Following the annual ESCA dinner held at the end of September a number of Carlton players received trophies for their efforts during the 2016 season from guest speaker Sandy Strang.

3rd XI skipper Paul Kentish received the Division 3 batting award, having finished top of the league rankings with 373 runs at an average of 41.44. And it was a Carlton double in Division 3 as Paul's 3rd XI colleague Alan MacLeod won the bowling award, taking 28 wickets at an average of 9.11 and an economy rate of 3.2. Two youngsters also collected silverware in recognition of their performances for the Threes - Ruairidh Main for his maiden century against Boroughmuir and Murray Johnson, who took 6 for 25 against Drummond Trinity.

For the Fours, Fantasy Cricket champ Eric Edwards was top batter in ESCA Division 6, hitting 527 runs to head the aggregate list and also topping the averages with 65.88.

Finally, Keith Murray (who would like us to point out that he finished with the 4th highest batting average in Division 8), collected the ESCA Fair Play Award on behalf of 5th XI skipper Shaun Barrett.

[More photos]

The last few weeks have seen a very successful junior awards evening, our women competing in the Scottish Cup Final (and becoming Scottish League champions by default) and our young Last Man Stands squad coming within a whisker of becoming Scottish champions.

The curtain came down on the junior cricket season with the traditional awards evening at Grange Loan. Head coach Stevie Gilmour and his team kept our youngsters hard at work while parents and supporters enjoyed beer, prosecco and the Carlton barbeque. As the sun was going down, the presentations began. As always, every player who represented Carlton at kwik cricket received a medal, while first teamers Mario Olivier, Fraser Watts, Ali Evans, Chayank Gosain and Stevie Gilmour presented trophies to players across the age groups.

The winners:

[Photos]

The Carlton women headed to Ayr on September 11th to take on Stirling County in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup. Batting first in a 15 over a side match, a fine partnership between Ollie Rae (58*) and skipper Ruth Willis (44*) helped their side to an impressive 124 for 3. Their opponents could then only muster 67 in reply to send Carlton into the final against George Watson’s College.

[Photos]

Again Carlton batted first, but this time found the going tougher with Ruth again holding things together with an unbeaten 32 out of a total of 80 for 4 off 20 overs. Unfortunately the bowling attack couldn’t find the breakthrough they needed and Carlton eventually lost out by 9 wickets.

The following week was to see Carlton take on west league champions Stirling in the national league play off final. Carlton had ended up as east champions thanks to their two wins over George Watson’s College earlier in the summer – all their other games being conceded. Sadly, the pattern continued with Stirling being unable to fulfil the fixture. So the Carlton women join their male counterparts by being national champions – but hardly in the manner they’d have liked.

Carton women end their season with a friendly at St Andrews University on Sunday 25th September. Hopefully 2017 will see more regular cricket for the squad at domestic level.

The weekend of 16th and 17th September saw the national finals of the Last Man Stands competition. Last Man Stands is a simplified version of T20 cricket played by teams of 8. The Carlton squad, comprising a number of our younger players, qualified after a good season and won all their initial games over the weekend to win a place in the final – highlight being an unbeaten 50 by Ali Shah in the semi-final. However, in a close fought match, Carlton lost out in the last over to their Glasgow opponents. The winners qualify to travel to the world finals in South Africa so at least the financing of the trip isn’t something that our players (or, in many cases, their parents) now have to worry about!

Carlton completed the 2016 season by becoming Scottish champions for the second time in six years.

Batting first in front of a steadily growing crowd, openers Watts and Pillai got the match off to a steady start, with the former putting his vast experience to good use in the most important game held at Grange Loan for many years. Watts eventually departed for a superb 73, but Rory McCann (a well-paced 65) and Hugo Southwell (a brutal 85) saw Carlton to a total of 282 for 6.

The Clydesdale reply got off to a bad start thanks to a brilliant opening burst from Ali Evans which brought two early wickets. Omar Ahmad then delivered the knockout blow with two magnificent deliveries in succession to account for the dangerous duo of Berrington and de Lange, thanks to Gordon Drummond’s safe hands at second slip.

Only the rain could stop Carlton at that point, but thankfully the game reached a conclusion with Arun Pillai picking up four quick wickets before Carlton’s hugely popular South African Mario Olivier finished things off in style with a direct hit runout to ensure Carlton were Scottish champions.

The triumph was tinged with sadness as the match marked the last appearance of the retiring Gordon Drummond. What a brilliant man to have around the club – magnificent cricketer and an inspiration to so many Carlton youngsters over the last few years.

All the best to Drummo and also to the real Super Mario, who flew back home on Monday morning after a memorable season. And a big thanks to the army of volunteers who helped out - on the ground, with teas, or on the BBQ - to make the hosting of the final a great success.

[Match photos] [Match report]

There were wins for all 5 senior league sides on Saturday as the main part of the season came to an end. The 3s clinched promotion from ESCA Division 3, the 1st XI went ballistic at Grange Loan, the 2s skittled Edinburgh CC, the 5s won a last ball thriller and the 4s won on a technical KO.

Out at Linlithgow, Paul Kentish's 3rd XI (below) knew a win over the home club's 2nd XI would seal a spot in Division 2 next year and they made no mistake after a disciplined bowling display that restricted the hosts to just 134 for 4 in their 40 overs, with Nick Thomson taking 3 wickets. Paul played a captain's knock in the reply, hitting an unbeaten 72, well supported by 32 from Zaki Yusaf, to see his side to a 7 wicket win.

The 4s had to content themselves with earning10 points off the field as their opponents, Falkland 3s, were unable to raise a side for the last game of the season. Skipper Fantasy Bob wasn't to be denied the chance to write his last match report of the season though. Meanwhile the Fives, whose first season in existence has in many ways been the most rewarding aspect of 2016 at the club, celebrated the end of the season with a great win at Marchmont. The young bowling attack did well to dismiss their opponents for 191 with Ethan Wood and Rua McIntyre both impressing with 3 wickets. Ian Thompson (42) and Martin Robertson (36) then kept the Fives in the hunt all the way, before an unbeaten partnership of 41 between Alan Murray and young Jamie Beattie saw the Fives to a thrilling last ball win thanks to a mighty 6 from Al.

Over at Grange Loan, Eastern Premier League champions Carlton celebrated their last game of the season by rattling up a superb 388 for 5 against visitors Stoneywood-Dyce. Rory McCann (75, below)), Gordon Drummond (81), Hugo Southwell (94*) and Mario Olivier (105*) all made hay in the sunshine, with an incredible 105 runs smashed in the last 5 overs of the innings. Chayank Gosain then took 6 for 30 as the visitors made 163 all out.

The Twos had made it back from their match at Edinburgh CC thanks to a rapid win over Edinburgh CC at Campbell Park. The aggressive batting of the home side wasn't equipped to cope with left armer Fraser Allardice who picked up 6 wickets for just 18 runs in a total of 49 all out. The Twos then knocked off the runs for the loss of 3 wickets in plenty of time to join the party at Grange Loan.

