2s stay up but 1s go down - results 24.08.19

Euan reports:

Under sunny skies, the season came to a close in contrasting styles:

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The 1s scraped together 8 players plus a late recruit from the rugby club who fancied a short break from the BBQ to take on Carlton 3s. Ziggy blasted a few boundaries to help us get to 73, and the bowlers ran in with purpose - Shannon taking a couple of wickets, Pradeep and Matt Bywater on his long-awaited return with one each - but it was always something of an uphill task. On the plus side, plenty of time was left over afterwards for some long overdue boundary golf.

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The 2s, however, set a precedent for cricketing great escapes this weekend. After their opener skied the first ball of the match to slightly surprised-looking Euan Hunter at cover, Livingston made a competitive 144 on a slightly tacky wicket, wickets being shared between most of the HX bowlers (Gerry getting 2) among some fairly economical bowling figures (especially Sandeep - 0 for 11 off 6).

In reply, Nipun and Robin put on 53 opening, with Robin contributing 40.  After 5 wickets fell for 32 runs, Euan Hunter blasted a rapid 29 (we'll ignore reports that most of those were scored off small children) to drag the score up to 120.  After Euan's demise, Vik and Sai put on 19 (Sai contributing a Leach-esque 1) before Keith came to the wicket to help Vik over the line, flaying 4 through the keeper's legs in the process to cue celebrations and a fine way to finish. A nervous wait ensued before Murrayfield DAFS Twitter account confirmed that the defeat of their 3s at Dunnikier meant HX 2s would live to fight another year in Div 5!

1s lose to Kirk Brae - 03.08.19

Ben Reports:

On what felt like the first dry, sunny Saturday in weeks, HX 1s took on Kirk Brae at Arbo.  The Kirk Brae captain won the toss and chose to bat on a green, slightly tacky wicket.  The HX bowlers did a good job of keeping the batting in check until the halfway point of the innings, but with wickets in hand Kirk Brae were able to accelerate after drinks to a competitive-looking total of 155-9.  Shannon picked up 3 well deserved wickets (as well as 2 run outs) and Vik grabbed 2 in a fiery spell.

In reply, a solid start to the HX innings from Euan House and Nipun couldn't be capitalised on, as four quick wickets halted any chance of gaining momentum.  Gritty partnerships between Tom/Quinny and Quinny/Shannon got us up to 90 and a couple of batting points.

Cup Final Loss - 24/07/19

Ben reports:

HX's glorious cup run ended in defeat in the final against Drummond Trinity.  Batting first on a pretty flat deck, Drummond Trinity racked up 161, which looked like a good but by no means insurmountable score.  It could have been quite a bit more were it not for some tight fielding and bowling at the death, and 3 wickets for Sai in the middle overs.  In reply, HX chose to once again follow England's lead and were bundled out for 57, with only Tom and Euan House making double figures.  Ultimately a disappointing end to what has been an enjoyable and positive run to the final.  Well done to everyone who played in one of the matches.

Friendly vs Smellies - 18/07/19

Euan reports:

Last-minute cloudbursts notwithstanding, HX travelled along the Ferry Road to face old rivals Stewart Melville Trojans last night. Inserted on a greasy deck, HX did well to score 127-7, with 20-odds from Euan Hunter, Shifty, Quinny and our latest signing, Pradeep's brother-in-law Hari, who flew all the way to Scotland from Qatar just for this game.

In reply, SMT reached 87-9, their initially fairly smooth progress halted by a spectacular burst from Quinny, whose first ball was a caught-and-bowled, second ball was a caught-and-bowled, third ball was a wide and fourth ball was a dropped caught-and-bowled. He ended up with 4 wickets for 3 runs (all wides) off two devastating overs.

Holy Cross edge low-scoring semi-final! - 17/07/19

Ben reports:

With England's remarkable run-chase fresh in everyone's minds, HX travelled to the usual Campbell Park pudding to take on Scottish Widows and try to channel the spirit of Sunday.  Captain Euan won the toss and inserted the opposition on a pitch that looked, to be generous, tricky to bat on (I'd certainly like to have seen Jos Buttler try and hit a run-a-ball 60 on it).  His bowlers repaid his faith, with Ben R, Pradeep, Keith and Pete all picking up 2-fors, and Sandeep bowling exceptionally well for his 1-10.  Matt Oddy and Andy Quinn caught everything that came their way, and Euan Hunter and Ken kept scoring opportunities to a minimum with their watchful fielding.

However, some ferocious running dragged Widows up to 94, which always looked like a slightly above-par total.  Once HX had been reduced to 22-4 at the start of the ninth over, it suddenly looked quite a lot over par, and as if Widows had set a fiendish target with all the care of New Zealand.  A patient stand of 52 between Ben (contributing 24), Quinny (10) and Extras (18) dragged HX to 74 at the start of the 16th over, whereupon two quick wickets fell, Matt Oddy particularly unlucky to be run out first ball by his batting partner.  Fortunately, a bit of late hitting by Ben (finishing on 44*), coupled with whirlwind running by Sandeep ensured HX got home in the penultimate over, and made it through to the Parks Trophy Final!

