Issue 39

After the disruption of 2020, junior cricket definitely returned with a bang at Carlton in 2021! It has been great to see so many of our young members at Grange Loan during the year and hear so much laughter, enjoyment and encouragement from all of our youngsters. We have over 200 junior members at Carlton and have hosted a large number of teams this year, at all levels, from our Allstars through to our highly experienced cup-winning u16 side. All teams have had a very successful season and we have needed an extension to the trophy cabinet to fit in all of the new awards and trophies that have been won this year! This is undoubtedly due significantly to our amazing team of coaches, expertly led by Stevie who puts in so much work so that our juniors can continue to grow and develop their cricket skills. The 2022 cricket preparation will start in January with our indoor winter nets sessions and we are also entering teams in all age group indoor games that are being arranged by Cricket Scotland for the new year. We’ll issue more details about all of that on Pitchero soon, so please do review all of the Pitchero messages that you receive. Thank you to all of our junior members for making Carlton Cricket Club such a special place and for playing cricket in such an enthusiastic and positive way during the year. Thank you also to all of the parents that have supported the club throughout the year. The club thrives on the fantastic commitment of the many volunteers that we have and we most definitely couldn’t do it without you all! I’m looking forward to the 2022 season already. See you all soon! Siobhan A big welcome from Siobhan Fontenla - Junior Convenor

Carlton’s Junior Section has been very fortunate to have benefited from CALA Homes’ sponsorship since 2018. Carlton is very grateful to CALA Homes for their support over the years and the junior players have worn the CALA Homes logo on their shirts with pride. Carlton’s Junior Section is also grateful for the continuing support of Super Logo SUPPORT CARLTON JUNIORS A NEW OPPORTUNITY As CALA Homes sponsorship period has now come to an end, the Junior Section is now looking for a new sponsor - do you know a company that might be interested in becoming a new sponsor? Would like to see your company logo being worn on the shirts of the junior players? If so, please contact Siobhan at juniors@carltoncc.co.uk for more information. A BIG THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

U16 SCOTTISH CUP U13 ECB SCOTTISH CUP U12 ROWAN BOLAND TROPHY CARLTON JUNIORS - 2021 Congratulations to all the Junior Trophy Winners U16 Batting - Gavin Murray U16 Bowling - Ruaridh McIntyre U14 Batting - James Stronach U14 Bowling - Fergus Foley Fielder of the Year - Harry Charman U12 Player of the Year - Hamish Foley Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Dilan Amin Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Florence Buckley Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Elliot Peltenberg Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Tom Sweet Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Lindsay Thompson Primary School Cricketer of the Year - Aadi Khadse Outstanding Performance by a Junior - Rory Ledingham Girls’ Hardball Cricketer of the Year - Holly Sladen Most Improved Junior - Noah Moncur Maurice Murphy Award for Significant Potential - Max D’Ulisse Gavin Murray’s photo-gallery of the Junior Prizegiving can be found on this link.

Holly Sladen I enjoy being able to play in a team and each game being able to do something different like bowling one week or wicket keeping the next My favourite thing about Carlton is being able to train and play with my friends and that it’s nearly always sunny We played against Clydesdale in August and came out with a good result and lots of sunshine! I bowled my first ever maiden over and there was loads of great bowling and batting from everyone. My favourite player is Mady Villiers as she’s an amazing bowler and delivered a great batting performance in the Hundred winning it for her team with a six. Tom Sweet Favourite thing about cricket? - Everything Favourite thing about Carlton? - Kwik Cricket matches. Best match this season? - first hard ball game for Primary School team v Watson's. Favourite player? - Haseeb Hameed What’s So Great About Carlton? Let some of our Junior Prize Winners tell you Aadi Khadse My favourite part about cricket is batting and the feeling when I walk to the pitch for opening the innings is quite amazing. My favourite aspect about Carlton is the way everyone supports and encourages no matter how you play. My best match this year was against Loretto where I scored my first fifty. Since I played a long innings Cheeky wouldn't let me bowl however it was fine as my brother Aaradhy won the game for us with the last 2 wickets. My favourite player is Virat Kohli and ABD Villiers because they are such big hitters. I haven't hit many sixes this year but next year I will! Lindsay Thompson Favourite thing about cricket? - Batting and hitting the ball out of the ground. Favourite thing about Carlton? - Everyone is so friendly and the coaches are awesome! Best match? - Parents versus Children because I bowled my Dad out. Favourite player? - Ben, my coach at cricket camp Noah Moncur My favourite thing about cricket is bowling especially spin. My favourite things about Carlton is how supportive the coaches are. My best match was against Grange when I scored a six off the last ball and we won. My favourite international player is James Anderson and at Carlton it’s Harrison.