As well as the presentation of the EPL trophy and the celebration of the end of the league season, the club said goodbye to Russell Weir, a key member of the Grange Loan groundstaff, who is retiring to the sun.

On Sunday, the women had the run of Grange Loan. Once again, they were unable to find any opposition so they made the best of things with a bounce game in the sun.

Friday the 2nd of September - 6pm 'til dark! It's our annual Junior section end of season celebration.

• Games

• Prizegiving
• Paolozzi & Prosecco
• BBQ
• Wendy's Ice Creams
• Legget & Co cricket equipment sale

Not to be missed! RSVP to liz@littlejohns.ltd.uk

While the heavy late rain on Friday evening into Saturday morning ultimately put paid to the scheduled matches for the 1s, 2s and  4s, it also sealed the outcome of this season’s Eastern Premier League as the washout at Aberdeen confirmed Carlton’s position as champions (assuming they come out of next week’s home match without incurring negative points!).

Despite the well documented drainage problems at Mannofield Park this season, the Carlton contingent assembled at Grange Loan just before 8am for the long journey northwards, all desperate to get the game played and seal the league with another win.  Opening bowler Mario Olivier was particularly excited as he’d never won a senior league title and was like a 5 year old on Christmas morning as the journey began. Early news of a wet outfield and a likely late start didn’t deter the side although it did allow them a leisurely breakfast at Dundee while they picked up skipper Gilmour.

On arrival at Aberdeen however the signs for play weren’t good. The covers were on and a quick walk round the boundary revealed large areas of sodden ground. With the sun coming out and the breeze picking up the umpires did wait for an hour or so before coming to the inevitable decision that no play would be possible meaning Carlton were now unassailable at the top of the league. While the players would have rather clinched the title by winning the game the celebrations were soon in full flow. Carlton will now take on West champions Clydesdale in the national play-off match at Grange Loan on Saturday 3rd September.

More photos

The 2s match against Penicuik was called off at lunchtime while the Fours turned back while en route for Melrose after their match succumbed to more rain.

On Sunday, a very young 5th XI bowling attack stuck in well against a big hitting Edinburgh CC 3rd XI at Campbell Park but the Carlton side had no answer with the bat in the face of a strong bowling attack and a lush outfield, eventually losing by 152 runs.

However, over at Grange Loan the Threes moved to within one win of promotion to ESCA Division 2 with a comfortable win over neighbours Marchmont 2s. There was another incidence of double jug avoidance as both Zaki Yusaf (93) and Ben Thurman (96) were out agonisingly short of well-deserved hundreds as the home side racked up 271 for 6 in their 40 overs. Although Marchmont got off to a flyer, Leigh Kasperek showed her class with 3 for 22 from her 8 overs to wrest back control as the visitors eventually finished 70 runs short on 201 for 8.

The annual Carlton dinner will take place in the pavilion at Grange Loan on Saturday 24th September.

As always, all members – players, supporters, parents and juniors playing in senior teams – and partners will be most welcome.

It was another great day for the club on Saturday as the 1st team defeated old foes Arbroath at Grange Loan to move to within one win of the Eastern Premier League title, while 11 year old left arm seamer Murray Johnson took 6 wickets for the 3rd XI in their ESCA Division 3 top of the table match at Inverleith.

At Grange Loan, skipper Stevie Gilmour won the toss and opted to bat in the crucial match against the side that had won at their last outing at Grange Loan in this year’s Sottish Cup semi-final. A tough start saw the home side at 48 for 3 before the middle order duo of Fraser Watts and Hugo Southwell (below) earned themselves a permanent place on the pavilion wall (just opposite the gents’ toilet) by putting together a superbly judged partnership of exactly 200. Unfortunately neither batsman could complete what would have been deserved hundreds being caught in the final overs as Carlton posted a healthy looking 259 for 7.

Opener Ross McLean survived a loud appeal early on to build a strong foundation but was eventually adjudged lbw to Chayank Gosain for 34. Wickets began to fall regularly but Elton WIllemse played well to keep his side in with an outside chance, but when he was run out by a direct hit from the boundary by Cheeky the match was all but over. There were three wickets apiece for Cheeky (below) and Gordon Drummond as Carlton won by 64 runs.

[Match Report]  [Photos]

With two games to go in the league season, Carlton travel to Aberdeenshire next week needing just one win to seal the title.

The 2s’ match at Dunnikier was called off following heavy overnight rain but the Threes top of the table match against ESCA Division 3 leaders Drummond Trinity did go ahead at Inverleith. Batting first the home side got off to a good start before the introduction of youngster Murray ‘Muz’ Johnson changed the game. Young ‘Muz’, star of the Carlton Primary School Team this year, returned the remarkable figures of 6 for 25 from 7 overs to dismiss Drummond Trinity for 118. In reply, Ben Thurman and Zaki Yusaf formed the backbone of a solid effort that saw the Threes win by 5 wickets to close the gap at the top of the table to just 1.5% with two games to go.

Also on Saturday, there was a tense finish at Peffermill as the Fives fell agonisingly short against the Gala/Hawick development team despite a strong 9th wicket partnership between Uncle Keith and nephew Gavin Murray. Earlier, 12 year old (just!) Fin Thornton took 3 for 26 and there two wickets apiece for Ruth Willis and 11 year old Gavin. Any comment on Uncle Keith’s running between the wickets is best left to others.

On Sunday, the Carlton Under 15s took part in Scottish Cup Finals day at Stirling and came up against the all conquering Grange side in the semi final. Despite losing out by 6 wickets the Carlton side bounced back well to defeat Falkland in the 3rd place play off match.

At Grange Loan the Fours had a comprehensive win over Drummond Trinity 2s. Steven Andrews (3 for 9) and Leigh Kasperek (2 for 11) were in the wickets as the visitors were bundled out for 98. After tea, a second wicket partnership of 79 between Eric Edwards (51*) and Alan Murray (39*) saw Carlton home.

It was a heart-stopping weekend at times, as the 1st XI flirted with disaster at Myreside before turning round their top of the table match in stunning fashion, and the Threes kept their sights fixed on the promotion spot in ESCA Division Three.

With only the narrowest of margins separating Carlton from nearest challengers Watsonians at the top of the Eastern Premier League, the importance of Saturday’s match couldn’t be downplayed. After a steady first ten overs batting against a challenging attack the wheels came off the Carlton innings as a succession of batsmen got out and at 71 for 7 things weren’t looking too promising. However a superb rearguard fight from the lower order of Cameron Shoebridge (18), Fraser Boyd (36), Chayank Gosain (22, below) and Calum Everett (11*) took Carlton to the final over and a defendable total of 162.

