugh for a while, and (gratefully) that we'd seen the last of the Souters for a while. But then in the depths of last winter the ESCA Championship was born and further League reconstruction conspired to send us up to Division 4 alongside our conquerors. Would we fare any better this time?
We certainly started better, winning the toss and putting them in. There was even an early wicket as Gerry (8-0-33-1) got an out of sorts Greg Fenton caught, chipping a full toss to Alex. 2013's points total already matched! But then skipper John Everitt, absent last year, started to settle in and things began to look ominous - 52 for 1 from just 12. Smudger (9-3-20-0) bowled tightly but it was Dan (9-2-28-2), getting good swing in the heavy atmosphere, who brought us into the game with two wickets, first inducing Everitt (36) to loft to Elmondt and then bowling Darren Fenton. With Skeldon run out by Elmondt and Selkirk reduced to 58 for 4 we began to believe.
But Rory Banks (65, mostly to leg) and Kenny Paterson (28, mostly to the off) turned the game, adding 80-odd for the 5th wicket with a combination of boundaries and strong running that exposed some rather lethargic fielding. JB (7-2-30-3), bowling quite well after a loose start, accounted for both but the lower order chipped in well enough to take Selkirk to a very competitive total of 194 all out.
What followed sadly suggested that our batting hasn't improved much. At one stage we were 20-odd for 4. Paterson (9-3-19-2) in particular bowled well, but he was ably supported by Reid (8-2-23-3) and Greg Fenton (9-1-15-1). JB, at 3, scratched around at first but eventually found some fluency until he was 9th out for 74 and with stalwart help from a typically dogged, sensible and loud-calling Coastal saw us to 2 batting points. We couldn't quite make the third. 129 all out.
Thanks to Selkirk for their hospitality and the pleasure of playing at one of the nicest grounds in the east against sporting opposition with a good sense of humour (although someone needs to teach Darren a few new lines). Under the ESCA points system we were seven times better than last year - very flattering, I'd say.
 |
| Ken and Gerry's vain quest for the third batting point. Photo: BAF. |
And so we thought (wistfully) that we'd seen the last of Philiphaugh for a while, and (gratefully) that we'd seen the last of the Souters for a while. But then in the depths of last winter the ESCA Championship was born and further League reconstruction conspired to send us up to Division 4 alongside our conquerors. Would we fare any better this time?
We certainly started better, winning the toss and putting them in. There was even an early wicket as Gerry (8-0-33-1) got an out of sorts Greg Fenton caught, chipping a full toss to Alex. 2013's points total already matched! But then skipper John Everitt, absent last year, started to settle in and things began to look ominous - 52 for 1 from just 12. Smudger (9-3-20-0) bowled tightly but it was Dan (9-2-28-2), getting good swing in the heavy atmosphere, who brought us into the game with two wickets, first inducing Everitt (36) to loft to Elmondt and then bowling Darren Fenton. With Skeldon run out by Elmondt and Selkirk reduced to 58 for 4 we began to believe.
But Rory Banks (65, mostly to leg) and Kenny Paterson (28, mostly to the off) turned the game, adding 80-odd for the 5th wicket with a combination of boundaries and strong running that exposed some rather lethargic fielding. JB (7-2-30-3), bowling quite well after a loose start, accounted for both but the lower order chipped in well enough to take Selkirk to a very competitive total of 194 all out.
What followed sadly suggested that our batting hasn't improved much. At one stage we were 20-odd for 4. Paterson (9-3-19-2) in particular bowled well, but he was ably supported by Reid (8-2-23-3) and Greg Fenton (9-1-15-1). JB, at 3, scratched around at first but eventually found some fluency until he was 9th out for 74 and with stalwart help from a typically dogged, sensible and loud-calling Coastal saw us to 2 batting points. We couldn't quite make the third. 129 all out.
Thanks to Selkirk for their hospitality and the pleasure of playing at one of the nicest grounds in the east against sporting opposition with a good sense of humour (although someone needs to teach Darren a few new lines). Under the ESCA points system we were seven times better than last year - very flattering, I'd say.
Monday, 23 June 2014
Hard won 20 points
Holy X 1's V Carlton CC 2's
Firstly, some good news! I spoke to
Mike Blackshaw this morning and he is back at home and feeling well. Unfortunately
he won't be back umpiring this season, but seemed in pretty good spirits. He
also asked me to pass on his thanks to both teams.
