hx-cricket-tweeters

Those who wish to follow the narcissistic outpourings wit and wisdom of the growing band of Crossers on Twitter can now do so here:

https://twitter.com/#!/HXCricket/hx-cricket-tweeters

CA knock can't prevent Cross loss in Masterton

EC reports that in the Masterton Trophy 1st round (at Goldenacre):

Heriot's 187 for 3 - Bainbridge was pick of bowlers and V Gaware looked dangerous, clean bowling a former Scotland international.

Holy X 96 for 8 - Confident and stylish knock of 57 from CA Smith.

Good luck to Heriot's in the next round.

Crucial Win for Twos but 1sts Flattened by Fauldhouse

1sts
At Arbo
Fauldhouse 283-5
Z. Ali 107*, A. Wallace 72, D. Mullligan 30, D. Allan 29

Holy Cross
189ao C. Ellis 64, R. Bainbridge 42, R. McDonald 4-23
further details to follow

2nds
pvb reports:
Div 5 at the Meadows

Holy Cross 2s 155-8 (Webb and Mehta 40+) :
Accies 2s about 98 all out (Astley 4 wkts).

Impressive bowling and excellent sportsmanship from Accies. HX were held back early on - 45-4 after 20 overs. Then Accies kept on losing wickets amidst some fine shots on a lottery of a pitch. Thanks to Accies for all their preparations in ensuring we had a scoreboard and a fine tea.

3rds
beat SMRH 3rds by 10 wickets
details to follow

Bimbo blast seals victory for BFLs, while 2s and 3 compete but lose.

Saturday Results Digest.

1sts

Edinburgh 2 80ao (Obeid 40, Bainbridge 5/27, P. Kumar 3/14) lost to Holy Cross 81-1 (S. Pickering 31*, N. Metha 21).

Getting Mazhar (700+ runs this season) for 0 was key (top delivery from Bimbo: top catch from Spick). After that, good spells from Bimbo and Praveen pressurised an understrength Edinburgh batting line-up into some 'ambitious' shots. A useful partnership (assisted by a few fielding lapses) between nos 9 & 10 showed that the pitch was perfectly playable before Milly ended it with one of his signature submarine balls. New boy Pat ended the innings with his third ball - a useful delivery that hit the top of off.

Runs efficiently knocked off (against some decent bowling, with the pitch doing some odd things) by Nipun, Spickers and cje.

Surprisingly early finish meant we could enjoy the Bates and Bailey show at Arbo and the BBQ (cheers to Bainbro, Mandy and Michael for their organisational efforts).

2nds

Carlton 3s 262 for 7 (C Paterson 126, Z Yusaf 42*) beat Holy Cross 2s 196 for 7 (P Bailey 64, J Bates 56, F Allardice 2 for 18, R Metcalfe 2 for 26)
Scorecard here

3rds

Carlton 4s 166 for 9 (G Newman 45, H Aslam 20, A Rive 20) beat Holy Cross 3s 132 all out (M Nevin 30+, B Irvine 3 for 12, H Aslam 2 for 33)
Report and scorecard here.

Fraser Flourish Can't Prevent Triple Loss for Cross

Given poor availability, 3 losses is not a major surprise - though still disappointing. 2nds were very unlucky with the infamous rain rule.

1sts
Holy Cross 141ao
D. Russell 55, R. Bainbridge 30, R. Worsnop 27.

Fauldhouse 144-3
D.J. Allan 50odd.

partial scorecard here

For the 2nd successive occasion, the 1sts failed in their attempt to beat Fauldhouse with less than 2/3rds of the 1st team. After an early collapse, Dougie and Bainbro put together a fluent partnership of 60 odd and got us back into the game. But despite Robin's efforts, the absence of our usual batting depth meant we were unable to get the near a competitive total. Hopefully availability will pick up next week and beyond.

2nds
PVB reports that:

Holy Cross probably lost to Edinburgh Accies by 0.002 of a run. Holy Cross scored 188 all out; their run rate is 4.17778. Accies scored 117-5 after 27.4 overs; their run rate is 4.17857. By multiplying the Holy Cross run rate of 4.1778 by 28 overs you get 116.98.

Is the target 117 or is it 118 if Holy Cross' score is rounded up to 117? Can you win by 0.002 of a run? Your views please!

There was no argument after the game - it was played in the most sporting manner possible. It does highlight the fact the old rule of a game counting after 24/27/30 overs of a second innings was made when we had the draw - without the draw it is a win/lose situation and unfair.

Ziggy will give his reaction at 3.17am.

3rds
Lost to Dalgety Bay by about 5 wickets - details below from Broonster.

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)

Naming Shame?

Geoffrey Wheatcroft bemoans the declining standard of the nicknames used by members of the England cricket team here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/17/english-nicknames-humour-irony-wit

Have the Cross suffered a similar decline?
This roughly chronological list of nicknames might suggest so:

King
Coco
[Ferret]
Two Dogs
Deadly
Butchie
Shifty
Smudger
Bradders
[Rocket]
Slasher
The Dr
Bonfire
Ziggy
The Professor
Spickers
Beast
Coastal
Jezza
Ozzie
Senior
[Shambles]
Killer
Milley
Sharpey
Bimbo
Popey


Certainly Crossers of more recent vintage have tended to fall into the lazy habit of merely appending ‘ey’ to the end of names (this reached its nadir with EC’s tendency to describe a former 1st team skipper as ‘Ianey’-though I seem to recall he called him something different after being run out by him as he neared a century vs Edinburgh CC…). The club also has a somewhat unimaginative tradition of ‘nicknames’ that merely use initials. e.g. EC; BAF; PVB; HJK; JLRB; JB; KF.

