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Carlton 2nd XI 2008 Fixtures and Results

2nd XI Averages for 2008


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Saturday 28th April East League Div 1
L
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Carlton 2
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v
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Freuchie 2
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77 all out

home

78 for 5

Sent in on a green top under cloudy skies, the 2's made a good start with Swanny and Anir racing to 32 in 7 overs. They both disappeared in successive overs ...


  


... and none of the batsman that followed showed the application required against some wily Freuchie bowling which was straight and accurate. The result was that we were skittled for 77 in 30 overs and we had to bowl 17 odd overs before we'd even get a tea break.

If only we'd shown the grit and determination with the bat that we did with the ball and in the field, we'd have made more of a game of it. Freuchie made a slow start against some tight bowling before first change Clarkey (2/27) claimed the first of two LBW's. Omar and Steven Elder (2/10) also claimed further scalps to have us right in the mix at 55/5. However, it was not to be and Freuchie crawled to the target in 35 overs with no further loss. A comprehensive loss but some positives in the field.

Postscript: Match awarded to Carlton as Freuchie were deemed to have fielded ineligible players.

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Saturday, 3rd May East League Div 1
W
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Carlton 2
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v
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Grange 2
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195

Craig Marshall 55, Ben Duerden 46

home

179 all out

Tom Clarke 3 for 17

Despite a wet week, the 2's were able to play their much awaited grudge match against Grange 2.  We were sent in on a damp deck and the new opening pair of Benny (46) and Anir (32) not only saw off the new ball, but got us to drinks in style with 80 on the board.  Both perished soon after and further wickets fell to leave us in a spot of trouble at 112/4.  It was left to Marsh (55) and Guy to rebuild the innings with a partnership of 60 in 10 overs, a mixture of quick singles and some brutal hitting from Marsh.  Because we had wickets in hand, we were able to give it a thrash at the end and ended up on 195/8 off 50 overs - a super effort in damp conditions against a decent attack. 

In reply, Grange made a solid start reaching 46 before Nathan Pietsch, fresh from his 5 for in the 3's the week before, made 3 quick breakthroughs including their skipper for 0, to leave Grange 57/3.  They then rebuilt and ticked the score along steadily before the masterstroke of giving the ball to Benny paid off and he made the breakthrough.  With 40 required off the last 10 with 5 wickets in hand, it was going to be tight, but some good tight bowling from Hoof, the skipper and Clarkey who took the last 3 wickets (including a great caught and bowled) to end up with 3/17 to dismiss Grange for 179 with an over to spare.  Any victory over Grange is sweet but this one was especially so after a great team effort to put us back on track after a first week slip up.

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Saturday, 10th May East League Div 1
W
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Glenrothes
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Carlton 2
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142 all out

Nathan Pietsch 4 for 15, Tom Clarke 3 for 27, Brad McKay 3 for 29

away

144 for 8

Nav Siddique 29, Nathan Pietsch 28*, Guy Williamson 23

Our first road trip for the season saw the 2's off to sunny Fife.  Upon ariving at the ground, it was a field of daisies - nice for daisy chains but tough to hit a cricket ball through.  Also, the prepared wicket had been subject to a BBQ the night before thanks to the local inhabitants, and so a new wicket was being hastily prepared.  It was a good toss to win and we sent Glens in.  They made a solid start, until once again, Peachey made the first, second, third and fourth breakthroughs to leave them stuttering at 70 odd for 4.  Tight bowling from Stevie E and a good second spell by Hoof tied them down until Clarkey (3/26) and the skipper (3/29) cleaned them up at the end, their captain being deceived by the beam ball, wide ball, unplayable seamer combination.  Peachey had the figures of 4/15 but it was a good effort all round to roll them for 142 with 2 overs to go.
 
As the bowlers enjoyed a rare chance to stuff themselves at tea, we set ourselves up for a positive chase.  We were soon 10/2 before Nav (29) launched a vicious assault on the bowling to reduce the target considerably.  Then on 49, we lost two more and were in need of some consolidation.  From 49 off 10, JB and Guy did just that as we crawled to 60 off 23 before the clouds that had threatened opened up. 

Some frantic reading of the rule book in case of rain saw us pulling out calculators to find out targets.  As both teams were in with a shout of winning, nobody wanted to come off, so we played through.  JB perished to a great catch considering the rain and Guy and Peachey got us to 100.  At 101/7, it was anybody's game, but Stevie E and Peachy (28 not out) got us to within the target and after some squeaky bum moments, Hoof and Peachey got us over the line - a fantastic 2 wicket victory, and the 2's first chasing victory in 2 seasons.  Beers followed in their local pub afterwards. 