With another toss won and several
players still not at Arbo, I decided to gamble and insert Carlton to bat, on
what looked like a decent Arbo pitch with a bit of grass. As usual KF and
Spickers arrived close to 1pm, so we again took to the field with only 10 men.
The decision to bowl first looked
to be a very good one, with Bonners taking 2 quick wickets to leave the
visitors in strife struggling to 14-2 after 5 overs.
The 3rd wicket partnership
between the big hitting Legget and wristy Al Shah solidified
the visitor’s innings. After 12 overs, Raja and Bacon were introduced and
they cut the flow of runs, Bacon bowling some very handy deliveries.
Before the start of the 19th over, Raja
decided he wanted to remove 1st slip and you guessed it, his next ball saw
Legget snick one straight through 1st slip for 4 and brought up his
50!
Carlton moving to a very solid 72-2
off 18.1.
Then unfortunately Mike who was
officiating at square leg took a turn and summoned Bonners from midwicket to
help him remain standing. An ambulance was quickly called, but took what seemed
an eternity to arrive and then wouldn’t drive across the outfield to get to where
Mike was now resting in a chair. With typical public sector efficiency, a second un-needed
ambulance arrived only moments later and I suspect there was possibly even a 3rd
that passed down Ferry Rd not long after!
The paramedics checked Mike’s
vitals and then took him to Western General for further tests and monitoring. He
certainly seemed in pretty good spirits this morning when I spoke with him. I am
sure Carlton would join us in wishing him a speedy recovery.
4 balls after the resumption,
Legget attempted another lusty blow and was sharply caught at 1st slip by KF. The
break in play seemed to unsettle him and break his concentration. A point that
was noted by Mike when I spoke to him this morning.
Al Shah continued his innings, with
a mix of some fine strokes and it must be said a number of edges that were lucky
not to find the slip and gulley cordon. He
brought up a well played 52, before being out foxed by Charlie, Saideep taking
a good catch out in the deep at cow corner!
The boys all bowled really well,
picking up wickets at regular intervals and despite a couple of dropped and one
miss-judged catch going down, Carlton were never really allowed to settle at
the crease and form a partnership, other than Leggat and Shah.
Carlton all out for 139 after 39.1 overs.
Figures of note; Charlie took a fine
4 for 20 off 10, Bonners taking 3 for 39 off 10 and Dougie bowling a wicket
maiden in his first and only over.
Saideep and Raja opened up in chase
of 140 for victory for the Crossers.
For once Raja was made to look like
the slowcoach or Charlie (more on this topic later) of the opening partnership.
Saideep raced to a superlative 26 off just 15 balls. Ridiculously plundering 14
runs off a Brad McKay over that included a huge 6 sublimely struck over wide
mid-off, forcing the Carlton skipper to take himself out of the attack after
just 2 overs.
It really was an innings of rare
beauty that I’m told had a number of delightful cover drives, of the likes that
have never been seen before at Arbo! This lad is definitely the find of the
season for the Cross and someone needs to find him a job in the Oil & Gas
sector here in Edinburgh after he finishes his Masters!
Not to be outdone, Raja also hit a number
of boundaries and looked in confident form, as we raced to 42-0 off just 5
overs and looked well on track for a quick finish.
Saideep then fell to what can only
be called a severe misjudgement in the ability of the Carlton fielding unit;
perhaps he was lulled into a false sense of security over the last few weeks
and watching his fellow Crossers in the field. After playing a delightful late
cut that almost reached the boundary, he turned and called for a second run and
ended up by Bacon’s account, “only about 4 yards short”. Run out for 27 off just 17 balls.
Not long after, Raja fell in what
seems to be his typical fashion this season, playing across the line and being
caught at cover. He was out for 25 off 20 deliveries, just imagine what they could have done if they stayed in for 10-15 overs!
The Cross now 45-2 off just 7 overs.
The next partnership was in
complete contrast to the opening stanza, with Charle and Skip watchfully
ticking the scoreboard over, with the odd flurry of runs here and
there. After taking some initial tap from Saideep, “Mo, yes Mo, well bowled Mo”
saw his last 8 overs only concede about 16 runs, as both Charlie and Skip
struggled to get him away.
