Media Hype

Here The Scotsman previews this Sunday's Activcity Twenty20 clash and the Holy Cross skipper heaps praise on his "slower" bowlers.

http://sport.scotsman.com/cricket/Cricket-Trinity-pin-hopes-on.6808398.jp

Excellent to see three good reports from this weekend's bangathon!

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..

Parks Trophy Final - WEDNESDAY

Holy Cross take on our old friends MDafs on Wednesday evening in the final of the Parks Trophy.

This is 9 years since our last appearance in the Parks final (we think - a narrow loss at Newfield vs Edinburgh CC....let's not mention the 1996 final loss) .....and even longer since we last won it: in 1990 (we also won in 1986).

Venue: Newfield

Game starts at 6pm sharp.

Can all those playing aim to get there for 5.40-or earlier. Supporters most welcome. The bar at Arbo will be open from 8pm onwards.


MATCH OFF-Newfield is unplayable...

Hacking Inquiry Latest

Alleged hacking

Polis are to investigate hacking allegations made against an unnamed Holy Cross wicketkeeper this website understands. Although rumours of his hacking have circulated in the East League for many years, damning new evidence emerged late on Monday evening.

Followers of a tory leadership hopeful’s Facebook page were shocked when photos of the hacking actually taking place were posted.

Far from distancing themselves from the hacker, it seems that hacking has been prevalent throughout Holy Cross CC for a number of years. An unnamed player said “yeah, we hack all the time, usually we don’t even realise we’re doing it”.

The Polis released a statement on Tuesday morning saying “We can assure members of the public that we have investigated this matter thoroughly. A fully resourced team of senior detectives scrutinised the photo’s with help from experts from the FBI. We can categorically state that this photo shows a text book cover drive and there is nothing more to see here, move along or I’ll taser you, swab your DNA and sell your details to the press.”

The Club President was unavailable for comment having recently suffered a minor automobile accident in Buenos Aires here.

Trewartha Triggers Trophy Triumph

Scottish Widows 71a0 (15.5 overs)

K. Ramischand 25, E. Pickmere 17*
S. Bonfield 3/012/0
R. Bainbridge 2/1/9/2
C. Ellis 1/0/10/0
P. Lynch 4/0/16/2
G. Trewartha 3.5/0/6/5
V. Gaware 1/0/9/o
C. A. Smith 1/0/8/1

Holy Cross 72-4 (17.3 overs)

C. A. Smith 25, C. Ellis 25*
E. Pickmere 2/6

Cross Stay Active

Activcity Trophy-at Meggetland (7th July).

Boroughmuir 124-7 (20 overs)
M. Sachdeva 45, S. Ahmed 21, Ashish 20*
Bonfield 4/0/20/1
Lynch 4/0/19/1
Russell 4/0/23/0
Ellis 4/0/29/2
C. A. Smith 4/0/24/2

Holy Cross 125-6 (17.3 overs)
S. Pickering 41, C. Ellis 18, V. Gaware 17.
A. Talreja 3/16

A steady enough performance but we perhaps ought to have won more more comfortably against an under-strength Boroughmuir side. We were slighty sloppy in the field and the bowling was ok/god rather than outstanding.
Anyway 124 was not a big score given the outfield-though the pitch was tricky: Talreja hitting the ridge at the 'Slateford end' quite regularly.
After a strong start (led by Spick) a mid-innings wobble gave Boroughmuir hope. Some sensible batting (assisted by some looser back-up bowling) took us past the B'Muir score.

elsewhere, Coco's midweekers were apparently 'mashed by OCCC with overs & wickets to spare at Arbo.

Come back CA ... All is forgiven...

Parks Trophy QF.

Holy Cross 134-4
S. Pickering 45 (44), C. Ellis 38* (30).

Edinburgh South 123-9
S. Yamjaman 53 (42), A. Pirani 25 (18)
Worsnop 4/0/20/1
Bonfield 4/0/24/1
D. Russell 4/0/20/3
R. Bainbridge 4/0/34/0
P. Lynch 4/0/21/1

"I can see why we've not won this for years"
(R. Bainbridge, 8.37pm, Wednesday June 29th 2011, home changing room (South West corner), Arboretum Sports Ground, Edinburgh).

