STEWARTS MELVILLE ROYAL HIGH CRICKET CLUB

DIARY OF THE SEASON - 2010

OCTOBER

Most of you will know, Jon Kent returned to the club for a short stint this season and had an enormous impact both on the pitch and also on the coaching front.

From only 6 matches he scored an incredible 478 runs at an average of 159.33. His bowling was equally as impressive taking 13 victims at an average of 9.31. However, perhaps more importantly he gave a huge amount of encouragement to the younger players and instilled a winning mentality in the team.

This was Jon's third spell at the club and he has contributed a great deal over the years. During his second stint he played alongside Rahul Dravid as Scotland's overseas players in the English county one day competition. Before he left this year he signed one of his Scotland playing shirts which has been mounted and framed. The shirt will hang upstairs in the club house.

If you would like to help sponsor a memento of Jon's time at the club, donations of £10 (or larger) are most welcome.

SEPTEMBER

The end of the season spoke a lot about the successes of the Senior teams, but little about our Colts teams. That was unfair, as they have contributed greatly to SMRH in 2010. Let's right that wrong.

Worthies such as Vic Coltherd, Andrew Brock and particularly Lawrance Reilly have done great work with the Colts over several seasons. This season the introduction of Pete Wilkinson & Steve Knox proved to be the catalyst for an altogether bigger set-up, particularly with the introduction of an Under10/11 side which participated at several cricket festivals. We'll be looking to keep this keen group of players together for several years.

Lawrance again produced his 48 page summary of the Under 15 & Under 13 seasons, containing extensive match reports, full scorecards and enough statistical analysis to gladden the heart of any stato. This work of love has been quietly produced by Lawrance for several years & I know is much appreciated by our Colts players & parents.

The Under 13s had a very full season, playing 12 games-winning five of them. Jack Pennell was the star bat, followed by Euan Campbell, who was also comfortably the chief wicket taker.

The Under 15s had a briefer season with only eight games, three being won. However, this included to great victories against Carlton & Penicuik. Alex Clayton achieved the highest colts score of the season (59) and had the best bowling average, but it was Scott Docherty who scored most runs and topped the batting averages. He also had the highest wicket partnership of the season (85* with Jazim Sohail) in a high scoring game against West Lothian.

Plans are already underway for next season, with Pete having fixed up a meeting with School representatives and our able band of volunteers to map out ways to continue the upwards momentum in 2011

AUGUST

Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th August -

Last weekend of the season, so a few themes this week. As you would expect from previous editions, music & recordbreakers are themes, but I will also have quotes & we start with my favourite theme of all, cricket scorers.

All three Senior teams had scorers for this last league weekend, the first time we have achieved this & very rarely achieved at other clubs. Furthermore, the 1st XI scorer, Bert Barclay, was also the presenter of a League Trophy to our opposition-surely a first. Alan Veitch, as 3rd XI scorer for the day, is also able to give us a first musical reference. He couldn't score on Saturday as he was at a wedding. The piper on duty at the wedding was the son of Mary Sandeman of Japanese Boy fame.... When he did appear on Sunday at Grange Loan, he was able to claim the distinction of scoring for all of our 1sts, 2nds & 3rds at that picturesque venue this season.

Onto the other stuff. The 1st XI were a bit understrength for their visit to Dumfries, but it did give the opportunity to blood three younger players in the team, namely Johnnie Thomson, Alex Dry & Duncan Logan. It also enabled the team to be a recordbreaker before a ball was bowled. All eleven were educated at Stewart's Melville-we are still trying to find an occasion when that last occurred. When they did get on the field, they were not disgraced, but Dumfries recorded a comfortable victory. Although the early bowling failed to take wickets, it was also quite tight, and only a late spurt of runs enabled Dumfries to get to 253 for 4. Members of the Bissett & Brock clans were the most effective bowlers. Three wickets falling on 96 spelt disaster during the 1st XI innings, so they ended up at 168. However, the most notable performance was by one of the debutants, Johnnie Thomson, who scored a very effective 31 batting at No 7.

The 1st XI finished 4th in their League, their best showing since 2006, when they also finished 4th with a very similar record. I think they can say they fulfilled their target.

The 2nd XI appeared at Myreside with two 1st XI regulars, Mark Burgess & Rich Hannam. This caused a fair amount of angst in the Watsonian ranks, but was quite within the League rules. Neither had been able to travel to Dumfries and we had formally advised the League of our intent. The 2nds won the toss and, as is their wont, batted first. On probably the best wicket they have played on all season, and with a quickish outfield and reasonably short boundaries, they accumulated 294 for 6 in their 45 overs with relative ease. This is the next breakout of recordbreakers;- it is the record ever score for the 2nd XI, beating the 291 made only last season. I could point out that the Royal High 2nd XI once scored over 300, but you might think I was being a pedantic Corpy git. Anyway, chief run scorers in this total were Rich Hannam 91, Mark Burgess 67 & Colin Brown 60.

The Watsonians reply struggled to get going, with one of their best batsmen bowled by a superb early Pete Mitchell delivery. They eventually got 160 all out just before the end of their 45 overs. Pete Mitchell was top wicket taker with four, while Charles Butcher took two more wickets to reinforce his position as top wicket taker in Division 5. Our one award winner of the season.

The 2nd XI have won 12 games this season, another record. They are, by some distance, the most successful 2nd XI SMRH have had, albeit performing in a lower League than their predecessors. They finished second in division 5, achieving their target of promotion.

I say this every week, but the 3rd XI game was a bit different. It was certainly very important to them, an away game at Grange Loan on Sunday. Captain Robin MacQueen proclaimed it late on Sunday night, in an email, one of the disappointing days in his cricket career. Given Robin's lengthy & starring career, that is difficult to believe, but it certainly shows what commitment the 3rd XI have been showing. Further illustration was given by John Archer's two calls from the depths of France to be advised of progress in the game.

So what was all of this disappointment? Well, before the game started, Robin had to disappoint two players. The team had, as always, been carefully selected, but the enthusiasm of all showed when 13 players turned up hoping to play. The reasons are too complex to go into here, but the end result was Lawrance Reilly (to umpire) & David Higgins gracefully stepped down. Carlton 4ths batted first and a great bowling performance by the 3rds restricted them to 124 for 9 in their 40 overs. David Gray (4 for 18) was the best bowler but he received great support from the other bowlers. At tea therefore, hopes were high of a win. Unfortunately it was not to be. David Gray, Murray Matheson & Simon Scott battled away, but the team came in 13 runs short. A great game, but not quite enough. An objective next year is for one of the Senior teams to beat Carlton at something.

Another record. The 3rds won 9 games during the season, including one by default. This is the most wins ever by a SMRH or Stew/Mel FP 3rd XI. They finished 7th out of 15 in their League, thereby achieving their revised harder target of a top half finish.

