Issue 36

As he is required to do on these occasions, Ali Evans won the toss. But Carlton’s innings got off to an uncertain start as Chris Sole steamed up the hill and uprooted the stumps of Pillai and Southwell in quick succession. 19-2 and fingernails were being bitten all around GL. However Tom Simpson looked confident and rode the storm, and in partnership with Shuja Khan set about rebuilding. At 74, Khan was out for 26 slapping a full toss down the throat of fine leg. But Burnett and Shah were quickly out to leave Carlton 102-5 with 15 overs gone. A winning total seemed a distant prospect. Tom was joined by Umair Mohammed and with good stroke play - using the ramp to good effect to the delight of the home supporters - and aggressive running they accelerated the score. Sole came back for the final burst but he could not put the lid back on and his final over went for 17. Budge had also previously been parsimonious but he gave up 13 in the final over. Carlton finished 152-5 - maybe less than they had hoped for at the outset but a decent effort. Tom was undefeated on 70 (60 balls) and Umi on 28 (17 balls). Ben Davidson and Harris Carnegie started the Grange chase confidently. But the introduction of Angus Beattie in the fourth over put a spanner in their wheel. First ball saw Davidson mistime to be caught at backward point by Ali Shah. Three balls later Gus had a simple c&b to get rid of Farrar. 33-2. The skipper then maintained the momentum by castling Carnegie and when Umi had Grange skipper Foulds caught by Gupta for 0, the Grange innings was creaking at 46-4. However their top guns, Budge and Sole were now at the crease and Carlton were not out of danger. The match entered a key passage. Beattie (bowling one over spells in line with the rotation policy Evans has deployed throughout the tournament) came back for a second over. His first ball did the trick again - trapping Sole lbw for 0. Now it all depended on Budge. He had been watchful. But he needed to increase the tempo - and when he hit Shuja Khan strongly to the leg side he would have been confident of a boundary. But he reckoned without Arun Pillai lurking at square leg. Pillai flung himself to his right to take a blinding catch. 57-6 after 10. Stu Davidson (so often a thorn in Carlton flesh) and Huddleston then put together a 50+ partnership but struggled to keep up with the run rate. Their resistance finally ended when Davidson was stumped for 33 off Umi. 109-7 after 17. Huddleston was caught off the skipper’s final delivery to close the Grange innings on 125-8. Carlton victors by 25 runs, and the celebrations could begin. A stunning catch - and Arun rightly milks the applause The skipper gets a victory shampoo. The Masterton Final Carlton - 152-5. T Simpson 70*, U Mohammed 28* S Khan 26. Grange - 127-8. S Davidson 33; A Beattie 3-27 U Mohammed 2-21 A Evans 2-24

The Carlton Primary school team had a busy season in May and June, playing 12 fixtures against local independent schools with 6 wins and 6 losses. The 22 players in the squad all attend local primary schools and are mainly in P6 & P7 – although the squad ranged from S1s to P4s! As there was no season in 2020, the players were all new to the squad – apart from senior pros Osian and Shourjo. Many of Carlton’s current senior players and coaches are veterans of the Primary School team – and some are also involved in coaching in after school clubs through Active Schools. These clubs, along with most school sport, haven’t run since March 2020 – so it was great to get the Primary School Team up and running again in April this year. We started a weekly training session on Friday afternoons run by the squad’s head coach, Cheeky, and assisted by Callum and Harry (all ex-Primary School players themselves). For many of the players, this is their first experience of hardball cricket and also of ‘when you are out, you are out’. So it was great to see the players develop over the short season. There was a tough introduction with the second match being played in sleet showers at Edinburgh Academy – a shock for young cricketers making their debuts. They’ll get used to it! There were some memorable matches including the first win of the season at Heriots when the team had a batting fight back with Theo and Osian making valuable contributions after an early collapse, followed by a superb bowling performance led by Shourjo. Another notable performance was Benjamin’s batting at the Inch in a win against Stewarts Melville. The final match of the season was at Watsons – which saw debuts for youngsters William and Tom. The team all bowled superbly with special mention to Aaradhy and Tom both in P4 against a much older Watson’s side. A sensible batting performance by the older players, brought the team a much deserved win. All the players in the squad were a pleasure to coach and were encouraging of each other – a really good team spirit. Well done all. The matches were all played in a good atmosphere and we are grateful as always to Edinburgh Academy, Heriots Loretto, Merchiston, Stewarts Melville and Watsons for the fixtures. PRIMARY COLOURS Issue 25 of the NewsLetter told how Carlton’s Primary School Team has been an important part of Carlton’s junior set up for many years. Fraser Watts and Leigh Kasperek are among its distinguished alumni, along with several members of the current First XI squad. David Simpson has managed the team expertly for a number of years and he reviews this season’s action.

