Weekend roundup – 19th/20th June
The 1st XI travelled north on Saturday to Lochlands to take on Arbroath in round 5 of the Eastern Premier League. With Ally Evans called into the Durham T20 Blast squad Tom Simpson took the reins but lost the toss and Carlton were asked to field first. Omar Ahmad struck third ball, removing the home skipper Petrie caught & bowled. A decent second wicket partnership was broken by a run out from Rory Allardice who then took 3 quick wickets to leave the home side in trouble at 62 for 5. Arbroath staged something of a recovery but spin was keeping the scoring rate down and Arun Pillai claimed the next 3 wickets. Allardice picked up his 4th and Shujaa Khan took the final wicket with the last ball of the innings to bowl out the home side for 161. Carlton got off to a brisk start but lost Pillai for 15 and when Simpson went for 14 with the score on 55 the game was in the balance. Fraser Burnett came to the crease and was involved in 2 half century partnerships with first Khan (36) and then Ali Shah (32) and his 40 not out saw Carlton home with 6 wickets and 13 overs to spare.
The 2nd XI welcomed their counterparts from Heriot’s to Grange Loan. With Pete Deakin unavailable Harry Simpson took on the captaincy duties and on winning the toss elected to field in a match reduced to 40 overs a side due to the rain about Edinburgh on Saturday. Charles Stronach & Saif Khan ran through the visitor’s top order and when Oscar Smith bowled the number 6 Heriot’s were in trouble at 49 for 6. However the 2s were unable to convert a number of chances and the visitors posted 190 for 8 from their 40 overs. Openers Chris McAllister & Gav Murray dug in against some good bowling and when Murray was bowled for 13, Ben D’Ulisse joined McAllister and put on 97 for the second wicket. The 2s were well placed at 136 for 1 but when D’Ulisse was caught behind for 26 swiftly followed by McAllister for a well made 62 it prompted a middle order collapse. That left too much for the rest of the batters to do and Carlton were bowled out 14 runs short in the final over.
The 3rd XI entertained local rivals Kirkbrae at Peffermill. This game was also shortened to 35 overs to accommodate the early finish required by the University. Skipper Brad McKay lost the toss and the visitors opted to bat first. Mckay claimed an early wicket but Kirkbrae made it to 75 before Amit Bij broke the partnership. This prompted a flurry of wickets with Ahmad Shah claiming 2 on his return from long term injury and 1 for Gav Rittoo. Young spin twins Max D’Ulisse & Rory Ledingham then cleaned up the tail with 2 & 3 wickets respectively as the visitors were bundled out for 130 in the final over. In reply the 3s lost Anish Amin and Paul Kentish early but Ben Thurman was in good touch. He found good support from David Simpson (27) and Thurman’s unbeaten 81 helped Carlton to a 7 wicket win in the 25th over.
The 5th XI made the short journey to Inch Park Arti to take on Edinburgh South 3s. Captain Keith Murray called incorrectly and the 4s were invited to bat first. Openers Murray (30) and Martin Robertson (12) both got starts but were unable to go on in the face of some accurate bowling from the home side. Only Paul Stones (25*) and Gus Turner (15) made it to double figures as Carlton posted a disappointing 132 for 9 from their 40 overs. Despite early wickets for Ben Stonach and Kyle Burgess Edinburgh South were able to put together a number of useful partnerships and passed the Carlton total for the loss of 6 wickets in the 32nd over.
On Sunday morning the Kwik Cricket squad’s busy season continued with a visit from Stew Mel Royals. The enthusiasm of the club’s youngest cricketers apparently being boundless, 6 teams were fielded – believed to be a record in this most record-breaking of seasons. The visitors brought 4 teams meaning that almost every patch of Grange Loan was in use. The result of Kwik Cricket games is usually the least important attribute with players from both sides appearing equally excited at the end of the game. The considered opinion was the the overall result was a score draw but the most remarkable performance of the morning was from George Barry – playing his first ever game for Carlton he took a hat trick with his first 3 balls! A record that can surely never be beaten.
Also early on Sunday an U12 XI travelled to Grange for a 25 overs a side match. Winning the toss and opting to field first Carlton bowled out the home side for 90 in the 18th over. Finlay Thompson picked up 4 wickets and there were 3 for Benji Risi and 1 each for Harrison Fontenla; Theo Griffin & Oli Stones. The U12s lost Hamish Turner for 7 but James Stronach (27) and Robbie Murray (21) laid the foundations of a 5 wicket win with Stones (19*) clearing the fence to end the game in the 16th over.
The 4th XI match against RHC 3s was called off on Saturday as heavy rain flooded the Barnton square.
The Women entertained West Of Scotland at Grange Loan and captain Annette Aitken-Drummond won the toss and inserted the visitors. West made 147 for 8 from their 30 overs with Maisie Maceira the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 22. There were also wickets for Charis Scott & Sam Haggo and 3 run outs. In reply Abbi Aitken-Drummond hit a rapid 49 and despite losing Scott for 0, the skipper (50*) and Hannah Rainey (37*) saw Carlton home with 8 wickets in hand in the 20th over.
In the final game of the weekend the Mixed Development XI welcomed Stewart’s Melville 5s to Inch Park. Skipper Bob Irvine won the toss and chose to bat first. Unfortunately the Dev team were unable to capitalise on a good opening stand from Jon Foley (31) and Paul Bailey (21) and were bowled out for 101 in the 27th over. Despite a wicket for Hector Murray and run outs for Foley Snr and Jnr (Hamish) Stew Mel ran out winners by 7 wickets in the 20th over.