Paul Bailey reports on the new record for the age gap between two Carlton players in the same game. Aaradhy Khadse was still only eight years old when he and Paul played in the final Development XI match on 29 August The age gap between them is 66 years and 346 days. Aaradhy and Paul Aaradhy stylishly knocks it through the covers Cricket: You’re Never Too Young You’re Never Too Old Congratulations to the Carlton players selected for the Eastern Knights u15 Squad Congratulations to Rory Ledingham 140* at Grange Loan on 13 June 2021 - a record score for a Carlton junior in Senior Cricket

To the outsider, Kwik Cricket is nothing short of chaos. In place of the established order of a cricket match with 15 people carefully placed around a pitch, dressed in no more than 3 different uniforms, Kwik Cricket offers the delightful surrealism of several miniature cricket pitches, adorned with tens of technicoloured players, dotted about where normally only resting bowlers graze. And yet … and yet … look more closely, and some order emerges. Tiny bowlers of unerring accuracy can be seen, small wristy flickers and muscular sluggers are spotted, and mini scampering fielders abound. A look into Grange Loan on any one of a dozen occasions this summer would have given the casual visitor a glimpse into Carlton‘s future. The pandemic, having more or less stopped last season’s Kwik Cricket in its tracks, wrought a more benevolent havoc this year. The traditional festivals were deemed too dangerous, but two or three team events were allowed. A monumental effort from Siobhan resulted in matches against other clubs most Sunday mornings. And when we couldn’t play other clubs, we played against ourselves. Never has Grange Loan’s outfield been so assaulted on Sunday mornings. Never have so many dogs found their Sunday morning walkies curtailed by cricket. And never have the long-suffering groundstaff had to ask so often: “how many strips do you want this weekend?”. And the end result, of course, is a lot of very happy Kwik Cricketers. The whole season has been one long highlight, but I’ll pick two particular events. Early in the season, we announced a Players v Parents game. This event has been a regular fixture for 6 years, and we usually have enough players for two-to-four games. This year, we had so much interest that we had to run the event on two Sundays in order to give everyone a chance to play. In all, 60 pairs of players and parents took part, a phenomenal level of interest which speaks volumes for the enthusiasm of the club’s most recent recruits. We are regularly invited to Gala to play in the Rowan Boland cricket tournament. This tournament is held annually in memory of Rowan Boland, an enthusiastic young cricketer who tragically died aged nine. We have quite a strong record at this event, having won it a few times – and this year was no exception. A Carlton team representing almost every primary school year travelled to Gala and won all four matches, including a closely contested final against Stew Mel. Very well done to all the players, and thank you very much to the parents who stepped in at many points during the season to manage the teams. Martin Firth is synonymous with KwikCricket at Carlton - he reports on another fun year Winners - Rowan Boland Trophy

Carlton Swifts A few words from the Swifts management team (Iain and Joe) ..... A few team highlights of the season included coming back from minus 23 to score 122 and win away at Livingston, a great win on the grass wicket at Grange, and a competitive derby win against the Stars at Grange Loan! They are a competitive group who enjoyed winning, but they were always encouraging to their teammates and enjoyed each other’s success. Carlton Strikers A few words from the Strikers Management team (Kelly, Jon and Cheeky)..... It was an absolute pleasure to coach the strikers. Although everyone's batting and bowling improved massively, the best thing about the team was their fielding, especially catching which is crucial for winning matches! The strikers were by far the best Carlton U12 team, largely down to their amazing coach and some dodgy umpiring from their coach (according to Cheeky!) Carlton Stars A few words from the Stars Management Team (Ian and Linda) ..... Overall the Stars played some attractive cricket with excellent running between the wickets. Three players averaged over 20 runs a match. The team played well together and it was wonderful to see the excellent spirit and enthusiasm in all the games especially the encouragement they gave each other never letting their heads drop. A joy to coach. U12 HARDBALL A full review of the Primary Team’s season featured in Newsletter 36