The season started on 17th April by the 1st XI getting beaten by the School team. It finished on 29th August with the 3rd XI defeat detailed above. However, in between there have been many wins and a lot of enjoyment, not to mention (but I very much like doing so) several occurances of recordbreakers. All in all, if you include the Under 15 & Under 13 XIs, the club played a total of 83 games with 41 victories. OK, that was helped by a good summer for weather, but my challenge to historian Alan Veitch is to find a better season.

I think it all was summed up rather well in a recent email from Charles Butcher. While he was naturally delighted to be the leading wicket taker in Division 5, he said his main satisfaction from the season had been playing competitive cricket in a competitive team.

Charlie's a wise man.

Saturday 21st August -

Let's get back to the music theme this week. Celebrations...................I think that was once a song title & certainly all of our teams had cause to celebrate, although for the 3rd XI it was all rather bitter-sweet.

The Under 13 XI started it all off with two friendly matches on Monday & Wednesday. They won one & lost one, so were reasonably happy.

The Trojans XI then played on Thursday night, making one of their rare appearances. In a high scoring contest on the Inverleith arti, they convincingly beat our old friends from Teuchters. Not as important as the 3rd XI League defeat earlier in the season, but nevertheless an element of revenge.

The 1st XI were entertaining Edinburgh on Saturday. The windy conditions and lush outfield undoubtedly were against high scoring, but no-one could have predicted what was to unfold. Batting first, Edinburgh subsided to 66 all out in 28.5 overs. Robin Crouch (a remarkable 4 for 9) and Will Jackson (3 for 21 in his last appearance before returning to Oz) did most of the damage. Game over, some thought. Opinion was markedly changed as the 1st XI slumped to 31-6 in response. Victory was eventually ground out, with only two more wickets falling, mainly thanks to a gritty innings from Mark Burgess. So what caused this mayhem? Difficult to say, although batsmen on both sides using their leg rather than the bat to hit the ball tempted fate-many of them regretted the consequences. The strained victory means the 1st XI now have 9 League victories this season, equalling their best ever in the National Leagues. So.........a modicum of celebration for them as well.

The biggest cause for celebration was reserved for the 2nd XI. In the first half of the season they had a disappointing defeat at home against Musselburgh 2nds. Travelling to Lewisvale on Saturday they turned the tables with great style. After winning the toss and electing to bat, they were lucky not to be down in the dumps after one ball. Vic Coltherd hit the ball straight to cover first ball. Cover promptly dropped it and set the tone for the rest of the innings. With a boundary size which would have been appropriate at ODI level, and a lush outfield, run scoring required a fair amount of energy. All of the 2nd XI had this required amount of energy. Vic top scored with 44, the day before his 44th birthday, and by the end of his innings he looked his age. He received able support from Stephen Ditchfield (39), Pete Mitchell (37) and the ever enthusiastic Colin Brown (36*). The team were given a target of 210 early on in their innings by their Manager. This was achieved with some ease and 216 for 6 was posted in the 45 overs.Where Musselburgh dropped an easy catch in the first over of the and XI innings, it was Nick Barron who broke through after only two balls of the Musselburgh innings. His next ball went for 5 no-balls, but this was a minor blip as Davie Gibson's enthusiastic squad of medium pacers strangled any resistance thereafter. Indeed, that 5 no-balls contributed more to the Musselburgh total than all bar two of the Musselburgh batsmen. They subsided to 56 all out in 26.2 overs, with Charles Butcher confirming his status as leading Division 5 wicket taker with 4 for 18 and Nick Barron finishing with 3 for 16. It was a great performance, worthy of a promotion winning feat, which it was. The 2nds also have now gone to 2nd place in their League. The main prize is of course promotion. This was always the target for this season-they are therefore the first of our teams to achieve their target. They would like to do it all over again next season.

The 3rd XI game was a bit different, as always. A statement I have to make most weeks. The 3rds travelled to Prestonpans with a fairly strong team to play Preston Village. They became a bit concerned when they arrived at a deserted ground. So they waited..........and waited. Eventually they phoned their Manager, who was cheering on the 2nds in his other role. He gave them some contact numbers. They phoned the contact numbers. When contact was made, the opposition (Preston Village 2nds) advised they had found on Friday they could not raise a team. They thought they had advised us of this state of affairs, but unfortunately no message had been received by us. A rather crestfallen 3rds squad was therefore left with no option but to return to Inverleith, with the consolation of a 20 point victory & a move one place up the Division 8 Table.

A major initiative on Saturday was the fielding of a 4th XI, the first time we have fielded a 4th XI for three years. It had taken a lot of phone calls, but it is an indication of how far we have come this season that 44 players reported for duty on Saturday. Indeed, the 4th XI included several stalwarts of this season's 3rd XI. One of them, Phoebe Tulloch, had just returned from her European tour, and was presented with a Club playing jersey by the Principal in appreciation of her bowling and catching contributions to the team this season. It will also keep her warm-she's been a bit cold with no jersey.

With all of this background the game itself, against Carlton 4ths on the arti, was always a bit of a secondary consideration. However, while well beaten, the team competed well. Carlton 4ths batted first and scored a formidable 207 for 9 in their 40 overs against a wide array of bowling. Most successful of them was David Gray who, when not presenting jerseys, took 4 for 8, and was denied a 5th wicket (of an ex Scotland Internationalist no less) when said ex Internationalist's son turned down an enthusiastic LBW appeal. Partick Heaton-Armstrong was also amongst the wickets, taking 3 for 42. The limited 4th XI batting was always going to struggle to equal such a total. Evergreen (once a Hibee, always a Hibee) Lawrance Reilly did his bit, providing a mainstay performance of 55. Assistance from his colleagues was a bit limited & the 4ths were eventually out for 109 in 36 overs.

So, there we have it. A great week of cricket. The 2nd XI have already achieved their main objective & the 1st & 3rd XIs are in the top half of their respective Leagues as they go intro the final round of games. How will they all finish?

Saturday 14th August -

The Club clearly took heart from my tale of woe last week regarding call-offs. We had no call-offs for last Saturday-indeed players kept making themselves available to give the selectors lots of problems of an unusual nature. The record number of availabilities eventually resulted in (by a complex serious of events it would take to long to explain), 2nd XI Captain Davie Gibson acting as 2nd XI umpire rather than play, and ex 3rd/4th XI organiser Andrew Keith becoming a Dalgety Bay player for the day against the 3rds.

With all of this availability, we could surely have hoped for another full house of victories. Alas, this was not to be, with the summary of results again recalling Mr Loaf's refrain "Two out of Three Ain't Bad".

It was the 1sts who had all of the disappointments. With a very lush outfield, run getting was always difficult at Inverleith. In the battle of the Royal Highs, RH Corstorphine were probably relatively happy with 186-9. Chief contributors for them were professional Ramzan with 64 & ex SMRH Player Rob More with 34*. Andy Gamble, playing his first game for several weeks because of his duties with Lothian & Borders finest, was the top wicket taker with three.