A fired–up Mario Olivier then took four early wickets before a superb 10 overs from Gordon Drummond (3 for 14) had the home side on the rocks. The win was sealed when Cameron Shoebridge took the final wicket (below) to cue Carlton celebrations both on and off the field. Carlton stay top but with a visit from Arbroath to come on Saturday there’s still a long way to go.

[Match Report]  [Photos]

At Grange Loan, the 2nd XI returned to winning ways but it took the return of skipper Rob Thornton to see them home against Holy Cross. First the Aussie legend took 2 early wickets as he rolled back the years to open the bowling, helping to dismiss the visitors for 114. Then, with his side in trouble at 55 for 6, he joined Angus Beattie and the pair took Carlton to a 4 wicket win, with the skipper ending unbeaten on 39.

The Fours, who were desperate for a win at Glenrothes to keep their promotion hopes alive, were left frustrated as the rain arrived at the halfway stage as they prepared to defend a total of 145, with Eric Edwards contributing an invaluable 37.

Meanwhile the Fives experienced the delights of cricket at the Meadows for the first time as they faced Morton 3s. Despite posting three figures (never easy at the Meadows) they were beaten by the home side by four wickets. If you haven’t experienced cricket at the lower levels of the game we commend the skipper’s match report to you.

On Sunday the Carlton Women once again endured a fruitless Sunday as their opponents failed to show for their scheduled friendly fixture. Hopefully these repeated problems are just teething issues in the development of the women’s game at club level in Scotland.

There were no such problems for the Threes at Grange Loan however as they earned a fine win over Boroughmuir. A good all round effort in the field, with Alan MacLeod picking up three wickets, restricted Boroughmuir to 152 for 9 before an entertaining third wicket partnership between Zaki Yusaf (42) and Under 15 batsman Murray Whitaker (50) helped to ease their side to a 5 wicket win inside 30 overs.

The first week of August sees a break in the Summer Camps as the Carlton Cricket Week takes place. Thanks to the fantastic support of the groundstaff (and with fingers crossed for the weather) Grange Loan will see a full week of cricket matches involving all areas of the club.

Here's the schedule for this year's matches. Spectators very welcome!

We are holding a BBQ on Friday evening - starting at 5.30pm.   There will be burgers on sale from 5.30pm and the Prosecco and Beer PopUp Bar will also be serving from then.  It would be great to see lots of 'seniors' and neighbours down for the BBQ as well as juniors and we are always looking for help on the evening.  If you can spare some time to flip burgers or even just set up or clear away at the end, please drop Liz an email at liz@littlejohns.ltd.uk

Despite a weekend that saw an unprecedented four defeats for Carlton sides, it was still smiles all round as the 1st XI hit the top of the Eastern Premier League with four games to go, while Ollie Rae (left) hit a superb 171* as the women defeated Galloway in their Scottish Cup tie on Sunday.

Saturday saw Carlton head over the bridge to take on Falkland and an excellent opening partnership of 89 between Kyle Macpherson and Arun Pillai got things off to a fine start, before Arun, continuing his aggressive batting of recent weeks, went on to his maiden Carlton century.

The total of 244 (off 48 overs) proved too much for the home side after they lost the wicket of Safyaan Sharif, lbw to Cameron Shoebridge, for just 11 and they were bowled out for 94. With next week’s opponents Watsonians slipping up at Heriot’s, Carlton find themselves just ahead in the championship race with four Saturdays to go. You can read Fraggle's match report here.

The Threes’ promotion hopes took a dent at Broomhall. Ex-Carlton man Chris Hoefling hit 54 as the hosts were allowed to post 176 for 5. Skipper Paul Kentish hit back with 41 before being run out, but with the next highest score being 15 his side found themselves bowled out for 123.

Down at the Meadows, the Fours lost out to SMRH 3s for the second time this season. 3 wickets for Daniel Saunders helped to dismiss the Inverleith side for 132, but despite 30s from Hari Thaivalappil and Mike Scott, Fantasy Bob’s side were all out 11 runs short.

And the Fives found themselves on the wrong end of a tight finish again as their total of 116 for 8 at Roseburn was overhauled by Murrayfield DAFS 4s with just 2 balls to spare. Highlight of the Carlton innings was a great 36 from youngster Euan Burgess, while Fabian Despinoy and Dave Carter both collected two wickets.

At Grange Loan, the 2nd XI turned in one of their poorer performances of the season, losing out to Marchmont in a tight finish. A whopping 36 wides contributed to the visitors’ score of 200 for 9, with skipper Mo Ahmed (below) taking 3 for 32.

In reply a series of batsmen got in ... and then out. However, good knocks from Ben Thurman and Adeel Raza (below) got the Twos very close before both fell with the end in sight as Marchmont won by just 7 runs. [photos]

On Sunday, there was a rare and very welcome fixture for the Carlton women as Galloway made the long trip north for their Scottish Cup tie. The strong Carlton top order made the most of a good Grange Loan track, with opener Ollie Rae, who had made her ESCA Championship debut the previous day, beating her skipper’s Carlton batting record by smashing a remarkable 171 not out. Carlton won by 260 runs and go forward to the semi-finals at the end of the season. The team’s next fixture is a glamour T20 friendly against a Scotland Select side at Grange Loan this Wednesday evening, as part of the club’s cricket week.

Although Carlton’s cup hopes are over for another year, the 1st XI kept their league hopes alive with a good win over Forfarshire at Grange Loan. The 2nd XI lost out at Championship leaders SMRH, while the 5s were beaten at neighbours Watsonians but there was a good win for the 3s to move them into second place in ESCA Division 3. And on Sunday, Bob Irvine’s 4th XI kept their good run going with a nail-biting home win over Teuchters.

A top class spell of fast bowling from Ali Evans (below) put the brakes on an aggressive Forfarshire batting line up at Grange Loan, before the spin duo of Chayank Gosain and Arun Pillai both took 4 wicket hauls, dismissing the visitors for 191.

An assured 67 from keeper Rory McCann (below) then saw Carlton to another win, keeping them on the coat tails of Premier League leaders Watsonians. [photos]

The 2s struggled on a slow pitch at SMRH, being bowled out for just 96 despite 32 from teenage opener Tom Simpson. Scotland Under 19 bowler Cameron Shoebridge took 2 wickets but the home side won through by 5 wickets.

Down in the Borders, the 3rd XI earned a fine win at Selkirk. A typically solid innings from Ben Thurman formed the backbone of a hard-earned 145 for 8, before Callum Sibley made sure the Selkirk reply didn’t got off the ground by taking the first two wickets, dismissing both batsmen for ducks. Gavin Rittoo and Alan MacLeod then shared 5 wickets as Selkirk were all out for 79.

The 5s made the short trip to Craiglockhart to take on neighbours Watsonians 4s. The  young bowling attack stuck to their task well, but the home side’s total of 213 for 4 looked imposing, especially when illness reduced the 5s to 10 men and then skipper Barnacle Barrett was prised from the crease for just 1. However, 39 from Alan Murray, and a feisty last wicket stand between the young and not quite so young pair of Bertram and Carter, lifted the total to a respectable 117 all out.

