Carlton’s trip north to Aberdeenshire ended in bitter disappointment as Preston Mommsen’s side managed to lose their last 9 wickets for just 44 runs.  The home side were restricted to just 159 for 8 in their 50 overs, with Gordon Drummond and Chayank Gosain once again the pick of the bowlers with two wickets apiece. However, after a solid second wicket partnership between Hamish Gardiner and Fraser Watts was broken, Carlton capitulated spectacularly as they fell short by 46 runs.

At Grange Loan, summer arrived for the visit of a struggling Dunfermline CC and the Carlton batting took advantage of the perfect conditions to smash 318 for 4. After openers Fraser Allardice (38) and Craig Everett (54) set the foundations with a partnership of 70, head coach Matt Crowther and ex-1st XI skipper Stevie Gilmour put on 198 before Gilly was bowled trying to hit his 8th six. Matt went on to an unbeaten 100 and then took up the gloves for the Dunfermline reply. After a fired up Ahmad Shah dismissed both openers, Haris Aslam bowled a miserly spell of 9.5 overs, 3 maidens, 4 for 9 to take his side to a thumping 207 run win.

Three slips and a Gilly

At the Meadows, the Fours played in front of the biggest crowd of the day in the Edinburgh sunshine, although admittedly not everyone was watching the cricket.  Under 13 bowler Tom Kujawa took 4 for 20, but a late rally from home side Morton 2s set a tough target of 171 for 8. Kevin Whitaker hit 73 in reply but the Fours ended just short on 162 for 8.

On Sunday, there was a thoroughly entertaining match at Grange Loan between Boroughmuir and Carlton Threes. Twelve year olds Angus Beattie and Ruairidh Main took no fewer than 7 wickets between them as Boroughmuir were bowled out for 204. Despite fifties for Craig Marshall and Zaki Yusaf, the boundaries dried up over the last few overs leaving the Threes five runs short at the end.

Another wicket for the youngsters

And on Saturday morning, there had been another tight finish at Grange Loan as the Carlton Primary School side served up a tie with Edinburgh Academy.

Carlton Primary School side v Edinburgh Accies

Almost inevitably, the club’s long-planned 150th Anniversary Open Day co-incided with a Saturday of non-stop rain. Although the eagerly awaited Eastern Premier League clash between Carlton and Grange was called off in the morning, a pavilion full of cricket teas and home baking awaited our neighbours while the small matter of the official opening of the 150th Anniversary Gates kept interest high, even amongst the Carlton juniors who had  their eyes fixed firmly on the mountain of food prepared by the Carlton volunteers.

Happily there was brief respite from the downpour at 2.30, to allow Alastair Keatinge of the Grange Association to officially declare the new gates open. We all hope that the new gates, which afford a streetside view of the ground for the first time in many years, will encourage the local community to become more engaged with their local club.

Alastair Keatinge of the Grange Association, flanked by Carlton's Hugh Parker and David Watts, opens the 150th Anniversary Gates

Despite the rain, there was a steady stream of visitors throughout the afternoon, including Pakistan assistant coach Shahid Aslam. By the end of the day, there were puddles on the outfield but the sandwiches and baking had all gone.  Many thanks to the tea teams and the bakers of Carlton for their contribution to a successful, but very wet, 150th Anniversary Open Day.

Photos

The return of Cedric English to Grange Loan didn’t go quite as the ex-Carlton skipper would have liked as the English hamstring went just a few minutes into his innings in the opening Eastern Premier League clash of the season.

Nevertheless, the SMRH skipper, with the help of a runner, held his side’s innings together with a dogged 32 before he became one of young left-armer Chayank Gosain’s four victims as the visitors limped to 159 for 7 in their 50 overs. In reply, a maiden senior 50 from teenager Kyle Macpherson and an unbeaten 66 from captain Preston Mommsen took Carlton to a comfortable 8 wicket win.

At Peffermill, Threes’ skipper Alex Fedenczuk (45) was in the runs again against Murrayfield DAFS Twos, but he was upstaged by big-hitting Ross Burns who notched 119 in an impressive total of 223 for 7 in 45 overs. The Murrayfield reply was decimated by Scotland seamer Olivia Rae whose 5 wickets, together with 3 from Amit Bij, propelled the Threes to a 98 run win.

Up at Inverleith, the Fours secured an unprecedented third win in a row as they beat SMRH Threes in a high-scoring encounter. Young off-spinner Murray Whitaker picked up 2 wickets as SMRH posted 193 for 9 in their 40 overs. However, a century from Neil Kirk supported by an unbeaten 59 from 15 year old Keshav Arvind took the Fours to a fine seven wicket win.

