Under the co-captaincy of Ruairidh and Angus the Carlton / SMPS team took to the field for the first game of the 2011 season. Again this year it was Kwik cricket format with softball which allowed the boys to put into practice the lessons of the previous day's net session in an unintimidating context.  

Carlton / SMPS won the toss and put Heriots in to bat. There was some excellent bowling: Angus took 2 wickets, including a caught and bowled; Frank's consistent line and length delivered two maidens, one a double wicket maiden; Ruairidh took 3 wickets in his first over, his devilish leg-breaks proving too much for the inexperienced batsmen;  Patrick bowled very well taking 2 for 2; Gregor showed great promise with 3 wickets for 6 runs. Andrew, Alex W, Alex J and Maxwell all made excellent contributions, Maxwell also delivering a wicket maiden. Alexander P kept wicket very well making a number of impressive stops and taking a great catch from an outside edge off Ruairidh's bowling. Fielding was sharp, most catching chances were taken and the lessons of backing up seemed had been learnt. There were few if any overthrows conceded. Heriots finished on 198.  

The rationale behind the Carlton /SMPS batting was to team up experienced 'old' hands with the newer players so that the boys could mentor and help each other in a good team spirit. Gregor and Andrew opened scoring 9, the highlight being a fine pull for 4 from Andrew. With a couple of run-outs they ended on 199. Angus and Alex W pushed the score along with 15 off the bat but gave away two catches to finish +5. Maxwell and Alex P also added 15 for the loss of one wicket ending +10, including two good bounderies from Maxwell. Patrick and Alex J added 18 with Patrick smashing 3 impressive 4s. Three wickets down left them 3 in credit. Frank and Ruairidh completed the innings against the two familiar Carlton faces playing for their school, Gregor S and Cameron W. Some tight bowling from Gregor was well played by the boys but they were restricted to 10 for the loss of one wicket resulting in +5 to the total. Carlton scored 222 and won by 24 runs.  

A good victory to start the season.

Fettes won the toss and elected to bat. Each batsmen got a good start into the teens with very correct shots. Some accurate bowling from Angus and Tom S did not bring rewards at first, but Angus finished with 2 for 16. George managed to take a wicket in his spell. Ruairidh bowled well but went wicketless. Tom K and Alex W both took a wicket in their spells. The pick of the wickets was undoubtedly a sharp stumping by Alex P off Angus' bowling - a fine piece of work! Tom S and Alex W also made fine run outs. Fettes finished on 106 for 6.  

Carlton's innings got off to a solid start as Angus and Tom S patiently built but progress was slow against accurate and fast bowling from the Fettes boys. The two openers did very well indeed to survive the first 10 or so overs but the coach robbed them of their chance to cash in as they were retired to make way for other players to have some time at the crease. The next few overs saw a clatter of wickets with a few scampered runs and byes adding to the total. Ruairidh blasted a quick 10, survived two close stumping calls and was bowled. Tom K batted well to add 5. The SMPS batsmen were all bowled for 62 (time did not allow the retired batsmen to return).  

The game was played in a great spirit by all the boys on both sides. Fettes deservedly won but there was good cricket from all the Carlton boys. Fielding as always was a strength and the bowling was good whilst Alexander's wicket keeping is improving (he should feel very proud of that stumping!).

A rather squally day greeted the Primary team (again) as they gathered at Mary Erskine's to play a strong Stewarts Melville side.  

Carlton won the toss and opted to bowl. In the face of the solid, technically correct Stewarts Melville openers Sam's good line and length went unrewarded. Alex J also opened and delivered a number of challenging balls. Angus was as ever threatening in his first spell but the batsmen were well set and no inroad was made by him or David in his one over. It was not until the 9th over with a switch to spin that the first inroads were made with Ruairidh again disconbobulating the opposition with his variations in flight and pace, turning the ball just enough to beat the bat. Two wickets in his first over removed the Melville openers just as they were threatening to get away. Two accurate overs from Murray and another from Ruairidh restricted the new batsmen for a while but they eventually established themselves and were soon in double figures. The initiative was snatched back Carlton's way briefly with two fine caught behinds by wicket keeper Alexander P off the bowling of Alastair and Cameron, both making their Carlton SMPS debuts. Alex W and Andrew also had a bowl but without any luck. Angus, Ruairidh and Sam were brought back for the final three overs with Rauiridh adding a further wicket to his haul, to finish with the pick of the bowling figures: 3 for 15 (all bowled). Stewarts had posted 121 for 5 - a challenging total.  