The 1st XI batting never got into gear, and they rather limped to 108 all out in 38 overs. Fortunately, there was a legendary Wine & Cheese Party to cheer them up later in the evening.

The 2nds batted steadily throughout their innings on the Inverleith arti. The final score of 217-6 was worth much more due to the even longer grass in the outfield which made hitting 4s very difficult. Congratulations to Ross Logan for batting throughout the 45 overs for an unbeaten 110. Ross was well supported by Vic Coltherd (33) and Pete Mitchell (36). Despite a late flurry of wickets we comfortably got over 200, which always looked a match winning score.

Although Leith started their innings scoring very quickly, our opening bowlers, Nick Barron and Alex Dry, picked up 5 wickets between them in their initial spell which effectively decided the game and ensured we picked up the 20 points. The Leith lower order battled away to get over 100, but still gave time for Charlie Butcher to pick up another 2 wickets - 34 in the league for the season. With Stirling surprisingly losing over the fence at Holy Cross the 2nd XI now need only 9 more points to gain promotion & achieve their target for the season.

The 3rd XI were also convincing winners, overcoming a short-handed Dalgety Bay team. They eased their way to 177, with Duncan Logan scoring 55 to cap a great day for the Logan family. One of the oppo wicket takers was none other than "Belly" Keith, whose playing & observational talents have been greatly missed by the 3rd XI since his move away from Edinburgh. The Bay limped to 56 all out, with David Napier, the latter day Ian Botham of the 3rds, recording an analysis of 8-2-11-3. With another strong team likely to take the field next week, the 3rds are also still hoping to achieve their target of a top-half of League finish.

As mentioned above, Saturday's Wine & Cheese Party was a great success. One hundred attended, including most of our ever increasing player pool. It was the largest gathering at one of our social events for several years. Many thanks to Colin Brown & his able assistant Davie Gibson, the Little & Large (or should it be Large & Little) of SMRH, for the huge amount of organising they undertook. The event brought a smile to everyone's face, not least our Treasurer James Crispin, the Actuarial profession's answer to slow-medium bowling.

Saturday 7th August -

Recordbreakers-again. Only unfortunately for the wrong reasons.

At the start of the week we appeared to have nearly 50 players available. Enquiries were gaily made about fixing up a 4th XI game, which would have been great testament to how far we have come this season. Then the call-offs started, and continued, and continued, and................ At the end of the day, apart from being midnight, we were very lucky to get out three full teams. Indeed, it was only made possible by 3 members of the Campbell family making their debut in one of our Senior teams, with the game appropriately being played at Campbell Park.

Given the changing weather conditions on Saturday, it transpired that batting conditions became progressively easier. 1st XI opponents Renfrew certainly found it this way, rather crawling to a score of 108, in spite of their high league position. Will Jackson & Andrew Brock were the pick of the 1st XI bowlers, Will taking the more wickets (4), whilst Brock jnr. took the economy rate prize. In reply, our batting had a few early wobbles before a commanding partnership by Jon Kent & Ally Armstrong all but sealed victory. Kent was there at the end, sealing the fifth victory of his six match stint with us this season. Many thanks for all he has done for us this season, both on the field and at nets.

The 2nd XI encountered no similar problems in early use of the pitch. After being put in to bat on the arti at Roseburn, they had a very stable platform created by Vic Coltherd (32), Nick Hay and Jamie Duguid (32) before John Foley joined Nick to add an unbroken 87 off the last 9 overs. John, having hit his first ball for 6, then proceeded to hit a further 4 sixes - 2 into the Water of Leith and one into the North Stand at Murrayfield - before finishing on 58no. Nick batted very well throughout the full 45 overs for an excellent 92no (inc 2 sixes).

The final total of 256-3 was always far too many for Murrayfield, made all the harder after we reduced them to 37-4, including a tremendous direct hit run out by Ramsay Muir. They finally reached 151-7, greatly helped by our contribution of 30 wides. James Crispin took 2-16, aided by Johnny Thomson's 7 overs for 16 runs and although only one wicket for Charles Butcher, his 7 overs went for only 5 runs.

The 3rd XI game was a bit different, as always. They suffered more than the other teams with the accumulation of call-offs, not least when the best current cricketing Principal in Scotland had to cry off playing with a ricked back. However, we all made it too the scenic surroundings of Campbell Park with a full team (including the aforementioned Campbells), a scorer & a ricked Principal.

Robin MacQueen then made his second mistake of the day by electing to bat first-he later admitted that his first mistake had been to get up. A reasonably promising start of 20-0 disintegrated to 30-6 & then 40-7. In amongst this carnage Robin hit his first ball, a full-toss, direct to a grateful catching mid-wicket. Later in the game Robin proved to be a non-catching 1st slip and a non wicket-taking bowler.

However, it was not all doom & gloom for the 3rds. Their innings was turned around by an excellent 8th wicket partnership of 58 by David Napier & John Archer. Napier top scored with 49 (he thought he had scored 50 but there was to be no re-count) while Archer achieved the longest innings in his lengthy but non-illustrious career (13* in 51 balls). The 3rd XI were therefore feeling very chirpy as they consumed a splendid Holy Cross tea. They lost all of their tweet shortly after as the two Holy Cross openers powered their way to victory, pretty consistently at five runs per over. Apart from the aforementioned dropped catch, there were no chances given. At the end, there wasn't a lot to say, apart from the match statto advising the top score on either side had been 49 & that both Reilly & Archer had blocked their way to 13 off 51 balls.

JULY

Saturday 31st July -

Recordbreakers-definitely.

My ramblings last week about all Senior teams winning their games two weeks in a row produced no contradictions, so it must be true. Indeed, the only communication was an email from our President observing it was easier to get a clean sweep of victories these days, since the abolition of the possibility of drawn league games. I really must get Bert to regard his glass as being half full rather than half empty. Alternatively, he can drink the remaining half and buy a round.

Well, didn't we just go and do it again:-three clean sweeps in a row. How did we manage it?

The 1st XI were playing Weirs at home. Fixtures against Weirs tend to be home bankers, so we had high hopes. Even higher hopes after Jon Kent stroked what seemed an inevitable not-out century. Stephen Parker was the best of the rest with 28. The Weirs batting quickly crashed in reply, with Jon & Andrew Brock taking four wickets apiece. Indeed, it was only the doubling of the score by the last wicket that enabled 100 to be reached.

In the 2nd XI match which saw the return of yet another Stew/Mel legend, Ally Armstrong, the victory was made by a tremendous recovery from 129-8 to 213-9, featuring an unbroken 10th wicket partnership of 41 (between Steve Kerr and James Crispin) in the last 4 overs. The recovery was led by a remarkable innings of 70 not out (including two 6s in the last over) from Steve Kerr, who had earlier arrived at the ground with no cricket shoes and had to go off into Glenrothes to buy a new pair before the match ! It was Steve's best score for three seasons and only two short of the 10th wicket record for the 2nds.