Carlton Cobras A word from the coaches (Charles and Keith) The U14 Cobras had a mixed season, winning 6, losing 4 and tying one match. There were some good performances from all of the team and it was great to see everyone improving throughout the season with the best team performance kept for the last game of the season against Gala. The team accumulated 189 runs without losing any wickets and then proceeded to nearly bowl them out twice with the wickets being shared by the whole team. Carlton Caimans A word from the coaches (Euan and Cheeky) The Caimans enjoyed a strong run of form with only a single league loss against a very strong Grange team. The team even managed to run a strong Carlton Women's XI to a very close finish in a friendly – which is no mean feat! The biggest positive was the number of match-winning contributions from different players - everyone has put their hand up and contributed to at least one good win. Particular thanks to Max who has captained in the true Carlton spirit with energy, positivity, and skill. However, the comment of the year goes to keeper Manu, geeing up the troops down at Grange: 'Wicket's coming here Carlton, I can smell it. Smells like strawberries!' U14 HARDBALL

This year’s under-16 squad have been exceptionally strong - that much is evident from their bringing the U16 Scottish Cup home from Perth. They are undeniably strong cricketers, but more importantly they are a strong team - they enjoy playing with and for each other. Some of my favourite photographs of their years of junior cricket show them not playing the game, but simply enjoying being together around the game; whether piled around Cheeky imbibing coaching wisdom, or clustered around each other laughing at someone’s social media feed, or simply watching a game from the sidelines, their hallmark has been the enjoyment of playing with each other. Beyond the cup games, this season has been strong. They beat Grange three times, Watsonians, Stew Mel and Penicuik once each. It might seem odd to focus on the losses (I assure you the victories were things of beauty), but their defeats were battling affairs which further illustrate the team’s spirit. A severely exam-depleted team travelled to Livingston and very nearly pulled off a remarkable run chase paced by Rudy, Calum and Dougie. Late in the season, an injury-depleted side were denied victory at Watsonians by a few runs, by a Scotland U15 bowler bowling flat out in the dark to Zaara and Kyle - Kyle’s trademark bye-stealing off the last ball very nearly nicked an implausible victory. It was particularly satisfying that this year’s last game of the season, and the last junior game for half the squad, was at Grange Loan on a sunny Wednesday evening, against our old rivals Grange. In keeping with the team spirit alluded to above, several players turned up who weren’t going to play, just to take part in the evening. And to add icing to the cake, the game turned into an exhibition of what this U16 team can do. A tight and disciplined bowling performance limited Grange to 74-6 with one wicket each for six bowlers and an astonishing 2-2-0-0 for Mark. Then a canny opener’s run-a-ball 17 from Euan, accompanied by a not-so-canny 16 from Shaun and a typically swashbuckling 33 from Rory saw them comfortably home in eight overs. The whole team retired to sausages and celebrations. Many years ago, I explained to a sceptical onlooker at a junior game that they were watching the Carlton 1st XI of the future. The scepticism was misplaced; the U16s already provide players to every senior Carton side. It has been an absolute pleasure watching them throughout their junior careers, and it will continue to be a pleasure to watch them in senior cricket. Sausages and Celebrations Martin Firth relives the u16s season

