RAINED OFF

The Carlton Primary school team had its first match of the season (after rain washed off the season opener).  The game was a kwik cricket game with Heriots P6 and allowed no fewer than 7 players to make their debut performances in the primary school team- including 2 girls (Georgia and Grace).

 
Pete Gill was captain for the match and won the toss and sent Heriots into bat.  All players bowled their allotted 2 overs in 1 over spells and there were some good performances from all players with very few wides and 7 wickets in total with 3 great catches by Fabian.  Ground fielding was excellent with many good stops (no feet), strong throwing and backing up (no overthrows) which was good to see early in the season.  Jamie and Pete were the best of the bowlers with 2 wickets each and Harry, Ewan and Felix all got 1 wicket each with Ewan the most economical with very good line and length allowing only 3 runs.  Heriots achieved a total of 238 from their 20 overs which was good but not great.

The primary team thought sensible batting would get them to the total and that principle started well with Fabian and Joe batting sensibly with strong running between the wickets yielding 16 runs.  Ben and Jamie then batted and played well considering their combined experience and I am sure they both learned a lot that they can take forward for later games.  Ewan and Georgia played very well with strong straight hitting and both showed good technique against some of the stronger Heriot's bowlers (both Carlton players).  Brother and sister combination Harry and Grace Simpson were next to come to the crease and started well with Grace (P4) out scoring big brother Harry 3 to 1 in the first over with a majestic pull shot to get her first runs. The going got a little tougher in the second and third overs but a valuable 8 from the last over with some strong hitting and running between the pair. This meant Pete and Felix needed 16 runs for a win.  The pair started cautiously, however in overs 2 and 3 the flow of runs increased and Carlton went past Heriots total.  All that was needed was to hold on which is exactly what Felix and Pete did which was a great effort.

A close and enjoyable game played in good spirits.  Well done to everyone and I hope all the new players enjoyed their first primary school cricket experience and thanks to Fabian, Pete and Harry who showed a great deal of maturity to help encourage the younger/less experienced players.

RAINED OFF

The primary school team’s second match of the season was a tight affair played on a slow green wicket and even slower outfield on the “wee pitch” at New Field against Edinburgh Academy.

Carlton batted first and it became clear on a small tight pitch with few gaps in the field, runs would be at a premium. William played some nice shots but couldn’t find the gaps, while Thomas held the innings together with a well-played 12 runs as a succession of partners came and went. Gregor carried his bat and hit the only boundary of the innings. In the end, the tail wasn’t able to make much of an impact and it really was a case of “catches win matches” as “RB” took 4 top class catches in the field for the Academy. In the end, Carlton were all out for 38 after 18 overs.

If the Academy thought they were going to have it easy against a low total, Carlton had other ideas as William dismissed one of the openers first ball. Muz, Thomas and Pete all kept the run rate down with some tight, accurate bowling, while Rua chipped in with a wicket. The game started to look tight and while catches just wouldn’t fall for Carlton, the Academy wasn’t able to score many runs either on a slow wicket. It was perhaps unfortunate then that the winning runs came as 4 byes, but it took the Academy 17 overs to get there and the two teams had effectively scored at the same rate. 

This was the debut for many players and special mention must go to Georgia and Maddy from the girls section for playing.  All in all it was a good early season performance by the Carlton Primary team with lots of spirit in the field and good ground fielding and overall strong bowling from all.  

While the rest of Britain was bathed in sunshine, it was a decidedly chilly Saturday morning that greeted the Carlton Primary School team for its outing against George Watsons College at Craiglockhart. It was a mixture of youth and experience that took to the field for Carlton, with no fewer than 5 P5s playing, including Joe Kallat playing his first hardball game.

William and Murray opened the bowling with a maiden each, Murray snagging an early wicket, while William went for a miserly 2 runs off his 2 overs. Euan B  weighed in next with a well taken caught and bowled to dismiss Carlton under 13 player Duncan. Joe in his first game for the team bowled great line and length taking the wicket of the other opener who had hung around to score 12 – practicing against his brother in the garden has obviously paid dividends! There then followed a really strong fielding performance with two sharp run outs before Pete stepped in to bowl 2 maidens to open his spell, including a wicket maiden. A spirited performance in the field restricted George Watsons to 58 off their 20 overs; the team are really starting to sound like a cricket team now with great encouragement all round. Special mention also to wicketkeeper Fin for some sharp takes.