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Saturday, 17th May East League Div 1
W
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Carlton 2
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Fauldhouse
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  197 for 8 (44.3 overs)
Nathan Pietsch 55 no, Fergus Guppy 27, Omar Ahmad 26 no, Guy Williamson 25
home 194 for 6 (45 overs)

After our adventures in the rain in Fife the previous week, the top of the league 2's returned to the Loan for our match against newly promoted Fauldhouse. Morning drizzle delayed the start and reduced it to a 45 over contest. The skipper called correctly (for once) and we inserted the opposition, however without a wicketkeeper. Guy took the gloves and Ferg was escorted at rapid pace from Roseburn to take his place. Again, the new ball pairing (Omes and Camel) bowled solidy but couldn't make the breakthrough. It was left to a brilliant run out from Clarkey and soon after for 16 year old Nick Hunt to tempt the opener to hole out to Peachey on the boundary. Fauldhouse made it to drinks at 80/2 and were batting well, their captain dominating. After drinks, we continued to bowl solidly, chipping away at the batsmen at the other end while their captain went on to make 91. With wickets shared around (Omes 2 for, and singles for Nick, Clarkey and the skip), it was a decent effort to keep them to 194/6 off their 45. Kudos to Guy for an excellent keeping performance as well.

At tea, the sun came out and the wicket flattened out as hoped. Benny and Anir opened up and raced to 40 in about 7 overs, before they were both bowled. Marsh and JB came and went, leaving us teetering at 60/4. Guy (26) and Ferg (27) both set about rebuilding the innings - one particular square drive by Guy was a highlight.

When they departed in quick succession, followed by Clarkey for a globe, we were in desperate trouble at 113/8. Despite needing 9 an over for the last 10, Peaches and Omes steadily built the score up with a combination of fantastic running between wickets and brutal domination of the bad ball. Even when we reached 150, few thought of gaining anything other than an extra bonus point. There's no such thing as an easy win in the 2's and for the 3rd week running, it was squeaky bum time as 14 were required off the last two and then 4 off the last, which was achieved with a cracking pull shot by Peachey. For the record, Peachey racked up 55 and Omes 26. Cue ecstatic celebrations and a disturbing amount of hugging and a remarkable 2 wicket win was achieved to keep us top of the league.

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Sunday, 18th May Presidents Trophy Round 1
L
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Edinburgh CC 2
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v
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Carlton 2
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  201 for 7
Brad McKay 3 for 46, Dave Carter 2 for 39, Ani Majumdar 2 for 36
away 200 for 7 (40 overs)
Ani Majumdar 81, AJ Williams 34, Akeel Aslam 28

For the first time, Carlton entered a team in the President's Cup, a 40 over a side knock out competition for East League players.  The first achievement was in getting 11 Carlton bodies onto the field, a task that was considered beyond a fraying skipper at half 9 on the Saturday night.  Richard Branson will enjoy my phone bill this month! 
 
The team compiled was a good mix of 2's, 3's and 4's players and a mix of old and new.  Our opponents were Edinburgh, last year's winners, down at Leith Academy.  I lost the toss and we batted.  Ani and Fraser Boyd opened up and started solidly, reaching 35 before Fraser set off on a kamikaze run and Ani didn't move.  Ani felt the pain, and vowed to carry on, which he did with some smart batting, some good running between the wickets with Akeel who ran him ragged, and some fine shotmaking, finally being out for 81 with 4 overs left.  Along the way, he'd had good support from Akeel (28) and AJ (34).  We'd spoken about having wickets in hand and so with these, we were able to have a dip at the end, reaching a fine 200/6 off 40 overs.  A great effort from all batsmen.



After the spicy food at tea, we went into the field full of confidence, and sweating like beasts.  Edinburgh, as is their 'style', went for it from the first ball, dispatching good and bad balls to all parts as the captain and Hoof copped it, as they reached 40 from 5.  Then the skipper took 2 in two balls to peg things back a bit, and then the introduction of Mr President (2/39) and Ani (2/36) saw more wickets tumble.  Balls were still flying everywhere as even DC was hit for sixes. 

When they were 90/5 after 18 overs, disaster struck.  Arun, from the 4's, ran in to stop a ball, slipped and fell solidly on the ground, breaking his arm.  You could see he was in pain, and AJ tried to keep him from passing out with tales of fit nurses in hospitals.  It must have helped, as he did stay with us until the ambulance left - turns out it was a compound fracture.  The game stopped for about an hour and we eventually re-commenced down a fielder but with Tom's dad, Shaun, filling the breach.  

The skip (3/46) came back and took another and at 130/7, we thought we'd broken them.  Unfortunately not, as a very big man with one shot came in and dispatched 6 sixes in a 56 not out in around 20 balls, most of them off Akeel, against his old club (sorry mate!).  Their brutal batting was summed up by the flat bat forehand winner for 6 to win the game by 3 wickets.

He's only got one shot ... we've got him covered

A good effort in the field, but not to be.  We now get entered into the Plate competition. 

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Saturday, 24th May East League Div 1
W
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MF DAFS
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Carlton 2
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190 all out

Omar Ahmad 3 for 32, Nick Hunt 3 for 39

away

194 for 5 (49.2 overs)

Nick Hunt 47, Nathan Pietsch 42, Tom Barrett 39 no

Upon realising that the skipper had picked a team with only one driver in it, 9 of us were left to take taxis down through the 'badlands' to the Civil Service ground at Muirhouse for our game against Murrayfield-DAFS.  The difficult decision as to what to do on the normally lethal wicket was taken out of the skipper's hands by yet another incorrect call.  Whoever said 'tails never fails' was talking bollocks.
 
