1st XI v Marchmont

Ellis jr sporting his new blonde rinse

With the temperatures barely into double digits and rain up until the previous Wednesday, Holy Cross 1st XI turned up for their maiden game at Campbell Park expecting a sloping bog on Saturday due to reports from those who often play there. Instead we found a lovely wee ground in excellent condition considering the time of year. It would have been ideal if someone could have turned the wind down a bit and maybe a couple of obliging truckers (I said truckers) had jack-knifed their lorries to block the traffic noise on the bypass.

The gentlemen in charge of the teams agreed to allow HX to bat first in a 40 overs aside thrash. Marchmont were somewhat under strength without Loeffen, Aaron or that South African dude whose name escapes me with the 4lb bat that takes out low flying planes.

Owais and Raja were invited to start us off and so they did. Raja raced to 48 (46 balls) before becoming the first man out. I joined Owais who perished missing a straight one on 63 (57 balls). Owais hit 7 sixes in total, 4 of which were his first 4 scoring shots including the second ball of the game!!! Raja despatched a couple too whilst clattering a few 4's as well. If this continues we'll be able to charge at the gate this season as the crowds flock to Arbo.

Jimmy McOscar arrived at number 4 and I left him to it on 22 (25 balls), politely chipping a dolly up to short cover. This brought 'the other' McOscar to the middle and a period of calm consolidated the scoring somewhat. Jimmy eventually holed out to square leg for 19 (36 balls) and the skipper was stumped by a good couple of yards after charging and missing for a nice 32 (37 balls).

The pitch was playing OK, a bit of a tennis ball bounce, but as I said earlier, for the time of year we had no complaints.

Gary T was now at the crease with new man to the club Julius Newman (see wot I did there?). They were able to keep scoring around a run a ball both ending unbeaten in early double figures giving us a total of 218-5. With Russell, Bonfield, Bainbridge and Worsnop not required, never mind the wiffwaffing Ellis, we appear to have a lot to be confident about in our batting this year. And not forgetting a delightful little footnote to Saturday with the news that 'legendary' Cross keeper Simon 'Hacker' Pickering will be available again this year.

Bonfield and Bainbridge began our attack meaning Worsnop and Raja would have to wait until first and second change. Shannon's 2-11 from 5 overs included the usual slew of stump-skiffing deliveries and batsman-confusing shimmiers before he removed opener Rees LBW. Bimbo (1-22 off 4) then took the most apologetic wicket of his career to date with a comedy bouncer which looped up over a whirling batsman before sagging down and onto middle stump. Both bowler and batsmen slumped and shook their heads in embarrassment as the rest of us cracked up.

Robin kept the comedy going when he came on. The first ball was a full bunger so he requested his specs back off the umpiring McGill. His next delivery was bang on the money, but his glasses became detached in the follow through and were handed back to Coco. 3rd ball is another full bunger much to our amusement, but after that he seemed to align with the force and get back to the Worsnop we're used to, finishing with 2-13 from 5 overs.

Then Trewartha and Dougie got a shot. The latter took a bit of tap in his 3 overs ending with 1-19. However he was turning it the proverbial mile and struggling to find a useful line, eventually switching to around the wicket. Meanwhile, at the other end, Michelle Five-for was helping himself to the tail with a typically devastating 4-5 from 20 balls. This meant no chance to see Julius turning his (left) arm over not to mention the skipper. And, like the batting line-up, not forgetting the absent dibbly-dobblying paddle-monkey from Morningside.

Our opponents succumbed on 92 and we were unleashed onto Saturday night a couple of hours early.

Almost forgot, we spilled about 5 catches too and I was dropped twice (woohoo).