Bon-fires as 1sts claim opening win.

1st XI
At Arboretum.
Holy Cross 204-7 (S. Bonfield 68, C. A. Smith 34, A Fleming 3/52)
Watsonians 2nds 160ao (R. Crosby 58, D, Breach 32, R. Worsnop 4/34, C. Ellis 4/19)

A heavy shower at 7am had transformed a firm deck into a classic Arbo ‘sticky top’ which meant fluent batting was unlikely and some unusual bounce could be expected when the ball hit indentations made by earlier deliveries.

Cross made a very slow start against the tricky bounce of Leggett and the swing and nip of Sevak (who started with 4 straight maidens), with Rob playing a couple of good leg side shots before failing to move his feet against a fuller delivery and Charlie playing across a fairly straight one. Shannon ‘how dare you not describe me as an all-rounder in the HX fantasy league’ Bonfield then continued his fine form of the previous week with a composed and classy 68. He got good support from Calum (34 with several fine boundaries) as they put on 115 excellent runs at a good rate in a match-winning partnership. Despite a slump from 134/2 to 163/7, Dougie, Praveen and Vikram (24*) did well in the final overs to get us to a defendable total of 204 (28 wides also helped-the umpires wideing anything missing leg stump).

The solid Breach opened (though dropped 1st ball) with the aggressive (in batting style, not personality) Flannigan, who was dismissed by a Worsnop via a debatable lb decision. Then Fox (with a good record against Cross bowlers) was undone by one that kept low and soon after Yellowlees was adjudged caught behind as Robin found his line and length. 204 now looked a big total, especially after Fleming played on (just!) to Shannon, leaving Watsonians on 34/4.

But Watsonians now had their tricky wicket specialists at the crease: Breach who’d scored runs at Roseburn whilst playing for Cramond and Jaya who’d batted for several season on the Muirhouse ‘wicket’. Jaya was in threatening form and struck Robin for a cracking six before getting unluckily ‘strangled’ down the leg side. Crosby made clear his intentions early as he walloped a slow Bimbo long-hop most of the way towards Andy G’s house. He and Breach threatened to put together a significant partnership until Praveen (making up for an earlier indiscretion) took a superb slip catch (low and well to his left) off cje to dismiss the Watsonians' skipper.

Crosby’s fine striking and some sloppy fielding (sorry Dougie!), and ‘rusty’ bowling (Bimbo!-figures not for public consumption) kept Watsonians in the game but we kept chipping away with steady bowling (cje confirming his reputation as one of the most ‘boring’ bowlers in the league, just missing out on his 1st ever 5-for). With Crosby at the crease, Watsonians still had a chance (they certainly had enough overs to get the runs) before Shannon (returning from the bottom end) got one through Crosby’s defence to end the game. Certainly not a flawless performance (plus we got a larger share of fortune than our opposition) but an important opening win against a good Watsonians side.