Speaking of which, the final should be on Wednesday 27th of July.  Clear your schedules now and let me know if you're going to be available.  It would be great to see as many Crossers there as possible, so even if you can't play but can come and watch, please do pop along, and hopefully we can make it a proper whole-club victory.

1s lose, 2s rained off - 13/07/19

Euan reports:

The 1s fell to a 6 wkt defeat at a squelchy Inch Park yesterday.

Put in to bat on a wicket that had shades of Sabina Park circa 1998 about it - albeit it wasn't quite Walsh and Ambrose bowling - we cautiously made it to 109-8 off our 40 overs, Ben Reiss top scoring with a hard-earned 29, on what is hopefully the meanest wicket we will bat on this season.

With Edinburgh South 30-2 off 14 we looked set for a low-scoring classic, but couldn't stop their number 4 scoring as the sun dried up the strip. Wickets were shared between Ben R, Pradeep, Matt Tantum and Calum, and we gave a good account of ourselves in the field.

Crosstastic Double over Largo - Results from 06/07/19

Ben reports:

My holiday couldn't have to come to a much better conclusion than hearing we'd achieved a Crosstastic double over Largo on Saturday.  The 1s racked up a very decent 214-5 at home against Largo 1s, anchored by a superb 98* by Euan House (he claims he 'lucked out', which I refuse to believe) and 70+ for Jack Collister on debut.  They then fired Largo out for just 76 in under 20 overs, Olly picking up 3 wickets.

The 2s conceded a daunting looking 189 to Largo 2s, but unbeaten fifties for JB (57*) and Vik (68*) ensured that the total was chased down with ease in 30 overs.  A quick thank you to everyone who has made their HX debuts over the last couple of weeks - we look forward to seeing you lots more over the rest of the season.

The first monsoon rains of the season came too late for either side - 29/06/19 report

Euan reports -

Asked to field, the 1s made a decent start against Edinburgh Accies 2s, Pradeep and Robin reducing them to 43 - 3 before their number four freed his arms. A couple of held catches might have made for a different story, but we rallied well with Sai Dasari and Sada Gopan both taking wickets on debut, ably supported in the field by Abdul Shah's two run outs. Calum Lothian, Andy Graham and Ross Parker brought hockey-like energy to the field, and Simon Boendermaker chased tirelessly around the leg-side boundary to keep them to 230 all out.

The chase started well enough, Nipun striking a fine fifty in an opening stand of 82. Unfortunately, one wicket brought a few and we collapsed to 111 - 8, before the weather cruelly denied the tail a shot at glory.

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Batting first, the 2s heard the thunder and decided to get the game moving on, finishing up their innings after 27 overs, 76 all out . A couple of early wickets raised hopes, and Matt Tantum claimed a further couple on his return to action, but the damage had largely been done and MDAFS 3s got home with 6 wkts in hand.

Mixed day for the Cross, 22/06/19

Euan reports -

The 2s had a welcome win yesterday, bowling out Livingston 2s for 137 in the first innings. JB picked up 4 wickets, Nipun 3, with Kieth Geddes, Vik and Robin sharing the other three between them. Runs were likewise shared around in the chase, Robin top scoring with 43, as Cross chased down the target 4 wickets down with 2 overs to spare.

The 1s were not so fortunate at Peffermill. Asked to field by Carlton 3s, they racked up 317 - 3 in their 40 overs. Credit to everyone for carrying on in good humour and spirit, and a special mention to Calum Lothian on debut, who bowled some crafty leg breaks and might have had a few wickets on another day, in between running himself ragged in the field. In reply, wickets fell in fits and starts and we never seriously challenged the target, Calum top scoring with 37* in a total of 97 all out.

Parks Progress

Ben reports -

HX travelled to the picturesque setting of Newfield for our second game in this year's Parks Trophy, against Inchcolm. Asked to bowl on the sort of road that our non-Scottish contingent thought never occurred north of the border, Pradeep and Jarrad opened strongly, Pradeep in particular getting good swing and picking up a couple of wickets. The pressure didn't relent with Sandeep and Olly coming on, Olly bowling an excellent spell of 3 for 12 off his 4 overs. Ben's attempt to boost ["reduce"? - Ed] his average by cleaning up the tail did snare him two wickets, although it got off to a rocky start as he was heaved clean into the neighbouring gardens first ball.

In reply to Inchcolm's 76 all out, Tom took one look at the perfect batting surface, decided he didn't like the look of it and was bowled for a duck. Shifty Junior (as he is insisting on being called) hit a sparky 13 before Jarrad and Quinny took us home with a couple of calm twenties, ably assisted by an equal number of extras. All in all a very comfortable victory by 8 wickets in 12.2 overs, with a strong fielding effort from everyone backing up some solid bowling and batting.