On Sunday, the Twos batted first in the drizzle at Grange Loan against Edinburgh Accies and a 59 run opening stand between teenagers Craig Everett and Fraser Allardice got them off to a good start. However, in difficult batting conditions the innings was held together by a well paced unbeaten 66 from coach Matt Crowther as Carlton hit a round 200 for 7 in their 50 overs. Skipper Grant Newman gave a Twos debut to 12 year old left arm seamer Angus Beattie and he and the slightly taller Brad McKay (left) opened the bowling. Angus soon had a wicket, capping a fine spell of 5 overs, 1 maiden, 1 for 11 with a booming inswinger that took out the startled batsman’s off stump. Brad finished with 2 for 19 and young leg spinner Haris Aslam returned 3 for 42 as the Twos made it four out of four for the weekend with a 68 run win.

There was no shortage of senior cricket for Carlton at the weekend, with 5 out of the 6 scheduled matches beating the weather (the Threes match at waterlogged Livingston the only casualty).

On Saturday at Grange Loan, Carlton – minus the Hampshire bound trio of Mommsen, Drummond and Bailey – were ready for their first stern test of the season against visitors West of Scotland in the Scottish Cup.  No batsmen really made the most of a fine wicket, although debutant Ali Shah top scored with 43, while Fraser Watts, Kyle Macpherson and Rory McCann all recorded scores in the 30s. If a total of 229 looked vulnerable, any worries were soon dismissed with a hugely disciplined bowling and fielding effort. Cheeky Gosain returned the best figures with 3 for 25 off 12.4 overs as Carlton won by 107 runs to finish the first round of the cup on top of Group C with three wins out of three.

The loss of last week’s double centurion Ali Shah to the Ones didn’t affect the Twos over much as they overcame the challenge of Musselburgh on a good wicket at Loretto. Teenager Fraser Allardice hit 50, with coach Matt Crowther (47) and the returning Craig Marshall (40) supporting well in a total of 199 for 7. Brad McKay enjoyed himself with 3 for 23 and Ahmad and Fraser continued their good form with a couple of wickets apiece as the Twos enjoyed a 72 run win.

At a chilly Peffermill, the Fours recorded their second win on the bounce with a 5 wicket victory over Kirk Brae 2s. There was another three wicket haul for Bob Irvine before Kevin Whitaker followed a good start by 12 year old opener Ruairidh Main by hitting an unbeaten hundred.

On Sunday, there was a little bit of history made at Grange Loan when the Carlton women earned their first ever victory. Opponents Glasgow Accies were rocked by an accurate spell from opening pair Helen Blair and Katie McGill. Any hopes of a recovery were then dashed by three wickets from Louie Gardiner as Accies posted 67 for 9 from their 20 overs. Katie then hit an impressive 33 as Carlton started their Scottish League campaign with a 6 wicket win.

Also on Sunday, the Twos were in action in the President’s Trophy at Linlithgow against West Lothian 2s. With no game on Saturday, Stevie Elder was fresh out of the traps and he posted the best Carlton return of the season so far with 7 for 16 as the home side were dismissed for 72. An unbeaten 38 from Craig Everett saw his side into the next round with an 8 wicket win.

Great news for opener Hamish Gardiner and 17 year old left-armer Chayank Gosain this week, as they were called up to join skipper Preston Mommsen in the Scotland A squad to play Durham 2nd XI in a series of matches at the Emirates International Cricket Ground at Chester-le-Street.

The first game saw the Scots post a comfortable win, with Hamish contributing 27 and Cheeky (left) picking up 3 for 35 against a side that included ex-Test bowler Steve Harmison.

Back in 1908, George Jupp hit 202 not out for Carlton against Royal High School FP. To the best of our knowledge that’s a score that hasn’t been beaten by a Carlton batsman in the ensuing 105 years.

On Saturday, teenager Ali Shah smashed a remarkable undefeated 207 in the East of Scotland League Division One match for the Carlton 2nd XI against their Watsonian counterparts at Grange Loan. After digging in early against an accurate opening attack, Ali accelerated against the change bowling and started despatching balls out of the ground with increasing regularity. Despite wickets falling regularly at the other end, Ali kept the scoreboard ticking over and moved on rapidly from his 100 to his 150, while his skipper focused on giving him the strike and enjoying the spectacle. As the visitors wilted, Ali raced towards his 200, bringing up the milestone with a quick single. Not finished yet, Ali smashed the final delivery of the innings for 6 – his tenth maximum of the day. Despite a spirited innings from James Easton, Watsonians were dismissed for 186, with another teenager, Fraser Allardice, taking 4 for 35.

The weekend had started with another Carlton win, as our Under 11s battled through some atrocious weather on Friday evening to see off Grange Panthers. And on Saturday morning, our Primary School team had their first outing of the new season, defeating a young Heriot’s school side in an entertaining game.