ONCE UPON A PRIMARY TEAM Here is the Carlton Primary Team of 2011, caught enjoying a mid-game snack - how many of the current First XI Squad can you identify? Every Friday until the end of the season. In the pipeline a 'Chilli and Margarita Night'; another 'Curry Night' and a BBQ. A guest beer will also feature. More details soon. Pie Not Bistro pies will feature most weeks - and if you haven't tried Jump Ship Brewing's alcohol free lager or IPA, you don’t know what you’re missing. The End of Season event is scheduled for Saturday 11 September - so keep diaries free. Suggestions for feature evenings or drinks for the bar to offer please will be gratefully received.

THE CAP FITS A big crowd enjoyed the recent presentation of numbered First XI caps to current players. Enjoy a photo gallery of the presentation on this link. This is a new initiative developed by Fraser Watts (Cap 299) and Ali Evans (Cap 381). Speaking at the awards, Ali said the personalised cap would remind players of the great history of Carlton Cricket Club and how special a privilege and honour it is to represent the club. The numbered cap is also a recognition of the hard work they have done to reach the First XI. Ali also noted with pride and pleasure how the majority of active First XI cap holders had come through the club’s junior ranks. This was a great endorsement of the club’s approach and a credit to all the hard work done by so many. He also noted how players continued to serve the club while no longer in the First Team adding to the legacy of the club. Since 1951 475 players have played for the First XI (records before then are sadly not available). We think the eldest surviving cap holder is Bill Courtney (WR Courtney) Cap 23 who first played in 1952 and made 57 appearances. He is Back Row second left in the 1955 First XI photo below. The lowest still a current member (non-playing) is thought to be Brian Adair, Cap 31, (photo above) he played two games for Carlton at the age of 17 in 1952 before his long association with Watsonians. He remembers taking a catch at gully in his first match - at Goldenacre Batting 3 that day, he scored a duck, but he scored 11 (batting at 7) the following Saturday against Murrayfield - the final match in his Carlton career. Some of the more recent cap holders The lowest cap numbers still active on the field are Martin Robertson* (Cap 246) - seen below modelling his cap at the presentation - and Paul Bailey (Cap 184). Paul played for Carlton in the 1970s before his long service at Holy Cross. He returned a few years ago, since when he has been a regular accumulator of runs in the 5th XI. *This is the 3rd successive issue of the NL to feature a photo of Martin - the editor doesn’t know whether to apologise or celebrate.

Here’s Lucy! Lucy Sprouncer made an immediate impact when she came to Carlton at the start of the season. As she tells here, she’d only played in all male teams with her home club Guildford City CC. Though she had to return home at the end of the Uni term, she fell in love with Carlton and she’ll be back. Before I started playing at age 9 I hadn’t heard or seen much of cricket; none of my family or friends played. I certainly didn’t think 10 years later I’d have played with all manner of mixed, age group, mens and most recently women’s teams. Even playing up to 21 hours of cricket a week I’m still learning new rules. It was in the middle one of my first 50 over matches and being on the pitch with my coach, Chandra Mutucumarana, who I’d looked up to for years, that I have my favourite cricketing memory. Taking my first two wickets in a men’s league. The drive back is burnt into my memory with the strength of my excitement and love for the game. Being the only woman and, in the beginning, the youngest player on the pitch always felt like a lot of responsibility to represent women but being part of a women’s team for the first time at Carlton, is so liberating. Surrounded by female cricketing role models, I feel I have the opportunity to be the same for others. Being welcomed so warmly by the 4s and 5s senior players reassures me that I’ve come from one very close cricket family into another. The size of Carlton is impressive but it’s kept the personality and friendliness small clubs strive for. I was even offered places to stay so I could play for Carlton over summer as I very much wanted to and was very emotional to leave after only a few months of joining. The volunteers that run this club show that cricket is a lifestyle; the amazing organisation that goes into providing such a wealth of opportunities for all players has been such a gift, a constant after the uncertainties of the past year. Catch me in the rain or sun at the nets the day I get back this September! CARLTON BUSTS THE SPREADSHEET! Is this proof that with 5 senior teams, a women’s team, a mixed development side and numerous junior teams, Carlton is among the most active cricket clubs in the UK, if not the most active? Brian Forrester reports that the computer programme he uses to compile the annual stats, Cricket Statistics for Windows, has a limit to the number of players that can be included per season. He has been butting-up against this limit in recent years. And it’s getting more of a challenge each season! Brian contacted the programmer to see if there was any way of increasing the number of players allowed. He replied "I don't think many other clubs anywhere (in the UK at least) run as many senior mens/mixed/ladies teams as Carlton runs! So it’s official - sort of. A solution to Brian’s challenge is being worked on.