On Sunday, the 4th XI hosted old friends Teuchters on a showery day and both sets of players found themselves back in the pavilion in the 3rd over. After another brief visit to the middle, a long delay ensued before play got underway again. At the halfway stage the Fours would have been pleased with themselves, having restricted the visitors to 108 for 8. The reply couldn’t have got off to a worse start however, with the early loss of top batter Eric Edwards - the first dismissal of a hat-trick. However, a top class 34 from teenager Mikey Brown rescued the 4s from the depths of 24 for 6, leaving his heroic skipper Bob Irvine to steer the ship home with an unbeaten 37. Sadly, at the moment of Bob’s finest hour, there was a coup in the dressing room and the team decided that it would be better for all concerned if this week’s match report was written by Eric.

If you like a quiz, there's nothing to beat a Fantasy Bob Quiz Night!

Bob will be running his summer quiz night on Friday 22nd July (7 for 7.30pm). As always, the bar will be open to help you find those hard to reach answers.

Entry fee is a snip at just £10 for a team of up to 6 members. Non-members very welcome!

To enter your team simply drop the man himself an email at fantasybob@carltoncc.co.uk

Carlton suffered league and cup frustration on both Saturday and Sunday, for very different reasons.  In the East leagues, the Twos fell foul of RH Corstorphine’s Aussie batsman Daniel Payne for the second time this season, while there was a win for the Threes, a tie for the Fours and a loss for the Famous Fives.

After a wasted Saturday waiting in vain for a sodden Gilvenbank Park at Glenrothes to dry out, the 1st XI hosted their biggest game of the season on Sunday – their Scottish Cup Semi Final tie with Arbroath. Although the early breakthrough they badly wanted didn’t materialise, another spell of quality bowling from young first change seamer Calum Everett (below) kept his side in contention, before a fine unbeaten 63 from Calvin Burnett helped steer Arbroath to 233 for 8.

A quick 46 from Arun Pillai (below) got the Carlton reply off to a sound start and with Fraser Watts passing 50 things were looking promising at the halfway stage. However, the fates then lent a hand when Willemse deflected an Olivier drive onto the stumps to run out Watts at the non-striker’s end. Despite a depleted batting line-up Carlton came so very close thanks to a superb effort from Ali Evans and Mario Olivier that was sadly not quite enough to see their side over the line. You can read a full match report here. [Photos]

On Saturday the Twos posted a competitive total of 197 for 9 against RH Corstorphine in an innings that included 5 lbws. Fraser Allardice and Angus Hinton (below) top scored with a brace of 45s, with Ben Thurman and Tom Simpson both contributing valuable 20s.

Despite a good start from the visitors, 3 wickets from left arm spinner Fraser Allardice (below) kept the game in the balance. However, overseas batsman Daniel Payne once again proved to be the Twos’ nemesis, stroking a top class unbeaten 88 to see his team to a 3 wicket win with 7 balls to spare. [Photos]

The Threes maintained their third place in ESCA Division 3 with a comfortable win over Murrayfield DAFS 2s at the Meadows.  Skipper Alan MacLeod was in the wickets again with 4 for 13 as DAFS were restricted to 108 for 8 with their captain carrying his bat for 60 after the 40 overs. Teenage opener Murray Whitaker made sure the chase got off to a solid start with an invaluable 20, before 34 from Nick Thompson took the Threes over the line with almost 10 overs to spare.

Bob Irvine’s Fours maintained their third place spot in Division Six with a tie at Livingston 2s. Young debutant Saachin Chandran shone with 3 for 14, with Matt Edwards, Fun Thornton and Daniel Saunders all picking up two wickets. Chasing 117 to win, the Fours looked in command as long as Eric Edwards was at the crease but his dismissal for 53 with the score on 94 put pressure on the lower order and two wickets in two balls with the scores level meant the Fours had to be content with the 15 points on offer for the tie.

On a weekend when almost 60 players were unavailable, the Fives suffered most, losing out by 9 wickets against Leith Fab 2s. However, there were a number of promising debuts, not least from Heather Tait and Ikra Farooq, that pleased skipper Barnacle Barrett. His match report reflects on how selection supremo Fantasy Bob dealt with the strain of coping with so many call-offs.

Sadly, the scheduled women’s league match on Sunday was called off as the opposition couldn’t raise a side.

For once the weekend weather defied the gloomy forecast and there were four wins out of four for Carlton (albeit the Fives picked up their points on a technical knock-out).

At Grange Loan, Carlton welcomed old rivals Grange and were indebted to yet another composed knock from Irish international Rory McCann after the visitors won the toss and opted to bowl first. As wickets fell at the other end, Rory batted his way to an invaluable half century but when he was caught behind on 53, Carlton were in a bit of bother at 130 for 6. Step forward Mario Olivier who hit his maiden 50 to steer his side to a competitive total of 193 for 9.

Mario (below) wasn’t finished there, picking up the early wicket of Farrar before fellow opener Flannigan was run out. Ali Evans then collected the prize wicket of Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen, caught at slip by Arun Pillai. Wickets fell regularly and Cheeky decimated the lower order with three wickets in three overs before Ali bowled Philip to deliver a resounding 92 run victory and complete the league double over the men from Stockbridge.

Meanwhile at Fettes, the Twos completed their own Grange double, defeating Grange 2s in a low scoring encounter. Despite a great start from Kyle Macpherson (46) and Angus Beattie (37) Carlton were dismissed for 130, however four wickets from Brad McKay and a fine all round performance in the field saw the hosts bowled out for 101 – the same score mustered by their 1st XI at Grange Loan.

The Threes were washed out at Glenrothes and the Fives also had their game called off, although they do pick up full points as their opponents cancelled as they couldn’t raise a team.

On Sunday the Fours did well to get a full match in at Grange Loan, dismissing Kirk Brae 2s for 117 with Bob Irvine finally getting a bowl and returning figures of 3 for 11. 30s from Eric Edwards and the returning Neil Kirk took the Fours to a three wicket win in 28 overs.

With an Atlantic weather pattern stuck on repeat, the weekend of 2/3 July had a familiar look. Carlton endured an on-off day at Goldenacre, as they reached 133 for 5 after being put into bat by Heriot’s. Hugo Southwell was unbeaten on 61 when the decision came to abandon proceedings.

At Grange Loan, Adeel Raza was left to rue the weather as he was sitting enjoying a well-earned tea, having taken 5 for 12 to help the 2nd XI skittle Kelso for just 105, when the rain started hammering down, finishing the match at the half-way stage.

Down the coast at Dunbar, the weather was a little better, although the 4th XI didn’t make the most of it as they slipped to 64 all out, with only teenager Gregor McIntyre showing significant resistance. A good fightback in the field raised hopes of an improbable win but the home side held on to ease home by 5 wickets.

