1st XI v Grange II @ Fettes - 28/07/2012

Whilst some of the cricket wasn't the most picturesque, the setting wasn't too bad and it was a fantastic toss to lose. These are taken in the last 10 overs.

Bonfield playing in the V

Skipper square cuts

Bonfield defends.

Bonfield v ex Warwickshire captain Mike Powell

Russell showing off his technique

McOscar bats, bowls, keeps wicket and even does the scorebook.

Bonfield tickles one round the corner

Note the game on the pitch next to us had exited stage left and the covers were on whilst we soldiered on.

A familiar site at cricket grounds this summer - puddles.

Thursday Game OFF

HX vs Edinburgh CC in the @ESCACricket President's Trophy on Thursday is OFF
for obvious reasons

Arbo at 7pm on Thurs  -pic by A Quinn

Soggy Success

 Pre-season Friendly (at Arboretum Playing Fields)

40 overs per side (later reduced-after rain delay- to 35 overs per side)

Edinburgh CC 173ao (31.4 overs)
Majeed 109
D. Russell 4/ 20, S. McOscar 2/32

Holy Cross 176/ 7 (33.5 overs)
R. Javed 59, E. Smith 31, K. Fraser 22*, O. Mahzer 16.
U. Farooq 2/17, Irshad  2/40

more details to follow...

McGill's youthful Midweekers Master Mud

As ever we had a close an enjoyable game vs C & B - despite the wet pitch and the gloomy evening
(not helped by some classic HX tardiness which delayed the start of the game unnecessarily by 15 minutes.......yes guys, you are free to put out flags, tables etc...). The HX XI featuring 5 players under the age of 25....though two of these were Corstorphine CC players.

Some solid batting - with some good boundaries also struck. Followed up by some good bowling (Osama and Suli the pick) and some lively fielding: Ossie, Osama and Nawaz constituting a rather more athletic cover field that usually seen at Arbo.. two good run outs resulting.

Good knocks from Halcrow and Anwar in the gloom (plus Michael's traditional 1 over spell) set up a tight finish-C & B needing 4 off the last ball to tie-was well struck by Daniel but straight at the fielder.

Holy Cross 126/6 (20 overs)
C. Ellis 45 (27), S. Malik 20 (22), V. Gaware 15 (12)
K. Crichton 2/26, Kaeside 2/30

Currie and Balerno 121/5 (20 overs)
G. Halcrow 50*, F. Anwar 30. Kirk Crichton...2nd ball duck..

McGill's Midweek Men Make Merry

I've been informed semi-reliably that...

Despite a wet and somewhat uneven pitch and losing Ziggy 1st ball, the midweek team made 197/5ish (!) off their 20 overs against some "friendly" Uni Staff bowling, several batsmen reaching the retiral point of 25.

Believe that Staff made 102/3 in response with CoCo taking 2/3, Calum MacIntosh taking his first wicket ever and Deepak and his mate (Gandhe of Marchmont CC) impressing with the ball.

Remember nets tonight (Wednesday) from 6.30 onwards and also that the 1st XI play Edin Accies on Thursday (6pm, Newfield) - supporters, scorers etc welcome.

Lucky 13 for Muddy Midweekers

If Steve Rouse reckons that the Edgbaston test pitch is currently like 'Jelly', then we played on one resembling a custard coated biscuit (this was no fault of the groundstaff at Peffermill; just the weather)

In a match shortened to 13 overs per side:

Holy Cross 97/3
K. Fraser 33*, A. Quinn 30 *

Edinburgh University Staff 66/6
C. McGill 2/9 (3 overs)
U. Shazad 2/11 (3 overs)
C. O. Smith 1/15 (3 overs)

HX total built round a good partnership between Fraser and Quinn after early wickets, featuring some good back foot play. Usama was the pick of the bowlers, showing good control given the slippery footholds and sodden ball.

Youthful Cross Prevail

Despite the rather muddy pitch we had an enjoyable friendly vs the Muffers in a a match in which an attempt was made to break the record for the 'most people playing whilst smoking' (I counted five; though Coco -as usual-smoked enough for 11 normal men).

The Cross fielded an unusually youthful and athletic side - with a few Cross veterans (McGill, Lawrie, Bates, Ellis) making up the numbers.
Skipper McGill prevailing against Don Wilkie in the battle of the cantankerous er.. captains.

A fluent start from the inform pair of Nipun Metha and C. J. Ellis (both retired on 30) followed by other useful contributions from 'Psycho' Bates (as he is known to Muffers), Vikram and Nawaz took us to 144.

Good bowling performance with good spells from Vikram, Burgess, McGill (adding to his long list of international victims), Bates, Nipun, and particularly Nawaz kept Mufs to just over a hundred -despite some fine striking from one of their openers (Anand Venkatesh). (Though he almost fell to an attempt for catch of the millennium from Andy G/J Pope-they attempted something along the lines of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWO5MO8z4ks )

Some good keeping from Ken -including a nice stumping (!!).

BTW can the person who borrowed my bat at the weekend and put a rather large crack right through the middle of it....