After the early loss of David to a sharp stumping the Carlton reply settled down with Sam and Angus looking solid and composed at the crease. Both patiently defended the many good deliveries and waited to pounce on looser balls. Angus was particularly effective on the day, hitting a couple of good hook shots for 4s off some short bowling. When Sam was finally bowled for 14 Carlton had reached 48. New batsman Ruairidh looked to hurry up the tempo but, slashing at a wide one which he dragged on to his stumps, only hurried up his own return to the boundary. With Angus retiring on a fine 33, it was left to Murray (7 not out) to direct the innings. He looked assured but eventually ran out of partners as the Stewarts Melville bowling quickly dismissed the remaining Carlton batsmen. With two team members having to be taken off to other sporting venues before their chance to bat we ended with nine batsmen. Carlton SMPS finished with 67 for 7.  

So the match was lost but as ever there were many positives for all to take away. Newer team members gained time on the field and a chance to bowl; Angus secured his first Primary team maximum; Alexander P's wicket keeping improves every outing; Ruairidh continues to bamboozle; Cameron and Alastair took a wicket each on their first outing. A special mention to the Stewarts Melville batsman who was given not out by the umpire after a hearty appeal for caught behind but who walked immediately saying that he had indeed hit it. His actions exemplified the spirit of sportsmanship in which the game was played by everyone. Well done to all who put on a good display for the gathered parents.

It was a 10 a-side Kwik Cricket format & Clifton Hall won the toss & put S Morningside/Carlton into bat.  They batted very well with Isaac & Charlie top scoring with 10 each followed by Iona who batted very sensibly to score 8.  The fielding of Clifton Hall was outstanding & they took every catch & due to their excellent fielding restricted S M /Carlton to 118.   

However thanks to a sensational first over by Alastair C-W, Clifton Hall were soon on the back foot.  In a devastating spell he got 2 superb caught & bowled victims followed by bowling the next batsman first ball to end up with 3 wickets in 5 balls. 

Clifton Hall fought back but the Carlton bowlers gave nothing away with Alan claiming 2 wickets and Alastair another one to make his final tally 4 wickets.  The fielders were also all on their toes & Isaac got a great run out with a direct hit of the stumps with his throw.   The final over was reached with the scores 118 each.    During a tense final over Carlton bowled & fielded brilliantly to prevent Clifton Hall scoring one run needed for victory but could not manage to take a wicket which would have won the game for them.  So the game ended up as a tie with each side scoring 118 which was an ideal outcome for 2 such evenly matched teams.  

So well done to both teams for making it such an exciting game.  There are some very promising cricketers in the team & hope to see them progress through the ranks at Carlton.

83 for 4

Tom Simpson 50*

78 all out

Ruairidh Main 5 for 13

148 for 7

Calum Everett 53*

Cargilfield play ‘timed’ cricket which for the boys was like a mini test match.  In such a game it was a great advantage for Calum to win the toss and elected to bat.

The wet weather meant a somewhat unpredictable bouncing wicket and Calum and Tom S opened the batting making a good start defending well with on line deliveries and despatching the poorer balls for several early fours.  After Calum had a knock to the helmet and Tom S a hit on the thigh. Tom was out LBW to a good ball that kept lower for 9 with an opening stand of 33. 

George came to the crease and also encountered some unpredictable bounce but with his normal strong batting decided attack was the best form of defence and his first and second scoring shots were fours and with Calum continuing the barrage of fours with fine strokes despatched to all parts of the ground the score was up to 63 in the 9th over before George was bowled for 11.

Angus then joined Calum at the crease and after a tentative start also started to join the run scoring feast.  Calum retired on 53 after a great performance with the bat, which was nicely recognised by the Cargilfield team albeit they were happy for him retiring. 

