44 all out

G Currie 3-2,
C Simpson (with off spin) 3-5

191 for 1 (20 overs)

M Ahmed 52 (ret) , G Brown 52*, Z Yusaf 37, A Rive 31*

Straightforward victory for Carlton against a young, inexperienced Edinburgh CC XI on a hard, but rough pitch at Leith Academy.

Mo and Zaki faced the best of the Edinburgh attack, putting on 73 for the 1st wicket, before Zaki fell to a fine catch from a rasping off drive. Grigor joined Mo and the runs continued to flow with each posting half centuries, with Angus keeping up the momentum when Mo retired.

Edinburgh never looked comfortable against our pace attack of Neil, Steven, William and Gair, and newly converted off spinner Cameron pitched in with 3 tail-end wickets.

Top mention falls to Grigor with a direct hit (on the full, 1 stump to aim at) from the boundary to run out the hapless Edinburgh batsman.

It gets tougher from here!

Scorecard

60 for 6 (14.2 overs)

C Gosain 3-16

119 for 2 (20 overs)

G Brown 45*, K Macpherson 34, Z Yusaf 19

153 for 4

Angus Rive 52 ret, Wiliam Brown 52 ret

75 for 5

Henry Lawrence 3 for 17, Angus Rive 2 for 10

On a bright, warm summer's morning, Carlton batted first in this Scottish Cup 1st round tie.

Mo & Zaki opened but both fell in similar style, playing a bit early and offering catches in the covers. Saif departed soon after trying to force a rising ball, but William played a masterful innings of controlled strokemaking, plus fast running between the wickets. His partner Angus however, was not so appeciative of the fast running and set about the Kelso bowling with some power. His half century included six 4s & two 6s much to the delight of the crowd.

William went on to make a most accumplished half century, with good backup from Matthew. Carlton posted a target of 153 for Kelso to chase, which after blistering opening spells of fast bowling from Neil & Henry never looked on.

Henry bagged both openers in his first spell, and captured Kelso no. 3 Taylor late on for his 3 wickets. Angus dominated the batsmen picking up a couple of wickets, ably backed up by the seam of Steven at the other end. Mo and Fraser bowled a couple of tidy overs each, to round off a fine team performance.

Scorecard

123 for 4 (20 overs)

Saif Azhar 36 not out, William Brown 34

127 for 4 (20 overs)

Angus Rive 2 for 23

58 all out (14.1 overs)

Kyle Macpherson 4 for 17, Neil Irvine-Hess 2 for 15

132 for 5 (20 overs)

Will Brown 57, Craig Everett 16 not out

Carlton were put into bat, but in the 2nd over Mo was unlucky enough to get a fine edge to the keeper off a very good ball from Crewe. Zaki struck  two 4s before lofting a drive to mid-off, so once again we looked to Will to provide to the runs. This excellent batsman made his second half-century of the season for us, ably supported by Steven and young Craig (who played a fine innings).

With our pace attack restored to fitness, Haddington’s opening batsmen struggled with the pace of our bowlers. On this occasion, Neil picked up a couple of clean-bowled, but Henry’s spell was excellent also.

Kyle & Fraser dismissed the dangerous Mann & Blades in identical c&b fashion, with Kyle going on to pick up 4 wickets in total. Excellent captaincy from  Mo (standing in for an injured Saif) ensured involvement from all players on a fine evening for cricket.

Scorecard

128 for 2 (20 overs

Cameron Simpson 48 not out , Saif Azhar 47 not out, Mo Ahmed 23

51 all out (17.3 overs)

Kyle Macpherson 3 for 4, Gair Currie 2 for 3, Steven Andrews 2 for 8

Carlton progressed to round 3 of the Scottish Cup at the expense of a young Gala team.

Carlton batted first, and although Kyle was run out in the first over, the medium paced Gala attack posed little threat to Saif and Mo. Nevertheless, the bowling remained accurate, and progress was steady until halfway. A fine 50 partnership was ended when Mo holed out to mid wicket. After some early scares, Cameron let loose with some powerful drives and his 48* included five 4s. Saif's batting is improving each week, and his 47* included four 4s. A very good 72 partnership with excellent running between the wickets.