After taking 8 runs off the first 5
balls of the newly introduced Elder’s first over, McOscar tried to emulate
Saideep’s drive over mid-off and only managed to sky a catch up to Al Shah,
taking an easy catch at cover.
Time for a drinks break, with the
Cross on 103-3 after 25.
Tom come and went within the space of a few balls of the 26th over, after playing a lovely pull shot for 4. He then got trapped LBW by young Allardice. At least Tom kept up with the strike rate of Raja and Saideep.
Holy Cross now 107-4, but still
looking confident of a win.
In marched KF to join Charlie, who
at this point had racked up quite a number of dot balls on the trot. Before his
next scoring shot, he faced an amazing 30 deliveries without troubling the scorers,
something that was pointed out (and I might add, counted out in JB like fashion)
ball by ball by the Carlton keeper!
KF had clearly had enough of
Charlie’s reluctance to score any runs or even hit a ball and launched an
attack on young Elder. He pummelled several boundaries, moving through to 17 runs
and within a sniff of Charlie, who had now faced in excess of 60 balls as was
still only on 18 runs!
The Cross now within touching
distance of the 140 required for victory.
Soon after breaking his drought,
Charlie had a rush of blood to the head and tried to hit another ball and fell
to a very sharp caught and bowled to Allardice.
KF then went back to the well one
too many times and Elder had his man, caught in what can only be said was a mix
of uncoordinated brilliance, as captured on film by the Crosser’s own resident
photographer Broon. The catch in my opinion looked not unlike a baby giraffe
taking his first few steps, before slipping on the placenta and falling backwards,
sticking a hand out and taking the catch!
Squeaky bum time for the Crossers
with us now 6 down and still requiring 16 runs for victory!
Bonners and Dougie edged us even
closer, with some patient and watchful batting, hitting the bad balls and
defending the good.
With the score at 136 and victory well
within sight, Dougie fell victim to a ball that spun and didn’t bounce, out LBW
for 5.
136-7, surely we couldn't throw such a solid start away could we?
In came Bacon, who only faced a few deliveries, as Bonners farmed the strike. Bonfield then dispatching the last ball of the 37th over to the mid-wicket boundary for 4. Taking himself to 12* and the Cross to 143-7 and a good victory and a valuable 20 points.
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Catch of the Day
Top work from Broonster in capturing this excellent catch by Carlton's Dougal Main.
Catch of the day? Keith Fraser's wicket falls to this acrobatic @CarltonCricket 2s fielder's one handed heroics. pic.twitter.com/TlAoZvQzNI
— Holy Cross Cricket (@HXCricket) June 21, 2014
Andy G on Fuds' Victory
Andy G reports on the Third XI's match versus Edinburgh South 3rds XI on June 21st*.
This week the 3s had to move to the Meadows because some fatties walking overnight the Mooonwalk event had badly damaged the outfield at Inverleith Park.
With only 8 players there at 1pm [that's surely above the HX average?] I decided we better bat - normally we'd bowl so we could scoff the remainder of the tea and have beers in the second half of the game. Alas everyone forgot to bring beer and at that point there were only 2 bags of tea [only 2 teabags?] so it wasn't looking good...
Anyway, Broomhead and Shifty took to the crease and batted away for about 30 minutes before Jon got a good ball from their 1st change bowler and was dismissed for 3!
That brought in Dave 'the powerhouse' Coaton. Having failed a fitness test late on Friday night he was dropped to the 3s [so Div 8 cricket is fine for unfit players]. A sore ankle meant he couldn't really run but no fear he'd just hit boundaries. Three 4s off one over and then he decided to swing...and missed and was out lbw! Out of there on 13!
No worries, we'd seen off the first 8 overs had 8 wickets in hand and 33 runs on the board -happy days!
Debutant Rhuradi Grossart was in on the action next, our second youngest crosser this weekend at 16, his partnership with Shifty was short lived - after Shifty was dropped twice he swung right across the line and was bowled by Kingsley (who is in the running for the world's slowest bowler behind Coco). He was out of there!
Grossart and Graham's hockey swinging combination got us up to 54 off 12 and we were looking good! Then Graham hit one back to the bowler (3) and Grossart was bowled (21 - top score and a good start for the cross).
That brought the oldies to the crease: Mahmood and old man Graham came in and scored 6 runs off 6 overs to let us face a few more balls! Mahmood (6) unfortunately fell to the worlds slowest bowler and EK was given a golden by the same boy!