The Fives made their longest away trip of their short existence to take on Glenrothes 4s and found themselves on the wrong end of a thriller. Four wickets for young Jamie Beattie helped to dismiss the home side for 106 but, despite a fighting 33 from Shaun Barrett, the 5s ended just three runs short.

On Sunday the weather relented, allowing the Threes to take full points at Grange Loan against Haddington. Some sharp fielding from the experienced Carlton side restricted Haddington to 155 for 4 in their 40 overs, before a hard-hitting partnership between Eric Edwards (65) and Paul Kentish (67*) saw the Threes home with 6 wickets to spare.

The halfway point of the season was marked by more wet weather, with the heavy downpours of Friday evening causing havoc with the Saturday fixture lists. The 1s, 4s and 5s were all called off early on Saturday morning, leaving only the 2s with a chance of playing if Grange Loan could dry out in time.

Thankfully the hard work of the groundstaff and helpers paid off and a 30 over contest started at 3.30. Despite two early breakthroughs from Sean Olivier and a couple of wickets to the off spin of Rory Allardice (below) the young Carlton seam attack found the aggressive Edinburgh CC batsmen a tough prospect as the visitors posted a healthy looking 187 all out in the 30th and final over of their innings.

Despite 20s from Sean and Zaki Yusaf the 2s batting never really fired in the face of an accurate Edinburgh seam attack and the home side finished 35 runs short on 132 for 8 [match pics].

The call off didn’t stop the submission of match reports by the 4th XI and the 5th XI. The 1s had more sense.

On Sunday, the 3s batted first at Grange Loan and were dismissed for a highly competitive 226 by visitors Linlithgow 2s, with Arsal Sohail, Keshav Arvind and Dougal Main all hitting 40s. Unfortunately, for the second Sunday in succession, the rain swept in from the west to end the proceedings at tea.

Sadly, the Sunday weather also put paid to Carlton’s Scottish cup tie at Greenock (they’ll try again next Sunday) as well as the Under 15 tie at Poloc. And on Saturday the final primary school games of the season were also washed out.

The east of Scotland emerged from a week of rain on Saturday morning, with the blue skies enough to save three out of the four matches scheduled. While the 2nd XI match at Penicuik fell to the saturated ground, the 1st XI earned a win in a reduced overs match with Aberdeenshire and the 3s made light work of Marchmont 2s at Cavalry Park. Unfortunately, the 4s failed to get over the line against Melrose at Peffermill.

At Grange Loan, the hard work of the groundstaff and their band of helpers ultimately paid off when the umpires sanctioned a 33 over a side encounter between Carlton and Aberdeenshire. Another disciplined bowling and fielding performance had the visitors on the back foot for most of their innings, with Gordon Drummond returning impressive figures of 3 for 12 from 5 overs. Mo Ahmed picked up the crucial wicket of visiting pro Harsha Cooray first ball (below) and Ali Evans and Chayank Gosain both pitched in with a couple of wickets as Aberdeenshire ended on 121 for 9.

The Carlton reply was never easy against accurate bowling in helpful conditions but once again Fraser Watts showed his experience and class with 54, well supported by skipper Stevie Gilmour, as the total was passed for the loss of 4 wickets with over 5 overs to spare. [Match photos]

The match was played out against the backdrop of the annual sponsor’s lunch. A big thank-you to all our sponsors for their valuable support and to our magnificent tea-team for another exceptional catering effort.

At Cavalry Park, the 3s wasted little time in disposing of hosts Marchmont 2 after skittling them for 47. Left arm spinners Alan MacLeod (4 for 12) and Amit Bij (3 for 1) did most of the damage before an assertive 31* from skipper Paul Kentish wrapped things up in the 9th over of the reply.

The Fours persuaded New Zealand international Leigh Kasperek to break her off-season to help plug an availability gap but even the help of the World Cup semi-finalist wasn’t enough to stop Bob Irvine’s side sliding to defeat. Hopes were high when Hari Thaivalappil and Daniel Saunders captured 3 wickets apiece to dismiss Melrose for 144, despite a frustrating last wicket partnership of 27. However, only Leigh found the right mix of technique and patience in the Carlton reply and she finished unbeaten on 35 as her side were dismissed for just 106.

On Sunday at Grange Loan, the Fives dismissed Penicuik 3s for 125, with youngsters Ewan Hutchinson and Charlie Kentish picking up two wickets each. However, the Carlton chase never got off the ground as the rain returned after its brief weekend respite to wash out the home reply.

A grey and damp weekend, brought one defeat (for the 1s at Arbroath), two wins (2s and 4s) and two rained-off matches (3s and 5s).

Up at Arbroath Carlton eventually took to the field after lots of hanging around and turned in a disappointing bowling and fielding display in a match reduced to 29 overs aside. Things weren’t helped as the visitors were down to 10 men early on after Hugo Southwell suffered a finger injury and Arbroath took full advantage to post a challenging 171 for 5. Carlton lost wickets regularly in the reply, with only Gordon Drummond and Mario Olivier passing 20, as they were all out for 134 in the 26th over.

At Grange Loan, the Carlton 2nd XI cruised to victory over Dunnikier. Brad McKay set the tone with two wickets in the first over, while Calum Everett returned figures of 7 overs, 4 maidens, 2 wickets for 7 at the other end.  The spinners then finished the job, with Angus Beattie (3 for 24 off 10, below) and Adeel Raza (2 for 13 off 4) in the wickets as Dunnikier could only muster 118 all out.

The 2s batting then reached the total with the minimum of fuss in the 24th over with Beattie (30), Zaki Yusaf (47*, below) and Tom Simpson (19*) all contributing to a 9 wicket win. [Match photos]

Over at Inverleith, the 4s consolidated their spot in second place in ESCA Division Six with a good win over Drummond Trinity 2s. Young Murray Johnson (0 for 17 off 8 overs) impressed with the ball again, while Pete Gill underlined his promise once more with 4 for 20 from his 5 overs to restrict the home side to 131 for 6. Pete then formed a useful opening partnership of 41 with Eric Edwards, with the latter carrying on unbeaten to finish on 88* as the Fours won by 4 wickets with more than 3 overs to spare.

Sadly, the weather on Sunday meant here was no chance for the 3s or 5s to get into action as the rain had the last word. However, there was a little cricket for our youngsters at the SMRH kwick cricket festival to enjoy although the rain (literally) wiped the details form the history books.

Before all that, the Carlton Chargers U11s had an entertaining home match at Peffermill with SMRH on Friday evening. Martin’s entertaining report can be found here.

For the second week in a row, there were 5 senior wins out of 6 for the club. All this on a weekend that saw a 15 year old hit his maiden century and a 16 year old take four crucial wickets for the 1st team in a Premier League match.