We were asked to bowl first and opened up with Omes and Mo, who did the senior pro job of bowling into a hurricane.  Mo took an early wicket when the batsman inexplicably holed out.  However, things steadily went downhill from there - a succession of dropped catches, sloppy fielding and inconsistent bowling helped Murrayfield along to 100/1 at drinks.  Drinks brought a chat and agreement that we needed to pull the finger out.  Which we did.  Nick Hunt made the next three breakthroughs in a very tidy spell of off spin bowling.  The opposition seemed intent on hitting him out of the park, but he tied them down and 3/39 was a good reward.  Omes bowled solidly throughout and claimed his reward for a better second spell with 3/32.   Clarkey enhanced his reputation for dismissing tailenders with a couple of cheapies as we dismissed them for 190 in the 50th over. The fielding didn't really improve, but a superb run out from Mo 'I can't throw so don't put me on the boundary' Afzaal was a highlight as was young Fraser's keeping.
 
In reply, Benny and Ani started cautiously against some decent bowling.  However, they reached 35  but once again, both had fallen by the time we reached 40.  Enter Nick, lifted to 3, and Peaches at 4 who built a solid partnership with some lovely shots, especially Nick's driving and pulling, and some good running between wickets.  On a difficult wicket, they raised us to 90/2 with 13 overs to go.  Although we still needed 100, the wickets in hand plan was about to realise outstanding results.  The pace was upped and although Nick fell for an excellent 47 and Nathan for 42, the batsmen kept coming.  Still, with 60 required off the last 7, it would take a special innings and Tom Barrett gave us that.  His 39 not out came off around 30 balls and some of his foot movement to the quicker bowlers to drive them down the ground was superb.  Ferg joined him and the point he launched a massive six, we were in front for the first time.  60 off 7 became 40 off 5 and after this onslaught, only 5 required off the last, which Omes achieved with three balls remaining.  A superb 5 wicket win and yet another fantastic chase on a ground where 100 is usually a good score.  The 2's remain top of the league!
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Saturday, 31st May East League Div 1
W
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Carlton 2
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v
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Holy Cross
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  222 for 8
Ani Majumdar 79, Craig Marshall 43, Omar Ahmad 26, Guy Williamson 21
home 149 for 8
Tom Clarke 3 for 18

The table topping 2's returned to Grange Loan (so no taxis required) for the visit of Holy Cross. Not only did we have the incentive of playing cricket on the nicest and warmest day of the summer, but match sponsor Martin Flynn's £50 behind the bar had people salivating most of the day.

The skipper would have faced a lynch mob had he not batted upon winning the toss, so it was us who made first use of the wicket which we had to flatten out for the 1's the next day.

Our regular opening pair of Benny and Ani got us underway, but at 21, Benny fell to a good slips catch. Marsh entered the fray and with Ani, they set about laying the foundation for the innings, mixing solid defence with fine shot making and good running. These two kept the score ticking over so nicely that we reached a promising 100/1 in the 27th over. Then Marsh (43) hit a long hop straight into the air when a ton beckoned. Guy (21) kept the score ticking over despite requiring a runner and at 157/2 with 10 to go, 250 was the target. Unfortunately, we fell in a bit of a heap once Ani perished for a fine 79, his finest knock of the season, and wickets tumbled. So much so that it was thanks to Omes late 26 that we reached 222/9 off our 50, a good score, but a few less than we had hoped.

After a poor performance with the ball and in the field last week, the bowlers were ready to make amends. Omes and the skip both made early breakthroughs to have Holy Cross reeling at 15/2. The skip found some movement and bowled his 10 straight through to finish with 2/28. Stevie E followed Omes with a good spell, but it was Clarkey who tied them down completely, his 10 overs returning 3/18, including their skipper and best batsman. The Holy Cross run chase never took off due to some fine bowling and they didn't even chance their arm, seemingly happy to crawl to 150 and claim an extra batting point. We were able to deny them that with a fine last few overs from Omes (2/34), Benny and Ani to keep them to 149/8. An excellent effort all round and we dominated all facets of the game. A 73 run win to keep the 2's top of the league.

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Saturday, 7th June East League Div 1
L
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Carlton 2
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v
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Edinburgh Accies
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132 all out

Ben Duerden 45, Guy Williamson 35

home 135 for 7
The 2's last match at home for a month was against Edinburgh Accies, looking to bounce back to the SNCL after last season's relegation.  The skipper was the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that had grass but was nice and hard.  Benny opened with Guy and made slow but steady progress against good bowling and fielding.  Guy's record of getting injured continued when he took a return to the back of the head, in addition to a nose bleed!  They'd made it to 76 in the 27th over before Guy perished for 35, a good start and the platform for a good score.  Unfortunately, that's not how it turned out.  Benny fell for a well made 46 soon after and the middle order failed to fire, us being reduced to 98/5.  Ferg tried to rescue things with a massive six up the hill, however, when the skip was run out, we'd been rolled for 132 in the 47th over.  We'd not been able to push on against good bowling and fielding and Accies tied us down well.