While Ali was enjoying himself at Grange Loan on Saturday afternoon, it was an equally big day for brother Ahmad who was making his first team debut for Carlton in the Scottish Cup tie at Prestwick. Ahmad picked up his first wicket in an excellent bowling debut, with all the Carlton attack returned miserly figures as the home side were bundled out for 61. Openers Hamish Gardiner (28*) and Kyle Macpherson (23) then led Carlton to a clinical 9 wicket win.

There was no such luck for the Threes on Saturday as they lost out to Kelso at Peffermill. Despite 2 for 30 from 14 year old Sam Marchbank, the Threes were left to chase 211 and a captain’s innings from Alex Fedenczuk wasn’t enough to stop Kelso picking up maximum points.

Talking of captains’ innings, there was a fine all-round contribution from Fours’ skipper Bob Irvine on Sunday, when his side won a thriller against Glenrothes 4s. He returned 3 for 30 (bowling uphill against the wind, naturally) before hitting a quick 33 to take his side to the brink of victory. Kevin Whitaker (33) and Keith Murray (34*) were the other batting stars, in a match where youngsters Angus Beattie, Ruairidh Main and Murray Whitaker were all in the wickets.

Carlton got the competitive season off to a winning start by seeing off the challenge of CSL Eastern First Division side Royal High Corstorphine.

Following a minute’s silence for our much missed ex-Secretary Martin Flynn, the Carlton bowling attack put an early stranglehold on the visitors, and only pro Ruben Hattinge was able to make a significant contribution as RHC were eventually dismissed for 127. Although both club captain Watts and 1st team skipper Mommsen were dismissed, an unbeaten 65 from Hamish Gardiner saw Carlton home with 8 wickets and 20 overs to spare.

The Carlton 2s were at Meigle for a pre-season friendly, and a fine opening partnership between youngsters Ali Shah (43) and Kyle Macpherson (40 retired) got things off to a good start, with good support to follow from Ruari Macpherson (22) and Craig Everett (29).  Set a target of 179, Meigle were pegged back by 3 early wickets for Ahmad Shah, before capitulating as Steven Elder and Fraser Allardice shared 5 quick wickets to seal a 105 run win.

It is with great sadness that we record the passing of Martin Flynn at the age of 82.

Martin stood down as Club Secretary at this year's AGM in February after thirteen years in the role and we are all taken aback at the speed with which this has all happened. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Martin was invited to Carlton to take over as Secretary when Marjorie Paul stepped down in 2000. It turned out to be one of the club's most astute appointments as he brought his own brand of enthusiasm and efficiency to Grange Loan. He was always willing to volunteer for any task however trivial or menial and, even in his eighties, was willing to help shift heavy benches!

A Mathematics lecturer at Napier University in his ‘day job', he also had a long association with Holy Cross C.C. and played in their first ever club match in 1950.  He was also a hard-working stalwart of Scottish Universities cricket over many years, and served on the committee of E.S.C.A. for fifteen years.

He was an active umpire for over forty five years and was a founder member of the East of Scotland Umpires Association in 1971. He was still umpiring last season and we immediately missed him last Saturday when no doubt he would have volunteered to umpire alongside his friend and colleague Sandy Scotland. There will be many players who will remember the 'fickle finger of Flynn', which became legendary among generations of cricketers.

Martin’s work ethic, his reliability and, above all, his enthusiasm for all things cricket has been an inspiration to those sufficiently fortunate to have known him. He will be sorely missed by all at Carlton and the wider cricketing community.

Martin's funeral will take place at Warriston Crematorium at 11am on Thursday 25th April, and thereafter at the clubhouse at Holy Cross C.C., Arboretum.

JHRP

The Carlton Under 15s, followed up on the success of their Under 11 club mates – and went one better than our Under 13s – when they won the Lothian Indoor title at the MES centre.

The semi-final saw the Carlton youngsters up against old rivals Grange and a disciplined bowling and fielding effort (bar a few wides) dismissed Grange for just 46. Olly set the tone with a great first over that went for just 3 runs and the rest followed his lead, with an excellent caught and bowled from Rory another highlight. Openers Angus and Dougal then batted sensibly to pass the total with plenty to spare.

SMRH proved tough opponents in the final after they beat Watsonians in the other semi, batting very well against less disciplined bowling and running lots of 3s to get to 70 from their 5 overs.

Angus and Dougal got off to a solid start before Dougal was run out . Angus retired on 20 but we were a bit behind at that point. Rory too batted well until he was also run out before Keshav then took control, batting very well over the last 2 overs when 39 were still needed. 3s every ball and a 5 left us needing 18 from the last over. Some wides helped, and with Olly too batting sensibly, Carlton passed the 70 with 2 balls to spare.