In reply Gala were pinned down by our fine opening fast bowlers Henry & Neil, and there was no respite when the change bowlers were Cameron & Steven. Superb fast bowling from these four! Mo showed what an excellent all round cricketer he is by donning the gloves on this occasion and marking a competent display with a catch and a stumping. We have some very promising cricketers coming through,and 2 of those (Gair & Kyle) picked off the tail end with 5 wickets between them. Gair's short spell of left arm seam was immaculate and Kyle's leg spin is really coming on and he took his tally to 7 wickets in 3 days for our side

Scorecard

153 for 6 (20 overs)

Grigor Brown 40, Kyle Macpherson 38, Zaki Yusaf 29, Saif Azhar 26

81 for 7 (20 overs)

Saif Azhar 2 for 22

Carlton batted first on our fine artificial wicket, and Kyle & Zaki only had to “nudge & steer” the semi-fast medium Heriot's attack to progress at 8 an over. Heriot's wisely slowed down their attack, set a more defensive field and invited our batsmen to work harder for their runs. This had the desired effect, with Zaki playing across the line once too often and Kyle flashing an edge to the keeper. Nonetheless, our openers had put us into a winning position with a stand of 70 from 11 overs. Fine innings from both players.

Grigor then set about the bowling fiercely with six 4s in his 40, with Saif providing excellent support and quick running between the wickets.  

With Angus taking position behind the stumps to make it 4 different keepers in as many games, Carlton always looked on top defending a massive total. Pacy bowling from our 4 main seamers – Neil, Henry, Steven & Cameron – pinned Heriot's down, but they all fell into the trap of bowling just short of a length, beating the bat but also the stumps!

Some fine blows from the Heriots’ middle order livened the game up a bit, and Saif picked up a couple of wickets. A fine 3 overs from Gair rounded things off for us and as well as winning this league match, we progress into the next round of the Lothian Cup where we meet either RH Corstorphine or Penicuik.

Scorecard

144 for 7 (20 overs)

Grigor Brown 41

122 for 6

Gair Currie 2 for 20, Saif Azhar 2 for 25

* At Meggetland

Phew, this was close.

On the artificial at Meggetland (the surface being the only comparison to Grange Loan), we batted first and the lads produced a magnificent performance of strokemaking, fielding pressure and running between the wickets. Grigor oozed class as always, and occasional spectators were surprised to see how much his on side play has improved. Seven 4s in his 41, and William played equally well in the face of very fine opening bowling. Every batsman contributed but the total was reached due to a swift knock of 17* off 13 balls from Kyle coming in at No. 7.

 So 144 to defend, easy eh? Well it would have been but our bowlers (Saif & Gair aside) proceeded to give away 31 wides, and spill a simple catch early on. Scotland cap Farrar was the danger man and he quickly hit some massive blows (two 4s & two 6s) before Saif enticed him into 1 too many, Grigor picking up a rasping catch on the mid wicket boundary. This eased the pressure on our lads, but the wides were still mounting up at one end while Saif & Gair tied up the other. When Gair bowled Buchanan-Smith near the end, the game was won but not without some major worries along the way.

Our lads have to think about the strong mental attitude that is required to match their undoubted skills, and this is a must to progress further in this game.

Still, we have matched our U13s by reaching the Scottish Cup semis at Stirling on Sunday, a fine achievement for our club. But we’re not finished just yet.......

Scorecard

63 for 3

Kyle Macpherson 33 not out

62 all out

Gair Currie 4 for 6, Neil Irvine-Hess 2 for 19

As we warmed up for the Scottish Cup finals on Sunday, this was the first home outing this season on the grass for our lads. Penicuik won the toss and chose to bat, and openers Connor and Harrison set about our opening attack of Neil and William with much purpose. 32 was notched up after 4 overs, as we paid the price for some poor length deliveries. However, Angus held a rasping catch off another short delivery from Neil to dismiss Connor for 22, and then himself bowled Harrison next over to change things. Neil then found some length, and bowled the remaining dangerman Ashforth with a corker, and Penicuik were on the ropes. Gair polished off the middle order with a fine, accurate spell of left arm medium pace as Penicuik were all out for 62.