Saturday saw Carlton take on top of the table neighbours Watsonians at Grange Loan, and a fine bowling display from the home side saw them contain the Myreside batting early on.  Star man was teenager Calum Everett (below) who picked up the key wicket of visiting skipper Ewan Chalmers during a seven over spell of immaculate line and length that saw him return figures of 7.2.4.16. However, Watsonians’ last wicket pair of Sadler and Sands put on an aggressive and well-judged stand of over 50 before the returning Mario Olivier picked up the final wicket with the score on 153.

Carlton got off to a flyer with Pillai (41) and Watts (48) taking the score to 87 in no time before the latter was out to spinner O’Connell. The introduction of spin seemed to unsettle the home side and soon wickets began to tumble with the scoreboard failing to move quickly. Thankfully a typically cool innings from Rory McCann (below) was enough to see his side to the win with three wickets and over 12 overs to spare. (Match photos)

Opener Kyle Macpherson demonstrated his class at Holy Cross as he hit 105, well supported by Zaki Yusaf with an unbeaten 79, as the Twos racked up an impressive 258 for 4. The home side never got going against an impressive Twos’ bowling line up with Brad McKay and teenagers Olly Brown and Angus Beattie all collecting a brace, while another teenager, off-spinner Rory Allardice, picked up 3 for 33 as Holy Cross were dismissed for 135.

Over at Meggetland, 15 year old Ruairidh Main belied a challenging wicket and a long outfield to register his maiden century in a 3rd XI score of 155 for 5 against Boroughmuir. Sitting on 99 and facing the last ball of the innings, Ruairidh ‘picked the gap’ perfectly and scampered through for the precious extra run. Eye witness reports suggest that he even smiled. To put Ruairidh’s innings into some sort of perspective the next highest scoring batsman was the returning Matt Wells with 13. The Boroughmuir reply fell short with Amit Bij and Gavin Rittoo sharing seven wickets as the home side were dismissed for 107.

At Cavalry Park the Fives were involved in a last over thriller against Clackmannan County 2s. A dogged bowling display restricted the visitors to 191 for 5, with Hari Thaivalappil taking 3 for 30. Hari then hit 39 in the Fives’ reply, which was indebted to a classy 55 from the most talented member of the Drummond clan, Annette. With the experienced last wicket pair of Dave Carter and Shaun Barnett at the crease and 26 needed off 3 overs, there was all to play for, particularly when DC smote a 6 to take the target down to 9 off the last over. After the pair ran a 3 off the first ball (yes, 3) DC tried to repeat his 6 hitting antics but was bowled. So close.

On Sunday, Carlton travelled to Falkland to take on the home side in the Scottish Cup second round. They got off to a dream start when Mario Olivier had international all-rounder Safyaan Sharif caught by Rory McCann at slip in the first over. A middle order recovery saw Falkland post 177 before being dismissed, with Mario (3), Ali (2) and Ruari (2) among the wickets. Any danger of a second stuttering chase of the weekend were dispelled by a fine 2nd wicket partnership of 113 between Kyle Macpherson and Fraser Watts. The peerless Fraggle went on to celebrate his 37th birthday in style finishing unbeaten on 87 as his side won by 7 wickets in the 32nd over. Carlton now travel to Greenock for the quarter final later in the month.

At the same time at Grange Loan, the Fours were enjoying a perfect summer’s day as they hosted Glenrothes 3rd XI. Skipper Fantasy Bob astounded all by winning the toss and electing to bat. He was looking a bit pale shortly afterwards as two quick wickets fell, but a stoic innings from Alan Murray (50) and a typically brief but entertaining one from Martin Robertson (31, below) helped the Fours bat their 40 overs while posting 156 for 9. (Match photos)

Three wickets from Nick Thomson (below), with a couple apiece for Duncan Sutherland and Steven Andrews, kept the run chase in check before Murray Johnson, one of two primary school players in the side, knocked over the last two batsmen with the visitors 26 runs short.

On Friday evening the two Carlton Under 11 sides – the Chargers and the Knights - put on a fine show for a large crowd, who were also enjoying the Carlton Juniors BBQ and Social. In another game that went to the last over, the Chargers sneaked home by just four runs.

And on Saturday morning the Carlton Primary School side – for whom weekend senior high achievers Ruaridh, Kyle, Calum and Fraggle are all ‘old boys’ – earned a fine victory over Stewarts Melville.  The two teams also played a ‘P6’ fixture, with the school proving just a little too strong for our less experienced side.

And on Sunday the next generation of Carlton stars - our kwik cricketers -headed to Livingston for their latest round of matches. A great time was had by all as the squad came through their three matches undefeated.

The club came agonisingly close to a first ever six from six weekend as our women, 1s, 2s, 3s and 5s all won their league matches. Only a last over defeat for the 4s at SMRH halted the run of victories.

At Grange Loan on Saturday an experienced Carlton line-up responded well to being asked to bat by visitors Falkland. Following the early loss of Arun Pillai, a key partnership between Fraser Watts and Rory McCann got Carlton off to a good start. Despite tight bowling in the middle overs, 81 from Watts and 51 from Hugo Southwell, supported by an aggressive late partnership between Mario Olivier and Ali Evans, took the 1s to an imposing total of 261 for 6. Four early wickets from Ali Evans (below), who was twice on a hat trick, made sure there was little likelihood of a chase from the visitors, although Scottish international Safyaan Sharif cleared the ground on a number of occasions before he was eventually cleaned up by Omar Ahmad on 91 as Carlton dismissed Falkland for 180.

Rob Thornton needed all his experience to see his side home on a tricky surface at Cavalry Park as his 2nd XI beat Marchmont by 5 wickets. Ahmad Shah bagged 5 wickets for 18 as the home side were bundled out for 96, but when the 2s lost 5 early wickets the game was very much in the balance. However, an unbroken partnership between Ruari Macpherson (25*) and skipper Rob (46*) saw their side home with plenty to spare.

At Peffermill, Carlton 3s cruised to a 7 wicket win over Broomhall. Brad McKay picked up 3 for 7 and Alan MacLeod returned figures of 3 for 3 for the  second time in a fortnight as the visitors were dismissed quickly. Arsal Sohail and Ruairidh Main then hit 20s, enabling the 3s to secure an early win and get back to take in the match at Grange Loan.

The 4s took SMRH 3s all the way at Inverleith, after Eric Edwards (29) and Hari Thaivalappil (36) set a decent platform and teenager Douglas Blood hit 39 to take his team to a total of 166. Although primary school star Fin Thornton took a couple of wickets, the home batsmen timed their chase perfectly, knocking off the runs in the final over to win by 6 wickets.

Sunday saw Carlton women at Grange Loan to play the second half of their May double header against George Watson’s College. Skipper Ruth Willis made the most of the sun and a belter of a wicket to crash 55 early on, before Molly Scott guided the middle order to an eventual total of 143 for 7 off their 30 overs by hitting 36. Another primary school star, Grace Simpson, collected a couple of wickets as solid batting from the Watson’s youngsters steered the match towards a tight finish. In the end the bowling of skipper Willis, backed up by some quality fielding, saw Carlton to an 8 run win.