Right on cue, the first spring day of the year coincided with Carlton's pre-season friendly with the touring Benwell Hill CC from Newcastle. The sun shone warmly enough for Hamish Gardiner (below), just off the plane from Australia, to take to the field without any of the traditional three sweaters.

Teenagers Chayank Gosain, Ruari Macpherson, Haris Aslam and Kyle Stirling all bowled lengthy spells with Ruari and Kyle (left) picking up a wicket apiece. There was also a wicket for Sean Olivier and a runout courtesy of a diving stop from skipper Watts as the visitors closed on 140 for 4 off their 40 overs.

In reply Fraser and Hamish took the score past 60 before retiring. Sandy Scotland got in some practice by sending the coach and Gordon Drummond back to the pavilion, before Kyle also retired after a solid knock and a Jamie Kerr boundary took Carlton past the target.

The weather reverted to type the following day, with Carlton's trip west to play Stirling County cancelled due to heavy overnight and morning rain.

After what has felt like 10 months of continuous rain since the start of the last cricket season, the relatively dry (but bitterly cold) spell of weather in late March and early April came just in the nick of time.

So, weather permitting(!), there will be cricket at Grange Loan again this Saturday when Carlton host English North East Premier League side Benwell Hill in a pre-season friendly. Club captain Fraser Watts will be looking for a good runout for his side, who will be determined to get the club's 150th anniversary season off to a good start.

Depending on his ability to cope with a combination of jet lag and the dramatic change in temperatures, Carlton will be looking to give a 'second debut' to returning Aussie/Scot Hamish Gardiner who arrives from Queensland this week.

On Sunday, Carlton will be sending a side through to Stirling to play a friendly against a Stirling County XI - the last pre-season match ahead of the Scottish Cup tie against RH Corstorphine at Grange Loan on Saturday 22nd April.

Carlton newcomer Kyle Stirling, on tour with the Scotland Under 19s together with clubmates Haris Aslam and Chayank (Cheeky) Gosain, has sent us an update from Sri Lanka ...

The Scotland Under 19 squad has been hard at work over the past week, as we have had to ‘endure’ 3 hour long training sessions at the outdoor nets of the Colombo Colts Cricket Club, which is a first class team here in Sri Lanka.

Temperatures have been soaring in the middle to low 30's with high humidity, which is a tough test as not only are we facing good bowling on very different pitches to those we are used to in the UK but it also becomes a mental challenge between yourself and your body as to who is going to win the tough battle through the heat.

Our first game was yesterday against St Benedicts College in which Cheeky and I were selected as we only played 1 spinner, which meant that Haris missed out unfortunately. Cheeky bowled extremely well and showed great composure to grab 3 wickets in his 10 overs. I was unfortunately run out on 2 - unluckily I thought!!

Today we played at the Sri Lankan Army ground against Asoka Vidyalayan. We managed to put on a massive 319-6 in 50 overs with myself scoring a quickfire 22* off 12 balls in the finishing  overs of the innings. Cheeky managed to bag another 3 wickets today against batsmen who at times targeted him during aggressive stints but he managed to stay composed and bowl to his plans.

Haris unfortunately missed out again today as he picked up a small stomach bug and was forced to stay and recover in the hotel room.

Our next game is on Thursday.

Following his return from his Scotland duties in the United Arab Emirates, Preston Mommsen was clearly delighted at being named as the new Carlton 1st team skipper:

“Obviously it's a massive honour to be given the captaincy at a club with such a proud history and culture – I’m delighted by the news,” he said.

2011 title winning captain Fraser Watts will continue as club captain and will provide cover as 1st team skipper when Preston is on representative duties. Preston was keen to pay tribute to the job done by Scotland’s most capped player in recent years:

“The club, under the guidance of Fraser, has enjoyed a healthy period over the last few years, and it will be my every intention that we continue in such a manner, looking to put in the performances on the park and most importantly continue with the positive ethos that Fraser has created at the club.

 

At Carlton we’re fortunate enough to have a fantastic mix of experience and youth. Many of the club's crop of future talent are reaching an important stage in their development, and many will be breaking into the 1st team setup for the first time. I’m hoping that through my leadership and the backup of our senior players we can create a healthy, balanced environment in which we can see these players begin to flourish at the top level.

 

It certainly is an  exciting time for Carton Cricket and all its members. Let's hope for a great summer!”

There are exciting times ahead for young Carlton spinners Chayank Gosain and Haris Aslam, as they head off on a development tour to Sri Lanka with Scotland U19s. The duo will be joined by recent Carlton recruit Kyle Stirling for the trip, which runs from 21st March to 4th April.

