Issue 45

ventured far and wide, catering for events, small or large, with a small fleet of ovens bringing our handmade Neapolitan inspired pizzas to the world! After two years on the road we founded our first restaurant at Haymarket in 2018 leading to our second 'The Tardis' on the Leith Shore in 2021 and we now have a 40-strong band of Geeks across the capital bringing our pizzas to the masses seven days a week! Social consciousness is paramount to Pizza Geeks. In 2018 we launched Pizza for the People, our One for One initiative that sees sales of our featured pizza matched and donated to homeless and disadvantaged people within our community. Each month we nominate a Pizza for the People. For every Pizza for the People sold we will donate one to someone in need within Edinburgh. We then work with local charities and organisations to get our pizzas to where they are most needed with 21,555 pizzas having been donated as of the end of March. Donating pizzas is just the start - in the long term we want to give training and skills within the community to give people a real chance to get on their feet. Star Wars Day (May The Fourth Be With You!) is a big day in the Pizza Geeks calendar as we make and distribute over 1,000 pizzas with 2022 being our third consecutive year! PIZZA GEEKS Introducing our new First XI shirt sponsors It began with a chance meeting at a party - a dream was forged. Boldly going where no geek has gone before, we set out on a quest to find the one pizza that rules them all... Starting in the realms of Edinburgh's street food markets, we Pizza Geeks CEO Finlay Clarkson, (far right) in Carlton colours, with some familiar faces. We are always open to suggestions. So please contact us if there is a community-based organisation that you think would benefit from some pizza! Get the App Android IPhone

Carlton v Watsonians The first in a series looking at the history of Carlton’s City rivalries.* The first encounter between the clubs was in 1878, the year in which Watsonians were founded (as George Watson’s FPs). A match with Carlton's Second XI - played over successive evenings - ended in a 63 run victory for the new club against their 15 year old rivals. It was not until 1883 that Watsonians took on the might of Carlton’s First XI, winning narrowly at Grange Loan in a low scoring game. It was 12 years until Watsonians registered their first win, in an edinburgh League match played at Grange Loan before ‘a moderate turnout of spectators’. The visitors’ 183-7 was more than enough to see off the home side’s modest 91 all out. Carlton play Watsonians at Grange Loan on 21 May. This will be the 113th meeting of the two clubs’ First XIs. Press Report of the 1883 encounter Fixtures became regular between the clubs, both participating in a series of leagues that were instituted in the 1890s. There was a hiatus in fixtures between 1900 and 1921. Prior to season 2022, there have been 128 completed League Cup and Masterton matches between the First XIs - Carlton have won 61, lost 33 with 33 draws (in the days when that was a possible result). The match in 1950 was tied, both sides losing all their wickets for 107 runs. Matches prior to 1950 were in a variety of competitions as different league structures came and went. There have also been many friendly pre-season and other encounters. Watsonians’ home Myreside was first used for cricket in the 1890s and hosted Scotland v Ireland in 1982 and 1990. The Pavilion has recently been redeveloped, as shown below. *With thanks to Stewart Oliver for additional information