Whilst Falkland were in the match for a large part of their innings they were never up with the required rate and continued to drift further behind throughout. Our five seamer attack bowled steadily, Alex Dry being the pick of the bowlers with 3-34. A further 3 wickets for Charlie Butcher takes him to 32 league wickets for the season.

The 3rd XI started with a bit of a mystery, the confusing case of the missing wickie. It got worse when Robin Macqueen lost the toss and Musselburgh 3rds decided to bat. We gave them about 45 too many runs, helped bye (literally) the efforts of the stand-in wickie which made the 3rd XI chase harder than it should have been. Murray Mathieson batted very well and top scored with 45 until he played across a straight full toss. Simon Scott, the returning Stew/Mel legend in the 3rd XI, resplendent in borrowed kit from a Herioter, was rather rusty (I think the kit source ought to be blamed) and holed out on 3 attempting a drive.

Things were not looking good when David Higgins strode to the wicket at the fall of the 8th wicket, with no No 11 to be seen. He would be the first to admit his batting has been short of Test Class this season. However, unlike many of the 3rds he had done something about it. He had turned up at nets the previous Tuesday & had been given a personal net by his captain. It certainly paid off. David hit the winning 4 off the last ball of the 39th over amidst much biting of nails on the sidelines. Jon Kent, eat your heart out!

Saturday 24th July -

No music theme this week. Let's try TV. Those of a certain generation (mine) may well remember a programme called Recordbreakers. It involved individuals, usually wearing anoraks, appearing on the programme to claim an obscure record. Given the correspondence ensuing from my claims on Jamie Duguid's recent innings, I think the programme would appeal to our current Club members.

The reason I mention this is because the Senior 1st, 2nd & 3rd XIs all won last Saturday. Not a record I hear you all immediately cry. "It happens on occasion, indeed it happened the week before". Well, that is the very point! I reckon that all three teams winning two weeks in a row has not happened before since the amalgamation of the Stew/Mel FP & Royal High clubs in 1997. That therefore is this week's challenge. Let me know of any other instances.

So how was this record achieved?

The 1st XI travelled to Boghall and contained the early order West Lothian batting for a while. However, after Jon Kent took a break the run rate increased until a mini collapse saw SMRH back in the driving seat. In what were more difficult batting conditions than in recent weeks, West Lothian rather struggled thereafter to exceed 150, with Will Jackson & Andrew Brock each claiming three wickets. Rain came shortly after the start of the 1st XI innings, with our boys also struggling a bit, two wickets having fallen. After a lot of grass watching, we were set to make 120 in 30 overs . This was achieved with great ease, Jon Kent leading the way with 55* as victory was achieved with nearly 5 overs to spare.

When the 2nd XI played Holy Cross earlier this season, they scored 232. It was not enough to win the game, which finished in an exciting tie. They again batted first on Saturday, but found that a total of 224 was enough to give a near 150 run victory. A good knock from Pete Mitchell provided the backbone of the 2nd XI innings, but Steve Kerr rolled back the years with an excellent knock at a healthy run rate, captain Davie provided his usual solid contribution & McHoul and Barron added an unbroken 42 in the last 5 overs.

Davie had a formidable bowling attack at his disposal, but able contributors such as Adam McHoul & Pete Mitchell found they couldn't get a bowl before the Holy Cross batting crumbled in dramatic fashion to the bowling of Charles Butcher-he ended up taking 4 wickets in his last 9 balls . Their last 6 wickets fell at the same score. Nevertheless, 2 wickets in successive balls from Alex Dry to reduce HX to 23-3 was probably the turning point.

The 3rd XI had their usual eventful day. Captain Robin MacQueen knew that two of his team would have to leave early. He therefore did a spot of recruiting from his own family. Son Andrew was due to play for Teuchters, but found out late on that their game was on the Sunday rather than Saturday. Dad then persuaded Andrew to come down to Inverleith to act as a replacement fielder. In fact, he was able to act as a fielder for both teams as one of the Largo players was late in arriving. The players who did arrive were a lot more mature than expected. Largo 4ths is normally a bit of a Colts select but, on this occasion, several had been taken by Largo 3rds, with the vacancies being taken by several old (in every sense of the word) friends of SMRH.

Umar Malik was one of the players who had to leave early. He justified his selection with a fine 70 before leaving. However, he was upstaged by debutante Johnnie Thomson, who scored 86 in 69 balls. They shared a second wicket partnership of 138-not a record! The 3rd XI finished on 189, a high total after one of the Largo opening bowlers, Phil Pass, finished with an analysis of 8-7-1-1. Mr Pass (a St Andrews student & therefore less than half the age of most of his team) then nearly guided Largo to victory with 67 from 62 balls. The 3rd XI gave him several lives to make the game more exciting, and it was only when he departed shortly before the end that victory was clear.

SMRH-the recordbreakers.

Saturday 17th July -

Our regular reporter Neil, is doing most things Italian this week - Peroni, Chianti and a bit of scoring too for Italy in Jersey, so it falls upon Stan to provide a view from the scorebox down Inverleith way. Firstly I'll return those Meat Loaf CDs to the cupboard, and given the Italian flavour perhaps call upon Pavarotti this week to provide us with a rousing chorus to herald the 3 win full house on Saturday, our second of the season so far.

Down at a very blustery Inverleith, the 1st X1 achieved one of their most emphatic wins for sometime in beating Ferguslie by 69 runs. John Kent dominated proceedings firstly with a splendid 65 in difficult batting conditions, assisted by Stephen Parker with 27 runs. In his opening burst John Kent then took 3 quick wickets including their pro for 0, his first duck for 2 seasons, and their overseas amateur for 0. Will Jackson also took 3 wickets and only a 9th wicket stand of 35 gave Ferguslie some respectability to their final score of just beyond the hundred mark.

The 3rd X1 were a much stronger side this week, and they too had a good win against Dunfermline. Their opening stand of 131 between Umar Malik and Lawrance Reilly helping to set up victory. Lawrance rolling back the years was finally out for 44 run out - he quotes 'his legs had gone'. Umar was out for 84 and Murray Matheson joined in the run spree with 58.

Over at New Williamfield, the 2nd X1 sent Stirling County to their second defeat of the season (both by us), leaving them wondering why we are not top of the league! The answer is probably simple enough - more regular player availability. Victor Coltherd and Stephen Ditchfield both scored 50s and Chas Butcher continued to accumulate wickets, with 4 more this week.

Fascinating fact of the week, was Mark Burgess finally edging past Iain McCready's 1st X1 career total of 150 dismissals, when taking his 2nd catch against Ferguslie. Well done to him, and somewhat ironic on the day when Iain McCready was the match ball sponsor!

Talking of match ball sponsors, good to see Ross Wilkinson, past President 1984 & 1985 around the boundary again. Ross does promise to return again soon when summer returns!

Saturday 10th July -

"The day that the rains came". I think that is the title of a very old song, so it will do for the musical theme for this week. The rains undoubtedly came on Saturday, but just to show how keen we are, it seems more cricket was played at Inverleith than anywhere else in Scotland.