We knew that early wickets were the key to pushing for a result, and Omes made the breakthrough in the 3rd over.  This brought their amateur to the crease who punished anything loose and they soon reached 50/1.  A change was required and Peachey made a double breakthrough including their amateur, well caught by Benny.  Elder picked up another at the other end and Accies were on the back foot at 59/4.  Despite some good Carlton bowling from those two (Stevie in particular with 1/12 off 8), Accies pushed on to 104 before Benny, steaming in up the hill claimed a wicket with a full toss.  Young Nick Hunt, who'd bowled with great variation, then claimed two wickets to reduce them to 121/7 and a tight finish was on the cards.  Unfortunately, it was not to be and Accies claimed a 3 wicket win.  An excellent effort from Carlton in the field and with the ball and another 20 runs might have been enough.  That breaks our 100% record, but the 2's are still top of the tree.
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Saturday, 14th June East League Div 1
L
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Watsonian 2 v
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Carlton 2
 

174 for 8 (40 overs)

Tom Clarke 4 for 19

away

173 for 7 (40 overs)

Ben Duerden 112 not out

The 2's rocked up to Myreside in the knowledge that a school game would be on but it should be finished by half 1.  Well, when we arrived, the juniors were still stuffing their faces and still had 35 overs to play, which they were in no hurry to finish.  As a result, both Watsonians 2's and us had to amuse ourselves for an extra hour or so, which was done by eating loads of toasties in the bar. 
 
Eventually, at half 2, we agreed to play a 40 over a side game on what looked like a 4th day wicket.  We were asked to field first and Watson's made a solid start, helped by some dropped catches and poor fielding.  The rain started and Stevie E made the breakthrough, the batsman looping a ball to the skipper who saw it late but hung on, despite rain on the glasses.  The skip bowled through and the bowling was tighter, with a good spell from Stevie.  Hoof and Clarkey followed and both bowled fine spells.  Hoof was unlucky to only take 1 wicket but 22 off 8 was good.  Clarkey reaped the benefits at the other end with a fine 4/19 off 8 and would have had his first Carlton 5 for if Swanny hadn't dropped a catch off the last ball.  A good bowling performance restricted Watson's to 174/8 off 40 overs, but fielding gave them 30 runs or so, which would prove to be crucial.  
 
The Carlton innings had been underway for 3 balls before the rain came, so we had a short break.  The covers came off and we lost Ani without scoring.  Nav joined Benny and played a few nice shots before Nav became the second LBW decision.  We were on the back foot, but Benny was batting well, completing his 50 with only 73 on the board and he needed some support, which he got from Guy after both Swanny and Tom Barrett had departed.  With 10 overs to go, we needed 60, but some tight bowling saw Guy perish, bringing birthday boy Ferg to the crease.  The scoring rate was upped and with 35 needed off the last 4, Benny brought up a fantastic century, full of fine shots and no chances given.  Ferg slapped a few around and with two overs to go, only 12 were needed.  Then Ferg was bowled and only 2 runs were scored off the second last over.  As the last over started, we needed 10 and Ben was at the non-strikers end.  Stevie E was bowled, then Clarkey and Ben scampered a few runs, leaving Benny to hit a four off the last ball to win it.  He swung to leg but only 2 could be scored, leaving us at 173/7 and one run short.  Benny was the star of the innings, finishing with 112 not out and it was only that nobody else made more that 16 that we didn't win.  A frustrating loss, but we're still up there having run Watson's and Accies close over the last two weeks.
 
The boys were disappointed, but still managed to drag birthday boy Ferg's clothes and kit bag out to the centre of the ground while he showered.  Apparently the looks from the 21st going on in the bar were priceless.  With mates like that ...
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Saturday, 21st June East League Div 1

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Heriot's 2 v
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Carlton 2
  77 for 1 away

187 all out

Fergus Guppy 73 not out

Match Abandoned

The 2's rocked up to Goldenacre in the now familiar method of taxis to supplement the one car in the team.  Upon arrival, we found no opposition and a locked pavillion - a good start.  Heriot's eventually showed up and as the skipper lost yet another toss, we found ourselves batting on a strip that looked OK and with an outfield that was short and fast.  We lost Ani without a run on the board and Guy soon after, before Nav played a few nice shots and with Nick Hunt, started to build the total.  However, Nav played across the line at one and lost his middle stump for 23 and when Marsh fell, we were 40/4 and in trouble.  Enter the big man Ferg who for a while, appeared to be trying to get himself out, but rode his luck well and required the support of the tail to get us to a decent total.  Omes stuck with him for a while, as did Clarkey and Elder and pushed us towards 150 and got the big man to a well deserved 50.  The skipper joined him at 148/9 with the intention of trying to give Ferg the strike and to use up some overs.  This worked as 40 odd were added for the last wicket enabling us to reach 187 before the skipper fell for 14 after a couple of spanking off side shots (OK, it doesn't happen very often).  The kudos were reserved for Ferg who was hitting the ball nicely at the end and remained 73 not out, a fantastic effort from him and the wagging tail added a lot to this effort.

187 was a good recovery but we still needed early wickets.  A catch was dropped off Omes with the score on not many and after a tight start, the batsmen got on top and it was only the introduction of Clarkey that slowed the scoring rate and resulted in the first wicket.  At 77/1 and with rain falling steadily and the forecast bad, we came off.  It appeared that we wouldn't get back on, but while we waited for Heriot's to concur, an intense match of stump cricket was happening in the away dressing room, involving all 11 players, and some intense sledging, usually in Clarkey's direction.  Heriot's must have wondered what the heck was going on with all the 'oohs' and cheers.  Eventually, at 7.15pm, we called the game off and headed for a pint.  To reward Ferg for his man of the match efforts, his towel was stolen meaning that he had to run around Goldenacre naked to get it back.  It appears this could become a weekly occurrence.  Look out Freuchie.....

