Issue 48

On, then, to the Northern Region Finals Day on 26 July - venue as last year: Neston Cricket Club in the Wirral...great facilities, just a bit tough to get to from Scotland! SOUTH OF THE BORDER Having retained the Scottish Under 13 Cup, Carlton were drawn in the next round against a strong South Northumberland CC requiring a trip to Newcastle. Fog on the Tyne? No chance, it was a blisteringly hot day. Winning the toss and batting, we set a steady total of 110 against a strong bowling attack. John Gill fell to an extraordinary catch at short mid off (or "at Keith" to most of the juniors who have played for the 5s) bringing James Stronach to the crease early. A swashbuckling 30 from James led to retiral, with Hamish Foley joining the dogged Tom Hathorn to build the score. When Tom finally fell for 23 in the 18th over, in strode Freddie Charman for the final flourish. Our last three overs brought valuable runs, with Hamish F and Fred stealing ones and twos with incredible confidence - almost telepathy at times. But would 110 be enough?! It felt like 20 short to the hardened cricket experts on the boundary - but what do we know? Our fielding innings was probably the best we have seen from this group and was the difference between the sides. Every catch taken (not going to use the obvious cricket cliche), no overthrows gifted and every wicket (James Deakin taking 3, Finlay Thompson 2, and Aadi Khadse, Hamish Turner and Hamish F one each) celebrated as a full team. Great to watch and credit to the spirit in this squad. South Northumberland, despite their obvious talents up top, were simply blown away. Once their talisman was felled, they had no answer and succumbed to 86 in their 20 overs. Start the car and get back over the border! The squad’s reward for the win against SNCC was an overnighter....TOUR! A very decent party made the trip with the squad - Mums, Dads, Sisters, Brothers, Grandparents...no WAGS (just yet). The Red Fox in Thornton Hough was our return venue for dinner and didn't disappoint - and nor did the team, behaving impeccably while clearing plates for fun. Finally to bed, and recharging batteries for the big day. We were guaranteed two matches, facing Sandiacre Town from Derbyshire first in the semifinal. Win toss, bat. James S and Hamish F started brightly enough, but when James fell to decent pace bowling, Ollie Stones strode to the wicket - freshly tanned and full of confidence. Ollie set the tone with an unbeaten 30 (off 18), with Aadi and Hamish T then chipping in with 29 (off 33) and 24 (off 12) respectively. A busy cameo from Tom H with the tail got us to 135 for 8 in our 20 overs. That would take some chasing!

Sandiacre set out with intent, but with Hamish F removing both openers, the wickets began to tumble - and were shared around. 8 bowlers used, wickets for 5 (Hamish F, James D, Ollie, Tom and Aadi), three catches and a stumping for James S. Sandiacre Town all out for 88 in 18.5 overs - Aadi taking three wickets in 0.5 overs to finish proceedings - another awesome team effort. On to the final! As the sun rose higher for the final, so did the standard of cricket as we met a very strong side from Whitburn CC in County Durham. The boys all admitted they had rarely faced bowling this fast and consistent before - Whitburn were a cut above. Only two of our batters made it to double figures - an outstanding 30 retired (again) from the day's golden bat Ollie - and a gritty 16 from Hamish F. John G was very unlucky to be run out by a deflection at the non-striker's end for 7....gutted not the word. Everyone else ducked and weaved, but in the end 88 off 20 was going to need something special to defend. In the end Whitburn were too good and were deserved winners. An excellent bowling spell from Harrison (3-fer) and a smart run out from John G were not enough...Whitburn chased down the total in the 15th over and took the spoils. Much to the delight of their raucous travelling support...who were definitely going to need a few stops on the way home. All in all, this quiver of under 13 Arrows (and we mean all of them) should be proud of a superb achievement in reaching the last 8 in the ECB Cup nationwide - for the second year in a row. Third time lucky anyone???