The 1sts were not due to play at Inverleith, but in Paisley. Greg Bissett called there ground at 10am to be told there was no realistic chance of play, so the 1sts game became one of the earliest casualties of the weather. Indeed, only three National League games started at all, but not one finished.

The 2nds & 3rds, however, are made of sterner stuff. Messrs Gibson, MacQueen & Leitch were keen to see some play if at all possible, so the 2nds & 3rds, along with opponents, reported to a wet Inverleith. The rain was only drizzling at this stage, so Gibson & MacQueen embarked on a series of extensive discussions with both their own teams & the oppo, to see if everyone could be persuaded to play. It has to be said views were mixed on all fronts, but their determination won through, with 30 over games being arranged for both teams.

The 2nds were bowling first in their game, and made steady inroads into the Edinburgh Academicals batting. After 17.4 overs they had the opposition in trouble at 49-5 when heavy rain returned. Despite a lot of cloud watching, it was agreed no further play was possible & everyone changed for tea, beer & home. Charles Butcher had the best wicket haul (2), but I am sure he would admit colleagues such as Adam McHoul & Alex Dry were more unlucky.

As we know, the 3rds are made of strong stuff. They actually finished their game after batting first. Part of the reason for this was Captain Robin MacQueen's novel batting line up. It turned out to be one of these novels that starts very well in the first chapter but disappoints thereafter. The 3rds were 9-0 after one over but fairly quickly subsided to 51-9. The wickets to fall included 3 in 4 balls by an ex-City Councillor & a catch worthy of Test Match status by a 72 year old who had just arrived at the game to be posted at first slip. MacQueen & Archer then attempted to rectify the position but only succeeded in holding out to 23.4 overs for a grand total of 62. Robin's innings was assisted by a no-ball call from a ball which he didn't see and comprehensively bowled him. Patrick Heating-Armstrong was responsible for that good start and remained top scorer with a total of 17.

Jack Mysk gave us the ideal start, when he bowled the Holy Cross opener from the second ball of their innings. By this time, conditions would normally have been deemed unplayable, but the 3rds showed an admirable wish to continue, with John Archer promoted to opening bowler, 'cos he had the shortest run-up.

Only two more wickets were taken however, as Holy Cross cruised home after only 17 overs. Unfortunately the 3rd XI Manager was not able to record events in the second innings-his fingers had become frozen stiff recording that novel 3rd XI innings.

An upshot of all this is that the 3rd XI have become someone of a celebrity group on the East of Scotland Cricket Association website. The game is mentioned in no less than three threads on the website, while the team, in particular Robin MacQueen, have been nominated for Fair Play awards. Photographs of the game appear, while the Holy Cross website also takes a great interest in events.

So.......................our club had more to talk about than any other in Scotland on Saturday. Thanks to all, especially the 3rds for my frozen fingers. And a goodbye to the Tulloch family, Sandy after his two games & Phoebe until mid August when she returns from her European tour.

Saturday 3rd July -

Last week's ramblings had a Meatloaf theme. Let's do it again. My favourite track of all time is a Meatloaf ditty entitled "Read Em & Weep". Rumour had it that Greg Bissett & Davie Gibson were heard singing this song after perusing the unavailability lists for the 1st & 2nd XIs last week. It got worse as the week got on. Fortunately the 3rd XI were more conscientious and provided some players to fill the gaps. Teams therefore took the field on Saturday in hope rather than expectation.

The 1st XI soon cast aside any concerns by recording their highest total of the season after visiting Freuchie. A total of 271 all out in 49.4 overs was made possible by a splendid 152 from Jon Kent. It was his 10th century for the Club & his highest yet. A 90 run 3rd wicket partnership by Freuchie's Robbie Birrell & Scott Gourlay held matters up, but Will Jackson's five wicket haul saw the 1sts home by 43 runs, their second successive victory at the Public Park, Freuchie.

The 2nd XI were not so lucky. There first league game of the season had been a very heavy defeat at Carlton. They did better in Saturday's home game, but were still beaten by five wickets after scoring 149. Umar Malik & Davie Gibson (yet again) were in good form with the bat, but only the evergreen Charles Butcher, and to a lesser extent James Crispin & Colin Brown, were able to contain the Carlton batsmen.

The main interest in the 3rd display concerned the display of Julian Scott. He was only playing at the request of his son Bruce so that there could be a father/son combine in the team. After opening the batting, Bruce was soon out for 4, bringing Dad to the wicket. The 3rd XI innings never reached the heights, petering out at 146 for 7 in the allocated overs, but Dad Scott rolled back the years with an innings of 90 with 12 boundaries. It was, incredibly, his first game of cricket for 21 years, and even more surprising, his highest ever innings for the Club. It is not, however, suggested other club members take a 21 year break. The Leith FAB innings struggled to overtake the 3rd XI total, but eventually they won through by 4 wickets. It was the 3rds closest defeat of the season. It could certainly be described as a family game, with the Leith FAB team also including a father/son partnership and our 3rd XI having an even more unlikely brother/sister combine in Sandy & Phoebe Tulloch.

So...................two career bests in SMRH colours. One by the Club professional, the other by someone who hadn't played for 21 years. What a splendidly diverse sport cricket is.

JUNE

Saturday 26th June -

That plaintive rock balladeer, Meatloaf, is wont to tell us "Two out of three ain't bad". Well, maybe it ain't, but three out of three is a whole lot better. At the start of the week, all three of our Senior Teams were hoping for success. There was a strong availability list and all three were playing teams from the nether reaches of their respective leagues. Unfortunately, a series of call offs, and an inexplicable no-show by one of the 1st XI, led to expectations being lowered somewhat by start of play time on Saturday.

It was the 1st XI who had most recourse to Mr Loaf. Buoyed up by the first appearance of Jon Kent, they looked to be containing Edinburgh well until a late flurry of runs enabled their opponents to creep over 230. Despite a valiant effort by our batsmen, in particular Greg Bissett, the team fell just short of their demanding target. However, they at least obtained the consolation of two bonus points. Chris Bissett had an interesting week. Originally picked for the 1sts, he pulled out of the team as he found he was required to police the Primary 7 leaving party at the School. Because of the aforementioned player unavailabilities, he did however agree to play for the 2nds at Inverleith. Changed and ready to take the field, he had to answer an emergency plea from the 1sts for another player when Stephen Parker failed to show up at Academy Park. He was success as well, ending up, not for the first time, as our best bowler. His appearance as a makeshift opener was not as successful, but it did enable him to get to the party on time.

The 2nd XI returned to full form. On a bowler friendly Inverleith wicket they did well to reach 226 in their 45 overs, with good performances by Adam McHoul (50*), Ross Logan 42, Vic Coltherd 32 and Davie Gibson 31. Watsonians started briskly, but then had an almighty batting collapse to give the 2nds an easy win by over 100 runs. Adam McHoul was an emphatic Man of the Match, following up his batting exploits with a bowling return of 4 for 10.