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Saturday, 28th June East League Div 1
L
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Freuchie 2 v
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Carlton 2
  192 for 6 away 189 for 6

The 2's were significantly changed from the previous week against Heriot's with 6 new faces for the trip to Freuchie including a return to the team for Brent 'I always score runs at Freuchie' Lockie. The skipper won a toss for a change and with the wicket hard and the outfield fast, decided to bat first.

Against some solid bowling, our openers were watchful and eventually, Brent was to first to go, blemishing his fine Freuchie record. Swanny followed soon after and at 40/2, we were in need of a partnership. Ferg and Benny pushed the score along until our first pre-emptive rain break. According to local knowledge, when the hill in the distance disappears, you have two minutes to get off the field, which we did. We then stood around for 10 minutes waiting for the rain to begin, which as predicted, it did. Upon resumption, Ferg and Benny put on 30 in 4 overs until Ferg hit one straight into the air for 24. Then, when we needed someone to bat through, Benny (43) picked out long on. Tom, Jack and Omes consolidated, but runs were hard to come by and we had Mo's cameo knock of 33 not out that enabled us to reach 189/8 off 50 overs. A decent score, but we'd need early wickets.

No early wickets were obtained despite the bowling from Mo and Omes being decent. It was Swanny whose spinners brought about the first two wickets, but with 80 odd on the board, we'd need to bowl them out. Stevie bowled his 10 straight in a fine spell, but wickets were tough to come by. Benny bounced out one of their big hitters after giving him some chat - the skipper managed to hang on to a steepler when all money was on the ball. Mo made a further breakthrough, but at 6 down, Freuchie passed us with 2 overs left, their innings being anchored by an opener who made 60.

A good effort in the field but 20-30 runs short with the bat. A disappointing loss but an upside was that Ferg wasn't required to chase his towel/kitbag around the ground post shower.

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Sunday, 29th June Presidents Plate Round 2

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Carlton 2 v
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Kirk Brae
    home  
Kirk Brae scratched
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Saturday, 5th July East League Div 1

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Grange 2
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v
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Carlton 2
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46 for 1 (15 overs)

Abandoned

away  
The 2s arrived at the home of Scottish cricket for the annual grudge match against Grange, eager to build on the win earlier in the season.  Stand in skipper Nav won the toss (something the regular skipper can't do) and asked Grange to bat.  Omes and Mo began and Mo was getting some impressive swing.  An early chance was offered before the Grange opener was invited to hit out and hit it straight to Clarkey who took the catch at mid off.  Peaches replaced Omes and kept it tight.  However, at 46-1 after 15 overs, it began to tip it down and play was halted.  An early tea was had, but atwhich point, it was still tipping it down and the match was called off, enabling Carlton to maintain an unbeaten record over Grange for this season.
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Saturday, 12th July East League Div 1
W
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Carlton 2 v
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100 for 3

AJ Williams 60 not out, Nathan Pietsch 23 not out

home

99 all out

Tom Clarke 3 for 8, Chris Hoefling 3 for 12

Rain greeted the nomadic 2's on our return to Grange Loan after 5 weeks galivanting around the East of Scotland.  The covers were on, hiding a wicket with a thick green line across the middle of it and other tinges of green.  When play was eventually ready to begin, the skipper won a key toss and asked Glenrothes to bat.  Mo nabbed their dangerous opener without a run on the board and the runs were kept down in a tight opening spell with the fielding good and the bowling accurate.  Mo bowled straight through to finish with a fine 2/21.  Peaches replaced the skipper and continued the good work and induced their amateur to edge to Fraser - another key wicket.  At drinks, Glens were 59/3 and after drinks, we pushed hard to keep the pressure on.  Clarkey came on at 30 overs to bowl through and started off with three maidens.  At the other end, Hoof bowled his best spell of the year with some good yorkers and his 3/12 off 5 was a good reward.  At this stage, the skip took Hoof off (anybody else would have had a strop) and gave 14 year old Saif (to be known as Safe for eternity now) a bowl.  He showed excellent flight and was rewarded with a stumping in his first over.  At the other end, Clarkey continued to torment the Glens tail and his 3/8 off 8 overs was excellent.  A fine effort with the ball and in the field where we gave them nothing resulted in them being dismissed for 99 in 44 overs.

An excellent tea was had and then Guy and Fraser began the run chase surrounded by a close field.  Runs were difficult to come by under this pressure and both departed with less than 30 on the board.  When The Big Mouth departed for a duck, we were in a bit of trouble at 27/3.

AJ hits outHowever, AJ and Nath steadied the ship with an excellent partnership.  The opposition bowlers targeted what appeared to be a weakness short and outside off stump.  What they didn't know was that the square cut is AJ's best shot and despite a cordon of 5 fieldsmen, AJ still managed to hammer them through.  Rain threatened to bring the players off at stages and it became particularly dark.  When AJ passed his 50, we were almost there and a 7 wicket victory was gained when AJ dispatched a full ball behind square for 6.  He finished 60 not out and batted brilliantly.  Nath supported him well with 20 not out.  An excellent win and the 2's are now back on track.