On the Saturday morning before the tour, Scotland Hall of Fame legend cricketer and spin bowler George Goddard met with Chayank and Haris to pass on words of wisdom before they set off for Sri Lanka. The boys really appreciated the knowledge George passed onto them, enjoying his great stories too from his days as a top cricketer. They wish to thank him very much for the tremendous gesture and the time he gave up to do so. Many thanks too to Kevin Whitaker for coming up with the idea and for making it happen.

We wish Chayank, Haris and Kyle all the best for the tour.

Carlton has received a major boost ahead of our 150th anniversary season with the news that Thomson, one of the UK’s leading holiday companies, has taken over as the club's new main sponsor. And there is more good news with the appointment of a new head coach and the welcome return of a familiar face to the playing squad!

Carlton President Hugh Parker and club captain Fraser Watts

Club president Hugh Parker expressed his delight with the sponsorship deal: “2013 is a really special year for us all so we’re thrilled to be backed by such a top UK company as Thomson.”

Amanda Lakin, General Manager, Retail & Local Marketing at Thomson said: “We are delighted to become a sponsor of Carlton Cricket Club and support the local community. Scotland is a key area for us and we welcome new and old customers to our Thomson travel shops"

The deal will see the Carlton senior sides sport the Thomson logo on their playing kit for the new season, with the company’s banners taking pride of place at Grange Loan.

Club skipper Fraser Watts was on hand to launch the new sponsorship deal and he also had news of a familiar face returning to the club for 2013. Ex-Scotland Under 13 internationalist Hamish Gardiner is heading back to Edinburgh from Brisbane for the new season. Hamish, who played for Carlton as a youngster before moving to Australia with his family, currently plays for University of Queensland in the XXXX Gold First Grade competition in Brisbane. The University won the competition in 2012, with Hamish hitting 189 in the second innings of the final.

The young Hamish Gardiner at Grange Loan

Hamish has recently completed his Level 2 ACB Coaching qualification and he will join the Carlton coaching team for the summer, which will be led by the club’s new Head Coach, Matt Crowther. Matt is an ECB Level 3 coach from Lincolnshire, and he will be taking over the reins from Toby Bailey, who recently joined the Scotland coaching team.

About Thomson:

Thomson is one of the UK’s leading travel companies with over 45 years’ experience. The company offers a range of holidays designed for different people. Some are geared towards couples, others towards families. Some are all about luxury, others focus on authenticity.

Local Thomson travel shops in Scotland also sell foreign currency, UK breaks, and cruise and holiday extras like insurance and attraction tickets. Not forgetting that they also sell First Choice, the Home of All Inclusive. With over 60 Thomson shops in Scotland, speak to one of their expert travel advisors today.

Congratulations to our young U11 indoor side who became Lothian U11 Indoor Champions , beating Grange B in the semi final and Grange A in the final.

 

Batting first in the semi final, all pairs batted well, losing only 2 wickets in their innings of 262.  Bowling well from the start, Carlton then took six wickets to restrict Grange B to a total of 241, and set up a final with Grange A.

 

Carlton won the toss in the final and decided to bat.  After six overs, this looked a brave decision with the score struggling on 213.  The final pairing added some respectability to the score, adding 31 runs in 2 overs so that Carlton finished on 244.

 

Needing to take wickets everyone rose to the occasion, with all bowlers taking at least 1 wicket in each over (Harry 1-9, Muz 1-11, Adam 1-5, Gregor M 3-19 off 2, Gregor F 1-10, Cameron 1-13 & Brodie 1-11) and some fantastic wicketkeeping from Fin behind the stumps.  This pressure led to Grange A needing  17 from the last over to win.  Taking 5 from the first ball it still looked possible for Grange A, but when the second ball was a clean bowled wicket the pendulum swung back Carlton’s way.  With 2, 6, 2 coming from the next three balls, a final dot ball sealed victory for Carlton, with Grange A ending on 238.

 

Well done to everyone; a real team effort, and great to see the level of encouragement and self-belief in the team.

 

Well done to Grange A too, who had won all 8 of their matches in the tournament league stage, for an exciting match and great team spirit.

 

Carlton finish their indoor campaign with 6 wins out of 8 in their league stage, and this final victory today.  Congratulations to all 11 players who played a part throughout the tournament – Adam, Benji, Brodie, Cameron, Fabian, Finn, Gregor F, Gregor M, Harry, Murray and Nina.

Carlton picked up the CricketMedia Scotland Super Sixes title for the 5th time when they saw off the challenge of old rivals Grange and the Eastern Knights Under 18s on finals night at the MES centre.

