Weekend preview – 17th/18th June
It’s the eighth round of league cricket this weekend and the Arrows have five teams out on Saturday, as well as another WPL game on Sunday and the annual Junior 6s event.
On Saturday the First XI will welcome RHC to Grange Loan. The match is kindly sponsored by Angus and Ann Mair. Last season RHC finished in 5th place, 1 spot below the Arrows. The side currently have 3 wins from 6 games in this year’s campaign. In last year’s league season the two sides met twice, with each side winning one a piece. The sides have already faced off once this season, which came in the form of a Masterton Trophy group stage tie. In last season’s league game at home the Arrows won the toss and opted to bat first. With Tom Simpson (26), Shujaa Khan (38) and Fraser Burnett (40) all getting starts, it was only Arun Pillai who was able to capitalise on his as he made 89 off 85 deliveries. The home side finished on 246 for 9 from their 50 overs. The reply got off to a slow start however the away team were guided home in the last over thanks to 144* from Liam Naylor.
The 2nd XI will make the short trip to Inch Park where they will face Edinburgh South in the ESCA Championship. The home side are newly promoted into the Championship and have got off to a very strong start. South have registered 4 wins so far from their five completed fixtures. The hosts also competed in the Masterton Trophy this year, however they were not in Carlton’s group. The side won 2 games in their group, defeating Edinburgh Accies and Stew Mel, but the 50% record was not enough to see them get out of their group.
The 3rd XI will venture north for the second Saturday running, as they head up to Bailliefields for their meeting with Westquarter and Redding. The hosts finished 2 spots below the 3s last year, ending up in 8th place. Both sides are currently sitting in relegation spots after 7 weekends. The sides met twice last year and picked up a win each. In the away match at Bailliefields, the Arrows were invited to bat first. 93* from Ben Thurman as he batted all 40 overs helped set up a solid total of 186 for 9. 3 wickets from Fergus Foley and Kyle Burgess, as well as 2 each for Brad McKay and Charlie Kentish was enough to bowl out Westquarter for 132, resulting in the Arrows winning by 54 runs.
The 4th XI are heading to the Meadows as they welcome Holy Cross to the alternative version of the home of cricket. Holy Cross finished in 4th place in last year’s ESCA Division 4 season, 4 places above the Arrows. The sides met twice last year and both games were won by Holy Cross. In the home fixture last year the Arrows won the toss and took to the field. The 4s bowled Holy Cross out for 175 in the 38th over. Isaac Foley, Ben Stronach and Oli Stones all took 3 wickets each. The Arrows reply was unsuccessful as only Lewis King and Oli Stones were able to make it into double figures.Ultimately the Arrows were bundled out for 83 in the 21st over.
To conclude action on Saturday the 5th XI will head along the east coast to Recreation Park where they will face Bass Rock’s second team. Bass Rock 2s finished in 9th place last year in ESCA Division 7, however they currently sit in 9th place having won one game and lost 5. This exact fixture came in Round 7 last year and was won by the Arrows. Bass Rock batted first and wickets fell at a rate of knots as they were skittled for 35. Stu Dawson picked up 4 for himself and Lewis Broster also took 3 scalps. John Gill (14) was the top scorer bar extras (15), but it was Brian Gill (5*) and James Stronach (4*) that saw the Arrows safely to a 9 wicket victory.
On Sunday the Women’s First XI will continue their WPL campaign at Craiglockhart against Watsonians. ‘Sonians finished 7th in last year’s competition, 6 places below the Arrows. The home side are consistent in their standings as they currently reside in 7th place in the 2023 WPL. In last season’s fixture Carlton won the toss and elected to bat first. The Arrows amassed 200 for 2 off their 30 overs. Annette Aitken-Drummond (64), Maisie Maceira (37), Zaara Dancu (41) and Samantha Haggo (27) all got scores. ‘Sonians were then bowled out for 64, with Dancu taking 4 wickets and conceding just 3 runs. This gave the Arrows a 136 runs win and put them within reaching distance of the 2022 WPL title.
The annual Junior 6s tournament will also take place this Sunday. There are 6 teams competing in this year’s competition, with each team comprising of players from all the junior hardball squads. The event runs from roughly 10am to 6pm. The action begins to heat up generally around 2pm and the final will take place at the end of the day. Ice cream will be on sale from 2-3pm and the bar should be open from 4pm onwards.