What is your best memory from your time at Carlton? This question implies that my time is over??? (Always a game for you in the 4s Drummo - Ed) The success of 2016 is the highlight. It was a squad full of quality cricketers who played as a unit, set high standards for each other but at the same time had fun something that is crucial in club cricket and the reason we all started playing the game. Omar nicking off (well caught I may add) the 2 Scotland stars in the grand final at Grange Loan was a highlight - as were the celebrations afterwards. DRUMMO! Gordon Drummond is the latest of Carlton’s Scottish skippers to go in the hot seat. Drummo led the national side on 67 occasions and was a key member of Carlton’s championship side in 2016. He was inaugurated into the CricketScotland Hall of Fame in 2018. He is currently Performance Pathway Manager at CricketScotland. What was your most memorable match as Scotland skipper? The T20 victory against Bangladesh in Holland in 2012. It was a real monkey off the back for the squad and a quality victory against a strong Bangladesh outfit. We knew someone needed to go big with the bat and Berro did that with an unbelievable 100 off 50 balls. We then bowled and fielded really well to ensure the victory. The result is never discussed up there with others in CS history but it's one of the best against a full ICC member. Tactically I also felt we got it spot on the field with bowling rotations and field placements - something that pleases you as a skipper. As a skipper did you model yourself on anyone? Not really, I just tried to learn from as many people, situations, and environments as I could. The 2 things I was really keen on was leading by example and equality, ensuring everyone had an equal say in everything. Not sure I always achieved it but this was certainly a focus. /over An early shower for Drummo in 2016

What do you think were the main changes during your time as skipper? The main change during my time as skipper was players. We were going through a 'transition' period (although I always hated that phrase) - there were a lot of new players coming in who did not have experience at that level so it was a case of building their confidence and skills whilst trying to win. Playing in the CB40 programme helped this immensely as the expectations were lower but the standard was high and the players learnt a huge amount from this whilst also playing regularly. For me there is no better teacher at any level than playing the game. We then had a second transition following the new eligibility rule allowing players with Scottish heritage to play. This was a bit more challenging because we had a current group of players who we had developed a strong rapport with who now feared their places in the squad and new players coming in who were of a decent standard but didn't know the culture, environment and weren't around all the time. It was a tough transition, something we probably didn't get perfectly right but I believed behaviours are a good indication of attitude and commitment and the new groups of players that came into the squad showed the right behaviours and kept moving us forward. Inauguration into the Hall of Fame 2018 Who is the best bowler you batted against and why? Unfortunately I never spent enough time in the middle against the top bowlers to find out. I will always regret is not performing better with the bat at that level. I didn't train enough on my areas of weakness and back myself particularly against the world's best whereas I did with the ball. It was however a great experience to play against guys like Malinga, Johnson, Lee, Anderson, Flintoff (I hit him for a 4). The best bowler who I faced and spent a lot of time batting against was Hamid Hassan from Afghanistan on his day he was as quick as any, moved the ball both ways and had the best yorker in cricket. Same question re bowling. Any one that's knows me well will be well used to be rumbling on about some of the scalps I have had from time to time. Although it's now getting to the stage that the younger player now don't know who these guys are! I base my assessment on the feeling that the player had so much time, I felt they could hit me wherever they wanted no matter what I did, it didn't happen that often to my surprise. Drummo - a Tribute On his retirement from playing following Carlton’s 2016 Championship victory, there were many eloquent tributes to Drummo. They came from many legends of the game. Perhaps the most memorable was from Fantasy Bob - you can enjoy it again on this link.