Club captain Fraser Watts is not short of incentive every time he lines up against Grange these days and he made sure his team - a 50:50 blend of experience and youth - was in determined mood for their semi-final against Carlton's old rivals. Batting first, Carlton overcame the early run out of Kyle Macpherson, thanks to a steady partnership between the skipper (38) and young Craig Everett (27). Stevie Gilmour (34) and Rob Thornton (14) also pitched in to help their side post a healthy total of 135 after their 10 overs.

Rob then struck early to remove international opener Ryan Flannigan before teenager Chayank Gosain picked up two wickets, including the dangerous Gregor Maiden, to seal a 49 run win.

In the final, Carlton found themselves up against the Eastern Knights Under 18s, who included Carlton leggie Haris Aslam in their line up. Carlton batted first and got off to a disastrous start, losing both Kyle and Craig in the first over. However, the experienced duo of Watts (38) and Gilmour (34*) soon got things back on track. Cheeky contributed an important 15 before Rob Thornton (32*) took the score up to 130 for 4.

This was a total that was well within the grasp of the young Knights and the game went right to the last over, with a great caught and bowled by Rob to dismiss Haris ultimately decisive. Rob finished with 2 for 26 as Carlton won by 7 runs.

Scores

It was all change at the 2013 club AGM, with a new presidential team, a sideways move for our new secretary … and a new first team captain.

For our 150th anniversary season, the president’s shoes will be filled by ex-captain - and ex-president - Hugh Parker (left). Dave Carter will move sideways to take over the secretary’s duties, while another ex-captain, Andy Macpherson, steps up to take over the vice president’s role. The club is also delighted to welcome back long-standing member Alan Kemp to the committee.

On the playing side, Fraser Watts will retain the pivotal club captain role while handing over first team skippering duties to Preston Mommsen. Grant Newman, who has played such an important role in developing so many of our youngsters over the last few years as 3rd XI skipper, takes over the second team captaincy from Nathan Pietsch. With so many of these young cricketers now forming the core of the second team squad, Grant will find himself in familiar company

Sadly, the AGM also saw Martin Flynn step down as club secretary.

Martin became Carlton secretary in 2000 after being ‘headhunted’ from his post as cricket’s National Union secretary – undoubtedly one of our most astute appointments. He has umpired at the top level of Scottish cricket for over 40 years, with the “fickle finger of Flynn” becoming legendary among generations of batsmen. Martin, who was a lecturer at Napier University in his ‘day job’, also had a long prior association with Holy Cross CC and has been a hard-working supporter of Scottish Universities cricket over many years.

Martin’s work ethic, his reliability and, above all, his enthusiasm for all things cricket has been an inspiration to all of us at the club and we wish him well in his cricketing retirement.

David Watts is also stepping down as vice president after 12 years in the post. David has been a tireless supporter of junior cricket at the club for over 20 years and as a past junior convener deserves much of the credit for the healthy position we find ourselves in today. Whenever a tricky project turns up David is the first man to put his hand up and get things done. His project management of our four lane net installation was exemplary and helped to deliver a tremendous facility that has transformed the coaching offering at the club. True to type David is currently engaged in another couple of special projects and we're sure we'll continue to call upon his wise counsel in the future, albeit on a less formal basis.

It was a case of better late than never for 16 year old leg-spinner Haris Aslam recently when he was presented with a trophy at the first evening of pre-season training.

The award - an East of Scotland Cricket Association Junior Award for season 2012 - was due to Haris thanks to his superb bowling performance in the ESCA Division One match against the Eastern Knights Under 18s when he took 5 for 16. Haris was unable to pick up his trophy at the ESCA dinner last autumn but was presented with his well-deserved award at club nets

Haris. along with his Carlton spin twin Chayank Gosain, has an exciting time ahead, with the two youngsters flying out to Sri Lanka on March 21st with the Scotland Under 19 squad for a two week training camp.

Haris, who made his Carlton first team debut at the end of last season, will be hoping to press for a regular spot in the top side this season as he seeks to emulate 17 year old Chayank, who became a first team regular during 2012.

The MES Centre is situated less than a couple of miles from where, we’re told, the young James Bond attended school at Fettes College. On the last Friday in February, four slightly less well known Edinburgh schoolboys formed two thirds of the Carlton side that went into action at MES in the final qualifying matches in the CricketMedia 6s indoor tournament.

With club captain Fraser Watts otherwise engaged adding a touch of class to the annual Grange CC dinner as guest speaker, it was left to vice-captain Stevie Gilmour (left) to lead a Carlton side containing the Boroughmuir High School quartet of Chayank Gosain, Kyle Macpherson, Craig Everett and Ruari Macpherson plus seamer Ahmad Shah.

