Inching Ahead - Hungry 2s Win Again

The slow-motion bar crawl that is Holy Cross selection reached the Raeburn Hotel in Stockbridge last week. In a former life this was the venue for the rather raucous celebrations of the 2nd Division championship in our 50th anniversary year. It is now a "boutique hotel", unlikely to welcome the riff-raff of 2000, but natural home to man-about town, Andy G, and his selectorial colleagues.

The selectors were on top form, too, this week, producing a list of 11 players all of whom were actually available. Naturally, this being the Cross, one of them was then sent to Arbo by mistake, leaving us with 10 at the designated start time. This was, however, two more than South had. Our hosts won the toss, borrowed a fielder and put us in and we finally got under way around 1.20 on another cold, grey Inch afternoon.

Beyond superior numbers, we also started with the huge advantage that the peripatetic Gus McLean (usual bowling figures against us roughly 9-5-7-3) had wandered off over the winter for another spell at Boroughmuir. But we didn't make the most of it and even though Tiwari (9-3-12-1) couldn't repeat his extraordinary 6-for of a year ago, he, Shepherd (8-0-28-2) and Sheikh (9-4-18-1) bowled accurately on a tricky, muddy pitch on which Paul Murphy's very slow googlies also later proved effective. Our top four rode their luck a bit but still mostly contrived to get themselves out and, at 38 for 4 for the second week running, we looked to be in some trouble and South's tails (of which there were by now a full eleven) were definitely up.

However Dan (30) and Ross (18) consolidated and began to push the score on, and Milly (21 no), who arrived late from Arbo in his second taxi of the day muttering darkly about claiming expenses, and Dom (12 no) saw us to a handy score of 145 for 6, which included 25 extras but only 4 boundaries.

Ross and Dan looking unflustered. Photo: BAF.

With the teas locked in an apparently unstaffed clubhouse, we wasted 25 minutes standing around in the cold before turning round, but this seemed only to inspire the bowling unit and wickets fell regularly as South were bowled out for 68 in 27 overs, a score which included no boundaries but one 5 run penalty as, allegedly for the first time ever, a batsman chipped a ball back past Gerry and onto the cap he uses as a bowling mark. Ross effected an excellent run out; Ziggy pulled off a fine diving/falling catch; Gerry bowled beautifully (8-0-19-2); Dan (1.1-0-1-2) snuck in for some cheap wickets at the end again; and man-of the-match Milly (6-1-15-4) bowled well, although he took all of his wickets with rank filth.

Another handy victory with good bowling, better fielding and some stuffy batting from the lower middle order. The top order hopes to turn up this week. Thanks to Edinburgh South for their usual good cheer and fair umpiring (and for making us look quite organised by comparison). One last thought, captain Smudger has yet to bowl a ball in anger this summer .......