Cheers to the Glenrothes guys for hanging around for many pints afterwards.  Off to Fauldhouse next week.

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Saturday, 19th July East League Div 1
  Fauldhouse v
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Carlton 2
    away  
Rained off
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Saturday, 26th July East League Div 1
L
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Carlton 2 v MF DAFS
 

154 all out

Fergus Guppy 67, Steven Elder 62

home

175 all out

Steven Elder 3 for 46, Nathan Pietsch 2 for 18

After sidestepping a trip to Fauldhouse the week before due to rain, the 2's returned to Grange Loan for the visit of Murrayfield DAFS.  The wicket had been damp and this caused the skip to send in DAFS.
 
DAFS made a decent start against some decent bowling, putting away the occasional bad ball.  It was first change Stevie Elder who took a wicket with his first ball thanks to a sharp slips catch by Ferg.  Peaches then chipped in with a direct hit run out and a wicket of his own and we were back in amongst it.  At drinks, we'd pegged them back nicely to 90/4.  The good work was continued after the break as Stevie finished off his spell with a couple more wickets and figures of 3/46.  Young Saif replaced Stevie and picked up a wicket straight away.  At 130/8, we had them on the rack but could not land the killer blow, as DAFS batted sensibly and put on 40 for the last two wickets as we eventually rolled them for 175.  The bowling had been pretty good with Stevie and Nath (2/18) the picks, and the fielding had also been solid.
 
After a luscious tea, we began the chase, looking to build a solid platform for the batsmen to follow.  Unfortunately, the wheels came off quickly as some good bowling, coupled with poor batting, saw us reduced to a seemingly hopeless 19/6.  At this point, Stevie joined big Ferg and they set about rebuilding the innings with some watchful defence.  After seeing off the openers without further damage, the scoring rate was increasing as Ferg took advantage.  Stevie played the support role and his innings flourished with time spent in the middle.  It was Ferg who passed 50 first and soon after, the 100 run partnership was brought up.  At 120/6, the impossible suddenly began possible.  Unfortunately, Ferg went for one too many and was caught off a skier for a well made 67, coupling fine shotmaking and good rotation of the strike.  Stevie carried on and with Hoof, put on another 20 before Hoof was run out.  The skip joined with 40 required off 8 overs, which was brought down to 30 off 5.  The skip couldn't resist one off his legs and swung lustily to cow, but was caught inches inside the rope.  With 9 down, Stevie continued the fight but was last out at 156 for an excellent 62, his first 50 or the club.
 
On balance, we didn't deserve to win but did well to come so close thanks to Ferg and Stevie's sensible batting and willingness to build an innings.

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Sunday, 27th July President's Plate semi-final
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Musselburgh v Carlton 2
 

92 all out

home

93 for 6

Fergus Guppy 27 not out

After being put out of the President's Cup at Edinburgh by a big fat man with one shot, we were then entered into the President's Plate.  After Freuchie and then Kirk Brae withdrew, we found ourselves in a semi final at Musselburgh.  The team selected was a good mix of the young and not so young and composed of players from the 2's, 3's and 4's, all backing up from league matches the day before.  After seeing a hard, dry but uneven wicket, the skip won the toss and elected to bowl. 

On the warmest day of the year, we made a perfect start against our Division 5 opponents.  Yound Rajan won an LBW in his first over and the skip made it 0/2 after two overs with one of his own.  Rajan upped the stakes by removing Musselburgh's century maker from the previous day for a duck via a good catch from Guy - 1/3.  The skip was enjoying bowling into a hole on a good length and was soon rewarded with the opposition skip.  Stevie Elder replaced Rajan and kept things tight with a couple of wickets of his own.  DC's first warm up ball before the match didn't make it to the stumps, but in the real action, he found a perfect spot and bowled his 8 straight through for 1/20, keeping it nice and tight as the wickets fell at the other end.  Hoof came on the clean up the tail with 2/11.  At 82/9, the skip finally decided to give in to the arm waving, stretching and the general harrassment that had been ongoing all season, and gave Ferg a bowl.  At least when he's bowling, he's not talking!  His first over was a little legside but the adjustment in line was rewarded in his second over when he cleaned up the Musselburgh number 11.  92 all out was a fine effort by all with the ball and some excellent catches were taken in the field.

On a dodgy wicket, we needed a good start, but at 11/2 we hadn't got it.  Musselburgh had a good opening bowler and he seemed to be their main hope.  At 24/4, we were in trouble, but Akeel and a stoic Nick Martin righted the ship and saw off the opening bowler.  Unfortunately, he was followed by a spin bowler who turned it both ways!  Akeel was soon stumped and Nick departed after a solid 18 over stay.  At 55/6, the stage was set for the batsmen who alsmost won it for the 2's yesterday.  Ferg and Stevie started slowly but as the bowling wilted in the heat, took full advantage and saw us over the line, gaining the reward that they deserved but hadn't received the day before.  Ferg, especially, hit some lovely shots that won it for us.  Ferg completed a fine weekend with 27 not out and Stevie was 15 as we completed a four wicket win over spirited opponents and booked ourselves into the final.  Well done lads.