Carlton started the evening’s action in a strong position, having won both their opening matches in their tournament. However, they came up against a Murrayfield DAFS side determined to take advantage of the relatively inexperienced Grange Loan 6. Despite an unbeaten 47 from the skipper and a fine 38 from 16 year old Ruari, Carlton were dismissed for 110. Murrayfield, who ran a strong Carlton side close first time out, were in no mood to pass up the opportunity and ran out one wicket winners.

Carlton’s hopes of qualifying rested solely on winning their final match against Penicuik – and winning well enough to finish ahead of their first game conquerors. This time out the batting unit clicked as Ruari, Kyle, Craig and Stevie all retired unbeaten with 25s as Carlton hit 128 without loss. Penicuik put up a good fight but Cheeky’s return of 2 for 10 proved crucial as Carlton finished 8 runs ahead.

And so to the calculators. With a complex points system and the prospect of the group winners being decided on run rate, it was a situation that would have tested the school Maths Departments at both Fettes and Boroughmuir. In the end Carlton and Murrayfield DAFS were tied on 42 points, separated only by their respective run rates of 1.24 and 1.17. A winning margin of 0.07 runs.

Afterwards skipper Gilmour was shaken but not stirred. “It was all under control” he said. “The boys did well. I was really impressed with the batting in the second match.”

Carlton now go forward to finals night on Friday 8th March hoping to go one better than last year when they lost out in the final to Edinburgh University.

Scores

 

The Annual General Meeting of THE CARLTON CRICKET CLUB LIMITED will be held in the Masterton Pavilion, Grange Loan, Edinburgh on THURSDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2013 at 7.30pm for the following purposes:

1. Apologies for absence

2. Approval of the Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on 23 February 2012

3. President’s Remarks

4. Captain’s Report

5. Junior Convenor’s Report

6. Treasurer’s Report (to present the Accounts for the year to 31 October 2012 - no changes in subscription rates are proposed by the Council)

7. To elect the Directors and Secretary of the Company.

8. Any Other Competent Business

Carlton Head Coach Toby Bailey has been appointed as the new Scotland Lead Performance Analyst and Fielding Coach, replacing Tony Judd who stepped down last Autumn.

Club skipper Fraser Watts expressed the sadness felt by all at Grange Loan at the loss of their popular coach: “It's great news for Toby but he will be a big loss to the club.  I’d like to  thank him for all his hard work and wish him all the best in his new role. ”

The good news is that Toby will continue as a playing member of the club so we’ll still see plenty of him at Grange Loan when his Scotland duties allow.

Reflecting on his move Toby said: “I’ve really enjoyed my short time as coach at Carlton. I thought I had played at some great clubs in the past but the organisation, camaraderie and sprit at Carlton is second to none. Everyone has gone out of their way to be helpful to me and my family over the last 9 months - all the support you have given me and my family  is something that we will not forget. I hold the club close to my heart and have met some fantastic friends. I will still be around the club for the upcoming season and I hope to see Alex playing down at Grange Loan very soon.”

Toby officially started his new role on January 14th and will travel with the national squad to the UAE for the crucial WCL and Intercontinental Cup matches in March.

Carlton pre-season nets start on Monday February 25th at the MES Centre, Edinburgh. The sessions, from 8 to 10pm, will run each week until March 25th.

Having the run of the large hall at the National Cricket Centre means that we can accommodate all male and female senior players for the sessions, so anyone looking to play senior cricket in 2013 should come along. With only 5 indoor sessions scheduled this year we hope to see a big turnout each week.

We'll also be delighted to welcome new players from 1st XI to Friendly XI level for the 2013 season. If you'd like to come along please drop an email to secretary@carltoncc.co.uk or just turn up on February 25th.

All the club's junior and senior indoor match results will appear here.

Under 11s    Under 13s   Under 15s    Under 18s    Senior 2s    Senior 1s

CricketMedia Scotland Super Sixes

Friday 8th March

Final: Carlton 130 for 4 (Watts 38, Gilmour 34*, Thornton 32*) beat Eastern Knights U18 123 all out  (Thornton 2/26)

Semi Final: Carlton 135 all out (Watts 38, Gilmour 34*, Everett 27) beat Grange 86 all out  (Gosain 2/17)

Friday 22nd February

Carlton 110 all out (Gilmour 47*, R Macpherson 38) lost to Murrayfield DAFS 113 for 4

Carlton 128 for 0 (R Macpherson 27*,K Macpherson 25*, Everett 25*, Gilmour 25*) beat Penicuik 120 for 3 (Gosain 2/10)

Friday 25th January

Carlton 134 for 4 (Watts 35, Everett 28*, Drummond 27*, K Macpherson 26) beat Murrayfield DAFS 116 for 4 (Gosain 2/26)

Carlton 156 for 0 (Watts 34*,K Macpherson 25*, Drummond 25*, Everett 25*, Thornton 25*) beat Penicuik 64 all out (Gosain 2/15)