1s and 2s lose, 15/06/19

So, the positive is that we actually got two games in for the first time in over a month.  Unfortunately, neither team was able to turn that opportunity into a win.  Boroughmuir batted first against the 1s, and scored 182-7.  Wickets were shared around, and special mention must go to Pradeep Chinta for a sterling bowling and fielding effort on his HX debut.  In reply, the HX chase never really got off the ground with the tail doing most of the wagging - a good partnership between Shannon and Jarrad and handy contribution from BAF - finishing on 116 all out.  The 2s were shot out for 21 against Musselburgh, although still managed to snare 3 wickets during the 'chase'.  A match aggregate of 43-13 suggests the pitch may have been a touch difficult to bat on...

1s lose, 2s rained off 25/05/19

A bit of a damp squib all round yesterday, with the 2s being rained off and the 1s falling to defeat against Drummond Trinity.  Batting first in a match reduced to 30 overs, the 1s slipped to 25ish for 4.  Shannon and debutant Ross (70ish) settled things down before Ross - in partnership with Euan and then Jarrad - accelerated, getting us up to what looked like a competitive 147.  Unfortunately, Drummond Trinity made short work of the chase, polishing off the runs for only 3 down in 20 overs.

Parks Trophy v Musselburgh 22/05/19 - Win for the Cross

HX put together a really strong performance in tonight's Parks Trophy game against Musselburgh, winning by 47 runs.  Batting first, a solid start allowed us to accelerate rapidly in the second half of the innings, with 76 runs coming off the final 48 balls.  Tom's 62 anchored the innings, with Ben R hitting a quick 55*, both for their maiden 50s for the Cross.  The Musselburgh innings started quickly, but Ben (3-25) and Robin (1-18) made early breakthroughs, and once Jarred (2-15) cleaned up their number 2, they never looked like making the runs.  Sandeep also picked up 2 wickets, and JB strangled the tail with a tight spell of 0-15.

1s & 2s rained off 18/05/19

New contact address

Here's a new contact address for the Club Secretary.

2s lose to Edinburgh CC 3s 11/05/19

Like the 1s, the 2s also won the toss and inserted the opposition but were undone by a typically cussed Meadows wicket, which against the accepted laws of cricket proceeded to deteriorate under the glorious sunshine.  Edinburgh racked up 203-5 (Jon picking up 3 wickets) and HX were all out for 51 (Jon 27).

1s beat Edinburgh South 11/05/19

The 1s managed to snag their first win of the season on Saturday, largely thanks to Euan winning the toss and promptly inserting Edinburgh South on a damp track. A tight bowling performance duly saw South knocked over for just 70.  Wickets were shared around but special mention must go to Jarrad on debut, who at one point had figures of 3 overs, 2 maidens, 2 wickets, 1 run.  To make a game of it the top order sportingly collapsed to 24-5, leaving Euan House (35*) to play a steady captain's innings and see us home for no further loss.

Nets

we've got a couple of weeks of nets booked 18:00-20:00 at Peffermill on the 7th and 14th of May.  Depending on how these go, there may be more, so please do make an effort to come along.  It would be great to see as many of you as possible there.

1s lose to Largo 04/05/19

The 1s fared less well than the 2s, allowing Largo to pile up 224-5 (Ben R with 3 wickets), mostly to a batsman who scored 100 runs exclusively between square leg and long on - we probably should have stopped feeding his only shot earlier.  In reply, we got off to a steady start, and although the acceleration was spectacular and briefly had Largo worried, it ultimately came too late to be genuinely threatening.  We finished on 180-5, Ben R grinding out 41 initially, followed by Kit Gammell (58, and now sadly back to London) and Jamie (29) smashing a rapid 68 in just 7 overs.

2s beat Largo 04/05/19

It was a mixed bag for the Cross this week in their double header against Largo.  Starting with the good news, the 2s racked up a spectacular 237-1, Nipun carrying his bat for a superb 113* (not, as was initially relayed to a briefly very excited and slightly confused first team, 213*) and ably supported by Robin (66) and Ziggy (28*).  Largo could only manage 157-9 in reply, with Matt Tantum snagging 3 wickets and Vikram 2.  Oh, and ex-captain still-fantastic Mehta added a catch and a couple of stumpings for good measure - we're just all disappointed he wasn't given a bowl...

2019 Season Dates.

Hope you’ve wintered well. A few dates for your diaries

• AGM – Sunday 24^th February, 5pm at the clubhouse.
• Nets – Sundays 2-3pm at the Edinburgh Academy sports hall on Arboretum Road – 17^th, 24^th and 31^st March; 7^th, 14^th and 21^st April.
• Pre-season friendly  vs Tranent & Preston Village CC at Arbo – Saturday 20^th April.
• Start of the season – Saturday 27^th April.

JB.