Carlton opened its reply with Fin and William and while Fin fell to a strange delivery that skidded through, William and Pete set about the George Watsons' bowlers, keeping the score ticking over nicely. Perhaps fearing he was going to be retired, Pete started to hit out and having been dropped once, there was no reprieve the second time as he holed out for 24. That left Harry to come in and with William carrying his bat they knocked off the winning runs with 8 overs to spare.

All in all a great performance to bounce back after the loss to Edinburgh Academy earlier in the week - a strong performance with both bat and ball that really bodes well for the future with so many young players in the team.

RAINED OFF

A sunny (and relatively warm) day eventually greeted us for our second match against Watsons.  Watsons batted first and despite some good bowling early on the top 2 hit some good shots for four and were very good between the wickets.  Muz was very unlucky not to have one of their openers leg before in his spell (with technology the ageing umpire's decision may have been overturned) but he took the decision well. Finn made the breakthrough in the 7th over with a good off spinner. Watsons continued at pace to 51 after 9 overs - this was 13 more than they managed in 20 overs last time!  

Carlton Primary remained positive and encouraged each other and finally a good piece of fielding from Gregor resulted in Calum their No1 batsmen being run out for 23. How the game changed from there with very accurate and effective bowling and excellent tight fielding restricting runs to a snail's pace with regular wickets. 

Best was Harry B (in his debut for the team) who had 2 wickets for 0 off his 3 overs - 3 consecutive maidens have never been seen in the history of the primary team.  Rua, Angus and Euan all bowled well with Angus picking up 2 wickets in 2 balls. In the end everyone in the team (all 11!) managed to bowl and once again it was good accurate bowling with little down the leg side. Watson's managed to make 70 off their 20 overs.

Harry S and Euan opened the batting and batted sensibly but looked to get runs quickly with good running between the wickets and some fine pull shots from both when the bad ball was there to be hit.  Harry retired on 28 mid way through the 6th over with the score already on 42.  Pete joined Euan and they continued to bat although good accurate bowling from Watsons (with the best being Nina Whitaker from Carlton) restricted the runs for a few overs.  Euan retired on a well deserved 15 and allowed a few more in the team to have a bat.  Gregor came in and made 3 before being caught at mid on.  Ramsay was unlucky to be bowled with 6 more runs to win. Will and Pete finished the job with 5 and 4 not out respectively.

Once again another very good win from the team and some very seasoned performances for boys so young. Well done and keep playing in the nets.

The primary team travelled to Musselburgh on a fine summer's afternoon with the sun beaming down. All the players eventually turned up after some direction related confusion and poor signposting of the ground.

Carlton took to the field to bowl first as Muz and Euan opened up, getting off to a lightening quick start with 2 wickets each in their first overs, leaving the score at a staggering 1 for 4 off 2. Harry B and Shaun replaced them and both bowled well, keeping the ball full and straight making it difficult for the batsmen to score runs. Neither of them could get the important 5th wicket as a partnership started to develop between batsmen 5 and 6. Ewan Hutchison came on to try and break the partnership and had no luck, despite bowling well. A great comeback had been achieved by Loretto with the score now on 32-4.

Captain Pete Gill then decided to bring on fast bowler William who instantly did the trick forcing the batsmen to chip the ball up to Euan Burgess at cover who took a good catch. William got his second wicket the next ball bowling the new batsmen for a first ball duck. Gregor Farrer then came onto bowl, slowing the run rate down to a standstill as he and Fabian bowled tightly and gave nothing away. Fabian picked up a wicket himself- clean bowling the number 8 batsmen. 2 great run outs, 1 from Fabian, 1 from Euan and a wicket from the skipper Pete left Loretto all out for 54.