Lothian Indoor League - Under 18s

Sunday 7th April

Carlton 90 for 0 (Matt Wells 20 ret, Kyle Macpherson 21 ret), Craig Everett 15*) beat Watsonians 72 all out (Chayank Gosain 2 for)

SMRH 53 for 4 (Chayank Gosain 2 for 13) lost to Carlton 54 for 0 (Kyle Macpherson 22 ret, Matt Wells 21 ret)

Sunday 20th January

SMRH 88 all out lost to Carlton 89 for 1

Carlton beat Grange (w/o)

 

Lothian Indoor League - Under 11s

Sunday 10th March

Final: Carlton 244 beat Grange A 238

Semi Final: Carlton 262 beat Grange B 241

Sunday 10th February

Carlton 281 beat Penicuik 226

Carlton 266 lost to Grange 269

Sunday 3rd February

Carlton 272 beat Murrayfield DAFS 222

Carlton 242 lost to Grange 261

Sunday 9th December

Carlton 281 beat SMRH 218

Carlton 269 beat Watsonians 232

Sunday 25th November

Carlton 297 beat Livingston 198

Carlton 267 beat Grange 210

Lothian Indoor League - Under 13s

Sunday 7th April

Final: Grange beat Carlton

Semi Final: Carlton beat Penicuik

Sunday 17th March

Carlton 288 beat Livingston 230

Carlton 275 beat Grange 267

Sunday 5th January

Carlton 286 beat Watsonians 247

Carlton 258 beat SMRH 249

Sunday 18th November

Carlton 288 beat Penicuik 233

Carlton 321 beat Heriot's 255

Lothian Indoor League - Under 15s

Sunday 14th April

Final: SMRH 70 lost to Carlton 71 for 2

Semi Final: Grange 46 all out lost to Carlton 47 for 0

Sunday 24th March

Carlton 73 for 3 beat SMRH 52 for 4

Watsonian 78 for 1 beat Carlton 69 for 3

Sunday 3rd February

Penicuik 74 for 2 (5 overs) lost to Carlton 76 for 1 (4.5 overs) A Hinton 22 ret, D Main 23 ret, R Allardice 16*

Carlton 105 for 0 (5 overs) A Hinton 20 ret, D Main 20 ret, K Arvind 20 ret beat Heriots 36 all out

Sunday 25th November

Grange 56 lost to Carlton 57 for 4

Heriots 76 beat Carlton 70 for 1

Activcity ESCA 6s

Friday 8th March

Carlton 2s 27  beat Musselburgh 26

Carlton 2s 60 lost to Glenrothes 63

Friday 8th February

Carlton 2s 61for 5 lost to Musselburgh 62 for 2

Carlton 2s 69 for 2 beat Glenrothes 68 for 2

Edinburgh University Legget & Coe Sixes

Saturday 1st December

Group matches:

Carlton 2s beat EUCC Greens

Carlton 2s beat Edinburgh Accies

Final:

Carlton 2s lost to Edinburgh Schools Academy *

*Gavin Rittoo, Chayank Gosain, Haris Aslam, Matt Wells & Kyle Macpherson all played for the Academy squad

2013 is the club's 150th anniversary and we have a number of events planned to celebrate this milestone.  The first event is a Quiz night, hosted by our legendary wordsmith, 4th XI captain Fantasy Bob. It will be held at the club on Saturday 26th January. 

We're looking for people to arrive at 7.30pm and we'll get the quiz going by 8pm.  Ticket prices are £10 for adults and £5 for juniors and can be paid on the evening.  Family deals available on request!

The bar will be open for the evening and there will be prizes for the winning team.  All are welcome.  It would be useful if people could organise teams of around 5-6 but if this can't be done, we're very happy to group people together on the evening.

If anyone has any questions, please contact the Club's treasurer, Brad McKay, on treasurer@carltoncc.co.uk.  We look forward to seeing you on the 26th.

During 2013 Carlton will be celebrating the club's 150th anniversary.

Founded in 1863, the club has had many ups and downs. The early days saw a hand to mouth existence, playing initially at the Meadows and then renting a number of grounds in the Grange Loan area. However, a massive fund raising push in 1925 enabled the club to purchase the present ground, which they had been renting since 1905.

The 1911 side at Grange Loan

The years since have continued to throw up many challenges - financial and otherwise - but the club has gone from strength to strength in recent years, winning the national championship for the first time in 2011 and maintaining a virtual stranglehold on the Murgitroyd National T20 title, winning it four times in the last five years.

National T20 champions 2012

The club is arranging a number of special events in 2013 to mark the 150th anniversary, including matches against a Cricket Scotland President's XI and an ESCA President's XI and special games for the junior and women's teams.