Weekend roundup – 31st May/1st June
The 1s welcomed Meigle to Grange Loan for round 5 for the EPL. Batting first the Perthshire side made 222 in 46.5 overs with Mike Raikes taking 4 wickets with his leggies and Arun Pillai chipping in with 2 and Ally Evans getting 2 on his return to the side. In reply Ruari Macpherson got thing off to a flier hitting 44 off just 25 balls to get the Arrows well ahead of DL given the ominous forecast. A clatter of wickets then made things interesting as the rain arrived with Carlton ahead by only 2 runs. The game eventually restarted and although 1 more wicket went down Angus Guy (48*) and Oli Stones (22*) got the home side to a comfortable lead before the rain return and no further play was possible.
The 2s travelled west to Boghall to take on Linlithgow in the ESCA Championship. Inserting the home side skipper Charles Stronach and fellow opening bowler Conor Regan ran through the home batters. Both bowlers picked up 5 wickets as Linlithgow were bowled out for 67. The 2s did not have it all their own way in the chase as none of the top 5 made it to double figures. At 27 for 5 there was still a lot to do but Rory Ledingham and Aadi Khadse steadied the ship. Both fell in quick succession leaving it to Josh Cully and Regan to get the 2s over the line in the 21st over to win by 3 wickets.
The 3s entertained Edinburgh Accies 2s at Merchiston. Given the forecast the game was shortened to 30 overs a side and Accies batted first. A loose start with the ball saw the visitors get the scoreboard moving but introduction of captain Brad McKay & Max D’Ulisse pegged back the scoring rate. 2 wickets for McKay and a run out put more pressure on the batting side and Daniel Mowat then chipped in with 4 wickets at the death. 2 more runouts saw Accies bowled out for 155 off the last ball of the 30. In reply Ben Stronach (25*) and D’Ulisse (12*) took the score to 40 for no loss before the game was abandoned with no result after 10 overs.
The final game on Saturday saw the 4s travel to the Borders to take on Melrose. Bowling first the Arrows struggled to find their lengths with anything short being punished to the short boundary. Eventually the introduction of Duncan Dalzel-Job to the attack broke the opening partnership and with Aaradhy Khadse bowling well at the other end some sort of control was established. Dalzel-Job finished with 3 wickets and there were 2 each for Khadse, Kyle Burgess and Abhi Mehta as the home side was bowled out for 226. The reply never really got going but Dalzel-Job (28) and Mehta (35) had a few clean strikes before the 4s were bowled out for 111 in the 31st over.
On Sunday the Women were on WPL action at Grange Loan with the visit of Watsonians/Dumfries. A heavy shower delayed the start and the game was shortened to a 20 over a side contest. Batting first the visitors made 128 for 5 with wickets for Maisie Maceira, Elsie Fraser, Charis Scott as well as 2 run outs. In reply the home side was up with the rate at the halfway stage but wickets started to fall. Unfortunately none of the batters could carry on and produce a dominant innings. Despite 25 from Janie Hemsley the Women were bowled out in the final over 25 runs short of the visitors total.
Also on Sunday the 5s were away at Roseburn Artificial to take on MDAFs 4s. The weather also forced the game to be reduced to 35 overs per side. A good start with the ball reduced the home side to 31 for 3 but the MDAFs batters were beginning to find their range. There were 2 wickets for Angus Turner & Stu Dawson as well as single strikes for Benji Risi, Aaradhy Khadse and Finlay Thompson but MDAFs posted an imposing 205 for 7 from their 35 overs. After 17 overs the 5s were 71 for 2 and the required rate was starting to climb. Skipper Keith Murray departed bringing Risi to the crease to join Chris Kilfara. The young batters set about the home attack and brought the 5s back into the game. Kilfara fell for 47 but Thompson came out and gave Risi good support to get the Arrows in sight of victory. Although Risi went for a belligerent 73 with 2 runs still needed Fergus McKernan hit the winning runs for a fine 5 wicket win with only 3 balls to spare.