The late player alterations left the 3rds with only 10 men. However, they rose to the challenge, being all out for 212 just before the end of their 40 overs. Top scorer was Sasi Sukumar, scoring 67 before he was out hit wicket. In reply, Murrayfield DAFS looked well on course for victory until the 3rds clawed themselves back in to the game with some wickets. It all came down to a thrilling finish, with Murrayfield DAFS falling 11 runs short of victory with their last pair at the wicket.

So...................two out of three ain't bad.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 25th June

Over the last several weeks our Under 10s have taken part in the Kwik Cricket Festivals at Murrayfield (Roseburn Park) and West Lothian (Boghall), winning three out of their four games at the former and two out of four at the latter event. This coming Sunday (27 June) they will compete in the Edinburgh Accies festival at New Field. After a slow start, our players are now getting the hang of how the game is played and, as a result, they are much more competitive than at the start of the season.

The Under 11s have faced the harder task of competing in the newly formed 8-a-side hard ball league and have come up against teams who are much more experienced in this form of the game. Our team has yet to record a win, but performances have improved week by week and we will be hoping for a strong showing in our last game against Watsonians on 25 June.

With around 15 or so Under 10/11s and around a dozen Under 13s turning out for practice on Tuesday evenings, the junior section is now well placed to build for the future. We will use the holiday period to improve individual skill levels and to play some ad hoc games against other clubs when we have enough players available

Saturday 19th / Sunday 20th June -

What a difference a day makes. On Saturday the 2nds took the field against Musselburgh 2nds with one of their strongest teams of the season. Hopes were high of victory to consolidate their push for promotion. Six hours later they were not as happy after a comprehensive defeat. While John Foley was a clear candidate yet again for man of the match (4 wickets, 3 catches and top score with the bat), only Davie Gibson provided any support with the bat as the team were bowled out for less than a hundred. John is back working on the rigs this weekend, so the rest of the team will be looking to atone for Saturday's sorry events.

Then came Sunday.................and what a difference. Pride of place must go to the 1sts excellent victory in the "Battle of the Royal Highs". Things did not look good after an early order batting collapse for the second week in a row, but then forties from Tom Beattie & Stephen Parker enabled the 1sts to struggle past the 200 mark. Royal High Corstorphine looked to be in control for most of their innings, but then collapsed against the bowling of Richard Hannam, who took 4 for 38. Victory was achieved by 18 runs, enabling the 1sts to climb the League table above their opponents.

Anoraks would have preferred the 3rd XI game against Dalgety Bay, as it gave some record breaking performances & fascinating facts. The first fascinating fact was an inaugural captaincy by School Principal David Gray. He started off well by winning the toss and electing to bat. A wise decision, as the 3rds then scored 258 for 4 in 40 overs, the Club's highest score of the season so far. This formidable total was made possible by a 206 run 3rd wicket partnership from Jamie Duguid & Gray himself. This was the highest partnership for any wicket by the 2nd, 3rd or 4th XIs, ever. Quite remarkable.

While Gray had fulfilled the role of cornerstone of the innings & mentor to Duguid, Jamie took to the bowling, rode his luck (dropped three times) and accumulated 155*.

After all of these records, the 3rd XI bowling performance was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax. Dalgety Bay never tried to force the pace and only one batsman scored more than 6. Our bowlers were generous in donating 30 extras to allow the total to reach 77. Phoebe Tulloch was the main wicket-taker, a diverse range of deliveries yielding 4 wickets and another delivery bowling a bemused batsman only to be called no-ball for being too high.

Next weekend will struggle to be more entertaining.

Finally, a mention of the Under 15s great victory against Penicuik last week. Lawrance Reilly has proclaimed it as the best victory he has seen in all of his years of being involved with the Colts. Praise indeed

Saturday 12th June -

If Ladbrokes took bets on the League results of our Senior XIs, they would probably have seen our 1st & 3rd XIs as being outsiders last Saturday, given they were both playing teams who were justifiably League Leaders. They might have fancied the chances of the 2nd XI, as they had a much easier game against lowly Leith 2nds. However, the 2nds odds would have changed markedly if they had become aware of the large number of unavailabilities and call-offs which became evident in the days & hours leading up to the game. Indeed, if one of their employees had happened upon the 2nd XI Captain circa noon on Saturday, they would have (a) been very unlucky & (b) received a full & frank assessment from Davie as to 2nd XI prospects. This would have led to odds of 50 to 1 against.

The Bookmakers would have been absolutely spot-on with their 1st & 3rd XI assessments. A horrific early/mid order collapse left the 1sts at 49-5, and although Andrew Brock & Vic Coltherd clawed the batting back to some respectability, a total of less than 150 was never going to be enough. Nevertheless, Will Jackson & Andrew Brock (to back up his fine batting), both bowled with great purpose.

A 150 run second wicket partnership by the Kismet 2nd XI sealed the 3rds fate, although creditable performances were recorded by debutants Andrew Smith (batting) and Jack Mysyk & Charlie Adamson (bowling). The best performance, 'tho, was by ageless Alf Bissett. Brought on by heartless captain Robin MacQueen right in the middle of the match winning partnership, he produced the marvellous figures of 8-2-14-0. Indeed, the 0 figure should have been at least 2, with some very confident LBW appeals turned down.

Over to the 2nds at Leith Links. Davie Gibson's mood was not lifted when Craig Goold sustained a serious finger injury very early in the 2nd XI game at Leith Links. Fortunately the rest of the bowlers rose to the challenge magnificently and bowled out Leith 2nds for 148. The batters then, not least top scorer Davie himself, approached their challenge with relish, and secured victory by 4 wickets. Under normal circumstances it might have been an easier victory, but the satisfaction would surely have been less.

Despite the results of the two home games, our Ball Sponsors Day was a great success. Thanks to all who came along, we very much appreciate all your help towards our economic certainty. Thanks also again for all of the work Alan Veitch has done on this project.

An update on Phoebe Tulloch's progress. While Saturday was not her best bowling performance for us, she was able to report she has been invited to net with the Scottish Women Team Squad

COLTS REPORT - week ending 11th June

Under 15s

Bit of a disaster losing heavily to Watsonians. Not helped with 3 regular good cricketers away rugby training in June! Some of the under 13s helped out and acquitted themselves well.

Under 13s

Match cancelled against Grange due to rain

Saturday 5th June -

In a results sense, Saturday was not very successful, with two comprehensive defeats and one abandoned game. Yet there are certainly positives which can be taken from the events of the day.

The 1sts bowled well for most of the Renfrew innings and were faced with a gettable score when they batted. But, for the second week in a row in the Wild West, the batting failed to produce the goods. We hope a return to home territory this Saturday will galvanise our batsmen.

The 2nd XI looked well on top when the Edinburgh monsoon hit Inverleith but unfortunately not enough overs had been bowled to give a result. Highlights for the 2nds were some entertaining batting, for the second week in a row, and a stunning catch by Charles Butcher which rather made him look like an athlete.