In August I was lucky enough, along with four other Carlton girls, to be selected to play in the U15 Scotland team at a cricket festival at Malvern College. We set off excitedly on our journey from MES on the Tuesday morning having received our training and match kit 2 days before ( a huge Gray Nichols delivery!) and travelled down the motorways stopping for a pit stop at Gretna for lunch and to pick up our West team-mates! We arrived at Malvern College and the campus was spectacular. We went to our dorm rooms and quickly settled in, the girls were all so nice and we all quickly bonded over many cups of hot chocolate and card games. We also got to meet all of the other counties when we had an impromptu 25 a-side football game! The cricket pitches were so well kept and created a fantastic setting for the tournament. All the other teams were great to play against and the standard of cricket was very high. We managed to win all 4 of our T20 matches and a few of the highlights were Maisie bowling an incredible 5-1 from 1.5 overs, sisters Zoe and Imogen bowling opposite ends and having a mini wicket-taking competition (for friendship and diplomacy reasons I won’t tell you who won!), and, as usual, great bowling and batting from Zaara! Opening the bowling was made a lot easier by everyone’s encouragement and enthusiasm throughout the game. I was so excited when I took my first wicket that I almost forgot to appeal! Luckily, the umpire had 10 other loud voices that would have drowned mine out in any case! Being in a team of such strong young players raised everyone’s game and provided extra motivation throughout the tournament. The final day consisted of a 40 over match versus Kent. We were feeling confident on the back of our previous wins but knew that we would have to play some strong cricket to pull off another win. Despite a very closely fought game, our batting performance couldn’t quite match the strong Kent side and we suffered our first loss of the week. We didn't let it dampen our spirit though and managed to celebrate the week in true style by building a player pyramid - sadly it wasn’t quite as successful as our playing performance! I loved my very first week of playing representative cricket. The coaches, Kathryn and Charlotte were so supportive and encouraging of us all and wanted us to enjoy playing and creating memories together. This was the first year that Scotland has had a girls U15 team and I think that it was a huge success and have no doubt that Carlton will continue to be represented in years to come due to the amazing coaches that we have at the club. Five Carlton Players were selected to represent Scotland at the Malvern Cricket Festival Gabriela Fontenla describes the trip

Last Christmas time I got an email telling me I’d been selected for Scotland U15. I was very excited and pleased but it would be a while until we all met, so instead of doing winter nets we did weekly Zoom calls with the Strength and Conditioning work. Looking back, one thing I really enjoyed was finding out what guys I usually play against for East were like when they became your team-mates. I always enjoyed playing against Bahadar (Clydesdale CC) and have got him out a few times, but I knew he and Uzair (Ferguslie CC) were good players. As it turned out I became good friends with them both, along with Farhan (Watsonians CC) just being together, chilling in hotel rooms, playing tunes on the bus and taking wickets! We’d all been asked to take LFTs before we set off on tour. Unfortunately Calum (Grange CC) had a positive result so missed out, which left the team without a seamer and gun batsman and me without a roommate for my first night away. But then Rudy Adair got called up and arrived in time for the game against Durham CCC. Travelling on the team buses felt so professional and we’d always arrive nice and early. We’d chill in the changing rooms, then stretch off and put our spikes on. We’d have 30 minutes to do our own warm ups so that could be hitting balls, bowling, taking catches, just making sure we were loose. Then some really focussed warm up as a team. Days and Nights on the Scotland Team Bus with Max D’Ulisse My favourite game was against Durham CCC at the glorious Benwell Hill, home to Kyle Coetzer, who came to watch us on a beautiful warm and sunny day. We had them 8-1 after 3 overs and then I bowled their opener and everybody went mental. With my parents watching it made me realise how much it meant to wear the Thistle. We travelled to Marske-by-the-Sea to play Yorkshire CCC (photo below), staying in Middlesbrough overnight. They were a very good team and we learned a lot from that game. In the return fixture at Dumfries a week later I got hit to the short boundary by their left-hander, who used his feet well, sweeping, good off the back foot and at hitting over the top. Finding my length wasn’t easy at all and it was a big, big challenge. I ended up losing my place for the Cumbria CCC double-header the following week and was obviously very disappointed. But I was given some things to work on by my Coach, trained hard with Stevie, both at Juniors and Seniors and had some good performances for our 3s and then found I'd got back in, this time for a two-day, timed game against Durham CCC (after the Ireland Tour was cancelled). So more time on the bus and eating and rooming with my teammates! Coming back up the road that night, tired and happy I realised how much I’d enjoyed it all. I’d made some good friends, playing with a great bunch of lads. Now I can’t wait for winter nets and the new cricket season when, hopefully, I will get to do it all again at U15.