Carlton v Watsonians Record Breakers Carlton’s highest total against Watsonians came on 28 April 2018 when they put 254-5 on the board at Grange Loan, Rory McCann scoring 123*. Despite George Munsey blasting a rapid 101, Carlton bowled Watsonians out for 183. At the other end of the spectrum Carlton’s lowest score came in May 1966 when they were skittled 47ao at Myreside. Fraser Watts has the highest Carlton score against Watsonians, his 124 in August 2014, just pipping McCann’s 123*. Watts is also Carlton’s leading run scorer against Watsonians with 710 career runs. Rory McCann on his way to 123* Long serving captain Alun Davies is Carlton’s leading wicket taker against the Myreside team, with 58 in his 30 appearances, including three 5 wicket hauls. Best bowling return was by Peter Aspinall with 6-14 in Aug 1965 at Grange Loan, just shading Ali Evans’ more recent 6-19 at Myreside in 2014. From Myreside to GL - and back Over the years a number of players have turned out for Carlton and Watsonians - Gordon Drummond came to Carlton from Watsonians in 2009. In his first match against his old club he scored 75* and took 2-40 - a major contribution to Carlton’s 3-wicket victory in a Scottish Cup Tie. Craig Wright spent a season at Carlton in 2004, and later returned to Edinburgh to join Watsonians in 2010. In his first match against Carlton he scored 61* and took 5-14 to help Watsonians to a narrow 2 run victory. Charles Stronach has split loyalties having spent 6 seasons at Myreside. David Maclean (featured elsewhere in this issue of the Arrow) and Oliver Brown also made the move from GL to Myreside. Fraser Boyd transferred but returned to Grange Loan in 2014. Parker Neame is a more recent migrant from Grange Loan to Myreside. Alun Davies - record 30 appearances v Watsonians Of the many matches between the clubs’ lower teams, one of the most memorable was the meeting between the second XIs in 2013 at Grange Loan. Ali Shah scored 207*, the highest individual score in Carlton’s history. Ali returns with 207*

Carlton v Watsonians - Matches to Remember But no Carlton v Watsonians match is more memorable than the Scottish Cup Final in 2017 when Carlton’s stuttering batting performance was rescued by skipper Ali Evans before their triple spin attack wrestled the match back from Watsonians who seemed to have established a winning position. Can a future match top that? There have been many memorable matches between Carlton and Watsonians. A particularly tense encounter came in the second last league fixture of 1988. With Carlton striving for a first league title, a very wet wicket and long damp outfield at Myreside made batting difficult. Skipper Hugh Parker led from the front with 64 in Carlton’s 152-9. George Innes (6 for 33 in a 22 over spell)was almost unplayable with the ball turning and lifting. At 60-8 Watsonians looked like they might hold out for a draw, until 2 late wickets from Andy McPherson won the game and put Carlton at the top of the table. The last wicket fell at 7.39pm. Carlton won the league the following week beating Kirkcaldy at Grange Loan. George Inness Another maximum for Evans Carlton v Watsonians - always a handshake at the end of the day

Cricketers and Policemen Are they getting younger? Maturing citizens have long attempted to mask their own ageing with the observation that it is not they who are growing old, but the policemen who are getting younger. John Beattie provided the Newsletter with this interesting picture of the age distribution of Carlton’s senior men’s teams last season (table right). It confirms what Carlton’s boundary walkers have observed and celebrated for some time - the bimodal distribution of age in the lower XIs, where the generations mix. This contracts with the ever younger profile of the top teams. Carlton won a Charity Evening Knock Out Cup in 1928, beating Heriots in the final played at the Meadows in front of 3000 spectators. According to the Evening Dispatch, ‘A close and entertaining match was witnessed, Carlton winning by the margin of two wickets after a stern struggle.’ Proving some things never change it also reported, ‘On a wicket that was always difficult scoring was slow all through and on account of the heavy outfield boundary hits were rare.’ Perhaps this competition was an ancestor to the Masterton which Carlton first won in 1974. They won it for the 15th time in 2021. What do the photos of the successful teams (1928 not available but here is the youthful 1927 team) suggest about the changing age profile over the PS It is likely the Scottish Cup winning team of 2017 had an even younger profile than the 2021 side.