Am I wrong? Surely a good nickname should have an air of mystery about it and take some time to explain (e.g. classics such as Two Dogs and Shifty)?

Vote Now

The deadline is approaching for Crossers to get their votes in for Saturday's Awards Night. Get your completed forms to Mr Admin asap.

Apparently there's an additional 'special' award to be voted for. The previous winners include many distinguished (up until that point at least) Crossers and Bainbro (left-photo by J. Pope).

I've no idea how the 'winner' is determined
(the method supposedly
combines the procedures for electing a new Pope [no, not that one] and the Speaker of the House of Commons, though can be settled by Presidential decree).

Spickers and Bainbro the Key Men in Final Victory

The winning team.

Back row: Michael (12th Man), N. Shazad, S. Bonfield, C. A. Smith, J. Bates, R. Bainbridge, C. Ellis, C. McGill (Scorer).
Seated on Bench: K. Fraser (Vice-Captain), S. Pickering (Wkt), E. C. Smith (Captain), I. Astley.
Seated on Grass: V. Gaware.

Presidents Trophy Final at Myreside
Holy Cross won the toss and elected to bat

Holy Cross 172-10 from 40 overs
Pickering 73, C Smith 39, J. Bates 13,
Bhardwaj 5 for 32, Anderson 2 for 15.

defeated

Musselburgh 145-10 from 38.1 overs
A Tufail 49, Tucker 30, Anderson 19*,
Bonfield, 7 overs, 1/29
Bainbridge, 8 overs, 4/36
Ellis, 8 overs, 2/16
Gaware, 8 overs, 0/30
Astley, 7.2 overs, 2/30

2 catches for E. C. Smith, 1 for V. Gaware.

Champagne moment: Bainbro's slower ball to dismiss their hard-hitting No. 9.

More details to follow but it was an excellent game against a good Musselburgh side in a superb setting. Many thanks to the many Crossers (past and present) and our lucky mascot (Michael) who came along to support.

Press report here:
http://sport.scotsman.com/cricket/Cricket-Holy-Cross-in-.5559513.jp

Last Over Win Over Widows for McGill's Midweek Men

Scottish Widows 120ao (19.1 overs)
Edwards 39
U. Shazad 1/ 22 (4 overs)
V. Gaware 1/29 (4 overs)
Bainbridge 2/10 (2 overs)
C. O. Smith 2/21 (4 overs)
C. McGill 2/18 (3.1)
N. Shazad 0/11 (2 overs)

Holy Cross 121/1 (19.1 overs)
C. Ellis 72*
A. Quinn 30*
N. Metha 11.

With warm sunshine and a firm wicket ...it almost felt like May again..

Highlights included a near hatrick from Bainbro (hatrick ball missed off stump by an inch), a promising spell from Usama and 3 catches from Nawaz-one of them a candidate for catch of the season (from a well hit pull off from Smudger's 'slow bouncer' ). Otherwise fielding a little mixed - especially from some of the 1st teamers present - though Michael did a good stint sweeping at deep cover.

Good entertaining game that left us needing six to win off the last over-luckily the first one was a full-bunger.

Myreside awaits as Bates hits Cross into President's Trophy Final

Sunshine and sawdust were both on display as the rain delayed reduced over President's Trophy Semi against Kismet went ahead at Arbo earlier today.

In a game watched in front of literally a handful of supporters, the tourists went in to bat first and made a respectable 124 on a moist wicket, with Bainbridge the main man taking 3 for 15 and decent figures of 1-11 for Bonfield and 1-19 for Russell, the latter forcing a great run out after knocking the bails off with a direct hit from a tight angle.

The Cross fielding and most importantly catching were a vast improvement on the previous week's SCU Trophy semi, in particular two spectacular takes by Russell and Ellis.

After tea, Cross went about their business however Bailey wasn't up for the long haul and let an average delivery force him into a hook shot which went to the welcoming fielder.

Smith hit a decent knock of 39 before being skittled, much to his apparent annoyance as he left the field in what could only be described as an 'Introduction to Tourettes, Volume 1'.

Ellis was given 'plum' LBW by Coco, however he made up for it by offering to make a round of tea for all on the boundary - nice lad!

Russell was steadfast, hitting 36 not out and it was his partnership with the winning runs hitter Bates (21 not out) which set up a Final against either Musselburgh or Watsonians at Myreside on Sunday August 16th (1pm start). The other semi-final is scheduled to be played next week.

McGill's (7) Midweek Men defeated by OCs

I'm reliably informed the by man pictured (left) that the Midweek team (of just seven*, with Michael of the rugby club sub-fielding) lost to 9 OCs, including ex-Crossers Dominic Mason and Willie McIntyre (before my time, so check spelling Mr Admin).

At Arboretum.

Holy Cross 134/5 (20 overs)
After the openers (Pickering and McGill...) fell early, Bainbro with 42* (giving another nudge to the selectors...) and the returning Rupert Barker with an undefeated 50 batted well.

OCs 135/5 (19 overs)
No bowling performances deemed worthy of note (perhaps Coco got some tap??). Colin was sorry to report that D. Wilkie (playing for the Cross) was dismissed first ball and conceded 'about 50' from his three overs.

* This a pity given that these games are a useful way of getting 'middle time'. The next midweek game is next Tuesday against the Muffers. who are likely to field a fairly strong side.