There was somewhat of a resurgence from Cargilfield after seeing the back of Calum with their first and second change bowlers focusing on better line and length and seeing the returns with Charlie being caught for 1 with a ball that popped up severely, Isaac unlucky to be bowled for 0, Tom K bowled for 0 off a great delivery and Ruairidh unluckily run out with a direct hit for 1.  This bought Gregor to the crease and after a slightly nervous start Angus and he put on a valuable stand of close to 30, unfortunately whilst trying to get some quick runs before retiring for tea Angus was caught for 21.  Gregor continued with a nice partnership with Maxwell with good decisive running between the wickets adding valuable runs at the end of the innings. Gregor eventually retired on 19 and Robert came in and scored a valuable run with Maxwell 2 facing the opening bowler. Tea was called at 4.10 and the decision to declare on 148 for 7 was made. 

After a fantastic tea enjoyed by the team and parents we returned to play.  A steady start was made by Cargilfield with the time moving on to 5pm with the score on 29 without loss after 8 overs and a maximum of 20 overs remaining.  There had been some good tidy bowling by George and Calum (once getting his line). Tom K also bowled good line and length with only 1 run from his first 2 overs and Ruairidh had also come on and kept things tidy in his first over and a great catch by Charlie at square leg had meant the first wicket had finally fallen with the score on 30. 

With 10 overs gone and only 18 overs remaining it still looked like a draw was on the cards (or that is what the coach had thought).  The boys had other thoughts with Ruairidh’s second over yielding 2 further wickets with a good catch from Calum and then Tom behind the wicket. Ruairidh was clearly fired up from his unlucky run out.   The call from the batsmen at the non-strikers end of ‘watch him he is a really good spinner’ was the perfect comment and the confidence displayed earlier on by Cargilfield was turning to one of terror, which was increased when Calum executed a great run out with a superb direct hit from mid wicket off Maxwell’s first over .   Maxwell bowled a very good spell with 2 wickets (both bowled) for 2 runs off 3 overs.   Ruaridh (below) managed a further 2 wickets (clean bowled and a nice catch at point from Gregor) finishing with superb figures of 5 for 13 (one of the best individual leg spin bowling performances I have watched since Shane Warne’s hat trick at the MCG against England in 1994 – from a sad old Aussie reminiscing the good times!). 

Robert, Charlie and Gregor all bowled with very good performances, restricting the batsmen further and keeping the pressure on with Calum cleverly moving the field ever closer to the somewhat nervous batsmen. Angus who was slightly injured decided to bowl some spin and followed on where Ruaridh had left off picking up 1 wicket for only 2 runs (perhaps the medium pace will be retired to make way for the spin).  Whilst the last wicket partnership had put on 17 there was eventually a nervous attempt of a run and great fielding by the team had resulted in a run out and Cargilfield being all out for 78 runs.

A great afternoon was had by the whole team with some great batting from Calum, Angus and Gregor in particular and strong running between the wickets by all, steady bowling by everyone with a superb 5 wickets from Ruairidh (not sure if he ever found the ball to mount) and a magnificent fielding display with very few extras, 2 good run outs and 5 excellent catches. Well done to all.

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A youthful Carlton side made the short trip to Musselbrough hoping to avenge last year's defeat at the hands of Loretto.  Skipper for the day, Calum drew first blood, winning the toss and electing to field. 

Calum, swinging the ball at pace, and George, metronomically hitting the seam, produced a fine opening spell of 6 overs between them. The pressure almost reaped early reward with 3 tough chances going down and Calum cruelly denied an lbw by the Carlton coach.  What was lacking in the catching department however was more than compensated for by some fine ground fielding, an early sprawling stop in the covers from Ruairidh a particular highlight.  The change bowling of Tom K and Angus tightened the screws on the Loretto openers but had no more success in making a breakthrough, leaving the becalmed batsmen on 32-0 off 11 overs.

Ruairidh and Maxwell finally brought two new men to the crease, Ruairidh bowlling his man with the first ball of his spell and Maxwell inducing a false shot from the Loretto captain in consecutive overs, reducing the home team to 43-2 in the 13th over.  The breakthroughs however proved somewhat counterproductive as it exposed the short boundaries to the less technical, but somewhat more ambitious, middle order.  The boundaries began to flow and the run rate increased but the Carlton team stuck to the task and finally ran out one of the big hitters in the 19th over due to some excellent boundary work from Calum.  The skipper then took the final over himself and got a deserved wicket with a fine yorker bowling the new man in.  Thanks largely to some hard hitting toward the end Loretto set a formidable 113-4 in their 20 overs but with only 3 byes in the innings Tom S's excellent glovework was singled out for praise by the Loretto coaches during the interval.