David McLean played for Carlton from 1992 to 97. In November I was invited to officiate in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. That competition is seen as the pinnacle for umpires from Associate countries. I was due to be in the US for Christmas, and I had recently been asked to go into Crown Office, starting in December. Having dealt with those problems, it was time to get into the gym and do some work on Laws and Playing Regulations. I arrived in St Kitts on 3 January. It took an age to clear immigration, but, finally, we got to the hotel – the St Kitts Marriot Resort – to start isolation and testing. During that time, we had online sessions, including a workshop and TV simulations. The warm-up games were curtailed due to Covid. My start to the tournament was slow, being third umpire in one match, and fourth umpire in the televised match between England and Canada at Warner Park. Having survived the return trip to the hotel following that game, where the driver decided that he needed only to use two of the minibus’ wheels, I had two on-field games. The match between England and UAE was one-sided, but the match between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Conaree Sports Club was among the best of the tournament, with Sri Lanka eventually winning by three wickets. West Indies had only themselves to blame, dropping several catches. There was controversy when West Indies appealed for obstructing the field, but I decided it was not wilful. After one more day of matches, the group stage was completed. The main competition went to Antigua, but it was on to Trinidad for me for the Plate competition. Our charter flight got us to our hotel – the Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre, Port of Spain – late on 23 January. As it happened, all my matches in Trinidad were at the historic Queen’s Park Oval, one of the most picturesque grounds in the world. On 25 January I umpired the match between UAE and Uganda, which UAE eventually won by 1 wicket. Three days later I umpired the semi-final between UAE and the West Indies, which ended up being quite one-sided. The following day there was magnitude 5.1 earthquake out at sea, which caused the hotel to shake. That day, I learned that I had been appointed to the Plate Final, which I was pleased about. The game itself was a little disappointing, with Ireland only managing 122 in 42.5 overs. UAE chased the total for the loss of only two wickets in 26 overs. I will never forget the experience. I learnt a lot and was lucky to be involved in some close games. It is important for Scotland that our teams, including the women’s and men’s senior teams and under 19s, perform well. But it is also important that we have officials who can handle top level games. We need more opportunities. We also need to attract more people into umpiring. As you can see, there are opportunities! David officiating at last year’s T20 Final He is now a member of the Development Panel of ICC Umpires and officiated during the recent u19 World Cup.

The Search for the Great All Rounder (2) Who are the Carlton players in the modern (post 1950) era who can challenge Paterson, Jupp or Crosskey (see last issue of The Arrow) as the club’s greatest allrounder? The following pages present the candidates. But first some comparisons. What criteria should be used? You can take your choice. Sustained performance? - The present ICC top ranked ODI all rounder is Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. In 221 matches he averages 37.73 with the bat and 29.47 with the ball. He was judged Player of the Tournament in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In 8 matches in that tournament he scored 606 runs at an average of 86.57 and took 11 wickets. Or a dominant year? In 2000 Jacques Kallis played 39 ODIs, in which he scored 1300 runs at 44.82 and took 46 wickets at 29.47. Kallis is also the player with the highest differential between batting and bowling averages over his ODI career i - in 287 matches he averaged 45.30 at the crease and 31.72 bowling. Average ratio? It is commonly suggested that all rounders should have a higher batting than bowling average. But this differential is not everything - the top ranked ODI player ever is Kapil Dev, whose bowling average 27.45 exceeds his batting average 23.45 - he played 225 matches scoring 3783 runs and taking 253 wickets. What about match turning performances? Kapil Dev was such a player. The best all round performance in a single match is by Paul Collingwood who scored 112* and took 6-34 against Bangladesh in 2005. He also scored 119 and took 5/41 against New Zealand in 1987. Kallis also was MOM in 32 matches - the third highest ranking - rankings are dominated by batters. Read on to see how these criteria apply to Carlton’s greats.

