Weekend roundup – 8th/9th May
Cold and damp conditions greeted the 1st XI as they travelled to Myreside to face Watsonians on Saturday. Winning the toss, skipper Ali Evans opted to bat first. In the 9th over with the score on 31 for 1, the drizzle got heavier and the umpires took the players from the field. Conditions failed to improve and with no realistic prospect of any further play, the match was abandoned.
It was a similar story at Grange Loan where the 2nd XI hosted their Watsonian counterparts. Another toss won and another decision to bat allowed openers Chris McAllister (25*) and Gav Murray (29*) to set a good platform before the rain came. Again there was no real chance of the ground drying out even if the rain did stop so the game was called off with the home side 57 for 0 after 11 overs.
Both the 4th & 5th XIs were due to play Edinburgh South 2s & 3s at the Inch on Saturday afternoon, but conscious of the forecast some hasty rearrangements on Friday evening saw the 4s move to Sunday and the 5s play a shortened game on Saturday starting at 11am. Winning the toss and electing to bat first the 5s racked up 160 for 6 from their 25 overs. Iain Hathorn top scored with 51ret but there were also useful contributions from Rory Ledingham (31) and Shuaib Farooq (20*). Skipper Keith Murray opted to open the bowling with a combination of seam & spin and this paid early dividends as 3 wickets fell in the first 4 overs. Edinburgh South never really recovered and were eventually bowled out for 67 in the final over just as weather closed in. Max D’Ulisse was the pick of the bowlers collecting 4 for 8.
On Sunday the 3rd XI hosted Edinburgh South at Grange Loan. Skipper Brad McKay continued the run of toss wins and chose to bat first. In tricky conditions the 3s struggled to put any meaningful partnerships together, posting a below par score of 146 for 8 from their 35 overs. Alex Fedenczuk top scored with 25 and Amit Bij (22) and Andrew Lang (20) also made useful contributions down the order. Despite a run out in the first over, Edinburgh South got off to a fast start and the 3s were never able to exert any scoreboard pressure. Bij (2-22) and McKay (2-22) were able to wrest back some control but the visitors ran out comfortable winners in the 31st over.
The final game of the weekend saw the 4th XI shifted to Sunday to play Edinburgh South 2s at Inch Park. Brian Kaczynski made it a clean sweep of toss wins, but conscious of keeping with 4th XI tradition, opted to bowl first. Tight opening spells from Dougie Firth and Lucy Spouncer set the tone for an excellent display in the field. Joe Ward took a stunning catch at point and Gus Turner also claimed an athletic grab to keep the pressure on the home team. Ward (4-7) bamboozled the lower order with his left-arm wrist spin and Robert Rowlands (2-1) cleaned up the tail to shoot Edinburgh South out for 51. John Beattie (24*) and Lewis King (13) batted sensibly in the face of some accurate bowling to set up a 9 wicket win in the 20th over.
Earlier in the day at Grange Loan there was another instalment of the ever-popular Players vs Parents Kwik Cricket tournament. 40 players and the same number of parents took part – well marshalled by U14 umpires Oli; Robbie; Lewis; Hector and Hamish.