The 3rds encountered a 9 wicket defeat by our old friends from Teuchters at their new home on Leith Links, the game finishing not long before the rains arrived. Chris Thomson made a most promising debut but Phoebe Tulloch again was awarded the champagne moment. She held a skier to dismiss Teuchters top batsman Rich Bartsch, before achieving the aim of many women, simultaneous cuddles from 10 men. She then received an approach after the game from a representative of the Scotland Women's cricket team, asking if Phobe would be interested in playing for them. So representative honours may await.........watch this space!

MAY

Saturday 29th May -

It was the 2nd XI who had the most reason to smile from the Senior teams at the weekend. In a game which had a remarkable number of twists and turns, they secured a 4 wicket victory against a gritty Falkland 3rds team. Man of the Match, certainly from an entertainment point of view, was John Foley, who had a remarkable escalation to fame. He only came into the 3rd XI via a call on Friday, then was advised at the ground he was in the 2nd XI due to a late withdrawal.

It was an inspired choice by captain Davie Gibson. John only bowled one over, but it secured the wicket of the Falkland top scorer. He then came to the wicket with the 2nd XI on a very shaky 70 for 6, chasing 90. Five balls later he had all but won the game, hitting a quick-fire 18*. Another worthy debutante was Alex Dry, more usually seen opening the bowling for the School 1st XI. He contributed well with bat and ball, we look forward to his second appearance.

The other two Senior teams were not as happy. The 1st XI came off a poor second in a Duckworth Lewis calculation in wet Glasgow, while the 3rd XI lost by five wickets to the School 3rd XI. The only consolation was that several of the key School players also, on occasion, play for the 3rd XI.

The Colts teams meanwhile continue their plethora of fixtures. Pete Wilkinson deserves great praise for ensuring we meet ever more commitments. Stand out performance last week was a victory for the Under 13 XI against Edinburgh Acads.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 29th May

Under 15s

Have spent the week at Carbisdale so any cricket played will have been of a totally ad hoc nature

Under 13s

Had a good win against Edinburgh Accies last Monday. Stew Mel Royals scored 128 for 5 off their 20 overs with Jack Pennell 34*, Jack Hogarth 22*, Jamie Ross 21* and Jamie Campbell 13* being the main run scorers. In reply the Accies were bowled out for 93 with Jack Hogarth (2 for 8), Jamie Campbell (1 for 12) and Jack Pennell (1 for 16) being the pick of the bowlers.

Great result team - well done!

Under 11s

Played a much bigger and more experienced West Lothian team in the new 8-a-side hard ball league on Friday, eventually losing by 56 runs. However, this was an encouraging first game for a very young team with many positives to take away both from the batting and the bowling, while the fielding held up extremely well under pressure.

Under 10s

Played in the Kwik Cricket Festival at Grange CC on Sunday morning and enjoyed some good competitive games. After being well beaten by the home team, our guys put in a much improved performances against Carlton and West Lothian, with the latter game being lost by just 4 runs. In our final game, we were undone by one of our own players (Toby Hughes), who played for Murrayfield taking wickets and catches and scoring runs against us! A learning experience for all.

Saturday 22nd May -

Last week it was the Senior 1st XI who were most disappointed. On Saturday it all turned around and they had the most reason to smile. A comprehensive victory over fancied West Lothian enabled them to be in the bar early and from there on to support the 2nd XI in the final tense overs of a superb game on the artificial at Inverleith. The 2nd XI game eventually produced a tie as a result, with Holy Cross scoring 11 of the 12 they needed from the final over before a run-out on the final ball produced that rarest of results.

The annual School trip to Carbisdale caused the postponement of the Under 15 game & also weakened the 3rd XI, who nevertheless competed manfully in the unusual setting of Prestonpans, before losing by 40 runs to Preston Village. The Senior teams thereby achieved the unusual set of results of won 1 tied 1 lost 1.

The 3rd XI have no League fixture this Saturday (29th), as they are the odd team out in a 15 team League, but a friendly match is being set up against the School 3rd XI on the artificial at Inverleith.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 22nd May

Under 15s

There are no Under 15 games scheduled for the next 10 days while the School 3rd year are at Carbisdale.

The West Lothian game due on 26th May has been rescheduled for Wednesday 23 June at Boghall.

In the meantime, many congratulations to our team captain Scott Docherty, who has been selected for the North Edinburgh and East Lothian Area Under 15 Squad for 2010.

Under 13s

On Monday our Under 13s bowled and fielded pretty well to restrict a strong Grange 'B' team to 98 for 7 off their 20 overs. In reply we started confidently and were going well with Jack Pennell and Jack Hogarth scoring at the required rate until Jack H was run out and Jack P retired having scored 20. The run rate then slowed and we fell steadily further behind, eventually finishing on 68 for 5. Overall, an encouraging performance with the team showing greater confidence and steadiness

Under 10/11s

The under 10's are participating in the Kwik Cricket Festival at Grange CC on Sunday 30 May starting at 0930 hours.

Our first Under 11 'hard ball' league game is against West Lothian on Friday 28 May at Inverleith starting at 1800 hours.

Thursday 20th May - the 1st X1 lost to Heriots in the Masterton Trophy in the replayed match, following last weeks abandoned match due to rain.

Saturday 15th May -

Apart from the Senior 1st XI's disappointment - well beaten by Ferguslie, it has been another great week for the Club. The Senior 2nd & 3rd XIs both had comfortable wins at Inverleith, with the 2nds beating the League leaders, Stirling County 3rds. It was certainly the best performances by both sets of players, on a day when we had a large number of players available. The Under 13 & Under 15 teams also recorded wins, albeit the Under 13 win was by a default, the opposition failing to raise a team. The Under 15 victory must take pride of place as our win of the week, as it was against the Carlton Club who have recorded several emphatic victories against several of our teams already in this embryonic season.

Other points to note:

· The champagne moment of the 3rd XI match was undoubtedly the tremendous catch by Principal David Gray. A full bodied drive off Phoebe Tulloch's bowling was picked up at short cover inches from the ground by David after a fine dive. Indeed, David's fielding throughout the innings shamed his younger team-mates.

· Will Jackson played his first game for the club, in the 2nd XI, and had the distinction of taking the wicket which sealed the win.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 15th May

Under 15s team secured an excellent win against a young but talented Carlton team on Wednesday evening. Chasing a useful total of 126 for 2, we reached 127 for the loss of 6 wickets off the penultimate ball of the innings, with valuable contributions from Docherty, Grant, Morrison and Lowes. The team will now take a well earned break from cricket up at Carbisdale, while we try to re-arrange their 19 May and 26 May fixtures against Grange and West Lothian respectively.

Under 13s league game against Royal High Corstorphine last Monday night was sadly cancelled as our opponents were unable to muster a team. Our next league game was to have been against Fauldhouse Victoria next Monday (17 May). Because they too have been unable to raise a team to play against us, we have arranged a 'friendly' against Grange B at Inverleith starting at 1800 hours.