Henton had a flurry (7 off 3) and then Appleby and Graham snr (9*) ran a lot of runs (including 2 3s on the bounce!) Appleby was trapped lbw for 15. Keith came and went 1st ball and it was all over !
105 off 24 overs and tea: good effort by the boys and Appleby brought some Krispy Kreme donuts that went down a treat too! It was a leisurely tea but Mahmood still managed to be late for the restart!
We went out to a roar from the Meadows' crowd - it was like playing in the IPL - there were drums and chants from the hippies at the Forest Cafe. But I'm pretty sure their song was on repeat!
Geddes and Appleby opened the bowling - we needed to keep it tight and get a couple of wickets early doors to be in with a shout [copyright -Sporting Cliches Volume 3].
They supplied just that - Geddes was on form as per usual and bowled some excellent deliveries- they really couldn't get him away! Helped a lot by the field there were no leaks or misfields and with an average age of 34 it was extremely sprightly!
Geddes bowled through 1-12 and Apples (who's run up just seemed to get longer and longer) 2-16! Apples really did show his cox and he certainly kept the pink lady happy! [steady on] Excellent start!
So they only needed 75 off 24 - I did remind them that the run rate was very important on more than 1 occasion [HX in sledging shock..]
Henton and EK (15 yr old) came on to bowl, Henton was like a steam train [?]- he got 3-16 and was unplayable at times!
After ignoring Mahmood's advice to take EK off after the first over because he conceded 6 runs, he went on to get 1-15 off his 4! He would have returned but Shifty popped up and took 2 wickets for 3 runs off his 4 overs!
Old man Graham wasn't too chuffed at one point in Henton's spell when Henton decided to try some bouncers! Graham was getting black and blue marks from diving all over the place behind the stumps to stop the high ones! I'm sure he'll be ok for next week!
Excellent stuff by Grange Hockey Holy Cross 3s!!! (there were 7 hockiers and another 3
watching..). Let's trot off to Largo [Well, St Andrews] and do the
same again next week! Availability on a post card please.
*with a few edits by cje- designed to assist readers over 25..
This week the 3s had to move to the Meadows because
With only 8 players there at 1pm [that's surely above the HX average?] I decided we better bat - normally we'd bowl so we could scoff the remainder of the tea and have beers in the second half of the game. Alas everyone forgot to bring beer and at that point there were only 2 bags of tea [only 2 teabags?] so it wasn't looking good...
Anyway, Broomhead and Shifty took to the crease and batted away for about 30 minutes before Jon got a good ball from their 1st change bowler and was dismissed for 3!
That brought in Dave 'the powerhouse' Coaton. Having failed a fitness test late on Friday night he was dropped to the 3s [so Div 8 cricket is fine for unfit players]. A sore ankle meant he couldn't really run but no fear he'd just hit boundaries. Three 4s off one over and then he decided to swing...and missed and was out lbw! Out of there on 13!
No worries, we'd seen off the first 8 overs had 8 wickets in hand and 33 runs on the board -happy days!
Debutant Rhuradi Grossart was in on the action next, our second youngest crosser this weekend at 16, his partnership with Shifty was short lived - after Shifty was dropped twice he swung right across the line and was bowled by Kingsley (who is in the running for the world's slowest bowler behind Coco). He was out of there!
Grossart and Graham's hockey swinging combination got us up to 54 off 12 and we were looking good! Then Graham hit one back to the bowler (3) and Grossart was bowled (21 - top score and a good start for the cross).
That brought the oldies to the crease: Mahmood and old man Graham came in and scored 6 runs off 6 overs to let us face a few more balls! Mahmood (6) unfortunately fell to the worlds slowest bowler and EK was given a golden by the same boy!
Henton had a flurry (7 off 3) and then Appleby and Graham snr (9*) ran a lot of runs (including 2 3s on the bounce!) Appleby was trapped lbw for 15. Keith came and went 1st ball and it was all over !
105 off 24 overs and tea: good effort by the boys and Appleby brought some Krispy Kreme donuts that went down a treat too! It was a leisurely tea but Mahmood still managed to be late for the restart!
We went out to a roar from the Meadows' crowd - it was like playing in the IPL - there were drums and chants from the hippies at the Forest Cafe. But I'm pretty sure their song was on repeat!