The Search for the Great All Rounder (2) Carlton Style Double Winners As last month’s Arrow reported, Paterson, Jupp and Crosskey each won the Best Batter and Best Bowler in the same year. John Hiley and Paul Aspinall also won both awards but in separate years. Hiley was Best Batter (1978) and Best Bowler (1975, 80, 85). He scored just under 3000 runs and took 149 wickets between 1972 and 1987. He went on to a long post Carlton career with Haddington, carrying his bat for 54* in his final match in 2008. Overseas Players Chris Smith (top left), did the double in 1966. He was also Best Batter in 5, and Best Bowler in 3 other seasons, during his playing career between 1961 and 1973. In 139 matches he scored 3067 runs, remarkably without scoring a century, and took 193 wickets. Chris died in July 2019, his obituary can be found on the club website or at greater length from the Royal College of Physicians. Jim Govan’s (top rt) Carlton career spanned 1986-97. He was Carlton’s professional in 1991 and was with Northampton in 1989-90. In 117 Carlton matches he scored 1769 runs and took 214 wickets. In 1992 he was Best Bowler and Best Batter. James Aitchison (bot rt), one of Scotland’s most prolific and highly rated batsmen, (1956) and Alastair Bowman (bot l)(1961) also achieved the double in the same year. Carlton Professionals The professionals who have come to Grange Loan have made strong all round contributions. Many of Carlton’s old-timers reckon Robin Singh to be the best player ever to don Carlton colours. He topped the batting and bowling averages in his first season 1995, and was close behind respective winners Bryn Lockie and Alan McLeod in 1996. In 44 matches for Carlton, Singh scored 1445 runs (ave 46.17) and took 90 wickets at 18.36. He went on to play 1 Test and 136 ODIs for India. Peter Wooden topped both averages in both his Carlton years 2007 and 2008, scoring 1161 runs (ave 48.38) and taking 60 wickets at 13.07) in 36 matches. Wooden was Best Batter and Best Bowler in both his years at the club. He was last heard of coaching in Hong Kong.

There have also been some stellar all round contributions by overseas amateurs. In 2017 Michael Herdman (rt) scored 853 runs including 3 centuries and took 28 wickets. He was awarded the club’s Best Batter trophy and was a key member of the successful Scottish Cup team. In 2006 Ben O’Connell (l) was awarded the Best Batter trophy having scored 914 runs, also with 3 centuries. He also took 21 wickets. Cedric English (above centre) was Carlton professional from 1998-2006 during which he played 152 matches, scoring 4478 runs, including 8 centuries, and taking 240 wickets. During that spell he was Best Batter in 3 seasons. Cedric reverted to amateur status from 2007 and played till 2011. In his 77 amateur matches he scored 3079 more runs, with 10 centuries, and took 57 more wickets. He was Best Batter in 4 of those seasons. He never won Best Bowler. Gordon Drummond (above rt) scored 2067 runs and took 118 wickets in 106 matches between 2009 and 2016. He had professional status in 2011, in which he scored 488 runs (3 centuries) and took 9 wickets. He was Best Batter in 2011, and Best Bowler in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Preston Mommsen (above l), Best Batter in 2012, played 64 matches between 2010 and 2013, scoring 2240 runs and taking 57 wickets. Among Carlton players, he has the widest differential between batting (49.82) and bowling (20.75) averages. For comparison, English’s averages are 43.41 and 22.56. Overseas Players Scotland Players

Carlton Players Alun Davies (Best Bowler 1963, 64, 65, 67, 77 and 79) made major contributions with bat (3788 runs) and ball (638 wickets) in his 360 matches between 1961 and 1987. Andy McPherson (Best Bowler 1987) scored 3006 runs and took 130 wickets in 187 matches between 1984 and 1999, making a particularly significant contribution to the 1988 League and Masterton wins. Craig Bulloch (93 matches between 1998-2004, 1665 runs 102 wickets), Richard Dickinson (Best Bowler 1983 - 253 matches between 1974 and 1991, 2235 runs, 344 wickets) and Rob Thornton (Best Bowler 2001, 03, 05 - 108 matches between 2000 and 2013, 1399 runs, 110 wickets) are also worth honourable mentions. The career statistics tell a lot, but they do not reveal the match winning impact that the all rounder can bring. Against Falkland in July 2016, Arun Pillai scored 104 and took 4-19 - the best single match performance in recent memory, eclipsing Mommsen’s 83* and 4-40 against Arbroath in June 2013 and Herdman’s 104 and 3-26 against Aberdeenshire in May 2012. A bit longer ago Alun Davies hit 73* and took 4-51 against Stenhousemuir at Grange Loan . In T20, Hugo Southwell’s 74* and 3-31 against Heriots in 2016 was also a match defining performance. The Arrow would welcome any further recollections of great all round performances by Carlton players. So , who do you reckon should be designated Carlton’s greatest all rounder? Newsletter@carltoncc.co.uk From top left - McPherson, Davies, Thornton, Pillai, Southwell, Dickinson, Bulloch