Much to the delight of players and supporters there was food and drinks provided at the interval, all of which went down a treat. With other commitments some players had to leave early so were therefore sent to the the top of the batting order. Pete and Harry S opened however unfortunately Harry was run out without even facing a ball, a great pick up and direct hit saw the bails fly off with Harry about a yard short of the crease. Fabian came in at 3 and he and Pete formed a good partnership, running well between the wickets and rotating the strike a lot. Fabian hit a lovely 4 and looked in great form shaping to go on and get a big score... Unfortunately this was not the case and he was then given out LBW next ball.

Muz joined Pete at the crease and stayed in by blocking out the good balls, playing patiently and letting Pete hit the runs. Pete reached the score of 25 including 3 4's and a 6 and was then retired not out. Fin Thorton joined Muz and smashed a 4 through square leg before chipping one to cover the next over. Ewan Hutchison came into bat and was unlucky to get and excellent delivery on his second ball that bowled him. The pressure was now on Carlton as the Loretto team really started to believe they could win the game. William came in and rotated the strike well with Muz adding vital runs to the total. Just as Carlton looked to have secured the win William lost his wicket thanks to another good catch from a Loretto fieldsman. The final three runs came from extras and Carlton won by 5 wickets with 6 overs still left to play.

This was another great win, with excellent bowling, fielding and batting performances from certain individuals. Credit to Loretto for playing in good spirits, fielding well and posting a reasonable total from the position they were in at the start. Well done team ... keep the winning run going!

Carlton won the toss and elected to bowl as has been the case most of the season now.  Ewan and William opened the bowling and it was not long before it was evident that we were going to out class the Stu Mel team.  Ewan picked up the first wicket with the opener bowled in the first over and worse was to come.  After 4 overs with Ewan and William bowling the score was 3 for 6 with William picking up 4 wickets and a run out.  Ewan and Harry then joined the attack and both picked up a wicket.  The umpires became stricter and stricter on wides and no balls (to give some hope) with extras top scoring and only 2 runs coming from the bat in their total of 11. We allowed Stu Mel to continue to bat and an improved performance followed but still few runs were made from the bat.

A nice tea was had by the boys and thanks to the parents for providing a fantastic tea - highlight of the day for most.  
After tea Carlton went out with a practice session in mind focusing on:- hitting the ball into the gaps in the field;- looking for quick singles with good loud calling; and - backing up and running hard between the wickets.

With this in mind all players were given some time to bat with discretionary retirements.  Carlton boys did well with some excellent work and everyone getting a chance to practice the above skills which will come in handy over the following matches as it may create the extra 10 or 20 runs that will make the difference in a tight game. Stu Mel did bowl out their 20 overs which allowed the boys to get some practice.

Clifton Hall School was a fantastic setting for the game on a bright hot Saturday morning. Clifton Hall won the toss and elected to bat.
Carlton bowlers bowled very well against some experienced batsmen.

Fielding Highlights:

Two great catches from Shaun and Ben.
Ewan (Captain) had a direct throw run-out.
Some really good fielding from all the team, Billy's and Shaun's diving attempts for catches. Ross efforts off his own bowling.

Clifton Hall's batsmen batted really well putting on a huge total of 205.

All the team played very positively always looking for the run with some really good clear calling.
Batting Highlights:

Connor 4 + Mark 3 = 7 runs
Joe 6 + Ross 3 = 9 runs
Ewan 9 + Shaun 6 = 15 runs
Gabriel 8 + Jack 3 = 11 runs
Billy 5 + Ben 6 = 11 runs

There was some really tight bowling from Clifton Hall, which limited Carlton to 149.

Unfortunately we did not win this time but a great effort from all the Carlton side.

The primary team were back in action at Merchiston for the second time in two weeks, this time playing a stronger side in what turned out to be a complete nail-biter of a game. Harry lost the toss and Merchiston elected to bat. After a quick start the score had rocketed to 42 off just 6 overs for the loss of only 1 wicket (bowled William caught Simpson). Merchiston were in fine form and looked to go on and post a huge score, although inspired bowling changes of Jamie and Fabian managed to slow the runs down. Wickets began to fall and after the top 3 batsmen were out Merchiston didn't put up much of a fight with the bat. Bowlers Ewan Hutchison and Gregor Farrer were the pick of the bunch picking up 2 wickets each, both bowling very good lines and lengths and getting their rewards. A great fielding performance with a few run outs and a number of good catches saw Merchiston all out for 77 - a great fightback from the Carlton boys to get to this position.