Geddes and Appleby opened the bowling - we needed to keep it tight and get a couple of wickets early doors to be in with a shout [copyright -Sporting Cliches Volume 3].
They supplied just that - Geddes was on form as per usual and bowled some excellent deliveries- they really couldn't get him away! Helped a lot by the field there were no leaks or misfields and with an average age of 34 it was extremely sprightly!
Geddes bowled through 1-12 and Apples (who's run up just seemed to get longer and longer) 2-16! Apples really did show his cox and he certainly kept the pink lady happy! [steady on] Excellent start!
So they only needed 75 off 24 - I did remind them that the run rate was very important on more than 1 occasion [HX in sledging shock..]
Henton and EK (15 yr old) came on to bowl, Henton was like a steam train [?]- he got 3-16 and was unplayable at times!
After ignoring Mahmood's advice to take EK off after the first over because he conceded 6 runs, he went on to get 1-15 off his 4! He would have returned but Shifty popped up and took 2 wickets for 3 runs off his 4 overs!
Old man Graham wasn't too chuffed at one point in Henton's spell when Henton decided to try some bouncers! Graham was getting black and blue marks from diving all over the place behind the stumps to stop the high ones! I'm sure he'll be ok for next week!
Excellent stuff by
*with a few edits by cje- designed to assist readers over 25..
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Cross Make Activcity Progress
The sun sets over #FortressArbo as @HXCricket beat Murrayfield DAFS. Good to have a wee run about too. pic.twitter.com/SEz4b45PE2
— Swivel Eyed Broon (@Mr_Mark_Brown) June 17, 2014
The skipper writes:
Some
great news and a big congratulations to the mighty HX lads who defeated
MDAFS in the Activity Trophy T20 tonight by 18 runs.
From
what I hear the boys were well skippered by Raja and it sounded like a
real team effort. There were some individual highlights with Andy G
scoring 37 at a strike rate of approx. 200 + Dom and Bacon taking 3
wickets each!
Not
unlike the 1’s win on the weekend, there were more guys from the 2’s
and 3’s in the team and really contributed. Thanks again to Ross P,
Bacon, Dom, Andy G, Alex, Dave M, Elmondt and Broon for stepping up (or
perhaps down depending on how you look at things)!
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Ists Overcome Availability Crisis
For the first time in long while, HX failed to get 3 Saturday teams out, and we
also had to concede today's Presidents' Trophy match vs Westquarter.
An availability crisis of monumental proportions led to the core of the 2nd team moving up to the 1sts, leaving the 2nds with effectively the 3rds. Unsurprisingly they lost heavily to Grange 3rds after being bowled out for just 46 [not sure what Lord Admin will make of that].
At Kirkhill, the 1sts scrambled a win, making heavy weather of chasing 100, albeit in tricky batting conditions.
An odd game of cricket began with an unfamiliar '1st XI' taking the field -several players making their 1st or 2nd ever 1st team appearance.
The wicket was reasonable given that it was under covers for 2 days but gave assistance to the bowlers. The humid conditions certainly helped the ball swing.
After a slightly loose start, Jules & Shannon got their act together. Assisted by some ambitious drives from the Penicuik, and some unexpectedly sharp slip catching, wickets fell at a steady rate.
Ross (2/29), in his first 1st XI bowling spell for the 1sts, bowled a dolly mixture of a spell, including some wild ones but also several jaffas, including a cracker to dismiss their well-set opener, Steel. Meanwhile CJE was boring the batsmen to death before Shannon returned to complete a fine five-for (10-3-13-5).
A 26 run 10th wicket partnership was a bit disappointing, though it allowed Dan to take his first Ist XI wicket.
A vibrant start led by Spickers was halted by a flurry of disappointing shots, leaving us 33-3 and the game in the balance.
Ross kept things with a very handy 25 and a typically positive Julius (18) spanked a massive six before holing out. When Dom was bowled we were 85-7 and teetering.
With the prospect of stand in skipper Dougie being forced to bat with a painful hand injury, Shannon and BAF helped us get over the line. Hardly an ideal batting effort but -given the poor availability-any type of win can be celebrated.
An availability crisis of monumental proportions led to the core of the 2nd team moving up to the 1sts, leaving the 2nds with effectively the 3rds. Unsurprisingly they lost heavily to Grange 3rds after being bowled out for just 46 [not sure what Lord Admin will make of that].