At Peffermill on Sunday, the 5s rounded off a fine weekend for the club by cruising to a 6 wicket win over Murrayfield DAFS 4s. Left arm seamer Murray Johnson became the third of our trio of primary school players to star in senior cricket this weekend, returning the superb figures of 3 for 7 from his 8 overs. The slightly older Dave Carter then picked up yet another 5 wicket haul to remind Fantasy Cricket managers of his worth, as MDAFS were all out for 121. Opener David Simpson anchored the 5s reply with an unbeaten 46, while Martin Robertson crashed his way to 32 not out as the 5s won by 6 wickets with more than 11 overs to spare.

On the junior front, the U11 matches as well as the BBQ were washed out on Friday evening, which gave Martin the opportunity to continue the strange Carlton custom of turning washed out matches into an opportunity for creative writing. You can read his Rime of the Ancient Cricketer here. The Primary School hardball side had a day off on Saturday, although the squad played an entertaining fixture at Clifton Hall.

A weekend of mixed weather saw a largely inexperienced Carlton side slip to their first defeat of the season while the women got their campaign off to a flyer with a win at George Watson’s College. The Threes won a low scoring thriller at the Meadows, the Fives lost an enjoyable encounter on Sunday and the Fours fell victim to Hibernian.

At Broughty Ferry, Gordon Drummond (46) and Stevie Gilmour (30, below) were the mainstays of a batting line-up shorn of the in-form Watts and Southwell, as Carlton were dismissed by Forfarshire for 180 with more than 5 overs remaining. Carlton fought all the way, but their failure to bat their 50 overs cost them dearly as the home side got home by 3 wickets with 25 balls to spare despite 2 wickets for Ali Evans.

Meanwhile at Grange Loan, Sean Olivier returned from injury with a fine unbeaten 59 for the 2nd XI against SMRH. Unfortunately, it counted for nothing as the rain put paid to the match with the home side on 142 for 5 in the 29th over.

The rain didn’t wash out the match just down the road at The Meadows, but it did make for something of a batting nightmare as the Threes took on Selkirk. Mikey Brown (3 for 10) and Katie McGill (3 for 11) were both in the wickets with Katie coming agonisingly close to a hat-trick as she saw a catch go down off the crucial delivery. If there were any thoughts of an easy chase to knock off the 46 runs required, these were soon dispelled when the 3s collapsed to 20 for 6. However, Alan MacLeod, who was well supported by young Pete Gill, applied his considerable experience to the sticky track to hit 13 crucial runs and take his side over the line with 2 wickets to spare.

On Sunday an impressive 40 from Ikra Farooq, with help from Sile Coneely (24), helped the Carlton Women post 98 for 2 from their 20 overs at George Watson’s. The team then clinched the win with a fine bowling performance dismissing the home team for 63.

At Grange Loan, the Fives gave debuts to more youngsters – with balance and ballast provided by 5 seniors – as they played out an enjoyable match against visitors Watsonians 4s. Father and son combination Alan and Gavin Murray shared 3 wickets as the visitors hit 201 for 7. Alan (33) and opener Richard Allardice (35) kept Carlton on course for valuable batting points as the rain eventually drove them from the field on 156 for 7.

Finally, the Fours fell victim to an injury time David Gray winner as their Sunday fixture at Leith Links with Teuchters was cancelled as a result of the Links being overrun with thousands of celebrating Hibs fans. Despite reports, they hadn’t come to see the Fours' skipper play.

The big date in the social calendar is nearly here - FRIDAY 3RD JUNE - when we will be holding our first BBQ of the 2016 Cricket Season. All the action starts at 6pm. The BBQ will be on, the bar will be open and the U11 Chargers v U11 Knights match will be underway.

We're hoping for a good turn out - the BBQs are always a good social event for the whole club - not just those with U11 players. We'll also be delighted to see our senior players come along and support - the more the merrier!

Please email Liz Shand - liz@littlejohns.ltd.uk - with numbers attending to help us with our burger order (and please advise if any of your group are vegetarian). Liz is also looking for volunteers to do a stint on the BBQ so please let her know if you can help.

New feature this year is the Pop Up Prosecco Bar which will definitely be worth coming along for. We will also be selling bottles of beer and wine from just inside the clubhouse so you won’t need to miss a minute of the U11 Cricket Derby while you queue for drinks!

It was a hectic, and ultimately successful, weekend on and off the field as 5 senior sides played 6 matches across two days, while Saturday evening saw Grange Loan play host to a launch party for our friends at Pizza Geeks and a hotly contested FIFA16 games night.

On Saturday, Carlton found themselves inserted by visitors Glenrothes in their Eastern Premier league match. Disciplined bowling from the visitors made life difficult for the Carlton top order and their total of 252 owed much to a carefully crafted partnership of 119 between skipper Stevie Gilmour (69) and Hugo Southwell (96). Hugo’s dismissal (below) was the first of five wickets to fall for just 2 runs as the home side collapsed from 250/5 to 252 all out.

The Glenrothes reply was based around a fighting innings from Chris Greaves who had helped himself to 162 runs the last time he visited Grange Loan. Despite the loss of Mario Olivier to injury (below), Carlton managed to take wickets with enough regularity to keep the chase in check and when Greaves fell to Omar Ahmad, Carlton were able to close out a 20 run win.

The only loss of the weekend came in a tight game at Barnton where RH Corstorphine chased down a formidable Carlton 2nd XI total of 251 for 9, which was founded on a fine 91 from Ali Shah, after young opener Angus Beattie had got things off to a good start with 33. However, RHC overseas all-rounder Daniel Payne hit 103 as his side passed the target with 3 wickets and 8 balls to spare, despite 3 wickets for Mike Raikes.

The Threes earned their first win of the season as they beat Murrayfield DAFS 2s convincingly at Roseburn. Skipper Paul Kentish battled the home attack, a mega-lush outfield and a leg injury to strike an unbeaten 83 in a total of 164 for 6, which was worth at least another 50 runs on another day. Mo Ahmed, making his first post-exams appearance of the season, then showed he hadn’t lost his touch with 3 for 6 off 8 overs before Alan MacLeod took just 10 balls to collect the last 3 wickets as the Threes rolled over their hosts for just 40.

The biggest news of the day, however, came at Peffermill where the Carlton 5th XI won their first ever match at the third time of asking. Visitors Leith FAB 2s had to be content with a total of 135 for 8, as the accurate bowling of young Pete Gill (3 for 16), supported by two wickets from the youngest of the three Murrays on show, Gavin, put the squeeze on. Uncle Keith Murray, supported by older brother Alan as runner, then scored his second 50 of the season before Pete Gill (below) hit the winning runs to see his team to a last over 6 wicket win.

