Parks Trophy

Bass Rock have been unable to raise a team for Tuesday night's first round tie and have conceded. Next round at home vs Murrayfield DAFS by the end of the month.

We're going to hold an in-house practice match instead. If interested, please contact Andy Graham.

Platinum Ducks, Puddles and Pink base layers.....

The 3rds kicked off their ESCA Division 9 campaign at a sunny / cold / soggy Campbell Park against Edinburgh South 3s.

With Andy G forgetting his kit / T-4-2 / Broonster on the way, the pair finally arrived at the barbed-wire emblazoned sheds with enough time for the Captain to toss for the Cross.

We batted first.  Sounded like a good idea.  Coastal Ken forgot to read the script and a Platinum Duck was his prize.

Candlish joined Nevin in the middle to effectively start all over again....

The pair made a parternship of 40 before the young Geordie was bowled by Raine for a well knocked 23.

Ellis Snr added a pair of singles to the scoreboard before he was caughts and bowled as the score trundled along to 54. Andy G lived dangerously with some crazy slap-shots before scooping a delivery skybound, well straight up the way, and it landed into the welcoming mitts of the keeper...

Coco tried to stop the rot before he was run out after Nevin called for a single which may have been on...... a decade ago!

Nevin was starting to go through more partners in an afternoon than Katie Price, and he was joined by debutant Gareth Harris but that went the shape of the pear shortly after and the opener finished up on 31 after being caught by Raine.

Harris showed signs of good things to come as he made 14 (the third highest scorer of the innings) and Eberst showed signs of another year of good living as he knocked out the odd single to tick the old machine over.

Broonster, bedecked in his trademark pink lycra undergarment (apologies for those eating whilst reading!) took a few balls to get going before he managed to get Eberst run out after a speculative single may have been adventurous for a man in his mature years.  Oh, that was Eberst, not Broonster being described there!

Newbie David Wild came in to face two deliveries and he left with his bat held high, running a single with the final delivery of the innings.  Crossers finishing on 117-8.

Lunch was had and updates sought from other parts of the Capital to see how our colleagues were getting on.

On with the show and it was an early breakthrough for Coco as he forced Welsh into a shot which Broonster plucked from the sky / stuck his hands up in the air and caught. 

Coco and Ellis were in fine form as the opening pair collected 5 Maidens between them with a collective total of 1-32 from their combined 16 overs.

Newbie Wild joined the attack with Broonster and the former getting off to a slow start before finishing his five over spell in fine form, unlucky perhaps not to get a wicket he deserved.

Nevin bowled strongly and got reward for his troubles by claiming the scalp of Ross who went for a single.

Broonster produced the best bowling of his Cross career as he opened with 2 Maiden overs before finally getting Raine's wicket in his 7th over.

Try as the did, the bowlers failed to get Hilyard out as the star batsman of the day finished on 70 Not Out.  He could've walked in the penultimate over however Wild and Broonster both went for the catch and well, didn't exactly shout out their intentions and the collision saw nearby houses twitch their curtains as they checked for tremors.

In was all over with the first delivery of the 37th over as Hilyard hit it high and handsome outwith the reach of Candlish, seeing South reach the target with balls to spare.

Bowling: McGill 1-14, Ellis 0-18, Wild 0-30, Brown 1-23, Nevin 1-26, Candlish 0-6.
Batting: Nevin 31, Candlish 23, Harris 14, Graham 12.

League Weekend 1 and the Week Ahead

Saturday's fixtures -                                                                                             

• 1sts vs Musselburgh, away.
• 2nds vs Dunfermline Carnegie, home, at Arbo.
• 3rds vs Edinburgh South 3rds, home, at Campbell Park.

Two dates for your diaries in the coming week -

• Tuesday 30th April, Parks Trophy round 1 vs Bass Rock at Arbo.
• Friday 3rd May, an ESCA XI, including Shannon Bonfield and Simon McOscar, vs Japan at Myreside from noon.

Good luck to all.

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).

Martin Flynn

ESCA & HX cricketers will no doubt have heard of the sad passing of Martin Flynn yesterday, after several decades of involvement with and service to Holy Cross, Carlton CC and ESCA/Scottish cricket.

Martin played in HCACC's very first match on 27th May 1950 at Colinton Mains. HX made just 43 chasing 126...and Martin made..well, not many...

Both Martin and HX would see better days in the years that followed. Our pictures show Martin in the 1955 HX 1st XI and umpiring on one of those better days.

The funeral will be held at Warriston crematorium at 11am on Thursday 25th April, and afterwards at the Arboretum clubhouse.

For a flavour of the high regard in which Martin was held, read Gary Heatley's piece for The Scotsman here.

Up for the Cups?

Here's the latest on our six (yes, six) cup campaigns for 2013 -

• Presidents Trophy Round 1 vs Livingston at Arbo, Sunday 5th May - eliminated.
• Murgitroyd Masterton QF vs Heriots at Goldenacre, Tuesday 4th June - eliminated.
• CS Challenge Cup QF vs Irvine at Arbo, Sunday 16th June - eliminated.
• Parks Trophy Round 2 vs Murrayfield DAFS, at Arbo, Monday 27th May - eliminated.
• Activcity Presidents Plate SF vs Hawick & Wilton away, Sunday 18th August - eliminated.
• Activcity Trophy QF vs Livingston at Arbo - eliminated.

Pre-Season Programme....

With the snow hopefully behind us and the Spring showing signs of improvement in the weather, here are the dates for your diary as the countdown to the season continues:

Saturday 6^th : Nets at Edinburgh Academy sports hall, 7-8.30.

Saturday 13^th : Nets at Edinburgh Academy, 5-6.30.

Saturday 20^th : 1sts vs Marchmont, friendly at Campbell Park (!!).

Sunday 21^st : 2nds/3rds vs Dunfermline 2nds (formerly Dunfermline Wanderers) at Arbo.