At Kirkhill, the 1sts scrambled a win, making heavy weather of chasing 100, albeit in tricky batting conditions.
An odd game of cricket began with an unfamiliar '1st XI' taking the field -several players making their 1st or 2nd ever 1st team appearance.
The wicket was reasonable given that it was under covers for 2 days but gave assistance to the bowlers. The humid conditions certainly helped the ball swing.
After a slightly loose start, Jules & Shannon got their act together. Assisted by some ambitious drives from the Penicuik, and some unexpectedly sharp slip catching, wickets fell at a steady rate.
Ross (2/29), in his first 1st XI bowling spell for the 1sts, bowled a dolly mixture of a spell, including some wild ones but also several jaffas, including a cracker to dismiss their well-set opener, Steel. Meanwhile CJE was boring the batsmen to death before Shannon returned to complete a fine five-for (10-3-13-5).
A 26 run 10th wicket partnership was a bit disappointing, though it allowed Dan to take his first Ist XI wicket.
A vibrant start led by Spickers was halted by a flurry of disappointing shots, leaving us 33-3 and the game in the balance.
Ross kept things with a very handy 25 and a typically positive Julius (18) spanked a massive six before holing out. When Dom was bowled we were 85-7 and teetering.
With the prospect of stand in skipper Dougie being forced to bat with a painful hand injury, Shannon and BAF helped us get over the line. Hardly an ideal batting effort but -given the poor availability-any type of win can be celebrated.
Friday, 13 June 2014
League Weekend 8 and the Week Ahead
Saturday's League fixtures -
- 1sts vs Penicuik, away.
- 2nds vs Grange 3rds at Arbo.
- 3rds vs SMRH 4ths, away.
- Presidents Trophy 1st round vs Westquarter, away.
Midweek -
- Activcity Trophy 1st round vs Murrayfield DAFS at Arbo.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Midweek update
Tonight's Masterton tie against Watsonians at Myreside has had to be postponed (again) because of the recent heavy rain. It will now be played on Thursday night. Sadly, as a consequence, we have had to cancel that night's friendly vs Maccabi at Arbo. We may look to rearrange for late July or early August.
Monday, 9 June 2014
Weekend Round Up
The short version ......
The longer version ....
All three XIs (and they were ultimately XIs thanks to another sterling effort from the selection committee) bowled and all three games were abandoned.
After warming up intensively by putting up the scorers' gazebo, the 1sts had the best of it reducing Grange 2nds to 122 for 6, of which Gough scored 87, with Kevin taking three wickets. Broon, one of the late volunteers, also took three wickets, his best return for the club, as Leith FAB 2nds scored 175 for 5 against the 3rds. The entire 2nds' bowling attack couldn't manage three wickets between us as RH Corstorphine 2nds reached 120 or so for 2.
Decent club session in the Green Room, only slightly spoiled by the mysterious disappearance of all the cakes from the 1sts' tea .......
The longer version ....
All three XIs (and they were ultimately XIs thanks to another sterling effort from the selection committee) bowled and all three games were abandoned.
After warming up intensively by putting up the scorers' gazebo, the 1sts had the best of it reducing Grange 2nds to 122 for 6, of which Gough scored 87, with Kevin taking three wickets. Broon, one of the late volunteers, also took three wickets, his best return for the club, as Leith FAB 2nds scored 175 for 5 against the 3rds. The entire 2nds' bowling attack couldn't manage three wickets between us as RH Corstorphine 2nds reached 120 or so for 2.
Decent club session in the Green Room, only slightly spoiled by the mysterious disappearance of all the cakes from the 1sts' tea .......
 |
| Broon prepares for a 3-fer. Photo: JenumsC. |
Thursday, 5 June 2014
League Weekend Seven and the Week Ahead
Saturday's League fixtures -
Sunday -
Midweek -
- 1sts vs Grange 2nds at Arbo.
- 2nds vs RH Corstorphine 2nds, away.
- 3rds vs Leith FAB 2nds, away.
Sunday -
- Presidents Trophy 1st round vs Westquarter, away.
Midweek -
- Tuesday, Masterton QF vs Watsonians, away.
- Thursday, friendly vs Maccabi at Arbo.