George and Angus opened the batting and the Carlton response got off to the worst possible start when the opposition captain produced a wicket maiden in the first over, Angus the unfortunate recipient of a swinging ball clipping the off stump.  George, batting in his usual positive manner, produced one clean strike over the bowler's head for four before he was adjudged run out returning for a second run, brining Calum and Tom S together at a precarious 11-2 in the fifth over.  With maturity belying their age they set about steadying the ship with a fine partnership; Calum's placement running the Loretto fielders ragged and Tom hitting a few imperious boundaries through the covers.  Loretto believed they had a breakthrough when Tom was bowled by a double bouncing yorker, but it was called a no-ball giving the stumper a reprieve.  As the required rate climbed, the pair decided it was time to take more risks, shortly followed by Calum being bowled having an uncharacteristic heave for 16.  Next over Tom was following him back to the pavilion for a classy 27, leaving Carlton 61-4 in the 17th over.

Dismayed that the partnership was broken the weather decided it couldn't hold out any longer and the heavens opened, trying to force an early finish.  With the end so near the coaches agreed it would be character building to play on and so with boundaries needed a procession of unfortunate Carlton batsmen waded to the wicket and back to the changing rooms again, eventually having the team finish 71-6. 

In the end the difference between the teams was the late surge of Loretto hitting but with so many good performances in the game the Carlton team will be entitled to return next year anticipating some long overdue revenge.

The entire fixture list for the SNCL Premiership may have been cancelled across the whole of Scotland but this did not deter the hardier souls of Carlton SMPS and Heriots Primary sides who ignored the weather (what rain?) to play an entertaining game of 12 aside hardball cricket played to Kwik cricket rules.   

Heriots won the toss and put Carlton in to bat. The opening pair of Maxwell and Ruairidh struggled to get some tight bowling away but three mighty fours from Ruairidh and some scampered singles ensured that they ended in credit despite losing two wickets (+7). The pairing of Angus and Alex W proved to be the most productive for the team with Angus particularly effective hitting five boundaries and Alex chipping in with valuable singles that were well run by the two boys. 28 added for the loss of no wickets. Patrick and Alexander P recovered from the loss of two early wickets to finish 2 in credit with some good quick singles and a fine four from Patrick. Tom K and Gregor added 20 for the loss of one wicket leaving +15 to the total. Frank and Ross struggled against some good bowling but succeeded in adding two to the total despite losing a wicket. The final partnership saw siblings Harry and Tom S add a further 14 without loss. At the end ot the innings Carlton had scored 270 (starting at 200!) and the boys knew that they would have to bowl well to defend this.  

All the while the rain was falling...sometimes gently, at other times more fully, but always falling. The weather conditions made the bowling difficult as the ball became more slippery as the game progressed. The boys struggled maintain morale in what became quite awful conditions for cricket. However, they played on. As the innings progressed Heriots made slow but steady progress, good running between the wickets proving a particularly rich vein for them. Their cause was also helped by a few over enthusiastic shies at the stumps that went for over throws. When the final batting pair arrived at the crease with Heriots five in front and four overs to go, Carlton's hypothermic shoulders collectively slumped. However, a few wickets saw them back in the match and the last fifteen minutes saw each side seixing the initiative only to have their opponents wrest it back again. This was just what the rather sodden and chilled paernts needed to warm them up. In the end Carlton seized the initiative one more time leaving Heriots requiring a four for victory from the last ball. Alas for Carlton SMPS, the Heriots batsman at the crease was none other than Carlton's own Gregor Shand playing in his school colours. A fine ball from Tom S was expertly driven over mid off just evading the fielder to go for the required four giving Heriots victory by one solitary run!  

It was an excellent end to a match played in grim conditions. Fielding in the persistent rain was not easy and it was probably a good to to have won. Special mention must be made of young P4 Harry S who played in his first hardball match but bowled beautifully for one so young and generated great pace for one so small...what can we hope for when he's as tall as his dad! Congratulations to all the boys for playing a cricket match in horrible conditions and giving their parents some great entertainment. We can at least take consolation in the fact that it took a Carlton player to defeat a Carlton team!