Here Bimbo succinctly sums up a thoroughly mediocre performance by a (on paper) strong HX 1st team. Probably 20 runs light with the bat, even on a slightly dead track - not enough boundaries smacked. Then a mixture of good batting by the classy Pirani and the hard hitting Yamjaman (with a super-charged piece of willow) and some truly dire f***ing awful HX fielding meant that at 76-3 off 12, ESouth looked like favourites. Dougie bowled the key spell and we took enough wickets (Nozzer taking an important boundary catch to dismiss Pirani) to slow their momentum....just enough. Anyway we won and are through to the semi. But let's not let our STANDARDS slip so far again ... even if CA is absent.

Punctual Cross (!!) lift the gloom at Arbo

Parks Trophy 1st Round.
At Arboretum.

APNA 86ao (19.2overs)
Hamid 28.
Bainbridge 4, o, 17, 1
Bonfield 4, 0, 18, 1
Ellis 3.2, 0, 19, 3
Russell 4, 0, 22, 3
Lynch 4, 2, 7, 1

Holy Cross 92/4 (12.4)
S. Pickering 34*
K. Fraser 18
N. Webb 15 *
Mr Extras 26!
Umair 4, 1, 14, 3

A few aspects of the match worth remarking on:
* HX won a Twenty:20 match versus a decent side!!-something that happens about as often as Volcanic dust disrupts air flight in the UK.
* HX's catching (and calling for catches) was notably good.
* For once we took the 1st chance offered by their best bat (Zahid Ali).
* Dougie took 3 wickets in 4 balls in his final over.
* Pat was too quick for them.
* Nawaz played for the opposition but only made 5.
* KF and Spick got us off to a flier (44 off 4) that pretty much assured victory-despite a middle order wobble against a fine spell from Umair.
* cje was dismissed by one of the balls of the decade.
* Norrie finished off the game with 2 6's.

But most remarkably:
*HX had 10 players (plus 2 subs -C. McGill and M.Baker) at the ground and ready at 5.50...when the opposition only had 1....

Cheers to our scorers/ supporter/ helpers:
C.McGill, M.Baker, A. Quinn.

Another Twenty: 20 Twatting

Aug 3rd at Arbo. 20 overs per side -Friendly match.
Scottish Widows 165/3 (E. Robertson 69*, R. Hannah 45, A Greigson 23).
Holy Cross 122/4 (A. Quinn 40*)

The disdain felt for this vulgar form of the game by HX players was evident in a poor performance against Scottish Widows*. The Widows' batsmen played well but were assisted by some inaccurate bowling and f***ing awful sloppy fielding. Their 165 was well over par given a fairly dead used strip.

A promising HX reply was ended in the 7th over when both openers - Nipun (unluckily) and cje (to a stupid shot)- fell to their leggie. His was not the only embarrassing dismissal-Bainbro and Vikram falling to to Scott Miller's gentle lobs. An acceptable score was attained through a good 40* from Andy Q and 20 odd from Andy K.

*Given this it was good to see that two members (EC Smith and S. Pickering) of the President's commission examining our approach to Twenty:20 cricket were in attendance-and taking copious notes.

Cross crash out of Activcity 20:20

On a sun drenched Newfield the Cross succumbed to Accies in the the newly named Activcity 20:20 (formerly Cow Corner).

Haven't got the book so details are scarce but on a very good batting track Accies posted 186 batting first mainly thanks to a very good innings of 73* from the wicket keeper No3, which included a big straight 6 off the advice of KF. 40 odd from the no4/5 and some very ropey ground fielding also helped them on their way to a decent but not impossible total.

Cross started well in reply with EC and Pickering making 20/30 odd each and we were in touching distance of the run rate after 10 overs. Wickets fell regularly and despite a 30 odd from Calum we needed a good partnership to emerge to keep in the mix. Unfortunately this didn't happen and we were all out for 150 odd.

Our midweek hopes now rest with the upcoming Masterton 2nd round and hopefully our luck will change.

Twenty 20 debate

Crossers' favourite author Gideon Haigh takes part in this discussion of
Twenty 20 'cricket' that may interest some of you:

http://www.cricinfo.com/talk/content/current/multimedia/451195.html