It's hard to believe, given the talent and depth of Carlton Women's setup, that the last time we clinched the WPL title was back in 2017, the very first year it started. So this year, we set out as a unit with the main aim of getting that trophy back to Grange Loan, and we're delighted to say that we succeeded! The campaign started off with a visit to the newly formed Watsonians/Grange at Myreside. Given that we were missing the majority of our Scotland players who were over in Ireland, it was incredible to win this game by such a significant margin - 308 runs no-less! Charis started off as she meant to go on, contributing 97* with the bat, with Sarah and Maisie both chipping in with 30-odd runs a piece. Charis then continued to be the star of the show by picking up 4 wickets, and this, coupled with some stunning catches in the field from Amelia & Ashley, and Leanne getting her first ever wicket for Carlton, marked a great start to the season. Our next match was arguably the most important of our season, against the 2018 & 2019 League Champions Stew Mel. We had pinpointed this as a must-win game. They posted 176, and despite a valiant effort from Sam Haggo towards the end of our chase with a hard-fought 53*, we came up short by 16 runs. I wasn't playing due to work commitments. I watched eagerly on Twitter, and it's safe to say I was pretty unbearable for the next 3 days (poor Abbi). In such a short season, I was certain that we'd thrown away our chance. Next up were George Watson's College. We backed ourselves to bat first, with Abbi grabbing a 50, Sam again contributing with 34 and Hannah coming in near the end to biff a lovely 28*, to end up with a total of 196. Charis was pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, however a special mention must go to Sarah Beith with the most incredible double mid-air catch I've ever seen, definitely one for the cameras! Then news trickled in that Watsonians/Grange had beaten Stew Mel in their own back garden, could this be our season after all...? /over WPL CHAMPIONS Netta relives the journey

We needed to do a job with the ball, and despite the stubbornness of RHC opener Riti Patel, we did just that. Ashley picked up 3 wickets, alongside Charis with 4, and Sam with 2, and we got them all out for 119, winning the game by 24 runs. This game showed that we have players to step up when need be, and this was a really proud moment for me as skipper, a real team effort. With the West of Scotland beating Stew Mel in the other games, it meant that even with the last round of games to follow, we were champions for the first time in 3 years, and boy did it feel good! We've been playing some friendlies and ESCA T16 matches to keep us going over July, however the real test comes on 8th August when we look to defend our Scottish Cup title against none other than Stew Mel in the first round. Can we become the first ever Women's team to do the double? Watch this space! /Cont’d Round 4 saw us travel down to Dumfries to face a D&G team confident off the back of beating RHC the week before. Dumfries batted first, but they were no match for Maisie Maciera as she celebrated her first ever 5-fer - a fantastic achievement! Despite some distractions with Ashley chasing an escapee dog on the pitch, we chased down their total of 84 comfortably and carried on our winning streak to the next game. Next up - West of Scotland. West had also beaten RHC the previous week, so were feeling quietly confident on their trip to Grange Loan.They batted first and posted a respectable 147, Maisie again grabbing 3 wickets for us as we achieved our first ever team hat-trick. Zaara & Heather were both gunning it in the field with some quick-fire run outs. As we went out to chase it down, Abbi was in no mood to hang around, hitting a couple of sixes on the way to her jug-avoiding 49, then Hannah belted 37 off 31 balls to secure us the win by 8 wickets. We were looking strong, and we were feeling it too. Other results meant that we were joint-top with Stew Mel going in to round 6. This was our last game of the season, with all the other teams having another game the week after. It was an absolute must-win. We travelled to Barnton to play RHC, and it's safe to say the nerves were showing. We batted first, and myself, Abbi, Sam and Hannah departed with 25 runs between us. Step up Charis and Zaara. A mixture of steely determination and free-flowing shots meant that they helped us to get to a defendable total of 143, with Heather and Maisie also contributing with some runs towards the end.

Keen observers of Grange Loan’s furnishings will have noticed the appearance of a handsome new bench on the hill. The bench was donated by his family is in memory of Jeff Maguire, a long-standing dog-walking member who died last July. Jeff was a founder member of the Edinburgh based punk rock band The Prats, who were active between 1977 to 1981. Bench News August - It’ll Be Busy An action packed August is in prospect as the season reaches its climax. By winning the Masterton Trophy the First XI advance to the national T20 Finals Day in Arbroath on 8 August. A win there could see them bound for Europe next season! Also on 8 August, the Women’s Team also embark on their campaign to regain the Scottish Cup with a fixture against Stew-Mel/Edin South. The U16s beatg Grange last week and also advance to finals day on 15 August at the Doo’Cot, Perth. Meanwhile the U13s could add to this excitement. Following their nail-biting win over Chester-Le-Street they play the next round of the next round of the national age grade competition on 27 July against Louth CC (the club from which former coach Matt Crowther came to Carlton) at Neston CC, Cheshire Keep up with all the news and action on @CarltonCricket @CarltonScores The Prats were championed by John Peel and still enjoy a cult following. More recently, their 1980 track General Davis was featured in the opening credits of Jonathan Demme's 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate starring Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep. Celine, Jeff’s widow, still lives on Grange Loan and continues their dog-walking membership and can be seen regularly exercising Lulu, her miniature schnauzer.