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Saturday, 2nd August East League Div 1
L
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Holy Cross v
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Carlton 2
 

206 all out

Saif Azhar 3 for 36

away

125 all out

Nathan Pietsch 67 not out

After all the rain during the week, it was a miracle in itself that our match at uncovered Arboretum against Holy Cross was played.  Upon first look at a damp wicket, it was considered a key toss to win.  The skip called correctly and asked Holy Cross to bat first. 
 
Our excellent pre-match warm up, run by Colonel Ferg, had everyone fired up and it paid early dividends with a run out.  Unfortunately, the tight bowling early on could not maintain its consistency and Holy Cross built up a good partnership of over 100, by keeping out the good ones and putting away the inevitable one or two bad balls an over.  The skip, in his second spell, made the breakthrough by nabbing their skip, leaving them 130/2.  The pitch was playing OK with only the occasional ball doing anything.  After taking some tap early on, young Saif came back on from the other end and with a deep set field, the Holy Cross batsmen started to hole out, and the wickets started tumbling.  From a desparate 164/2, we ended up rolling them for 205 with 2 overs to go.  Saif had the pick of the figures with 3/36, and there were 2 fors for the skip and Nath, who also bowled well.  In his first game for the 2's, Rajan bowled tightly and took 3 excellent catches in the deep.  Our lack of consistency with the ball hurt us badly and showed how one bad ball per over releases the pressure and lets the batsman off the hook.  Our fielding was excellent with many good catches and two fine run-outs.  Fraser again kept very well on a difficult wicket.
 
On such a damp wicket, it was important that we get a good start and build a foundation to have a dash at the end.  Like last week, our batting collapsed under the pressure of good bowling, but also a lack of patience and poor shot selection.  Again, we were 5 wickets down with less than 30 on the board and the game was over.  We did manage to salvage a little bit of pride by getting to 125 before the last wicket fell, and this was achieved by Nathan's fine 67 not out.  This innings showed the rest of the team what a bit of patience and waiting for the right ball might do.  All we needed was for someone to stick with him and we would have had a shot.
 
Our title aspirations are now over, but with three games left, hopefully we can win these and finish as high as we can.
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Saturday, 9th August East League Div 1
  Edinburgh Accies v
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Carlton 2
    away  
Rained off
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Saturday, 16th August East League Div 1
  Carlton 2 v
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Watsonian 2
 

158 all out

Dave Robertson 44

home*

226 for 9

Dave Robertson 3 for 40, Tom Clarke 3 for 47

*Played at Craiglockhart

Due to confusion over the fixture list, the 2's were at Craiglockhart for our 'home' match against Watsonians, a team gunning for the league title.  After the week of heavy rain, not only was it surprising that a pitch was prepared, 3 had been prepared!  They were soft and grassy but for an uncovered wicket, not too bad.  It seemed a good toss to win and the skipper obliged and sent Watsons in. 

The innings began badly with the skipper's second ball being dispatched for 6 over long on.  His successor, Peaches, had his first ball hit for 6.  Peaches recovered, and with Robbo (gracing the 2nd XI for the first time since his Carlton debut), bowled decent spells.  They were followed by Stevie and Clarkey, who also bowled decent spells, but no breakthrough could be found and at drinks, Watsons were 110/0.  Consistency was our problem with too many boundary balls releasing any pressure built up.  Starting from scratch after drinks, Stevie made the breakthrough with an LBW that stayed low and Clarkey followed with another in the next over bringing two new bats to the crease.  However, they rebuilt again and with 10 to go, Watsons were 175/2.  It was a credit to the team and our refusing to give in that we 'restricted' Watsons to only 50 off the last 10 whilst taking 7 wickets.  Clarkey (3/47) and Robbo (3/40) finished with the honours, but the best spell was from Stevie who maintained good control and tied down the batsmen well to take 2/32 off 10.  Our fielding, overall, was pretty good, the highlight being Robbo's spectacular caught and bowled where he ran back to somewhere approaching long on to take a great catch.

Chasing 227 for victory, we were behind the eight ball from the beginning as we were 2 down with less than 10 on the board.  Nath and Ferg battled hard to dig us out of a hole but against some good bowling, runs were difficult to come by.  Nath was picking out fieldsmen and getting no reward for some good shots and Ferg was trying to maintain calm in the face of some hostile chat.  He departed, playing on, but Robbo joined Nath and built a decent partnership with some good running between wickets.  The crucial wicket of Nath fell just on drinks and at 77/5, we were way behind.  As wickets continued to fall, Robbo stayed firm and played some nice shots, being brutal on any bad balls.  His stay realised 44 runs and was deservedly the top score.  In the 45th over, we were all out for 158.

We were outplayed in general and our performance had an end of season look about it.  With one game to go, hopefully we can put a performance together and finish on a high.  