Getti Goes Large as Largo End Scoobies' Unbeaten Run
Most Scooby Doo episodes end with the villain, unmasked, saying something like "And I would've gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you pesky, meddling kids!" Crossers are obviously heroes rather than villains, but the Largo youth system has been so productive for so long that many a Crosser has found himself muttering something similar at the end of a summer Saturday.
But well as several Largo teens played in the first proper cricketing weather of the summer, notably Ben Caton (9-3-32-1), Peter Matthews (6-1-18-2) and Nick Baddeley (two catches and a stumping), it was a rather older player who dominated the game. And for once it wasn't the extraordinary amalgam of shorts, moustache, competitiveness and sportsmanship that is Bob Mowat.
Our visitors won the toss and opted to bat and, in opener Naveen Getti's case, bat and bat and bat. The Largo Twitter account had recently described him as "mercurial", that is volatile. Perhaps some people are so truly mercurial that sometimes they're not mercurial at all, because this was an innings of skill, determination and watchfulness that ended with Naveen 111 not out in a total of 207 for 9, with only two other batsmen reaching double figures. Early on there were a handful of sliced drives but none that landed anywhere near a fielder and, along with five maximums and ten other boundaries, there was plenty of solid defence and well-judged running. A truly excellent innings.
Almost all the Cross bowlers suffered at his hands, although Smudger avoided punishment by cunningly tweaking his back in his first over and Elmondt (8-2-22-5) bowled a very fine spell finding just the right, oddly short length, for the oddly low, skiddy Arbo track.
In reply, Cross were powering ahead on 75 for 1 after 15, before Bob Mowat (7-2-27-2), who had been unusually wayward in his first two overs, bowled two wicket maidens to remove first JB (29) and then Bainbro (35) - both self-confessed members of Bob's Bunnies. From then on it was a bit of a struggle for the Cross, especially against the leg spin of Baddeley Senior (9-1-33-3). Dan batted well for 34 but we were 120 for 7 with ten overs to go before Gerry (34 not out) produced a late flourish to take us to 167 all out just shy of maximum batting bonus points.
While there were a couple of tense moments in the game, they were, as they should be, defused amicably and quickly forgotten. Even if the result isn't always as we'd like, it is almost always a pleasure to play Largo so thanks to them for another good game. Thanks also to the Crossers, including three generations of the Presidential dynasty, who turned up to support.
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| Unmasked |
Our visitors won the toss and opted to bat and, in opener Naveen Getti's case, bat and bat and bat. The Largo Twitter account had recently described him as "mercurial", that is volatile. Perhaps some people are so truly mercurial that sometimes they're not mercurial at all, because this was an innings of skill, determination and watchfulness that ended with Naveen 111 not out in a total of 207 for 9, with only two other batsmen reaching double figures. Early on there were a handful of sliced drives but none that landed anywhere near a fielder and, along with five maximums and ten other boundaries, there was plenty of solid defence and well-judged running. A truly excellent innings.
Almost all the Cross bowlers suffered at his hands, although Smudger avoided punishment by cunningly tweaking his back in his first over and Elmondt (8-2-22-5) bowled a very fine spell finding just the right, oddly short length, for the oddly low, skiddy Arbo track.
In reply, Cross were powering ahead on 75 for 1 after 15, before Bob Mowat (7-2-27-2), who had been unusually wayward in his first two overs, bowled two wicket maidens to remove first JB (29) and then Bainbro (35) - both self-confessed members of Bob's Bunnies. From then on it was a bit of a struggle for the Cross, especially against the leg spin of Baddeley Senior (9-1-33-3). Dan batted well for 34 but we were 120 for 7 with ten overs to go before Gerry (34 not out) produced a late flourish to take us to 167 all out just shy of maximum batting bonus points.
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| Contrasting preparations |
While there were a couple of tense moments in the game, they were, as they should be, defused amicably and quickly forgotten. Even if the result isn't always as we'd like, it is almost always a pleasure to play Largo so thanks to them for another good game. Thanks also to the Crossers, including three generations of the Presidential dynasty, who turned up to support.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Coco Catches Up - To Infinity and Beyond
Some may have wondered whether time was catching up with Coco. In fact Coco has caught up with time as a four wicket haul in last night's Presidents Plate victory over Isobar CC took him to 2014 career Cross wickets, just days after passing 2000.
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