Under 10/11s - we had around a dozen or more young players at practice on Tuesday evening for a game of Team Cricket with the school's gap year student Will Jackson. Will tells us that the standard was high and so we have entered a team for the Grange CC Under 10 Kwik Cricket Festival at Raeburn Place on Sunday 30 May starting at 0930 hours. The idea is that the 8 teams taking part will be organised into two pools of 4, so that each team will get to play at least three games; after that we assume the winners in each pool play for the trophy but we are not so sure about the remainder. Anyway, all will no doubt become clear once we receive the rules and playing conditions. Aim is to take 12 boys to the tournament with a different 8 playing in each game so that everyone can get involved. If this is popular, we will enter some of the other Festivals, all of which are scheduled for Sundays in June/August.

Thursday 13th May -

This weeks Masterton tie was abandoned for rain shortly after half way. 1st X1 batted first posting only 101. Jonny Brock top scoring with just 16. Pete Mitchell next best with 13.

Heriots were well on target after 6 overs - about 55 for 2. But then the rain became ridiculous and the Umpire took us off. As a result we get another crack at them on Thursday 20th.

Sunday 9th May -

Scottish Cup 1st round against one of the current giants of the club scene against Carlton at Grange Loan. There was something of an expectation after Carlton elected to bat against a 1st X1 with only 5 of the previous day's winning side available they would score over 300 - and they did. A good 50 from Tom Tennent on debut helped our reply. Novelty for the scorer enjoying the electronic scoreboard for the 2nd successive week.

The 2nd X1 bounced back from a heavy defeat the previous week to beat Edinburgh Accies by 5 wickets at Newfield.

First time in many a year when we fielded 2 X1s on a Sunday.

Saturday 8th May -

The season is now well under way, with the Club as a whole having played nearly 20 games, very much a record for this time in May. Initial results were disappointing, but we now seem to have turned the corner, with the Senior 1st, 2nd & 3rd XIs all winning at the weekend. This is a somewhat rare event. An even rarer event is two centuries in the one innings, as achieved by Umar Malik & Rich Hannam for the 3rds on Saturday. Well done lads, more to come.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 8th May

It has been a week of mixed fortune for our Under 13 team. A comfortable win against Murrayfield DAFS in the league on Monday was followed by defeat against a very strong Grange side in the Cup on Friday. There were some good performances with both bat and ball in Monday's game and the ground fielding and catching was pretty sound. There were also some positives to take away from the Grange game: our bowling and fielding stood up pretty well to some aggressive batting by Rory Turnbull and Rufus Lopes and we managed to take 6 wickets, which was a good effort. However, our batting collapsed against some very good fast bowling by the Grange boys, and we clearly have a bit of work to do on batting skills.

Next game against Corstorphine on Monday (10 May) is off, as they cannot raise a team that day.

Sunday 2nd May -

First outing of the season against Carlton at Grange Loan - weak side and the scores reflected that. Alex Ranson, School Coach rolled back the years with 9 good overs, boundary patrol and then batted almost 40 overs undefeated.

Saturday 1st May -

A few more runs at Inverleith for both the 1st X1 and 3rd X1 might have changed the results - both close games, but both lost. Carlton 4th X1 were grateful to ex-Royal High 2nd X1 Bob Irvine to help secure victory as wickets fell around him.

COLTS REPORT - week ending 1st May

Played and very narrowly lost our first league game against Watsonians. Our bowling and fielding were good and we managed to restrict our opponents to 64 for 7 off their 20 overs. In reply, we started well enough and then suffered a mini collapse before the last three wickets took us to within 5 runs of what would have been an impressive win. The major lesson is that the two run outs maybe cost us the game. Nothing to lose any sleep over, as it happens to all of us from time to time. However, it's something we will work on at the next practice session with a view to minimising the risks. All in all, it was a good effort all round and definitely something we can build on, so well done everyone.

APRIL

Saturday 24th April -

Two entertaining games on Saturday unfortunately resulted in two defeats but provided great preparation for the games ahead. It was particularly good to see the involvement of several players from the School. Indeed, in the 3rd XI, the two top scorers were from the School. Nick Hay & Alex Clayton both getting 50s. This game produced some interesting facts and figures, but none more extraordinary than the 80 overs of play produced over 470 runs with only 11 wickets being taken. This for a match at the Meadows in April. It must be a record!

The 1st X1 facts of the day included the match being played on 2 pitches - 20 overs for Heriots batting on the artificial wicket before returning to grass with our coach on 49 not out at time of change over. Three Heriots batsman (with our coach Steve Knox setting an example) all retired out on exactly 50.

Saturday 17th April -

The playing cricket season started for SMRH on Saturday. It wasn't a great start for the 1st XI, losing by 6 wickets to a lively School 1st XI. However, the main point of the day was some match practice and words of encouragement to the School team to play for SMRH.

FEBRUARY / MARCH

Indoor Media Sixes Tournament 2010

Results – Week 1

Martin Currie 153/4 after 10 (12 points) G Maiden 58* F Watts 47*

SMRH 128/3 (4 points) A Brock 38* J Brock 28*

SMRH 160/3 after 10 (13 points) J Moran 38* J Brock 28*

Uddingston 104/4 after 10 (2 points) B Clarke 32*

Uddingston 87/4 after 10 (0 points) N Mcleod 29*

Martin Currie 88/0 4.4 overs (13 points) S Davidson 28* D Hodge 27*

Results – Week 5

Martin Currie 183/3 10 overs (14pts) S Davidson 54, G Maiden, D Hodge 27

SMRH 63/5 6.5 overs (1pt) A Brock 31

SMRH 124/5 – 9.4 overs (13pts) A Brock 32, J Moran 33

Uddingston 58/5- 7.3 overs (3pts) D Bill 29

Martin Currie 36/5 - 5.3 overs (0pts)

Uddingston 38/5 – 3.3 overs (13pts)

GROUP A TABLE
	Played	Won	Lost	Points
Martin Currie	4	3	1	39
SMRH	4	2	2	31
Uddingston	4	1	3	18

Semi Finals

Martin Currie defeated Watsonians by 33 runs

Martin Currie 104 for 3 (10 overs, DF Watts 22, GI Maiden 24

Watsonians 71 all out (8 overs)

Carlton defeated Freuchie by 4 wickets

Freuchie 105 all out (9.3 overs, JSC Galloway 24, SJ Birrell 22, AR Wallace 25, RT Lyons 2 for 16)

Carlton 109-1 (8.1 overs, JAM. Kerr 28*, N Martin 27*, RT Lyons 28*)

Final

Carlton defeated Martin Currie by 21 runs

Carlton 119 for 3 (10 overs, JAM Kerr 32*, SD Gilmour 25, PL Mommsen 25)

Martin Currie 98 all out (8.3 overs, DF Watts 26*, GI Maiden 20, N Martin 2 for 20)