PS- Well done to Muz for getting the wicket of his older brother. Bragging rights to you Muz!

Chasing 78 Fin and Fabian walked out to open, knowing a good start was necessary. Unfortunately this did not go to plan as Fabian was bowled in the first over and Fin was caught shortly after. William was in at 3 with captain Harry at 4.They quickly realised that rebuilding the innings and staying in was more important than scoring runs at this stage of the game. After a steady start William was bowled, bringing Gregor Farrer to the crease. Gregor and Harry formed a much needed partnership as Carlton began to slowly creep back into the game. By punishing the bad ball and hitting the ball to the short boundary allowed the score to shoot up to 50... Suddenly needing 28 off the last 6 overs... It was going to be close... The tie swung again in Merchiston's favour as they got the crucial wicket of Gregor who was striking the ball very sweetly. But thankfully for Carlton, Harry was still there. Ewan joined Harry but unfortunately didn't last long, Merchiston had their tails up as Muz walked into the crease. Another crucial 16 runs was added to the total and just as it looked as though Carlton were going to win Merchiston got the wicket of Muz - a debatable double bouncer that Muz chipped to cover. 10 needed off the last 2 overs. Harry and Angus at the crease. Angus and Harry rotated the strike in the penultimate over before Harry scored a crucial boundary taking the score to 74 and needing just 4 off the last over. A single and a bye off the first 2 balls meant Carlton just need 2 to win from 4 balls. However the game swung again as Carlton lost 2 wickets in two balls. Billy was unfortunately run out so Rua came in. Rua's services were not needed however as Harry hit the winning runs off the second last ball of the game as Carlton ran out winners.

A tremendous effort from the boys, especially Harry who batted with great intelligence, class and finishing on a well deserved match winning 31 not out - a real captain's innings. A great win for the boys and a great experience of playing and winning in these close, nail bitting games. It just goes to show : every run counts. Well done boys... Keep the winning streak going!

The primary school squad had a rematch with Loretto on Friday 13th June, this time hosted by Carlton at Grange Loan. It was a close encounter played under grey skies – a marked contrast to the comfortable victory and blue skies of a week earlier.

Play was delayed for over an hour as the rain showers made their way over Edinburgh. The game was shifted to the astro and reduced to 15 overs a side, with Carlton winning the toss and asking Loretto to bat first. Scott and William opened the bowling, Scott bowling a maiden and going for only 10 runs in his 3 overs. William dismissed both openers, clean bowling one and taking a good caught and bowled off the other. Loretto then consolidated and the batsmen started to find the boundary – Harry B and Muz doing well to maintain some degree of control. Then Harry S and Ewan came on, with Ewan grabbing the crucial wicket of the Loretto number 3 who had scored 31 with five boundaries – a fantastic catch by Muz near the backward square leg boundary. A better example of a fielder keeping their eye on the ball and catching with both hands you won’t see! One wicket brought two as Ewan then bowled the other in-form batsman for 17. This was followed by an excellent run out executed by William, staying calm under pressure with a precise return as the batsmen found themselves stranded midwicket after a ‘yes-no-yes-no’ debate. Carlton were now well into their work and more wickets soon followed for Muz (3-25), Harry S (1-8) and Ewan (2-15) before the end of the innings. After their 15 overs, Loretto scored 78 runs.