When Bob asked me if I could write something for the newsletter I was initially quite stumped for ideas. I could have included how I got into cricket, cricketing inspirations or my impressions of Carlton from when I first joined. It actually proved too tough to choose between them so I’ve ended up picking all three in a (short) biography of how I became the occasionally sulky, batting-phobic player you see today at Grange Loan. As a kid all I wanted to do was cricket, playing or watching, wherever in the world or whatever the competition. My biggest inspirations were Marcus Trescothick & Shane Warne, the former for his style of “take-it-to-you” batting and the latter for how he always seemed to make things happen, plus his seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the game. I could never quite decide what I wanted to be as a youngster, my coach at the time helpfully narrowed it down by saying I wasn’t really ever going to be a batter so bowling it was. Going back to Professor Warne’s wise words, “fast bowlers should bowl fast or swing the ball and spinners should be able to turn a ball”, I could never get a ball to swing so I concluded I must be one of those 95mph express pace bowlers instead – which also never really worked out! After training one day when I was messing around with my friends in the nets, my coach noticed I was bowling this “weird” left-arm wrist spin and asked me to give it a go in the next game. First ball I take what I have heard is called “a wicket” (I didn’t take too many of those!) so I decided I quite liked it! I took a break from cricket when I was a teenager because it unhelpfully happened when I had exams. But I got back into it a few years later when a friend with whom I played football asked me to fill in one Sunday for his side Great Alne (7m from Stratford-upon Avon). I turned up and throwing me a pair of gauntlets he said “you keep in football - it can’t be that different”. It was very different. I spent half a season keeping, feeling really proud of myself when I palmed the ball around the post, sadly away past fine leg for four byes most of the time! I was also then subjected as the keeper to have to bat in this thing called the “middle-order”, despite spending my entire youth batting at #11. The next season I started playing in the league team for Great Alne and found myself at the dizzying heights of #5, solely because according to my captain “you’re left-handed, the greatest unfair advantage in any sport” so I was just told to go out and swing while the bowlers were (initially) put off their lines. That led to me being called (somewhat optimistically) “a batter who bowls a bit”, adding another role in the team to my cricketing CV. When I had to leave the Alne and move up here for work, I found myself at Carlton – where it has been a superb first couple of seasons. Coming from a club with literally no junior section to a thriving club the size of Carlton really is a great new experience with plenty of talented youngsters coming into senior cricket all eager to give it a go (which is great news for me as I get to slot back into my favoured #11 role!). I am really looking forward to another season of cricket and, who knows, maybe adding to that CV of roles I have played in the team – this might be the year I break out into being that 95mph bowler I’ve always known is the real me! A Little Bit of Everything My Life in Cricket (so far) By 4/5th XI Demon Bowler Joe Ward Great Alne CC - Joe is front left

SWEATER NEWS Launched last year the prestigious Carlton heritage sweater - 100% wool with the club’s colours and crest - continues to dazzle. It is the sought after item for the fashion conscious Carlton member. Martin Robertson is assembling a repeat order. Long and short sleeved versions are available in a full range of sizes - priced £73 and £67 respectively. Twelve are needed to make a viable order. Fancy one? Get in touch with Martin on mprobertson@btinternet.com Carlton Lottery Recent Winner - Ruari and Kyle Macpherson Make sure you’re in the hat for the next draw. Find all the details on this link. lottery@carltoncc.co.uk Carlton First XI star Ali is offering physiotherapy services for Carlton club members using the club’s physiotherapy room at Grange Loan. Ali graduated in physiotherapy from Queen Margaret University and works as a musculoskeletal and acute medical physiotherapist for the Victoria Hospital. ALI SHAH PHYSIOTHERAPY If you would like support or treatment for any musculo-skeletal condition contact Ali through WhatsApp or email to arrange a consultation.