Issue 15

It’s a day that will live in my memory. Carlton women and entourage arrived at sun-soaked New Williamfield in Stirling for the Scottish Cup Finals Day. Scorching hot by Scotland’s standards. A convincing 136 run win over the youthful George Watson’s College set up an enticing final against West of Scotland CC. Before I go on to why it was so memorable, I do have one bone to pick on behalf of my teammates Abbi Aitken-Drummond and Ruth Willis. Whilst these two were wielding their bats with magnificent skill and striking the ball 360 degrees around the ground, they did not get the attention they deserved. A certain Ben Stokes was doing ridiculous things to save England’s Ashes hopes, which radically reduced our spectator figures for the latter half of the innings. There must have been 50+ people squeezed round the TV in that little glass clubhouse! What made this match so memorable was the fact that it was one of the most solid team performances I’ve been a part of. Abbi and Ruth dominated with the bat, Georgia Henderson and Hannah Rainey delivered feisty bowling spells and Annette Aitken-Drummond tried something new and took the gloves, taking a fantastic catch in the process (cheers Netty!) The youngsters fielded like demons, as did the not-so-youngsters. We lifted the Scottish Cup – and it really felt special because of this stellar team performance. I would love to bottle the team spirit we had that day, although it’s evident that we don’t need to. That same team camaraderie is there every time we see each other, whether that’s at training, in a league match or at one of our famous themed potluck dinners. This is down to those over the past few years who have helped develop our women’s section into the team it is; through Helen Blair, to Pete Steindl, to Ruth Willis, who has moved on to pastures new. There have also been some more recent additions to the women’s set-up and it would be remiss of me not to mention our coach Caleb Whitefoord, Georgia Henderson, Annette Aitken-Drummond and the amazing ray of sunshine that is Ellie Hird. Ellie took on the captaincy last year (with Ruth unavailable because of Scotland fixtures) as well as dealing with our team communications, organizing fixtures AND being our resident Cric-HIIT coach. Ellie has also moved on (she’s now in Devon!) and will be sorely missed. I also can’t forget our entourage of parents/scorers and supporters – you are amazing. Whilst COVID-19 has put a bit of a dampener on our plans for this summer, the future is certainly bright. I am so grateful to be a part of this squad, and excited for what the future holds for our diverse, thriving section. 27 August 2019 Sam Haggo recalls a special day

Andrew was followed by Paul Persaud*. Very different, very young and quiet, but he could catch! Our main conversations were about trying to get Paul to laugh. I then had a cricketing holiday of about 20 years, before returning to Carlton 4th XI. I was pleased to find Bob believed in posting a first slip. Interestingly enough, the same dynamics applied as in the top team - first slip brings encouragement, unusual conversation, life stories and the occasional catch. Due to the ever varying personnel of the 4th XI, there could be a new slip every week - very different to the depth of relationship and familiarity with the top teamers discussed earlier. Many seniors Shaun*, Martin, Keith, even Bob himself (see photo), were granted the right to remain stationary for the afternoon. The chat ranged far and wide, occasionally touching on the cricket, and the afternoon was better for this. The catching was clearly the difficult part. Sometimes these seniors would be replaced by a younger player, Feds, Zaki, Keshav, who had somehow managed to convince Bob they could catch. They arrived happy they didn’t ‘have to field’ until the inevitable dropped catch and they found themselves back at deep square leg! It wasn’t long until I found myself in a role reversal at first slip. What would I be like? It felt like the focus of any of the team chat would be the opposition, not the events of the day, exams, life or social plans. By the time the focus on the opposition had lifted, the field was usually well spread and the chance of a chat gone. Deep square leg beckoned. Best First slips- People that can catch and chat. Worst First slips - Ex-wicketkeepers and people that talk about themselves. * players who really could catch, the others couldn’t, though occasionally one stuck. When I first came to Carlton, Richard Swan*, Captain of Carlton and Scotland, would slip. Given this was my first season I didn’t say much, neither did Richard, focusing all his attention on our bowlers, the game and the opposition. This left me plenty of time to concentrate. Richard would replace himself with George Innes when George was bowling, so George’s only movement once he started bowling was his run up! In those days bowlers could bowl all day, and George could talk all day, usually giving me a summary of his previous over. As if I hadn’t witnessed it for myself. This left me very little time to concentrate. Then Graham Langley, captain, plenty of chat, language and encouragement. Very reluctant to set a proper field and get himself out of first slip. In friendlies David Ponniah would slip. Poon was very laidback with a healthy dislike for fielding. His chat was never about the game - the events of the day, trying to get his students to pass their exams, his next game of golf or where we could get fed after the game. Great company. Then a couple of pros took the position. It was great listening to Andrew Jackman* commentate on the game, call the action before it happened, how someone would get out, what we needed to change and why. It was also interesting to see that playing just once a week was a challenge for Andrew, who was used to playing everyday at home. SLIPPING AND SLIDING Kevin Whittaker reflects on first slips he has known