What was your best/favourite match for a senior team? My first meaningful senior outing was against Watsonian 4s in August ’20. I scored 17 not out and took 3 wickets in a nice win so that has always been a favourite. I have managed to get into double figures a few times this year, my top score of 25 not out against Edinburgh South 2’s while collecting 2 wickets allowing us some additional batting points was memorable. But, I think the last game of the season was the best when Martin Robertson and I put on a 60 odd run partnership (I was 15no) to take us to victory against Edin South 3s. What was your best/favourite match for a junior team (this or any other season)? My favourite innings from a personal point of view was against Grange for u14s. Oli Stones Best Introduction to Senior Cricket I retired on 16 then came back in for the last 3 overs smashing another 30 odd. Hitting the roof of the shed on a couple of occasions was particularly satisfying. However, the victory over Chester le Street CC in the ECB u13s trophy was the best moment. The celebration at the end is something I want to experience more of. What did you think were the differences between playing junior and senior cricket? The biggest difference is the length of the matches and the amount of time you are not involved in the game. I like to be doing something all the time, so when I’m not bowling it can be hard to stay focussed for that ball that can come your way. Although we usually have John Beattie shouting encouragement and asking me to ‘smile’ 😊 to keep us going. Who are your favourite Carlton players (and why)? My favourite senior players are Tom Simpson, Angus Beattie and Cheeky. They all made summer camp great fun and helped by batting and bowling.

A number of reminiscences which have appeared in these hallowed pages over the months have – quite rightly – concerned themselves with the upper echelons of the game, and Carlton’s place in it. The cut-and-thrust of competition – the joy of lifting a trophy; the despair of a second place. Test match players who’ve graced the Grange Loan turf. Tales of rubbing shoulders with the legends of the game, and indeed of those from Carlton who have written (or will undoubtedly come to write) their own legend. But thanks to the breadth and depth of what Carlton does, there are those of us who can offer our thanks to the Club for something a little different. Aged 40, of highly questionable fitness, and with a grand total of two appearances as a ringer in league cricket to his name in the 23 years since leaving school, your sometime correspondent arrived at winter nets in 2017 thanks to (i) a son who had started playing Kwik cricket; and (ii) a chance conversation Four years later, I feel somewhat qualified to offer the following guide to others who might be considering taking up cricket in their 40s, by way of a short list of pros and cons: · Pro – you will be welcome. Carlton is an amazing place with amazing people. Mere lack of any discernible talent for the game will not be held against you. · Con – if you have a child who plays, the quality of coaching is such that they will eclipse your “skill” in short order. It will be impossible to disguise this by any usual underhanded parental tactics. · Pro – unlike virtually all of the other adult players, you are getting better with each game, and not worse. The point at which this stops being true is, however, undoubtedly extremely close. · Con – the 1st XI players were all born *after* you started Uni. This will be the source of amusement at the bar. · Pro – you might win your first ever sporting trophy. The fact that you edged out a 12 year old to bring home “5th XI - most wickets 2018” will not in any way dim the pleasure of this achievement. · Pro – as a responsible adult, you get to umpire and score. · Con – as a responsible adult, you have to umpire and score. · Con – Sunday mornings after a full 40 over Saturday match (“You’re ok to bowl 8 overs uphill into the wind aren’t you?”) are a world of pain and suffering. In conclusion though, the pros will definitely outweigh the cons – anyone thinking about dusting off their whites, even after the intervention of many years, shouldn’t hesitate for a moment - come and join the fun! EUAN MURRAY has come to be a linchpin of the club on and off the field, and it all started through contacts with the Junior Section. He celebrates his late conversion to cricket and urges other parents to follow.

Who can’t wait for next season? http://carltoncc.co.uk/juniors/