After much enjoyed tea and refreshments, William and Scott opened the batting for Carlton, running aggressively and putting the fielders immediately under pressure, and bravely facing up to the challenging, fast Loretto opening bowlers. Unfortunately Scott was soon run-out for 2 by an excellent direct throw. Fin came in at number three and hit two cracking boundaries before he was caught for 9, with the score 26 for 2. William was then joined by Harry S and together the boys built a nice stand of 32 runs, until Harry S was run out for 16 – again the result of some good, sharp fielding by Loretto. William was then bowled for 10, leaving the score 60-4 with Fabian and Thomas at the crease. 16 were runs required off the last four overs and the pressure was building, a factor in Fabian being run out for 1 and Thomas being bowled. Muz and Harry B were now at the crease with the tension mounting and the score 63 for 6. Some quick singles and a well struck boundary by Harry B off the first ball of the penultimate over made the difference. Although Harry B was caught later in the same over – after a crucial stand of 12 with Muz - by now only 4 runs were needed. The winning run came as a wide at the start of the final over, with Carlton winning by 3 wickets.

An exciting game played in good spirit by both sides – and very much enjoyed by all: nothing like a close game to get the adrenaline pumping for players and spectators alike!

 

RAINED OFF

The weather was great (26 degrees), the setting was great but the pitch was unfortunately not great. Carlton batted first with the knowledge that a solid batting performance would be hard to chase as proven in recent history. (Carlton winning 3 of the last 4 years by batting first)

Muz and William opened but unfortunately Muz fell victim to the pitch with a good length delivery not bouncing and bowling him at the end of the first over. Rua promoted up the order (ahead of his older brother) then came in and played sensibly getting his eye in and then hitting a magnificent four followed by a fantastic leg glance, however, he was unluckily trapped leg before with another ball that kept low.

William and Pete then set about building a nice partnership with some good running between the wickets and took the score on to 43 for 2 before Pete was eventually caught at point for 13. Harry and William continued the strong batting getting the score up to 50 in the 12th over before William was out for a very good 14 which showed great maturity and patience from the opening over. Gregor F was unlucky and went next ball with Scott adding 2 before he was caught. With the score on 56 for 6 after 13 overs the innings could have gone into free fall but Harry and Gregor M had other ideas ! Harry and Gregor M put on a 50 run partnership in the last 7 overs with some brilliant running turning 1s into 2s and even a 1 into a 3 with some overthrows. Harry ended on 18 not out and Gregor M 20 not out and the total score 106 for 6.

The team were happy and tea was served. The team entered the field with a positive attitude and determined to win. All 11 bowlers (which was nice to see) did not disappoint with some very good accurate bowling along the 'offside corridor' which contained the batsmen and eliminated most scoring shots. In the first 10 overs the batsmen had only 7 scoring shots off the bat from 60 balls including 5 maiden overs. (Gregor M 2, Harry 2 and William 1). Of the scoring shots, the 2 leg side deliveries were dispatched for 4 and the other 4 was a thick edge through 2nd slip. I hope the boys can remember this accurate 'dot ball' bowling when they progress up the ages as it remains very effective even in test cricket - just look at Shane Watson from Australia. A highlight must go to Jamie Beattie in P4 who got a wicket clean bowled with his first delivery - big brother Angus should watch out (and as for John and Amelia it may be too late!). The score at the drinks break was 20 for 1 from 10 overs.

After drinks, the bowlers continued to keep a good line and length generally and the batsmen started to take more risks. However, Cargilfield needed to score at 8.7 an over to win which was a mammoth task and wickets came at regular intervals as batsmen tried to hit out. Gregor F, Rua, Scott and Ewan H all picking up wickets. Cargilfield eventually scored 79 for 5 in what was convincing win for Carlton.

A lovely sunny day greeted us at Goldenacre and we were playing on the large ground with what looked to be a good wicket. Harry won the toss and elected to bat. Pete and Harry got off to a flying start with strong running between the wickets and good shot making. Unfortunately, in the 4th over a direct hit from Heriots saw Harry just short of the crease - run out for 7. Euan B and Finn went cheaply and the score was 32 for 3 in the 7th over. Pete and Fabian settled in and kept the score moving on well with good footwork and driving together with fast running between the wickets. Pete was retired on a well deserved 30 and Gregor joined Fabian at the crease. Fabian and Gregor continued the chase and after a hesitant start really started to find the gaps and push the score on taking on the fielders in search of the extra runs. Gregor was eventually out for 12, hitting out in the last over. Muz then joined Fabian for the final few balls with Fabian eventually 20 not out and the score 103.