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Saturday, 23rd August East League Div 1
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Carlton 2 v
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Heriot's 2
 

155 for 6 (30 overs)

Fergus Guppy 27, Omar Ahmad 27 no, Tom Barrett 23, Ben Duerden 20

home

99 all out

Nathan Pietsch 4 for 14, Brad McKay 2 for 9, Tom Clarke 2 for 11

Despite Alasdair’s hard work on the square, the exceptionally wet weather seemed likely to leave the 2’s sitting in the pub on the final day of the season.  Not so, as the synthetic wicket was, although green, very playable.  Heriot’s were keen for a game and despite starting late, we agreed on a 30 over a side match.  Next problem was that Carlton CC appears to have only 1 set of working spring loaded stumps.  As they were required for the 4’s, the captains agreed that blue Kwik cricket stumps were an able, and also striking substitute. 

The skip won the toss and elected to bat.  Benny and Nick Martin got us off to a solid start (compared to prior weeks) before Nick top edged one into his helmet and was caught.  AJ was then fed a succession of short balls, which we all know he hates, and the runs started to build.  However, he was bowled and we were treated to the blue stumps flying everywhere. Peaches also played some nice shots and with Ferg, the score continued to build and we reached 80/3 at drinks.  Ferg’s wagon wheel won’t be very even but he was effective and racked up 27 before going for one too many and more blue stumps were sent flying.  Tom Barrett than played a fine innings at less than a run a ball, as did Stevie E.  However, the final fireworks were saved for Omes, who hit his 27 not out in 9 balls, including two massive sixes over long on.  This innings proved crucial as we reached an imposing 155/6 off our 30 overs.

 

After another cracking tea, Omes and Peaches opened up and the key wicket of Davie Ross was secured after some tight bowling forced him to swing lustily to cow.  He missed and never have blue stumps flying looked so good.  Peaches was inspired and also captured the next 3 wickets to leave Heriot’s in tatters.  Peaches bowled his 6 straight for 4/18, a fine spell and after 12 overs, Heriot’s were 40/4.  The skip had replaced Omes and was getting swing and bounce, the latter accounting for the Heriot’s captain who top edged a bouncer.  Stevie captured one from the other end and the runs had dried up.  The skip bowled his 6 for 2/9, the final wicket a fine catch by Fraser behind the stumps.  Clarkey replaced the skip and picked up a couple straight away, including the final one which denied big Ferg the glory of bowling the final over.  Heriot’s were all out for 99, a 56 run win. 

 

We’d batted intelligently, with good running between wickets, also bowled tightly, but our fielding was excellent. Special mention to Fraser for his exceptional keeping performance which included 4 catches and a stumping. A great way to finish the league season and guarantees fourth place.

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Saturday, 30th August Presidents Plate Final
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Stenhousemuir 2 v
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Carlton 2
 

105 all out

Fergus Guppy 4 for 14, Steven Elder 2 for 12, Dave Carter 2 for 21, Chris Hoefling 2 for 26

Grange Loan

157 all out

Ani Majumdar 67, Steven Elder 21 not out

There were a number of slightly sore heads as the Carlton President's Plate team gathered at Grange Loan for the Final against Stenhousemuir.  The constant rain had forced the final to be postponed to the day after the club's annual dinner and the President himself was 'forced' to entertain guests until 4am to prepare.
 
Nonetheless, a fine, but cloudy day greeted the final and pitch was hard and good.  Carlton were sent in, a decision we weren't unhappy about.  Guy and Ani opened and disaster struck early as Guy was run out needlessly.  More hair pulling was necessary soon after as Ani ran Nick Martin out and sure enough, we'd gifted the opposition two wickets.  To make up for this, Ani had to bat well, which thankfully, he did, playing a number of lovely drives and using his feet well to the spinner.  Rajan stuck with him for a while before being stumped and when Ferg was adjudged LBW, we were in a bit of bother at 90/5.  Akeel played a few nice shots before picking out the fielder perfectly.  Ani also perished going for one too many, but had made a fine 67.  It was left to Stevie Elder to marshall the failing lower order and he was left 21 not out as Carlton were dismissed in the last over for 157.  A decent score, but we'd hoped for more and had not dealt particularly well with Stenhousemuir's spinners who took 8 wickets between them.
 
Inspired by a cracking tea, the Carlton team set out to defend every run we had.  The skipper bowled a tight early spell with 3 maidens in his opening 5 overs, but runs came from the other end, so changes were required.  It was President Carter who made the breakthrough and made it a double the next over by inducing an edge to gully where Ani took a fantastic catch.  We were back on level terms and Hoof improved the situation further by yorking the other opener.  Despite then being hit for 6, Hoof gained his revenge with another wicket and bowling straight through for 2/26.  DC also bowled straight through for 2/21 off 8, both spells having turned the match in our favour.  55/4 at drinks was a good position for us but the runs started to flow a little after the break.  Stevie picked up the first of his wickets and at 5 down with 13 overs to go, the skip brought the big man Ferg on to bowl 'wheels'.  Immediate success was had, and despite being hit for a massive six, Ferg picked up their dangerous skipper and the match was ours.  Ferg hoovered up the tail like Clarkey for 4/14, ably assisted by Stevie's 2/12 and as Stenhousemuir were all out for 105, Carlton were the President's Plate winners by 55 runs, with DC snaring the final catch.
 
An excellent team effort to claim some silverware.  Special mention to the fielding of the team where some fantastic catches were held by Ani and Akeel, and the ground fielding was excellent.  Well done to all involved in this game and in the others to get us to the final.

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