Weekend roundup – 15th/16th July

Week 12 of the league season got underway with the 1st XI travelling to the north of the city to take on Grange at Portgower Place.  Skipper Arun Pillai won the toss and opted to bowl first.  Ruaridh McIntyre picked up an early wicket but it took until the 22nd over for the next wicket to fall to Harry Simpson.  The home batting line up continued to keep the scoreboard moving and although no one went on to make a really big score Grange finished on 293 for 7 from their 50 overs.  McIntyre was the most successful bowler with 3 wickets while Lewis O’Donnell claimed 2 and there was 1 each for Simpson & Shujaa Khan.  In reply Carlton lost 2 quick wickets but torrential rain in the 7th over forced the players from the field.  Sadly no further play was possible and the game was abandoned with Carlton 22 for 2.

Back at Grange Loan the 2nd XI entertained Dunnikier.  Captain Charles Stronach won the toss and chose to bat first.  The 2s got off to a disastrous start losing 4 wickets in the first 5 overs.  Worse was to come as they slumped to 9 for 6 in the 8th over.  That quickly became 23 for 9 but Cameron Keatinge (19*) and Stronach (11) managed to take the score to 44 before the skipper was bowled in the 18th over.  In reply the Fifers also got off to a poor start and were 6 for 4 in the 4th over with 2 wickets each for Armaan Bedi & Stronach.  That became 22 for 6 as Bedi & Stronach picked up another wicket each.  With the total in sight, Max D’Ulisse picked up 3 wickets in successive overs to give the home side hope of an unlikely victory but it was not to be as Dunnikier scrambled over the line to win by 1 wicket in the 25th over.

The 4th XI were at “home” at Peffermill for the visit of Morton 2s.  Skipper Al Murray won the toss and invited the visitors to bat first.  Robbie Murray & Harrison Fontenla each picked up an early wicket and the introduction of Kartic Subr & Josh Cully to the attack also yielded success.  At drinks the visitors were 59 for 5.  Shreyas Tekale came on and picked up 4 wickets with his leg spin and Cully came back to claim the final wicket to bowl Morton out for 99 in the 37th over.  Iain & Tom Hathorn got the chase of to a decent start but both fell with the score on 20.  Scoring opportunities proved hard to come by and wickets started to fall.  At the halfway point Carlton were 50 for 5 and the game could not be more evenly poised.  Unfortunately things tipped very much the visitors way as Carlton slumped to 69 for 9 but a great rear-guard effort from Robbie Murray & Fontenla got the Arrows close.  Sadly the final wicket fell in the 37th over and Carlton were bowled out for 93 to lose by 6 runs.

The 5th XI travelled west to take on Livingston 3 at Bankton Mains Park.  Captain Keith Murray lost the toss and the home side chose to bowl first.  Wickets fell at regular intervals as the visitors struggled to impose themselves on the home bowlers.  Mike Kennedy top scored with a brisk 23 and there was a good 7th wicket partnership between John Gill (16) & Theo Griffin (16) which helped the 5s post a total of 112 from their 40 overs.  In reply a good opening stand was broken by Aadi Khadse and then Gill picked up 3 wickets with his leggies to leave the home side 69 for 4 in the 26th over.  Livingston recovered and although Rahul Khadse claimed a further wicket the home side got over the line in the 35th over for a 5 wicket win.

On Sunday the Women’s XI made the journey north to Meigle Park to take on the Northern Lights.  Skipper Sam Haggo won the toss and inserted the home side.  The Arrows bowled the home side out for 40 in 17 overs with Haggo claiming 4 wickets; 3 for Zaara Dancu and one each for Masie Maceira and Saskia Aldridge.  Ciara Gibson (18*) and Abbi Aitken-Drummond (22*) made short work of the chase to secure a 10 wicket win in the 8th over.

Also on Sunday the 3rd XI hosted Selkirk at Grange Loan.  Skipper Brad McKay won the toss and opted to bowl first.  The borders side got off to a solid start and it took until the 31st over for the breakthrough to come off the bowling of Zaki Yusaf.  The visitors then accelerated and although there were further wickets for Shaun Smith and 2 for the skipper, Selkirk posted 218 for 4 from their 40 overs.  Yusaf & Anish Amin got the chase off to a decent start before Yusaf was bowled for 17.  Ben Thurman then joined Amin and hit a breezy 23 before he too was bowled with 69 on the board.  The home side looked well placed at 95 for 2 in the 23rd over but a flurry of wickets, including Amin for 46, reduced them to 119 for 8.  Hamish Foley (20*) showed some resistance but in the end the home side were bowled out for 146 in the 38th over to lose by 72 runs.

The final game of the weekend saw the Mixed Development XI take on Stewart’s Melville at Inverleith.  Carlton batted first and scored 124 for 8 from their 30 overs with Atreya Subr (30*) and Harvey Harrison (31*) both retiring.  With the ball Kartic Subr & Neil Irvine-Hess both picked up 2 wickets and there was 1 each for Aaradhy Khadse & Kieran Glass but the home side got over the line in the 28th over for a win by 4 wickets.