79 all out (19.5 overs)

Mo Ahmed 3 for 12, Nik Hunt 2 for 8, Nick Martin 2 for 14

80 for 2 (15.5 overs)

Nick Martin 51 not out, Nik Hunt 25

Despite having skipper Rajan Bhopal unavailable on international duty, the Carlton Under 18s got their Scottish Cup campaign off to a winning start with an 8 wicket win at Goldenacre.

Mo Ahmed, fresh from a century for Pentland Under 17s on Sunday, opened the bowling for the Carlton youngsters on a pitch that provided some variable bounce. Home skipper Matty Thomas, who opens the batting for Heriot’s in the SNCL, took strike and was forced to play out five dot balls before Mo beat the New Zealander’s defences with one that kept low. One wicket down after one over soon became two down after two when Cammy Simpson capped a fine opening over by bowling Tony White.

Mo and Cammy took a well earned rest after six overs with the score on just 18 and Nick Martin soon tempted Slessor to hit over the top once too often where he was safely caught by Fergus Whatley.

What followed thereafter can only be described as sloppy. Although Nick picked up another wicket and had a big shout for an edge behind turned down, the Carlton fielding began to unwind with a series of missed opportunities, dropped catches and needless overthrows. Two players exempt from criticism during this period were young Craig Everett, who fielded superbly, and Nik Hunt who spurned his off-spin to bowl four overs of accurate seam to pick up 2 for 8, including the wicket of top-scorer Craig Watson.

Happily, skipper Tom Barrett got his team back on the game and the last six overs yielded just 19 runs as Cheeky, Nik, Cammy and Mo, who picked up two more wickets in his final over, bowled accurately to dismiss the home side for just 79 off the penultimate ball.

Not a big total, but with a tricky pitch and a bowling attack that included Thomas, who is top wicket-taker in SNCL Division 1, this match was far from over. That point was reinforced when skipper Barrett chased a wide one in the second over and was dismissed with just 2 on the board.

Some nervous looks from the Carlton contingent as Nik Hunt strode to the wicket, keen to avoid a third golden duck in a row. Happily once Nik got past that particular hurdle he looked like his usual classy self and played a patient and mature innings, picking up ones and twos to make sure Carlton were always up with the asking rate. At the other end, Nick Martin adopted a rather less complicated approach. Although his favoured lofted drives didn’t always bring him full reward because of the strong cross-winds and the lush outfield, he was able to punish the bad balls that occasionally came his way and raced to his fifty off just 43 balls. Although Nik fell to a fine catch with the scores tied, the 77 run partnership had seen Carlton home with plenty to spare.

Next up is the quarter final, with Carlton due to entertain either West Lothian or Stenhousemuir in August .

Scorecard

147 for 5 (18 overs)

Nick Martin 59, Fraser Boyd 20*

50 all out (10.4 overs)

Rajan Bhopal 4 for 14, Mo Ahmed 3 for 13

With a 5.40 start in late August, this Scottish Cup Quarter-Final tie was restricted to 18 overs a side, with a pink Reader’s ball employed to mitigate against the less than perfect light. The visitors won the toss and, unusually for an evening cup-tie, elected to bowl first, perhaps seduced by the tinge of green on a wicket that had been covered throughout the damp start to the week.

Skipper Rajan opened with Boom Boom Martin and provided some boom of his own as he pulled a four and a six in the fifth over before finding a leading edge to depart for 14 with the score on 36. Nick (left) by now had his eye in and began to unleash his trademark lofted drives, well supported by Nik H, who eschewed anything lofted in favour of his usual classy approach.

With Nik departing caught and bowled for 16 and the score on 88, Boydy came in and traded in singles to give the Boomer the strike, and the big man brought up his second successive fifty of the tournament before holing out on the boundary to a fine catch for 59.

Tom Barrett, reverting to his old under-15 middle order slot, kept things moving with a steepling six into the trees before falling to a superb catch to skipper Halcrow in the covers. The second Boom Boom twin, Whatley, failed to boom at all, but with Boydy smashing the final two deliveries of the innings to the boundary Carlton closed on a healthy 147 for 5.

In the fading light, the visitors needed to get off to a good start, but what they got was another excellent opening over from Mo, who picked up two wickets. With Mo and Nick soon collecting another wicket each, Stenhousemuir were in trouble at 27 for 4 off five, which soon became 27 for 5 after the skipper got a scalp with his first ball. The enterprising Hamilton was seeing the pink ball well and taking the game to Carlton but when Rajan cleaned him up for 30 in his third over the contest was all but over. Two wickets in the final two balls of the same over gave Rajan 4 for 14, and a wicket for Ferg followed by the customary direct hit run out from Fraser Allardice ensured an early finish.