132

Angus Beattie 40, George Clough 34

The boys remembered the strength of Loretto’s batting from their previous encounter, and they were not to be disappointed. Despite an early dismissal, Loretto compiled an impressive 140 for 6 with two batsmen retiring at 50* and 20*, the former including a 24 run over of majestic hitting. Bowling solely from Lovers Loan to protect the inhabitants of the ‘Nursery End’, the boys did well to maintain concentration and contain the flow of runs, with tidy keeping by Tom Simpson and some sharp fielding resulting in two run outs and wickets for Calum Everett (3) and Tom Kujawa (1).

After a hearty tea at the interval, Carlton were rocked by the early loss of openers Calum and Tom S, bringing Angus and George to the crease. Starting carefully, the pair rapidly built a partnership of 65 with some lusty blows from George (34) including a fine straight six which nearly made it over the wall and into his own back garden on the other side of Lovers Loan. Meanwhile, Angus (40) played the anchor innings, accumulating fours and singles at a steady pace and surviving a series of dropped chances on his way to 40. After George and then Angus departed, it fell to Robert, then Ruriadh and Patrick to push on for an unlikely victory. With the scorers getting increasingly excited, the boys just failed to make the 12 required off the final over and ended up 6 runs short. Full credit to all the team for sticking to their task throughout the match and producing an enthralling contest - in the end it was really very close.

The final match of the school season pitted the sprightly youngsters against the less than sprightly old geezers. This is an annual grudge match and this year’s game turned out to be every bit as competitive as in years gone by.

Geezers’ skipper Everett had the match planned carefully, with 6 sets of adults paired against their sons (or equivalent). Each pair batted two ten-ball overs; each player bowled 10 balls (not counting wides and no-balls!). Wickets lost delivered a 5 run penalty.

The Geezers were wound up by an inspiring and blood-curdling team talk from the skipper and indulged in some shameless gamesmanship and baiting of the boys during the pre-match handshakes. Once the game got underway, it was clear that some family issues were bubbling close to the surface as one or two dads brought what can only be described as an ultra-competitive attitude onto the field. This website is not the place to describe these clashes in detail, suffice to say that some spectators had Childline on speed-dial when Geezers’ all-rounders Main and Beattie were involved in the action.

The boys have been improving all season and they batted with style and class against a Geezers attack that certainly didn’t lack variation. At the end of their innings the youngsters had posted a challenging net 87 – a total that seemed out of reach of the opposition judging by the resigned looks on their faces during the half-time break.

However, some lusty hitting – combined with some lusty missing - kept the Geezers in touch with the total before the penultimate pair of Clough and Beattie seniors launched a brutal (and, it has to be said, ugly) batting assault on their respective sons. None of the shots would have found their way into the ECB coaching manual and, quite rightly, George and Angus appealed for a penalty to be applied against the Geezers on the grounds of bringing the game of cricket into disrepute. Sadly the independent umpire (i.e. Everett Snr) was unmoved and when the final Geezers pair of Simpson and, erm, Everett took to the middle just 18 runs were required for victory.

Tight bowling from Tom restricted the Geezers’ token Aussie during the penultimate over but Calum’s extra pace produced a few streaky edges from the old boys, to leave the Geezers needing 3 off 3 balls. Showing his ruthless streak, Everett Snr then despatched his youngest son through (literally) the covers for 4. Game over you might have thought.

But next ball, Everett Snr was hopelessly deceived by Everett Jnr’s slower ball and could only slap the ball straight up in the air and Tom slid in from mid off to take a great catch. 5 runs deducted and suddenly the Geezers needed 4 off the last ball to tie!

With the batsmen having crossed, old man Simpson was on strike and he showed his ruthless Aussie streak by smashing the 11 year old fast bowler back over his head. But as the Geezers were thinking of celebrating an ill-deserved tie, a streak of lightening with ‘Isaac’ emblazoned on his Carlton polo shirt seared round the boundary before sliding full length to stop the ball within millimetres of the boundary. A great throw over the stumps enabled Calum to whip off the bails with the batsman well short of his ground.

Cue riotous celebrations from the boys and some bitter recriminations among the Geezers. A great finish to a great season.

A big thanks to Amelia for her peerless organisational skills and to the three Davids, Johnny and Tom for taking the coaching reins. To the boys who move onto secondary school, best of luck. To the rest, we’ll see you back for more in 2012!

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