This never looked enough, but Chris Ashforth is a fine fast bowler and caused our batsmen a few problems and probably should have had an even better return than 2-11. Kyle rounded off a fine week for the team carrying his bat for 33. He is now using his craft to score runs quickly, while he strengthens up. Reminds us a lot of Tom Barrett. Zaki found the slow spin of Green to his liking, and scored runs with ease, and we made the target comfortably enough in the end.

Scorecard

116 for 4

Mo Ahmed 33, Zaki Yusaf 30 not out, William Brown 24

The success of this Carlton side over the last 4 years has, for a large part, been built around their impressive pace bowling attack.  So the news that injuries would keep Cameron and Henry from bowling, plus the knowledge that talented young batsman Kyle would miss out due to a school trip to Paris, made for a lot of head scratching from long-suffering coach Alistair Duncan.

The coach’s mood was not helped when a third pace bowler unfortunately called off ill in mid-morning, leaving the side with just 10 players. In addition, the wet conditions robbed the side of the bowling of Grigor as he doesn’t wear spikes. No wonder the coach has no hair left. Under 13 twelfth man David Mitchell was hastily promoted to the Under 15s and the youngster fielded magnificently throughout the day in a display that would have made the Carlton coaching staff proud.

After a loose first over, Neil bowled tightly in tandem with William and ensured that Huntly would not get off to a flyer. Gair also bowled particularly well, conceding just 10 runs from his 4 overs. However, there was a lack of penetration about the Carlton attack that a more experienced side than Huntly would have capitalised on. As it was, a score of 115 for 1 off 20 overs was a stiff enough challenge.

In reply, William and Mo gave Carlton exactly the steady start that they were looking for and although both were out when a  50 could have been on their agenda,  Zaki saw the side home with an over to spare.

Scorecard

94 all out

Mo Ahmed 30, Angus Rive 21 not out

95 for 0

81 for 2 (18.2 overs)

Kyle Macpherson 29, Mo Ahmed 19, Grigor Brown 17 not out

80 for 9 (20 overs)

Gair Currie 5 for 14

Usual to and fro-ing of our lads, as we welcomed back Neil, Mo & Kyle, but made do without William and Angus. Steven and Henry still on holiday, and Cameron was down south on Scotland duty. Grange appeared to be equally under strength, with a couple of lads accompanying Cameron down south. Wicket keeper Craig, Rory and Fraser were our U13s this time around.

Grange chose to bat but struggled to make any progress against the fast bowling of Neil at one end and the accuracy of Mo at the other. First wicket fell to Neil in his 4th over, ending with a commendable 1-8. But it was the change bowler that decimated the Grange innings. Gair bowled his medium paced left arm over, but it was his subtle variations of in-swing, the one that goes on and leg cutters that did for the Grange middle order. 5 wickets for  14 runs. Splendid stuff. However, this wasn’t the whole story, as our lads held some good catches, none more so than young Fraser Allardice. Fraser was a standout in the field, witnessed by his chasing of a fierce blow to the boundary, preventing the 4 and firing in a powerful, accurate throw to bowler Iain for a run out as the 3rd run was attempted. The Grange lads batted deep down the order and some last over blows enabled 80 to be achieved.

With so many lads away, our batting order did not look very lengthy, and with the Cup final escapade still in our minds, openers Kyle and Mo settled in with the prime aim of not giving away a silly wicket. Progress was steady but always up with  the smallish run rate, and we were over halfway to our total when Mo was clean bowled. Grigor arrived and played steadily and, as  Kyle ended a fine innings on 29, Saif joined Grigor. Around 20 still required at 4 an over, with Grange fielders prowling menacingly, but Grigor and Saif merely lifted the ball over the top, and Carlton sailed through to the target with an over and a bit to spare.

This Grange side still contained some excellent, representative players, (and a very ‘experienced’ U15) so this was a fine victory with pride of place to Gair but with superb support from all of the team. Well done lads.

Scorecard

137 for 6

Grigor Brown 72, Angus Rive 26 not out

136 for 7

Angus Rive 3 for 19, Mo Ahmed 2 for 21

118 for 2 (20 overs)

Kyle Macpherson 45, Grigor Brown 43 not out

47 for 5 (20 overs)

Saif Azhar 2 for 6