The Carlton 18s now head to the finals day at Stirling with a tough contest looming against the impressive youngsters from Arbroath in the semi-final.

Scorecard

Photos

151 for 4

Tom Barrett 59 not out

87 for 8

Nick Martin 3 for 15, Mo Ahmed 2 for 11

A last minute change of plan saw Tom join his skipper to open the batting and he settled in quickly, ensuring the scoreboard ticked over from the outset. The pair had put on 48 in quick time before Rajan was trapped in front. BoomBoom/Drummo/Nick M arrived to supply some boom in the shape of four fours, followed by Nik H, who stroked an elegant 17 before being bowled.

Tom was still there, reaching a well-deserved 50, and finding the boundary with regularity as he and man-mountain Ferg (below, with Tom) pushed the score toward 150, with the landmark being reached on the last ball courtesy of a booming Whatley maximum.

   Photo: Cricket Scotland

Mo Ahmed has had a habit of picking up key wickets in his opening over this year and did it again here as his first ball saw Scotland Under 17 skipper Ross McLean steer straight to the welcoming hands of Nick.  Another wicket with his 9th ball saw Mo start with two wicket maidens and when Rajan rattled the stumps of Plomer, Arbroath were toiling on 8 for 3 after 4.

Any chances of a batting recovery were dashed by a fine spell from first change Nick M. First he clean bowled Small then saw a legside wide swiftly converted to a wicket by a smart piece of work from Boydy. A wicket apiece for Ferg and Cheeky, was followed by a third for Nick as Arbroath closed their innings 54 runs short of an impressive Carlton outfit.

Scorecard

143 for 6

Tom Barrett 70 not out, Rajan Bhopal 20

147 for 5

Nick Martin 3 for 21

Rajan was none too disappointed when Grange won the toss and put Carlton into bat. He and Tom resumed their excellent form and, thanks in part to some wayward Grange bowling, raced to 50 in the seventh over before Rajan was lbw to the off-spin of Scott Mullins.

Nik Hunt joined Tom at the wicket and the latter’s running between the wicket was excellent as they put the Grange fielders under pressure to take the score to 84 before Nik was bowled. There was no boom for Nick this time as he fell to Grange skipper Edwards with the score on 89.

The return of the seamers helped Tom to accelerate before Boydy crashed a long-hop towards the boundary, only to see the ball held up in the wind as Docherty took a good catch to leave Carlton on 113 for 4 in the 17th over.

Matt looked impressive and smashed a few before he was also undone by the wind, caught at long off. Ferg found time for a mighty downwind six before being run out off the last ball, as Tom (below) finished unbeaten with a hugely impressive 70 off just 69 balls.

  Photo: Cricket Scotland

What Carlton needed was another good start in the field, but, for the first time in the competition this didn’t happen and Grange were allowed to race to 31 after 3 overs as the bowlers struggled to come to terms with the mighty Stirling cross winds. However, a good second over from Rajan delivered the wicket of the impressive looking Mullins as he played his first loose shot direct to Ferg at cover.

Hearn continued to go aerial as he teased the Carlton outfield and made full use of the swirling wind. The introduction of Cheeky in the 8th over gave Carlton an element of control and he was unlucky to see a chance go down that would have seen the back of Hearn. As it was, Hearn and Edwards continued to take advantage of the far too regular loose balls presented to them and the end of the 13th over saw Grange all but home and dry at 104 for 1.

Then a superb diving stop by Rajan prompted a mix up between the batsmen and Hearn sacrificed his skipper as Nick and Boydy combined to seal the run out. Then two top overs from Nick had Grange reaching for the panic button. First he induced Hearn to go aerial once too often and Nik pouched a good catch (below). Tressider perished quickly to a catch from the captain and then Collister went for a big one downwind only to see Tom take a fine catch just inside the boundary.

   Photo: Cricket Scotland

With two new batsmen at the crease and 8 an over needed, Carlton were suddenly in with a chance. However, Munro and Sohail kept their nerve and punished the bad balls effectively to tie the scores with one to go before Sohail beat the despairing dive of young Fraser to seal the win.

Scorecard

Photos from Cricket Scotland