Saturday’s on-field triumphs were followed by a very busy night at the club, with Pizza Geeks dealing out free pizza to the hungry (and thirsty) masses at the official launch night of their wood-fired pizza business. We wish them all the very best. If you were at Grange Loan on Saturday evening and you enjoyed your pizza, give the team a like over at their Facebook page.

Later in the evening, an extremely competitive FIFA16 night was won by the Rittoo brothers. We hope that Gavin pocketed all the prize money and only agrees to share it with younger brother Hari if he promises to take up cricket again.

On Sunday, Carlton headed west to take on a resurgent Prestwick in Ayrshire (below). 16 year old Calum Everett was in the wickets three times, as was Arun Pillai, as the home side were dismissed for just 84. Arun then raced to his first Carlton 50, well supported by Kyle Macpherson, to take Carlton to a 10 wicket win. Carlton will travel to Fife in the second round, where they will play Falkland on June 5th.

Meanwhile at Grange Loan, there was another 10 wicket win as the Fours saw off the challenge of Livingston 2s. 3 wickets from Nick Thomson and 2 for young Fin Thornton saw the Livi side all out for 85. The opening partnership of birthday boy (below) Tristram Holden (16) and Eric Edwards (16+) then saw the Fours to their third successive league win.

On the junior front, the Primary School side racked up two away wins at Loretto (Friday) and George Watson’s (Saturday), while the kwik cricket squad were delighted to receive an invite to the event at Hawick on Sunday where they played four and won three. You can read Martin's report of the trip here. Well done to all.

The second week of league cricket saw Carlton score a thumping double over local rivals Grange, while there was also a second win in succession for our 4th XI at Kirk Brae.

At Portgower Place, the Carlton new ball duo of Ali Evans and Mario OIivier (left) picked up where they left off last weekend with another tight and wicket –laden opening spell, which saw five Grange batsmen, including Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen, return to the pavilion in the first 45 minutes.

Hugo Southwell and 16 year old Calum Everett then kept the pressure on, Hugo picking up three wickets, before Mario came back to wrap up the tail as the league champions were skittled for just 74.

A classy and aggressive half century from Fraser Watts then saw Carlton past the target in under 12 overs.

Meanwhile, at Grange Loan, the Carlton 2nd XI made a stunning comeback against their Grange counterparts after recovering from 77 for 6 at the halfway stage to post 245 for 9. Skipper Rob Thornton (90) got solid lower order support from Stevie Elder and then Adeel Raza (below), who hit two balls clean over the pavilion and out of the ground on his way to 61.

The Twos' bowling then fired on all cylinders as both Brad McKay and Ruari Macpherson picked up two wickets from the pavilion end before Mike Raikes stepped in with four wickets, including that of key man Stu Davidson, as the Twos won by 137 runs.

At Kirk Brae, teenager Mikey Brown returned figures of 4 for 48 for the Fours as the Kirk Brae 2s were restricted to 164 for 9. Eric Edwards then hit his second big score in succession, contributing 74 as Carlton 4s eased home to win by 5 wickets.

At Inverleith, the carefully blended old and young combination (below) that is the 5th XI had a bit of leather chasing against Holy Cross 3s, thanks in main to a failure to hold their catches. There were, however, senior wickets on debut for youngsters Jamie Beattie and Gavin Murray.

The following day, the 190 for 5 posted by Glenrothes 2s at Grange Loan proved too much for the Carlton Threes, but the highlight of the home team's chase was a superb 51 from young Gregor McIntyre.

On Friday evening the Under 15s started their NatWest ECB Cup campaign with a fine win at Myreside. Chasing a healthy Watsonians’ total of 137 for 6, Ruairidh Main hit an unbeaten 54 to see his side home by 7 wickets. Friday evening also saw wins for both our Under 11 sides, the Chargers and the Knights, seeing off teams from SMRH and Grange.

And on Saturday morning, the Carlton Primary School team earned their second win of the season with a good all round performance against Cargilfield.

On Sunday, the Carlton kwik Cricketers had their first outing of the season in the tournament at Grange. You can read Martin's acount of an enjoyable day here.

Next Saturday, 14th May, we’ll be holding a special social event- a pizza and Xbox night.

Carlton will be at home to Glenrothes in an Eastern Premier League clash from noon, and from 5pm our friends at Pizza Geeks will be holding a special launch night at Grange Loan. Come along and get free tasters of their pizzas straight from the Pizza Geeks‘ wood fired oven.

And from 8pm we’ll be holding the inaugural Carlton Fifa 16 tournament. Play with a partner for a £10 entry fee – tournament winners take the pot!

Super Mario

The first weekend of the season saw Carlton get off to a winning start at Grange Loan, while the Fives made their historic bow at Peffermill. The Threes were on the wrong side of a low scoring affair at Haddington, but there were wins for the Twos and the Fours.

The Carlton new ball pairing of Ali Evans and Mario Olivier (below) lived up to their pre-season billing with a top quality opening spell of 14 overs at Grange Loan, which saw visitors Heriot’s three wickets down for not very many.  Any thoughts of a recovery were strangled by two wickets from Omar Ahmad and a typically miserly spell from Gordon Drummond. The spin duo of Chayank Gosain and new boy Arun Pillai also hinted at promising times ahead as Heriot’s were restricted to 170 for 9. In reply, Fraser Watts was back in the groove immediately with 58, leaving Drummond to see his side home with a calm but aggressive 31 not out.

Down at newly promoted Kelso, the Carlton 2nd XI got their ESCA Championship campaign off to a good start with a tight win in a low scoring affair. They were indebted to Ben Thurman who contributed 42 to a total of just 108. However, teenagers Angus Beattie (3/7) and Rory Allardice (3/18) got Carlton back into the game, while seamer Ahmad Shah returned figures of 4 for 16 in 7 overs to see his side squeeze home by 7 runs.

There was another low scoring affair on a damp wicket at Haddington, where the Threes managed to dismiss the home side for just 94, with left-armer Alan MacLeod once again the pick of the bowlers. However, a winter spent training on the hard surfaces of  the MES Centre didn’t prepare the Threes for the perils of a soggy April wicket and they collapsed to 42 all out with nobody mustering double figures.

Over at Peffermill the brand new shiny Carlton 5th XI made their bow against Glenrothes 4s. Although the new side lost out, everybody at the club was delighted to see one of its most popular players, Keith Murray (below), celebrate the historic occasion by hitting his first ever half century. Well done Keith – first of many!

On Sunday, the Fours were into action at Grange Loan and Eric Edwards played a real crowd-pleaser of an innings, first running out Barnacle Barrett before going on to stroke a fine 82 as his side posted 157 for 4. Visitors Dunbar were always behind the rate in the face of some accurate Carlton bowling, and eventually finished 43 runs short with Mikey Brown, Duncan Sutherland and Steven ‘Meadows’ Andrews all picking up two wickets.

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