It was the best of times. The dawn of a new millennium and I was living my best life as a young diplomat based at the British Embassy in Paris. A city centre apartment on the Rue de Berri; a stroll down the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré to work in one the most prestigious Embassies in Europe, supposedly requisitioned by the Duke of Wellington himself after Waterloo, usually picking up a croissant on the way, to keep me going until the 90 minute lunchbreak; or a working lunch at one of the 8th arrondisement’s excellent brasseries. And, er, cricket!? Yes, it seemed like an unexpected bonus to discover that the Embassy had a thriving cricket team, its origins presumably back in those post Waterloo days, but nurtured by enthusiasm and two actual grass nets at the back of the Embassy grounds adjoining the Champs-Élysées itself. CRICKET WITH THE STARS You’ve got to move like Jagger Joe Griffin The matches numbered around 6 a year, and were scheduled around France, in contrast to the purely Paris based inter-Embassy football league where every week brought a different international on the dusty football pitches of the Bois de Vincennes. Anyway. I particularly looked forward to the game in Saumur in the Loire Valley. The older hands spoke in hushed tones of the beautiful, green surroundings. The hospitality of the local vineyard owner and #3 batsman. And, in the hushest of hush tones, the possible participation of one of the most famous men on Earth. The day of glory arrived, and we drove down in convoy to Saumur on a beautiful May day. As we piled out of our cars at the ground, we soaked up the scene of French bucolic harmony, and spotted the oppo waiting for us around the boundary rope. Scanning the slightly irregular looking collection of folk, one skinny, raffish looking character stood out above all. As we approached, greetings were offered and hands stuck out. ‘Thierry….’ ‘PJ…’, ‘Alex..’, and then, “Hi, I’m Mick.” It was true. This was actually happening. Mon dieu. Cont’d over/ On the Loire - Jagger and Griffin circled

Anyway, as far as the cricket was concerned, Stewart hit a great knock and went past 50 easily, dispatching the ball to all corners. However, his nemesis then approached, as Mick – looking a little dishevelled if I’m honest – was thrown the ball to bowl. Now, it’s safe to say that the man has had a successful life. He’s a global talent. He is richer than Louis Vuitton. Hell, the only reason he was playing for Saumur was because he owned the actual castle down the road – just one of his houses. But, whisper it, he’s not a great cricketer. Stewart tucked into the kind of buffet we were looking forward to later at the vineyard and hit the first three balls for 4. Surely, the ton itself was on? However, Bertie mistimed pie #4 and was caught on the boundary! BERTIE ct Thierry b Jagger 62. Stewie slank off the pitch to the applause of the “crowd” and uttered in his beautiful Brummie accent, the now immortal line, “Well, if he wasn’t famous before, he is now.” I don’t remember the rest of the game, other than the West Indian bodyguard scoring even more than Bertie, and losing at least one ball. Presumably Mick handpicked him for just this kind of occasion…. He’s no fool. To conclude, I’m happy to say that we did adjourn to the vineyard, where Thierry served us red wine straight from the vats out of a watering can. Good times were had. Mick stayed for a bit and then headed back to his place for a rest, or to put an entry in his diary about an enjoyable game of cricket and his encounter with a future Carlton 5th XI dilettante. He was a top bloke who loved his cricket. Which is about one the nicest things you can say about anyone. /Cont’d I was so star struck I didn’t really notice the bodyguard at first. But he, like Mick, seemed super friendly, if built like the proverbial maison de merde en brique. It was only as we exchanged a few words, that I picked up the unmistakable lilt of a Caribbean, you might say, West Indian accent. Uh oh. The match itself was good fun, and how could you not enjoy fielding in the middle of a field in the Loire valley, with the sun on your back? You can’t always get what you want, as the man himself sang, but this seemed perfect. The highlight of the game was a swashbuckling innings from our resident Brummie, Stewart Bertie. Now, Bertie just the week before had nearly started World War 3 in one of those inter Embassy football matches against the Turkish Embassy. That really is a story for another day, not least as this is a family newsletter, and it’s a little blue. But it is a great story. Cricketing Rolling Stones - publicity shot from 1968 Jagger (back rt) in his school cricket team age 13 Jagger with Charlie Watts and others at CWC Final 2019

Carlton v Stewart’s Melville A series looking at the history of Carlton’s City rivalries. With thanks to Alan Veitch for additional information As would be expected from the timeline summarised above, Carlton’s oldest relationship with the ‘Stew-Mel family’ is with the Royal High branch. NL Stevenson makes reference in his history of Carlton to a match against ‘the High School’ in 1865, in which Carlton dismissed them for 29, then proceeded to score 165-8. But there is no reference to this match in the more comprehensive records for RHSFP found on the Stewart’s Melville website. The first match recorded there between Carlton and Royal High School FP was in 1869 at Royal High’s then ground at Holyrood (see map below). Carlton were victorious, dismissing RHSFP for 79 in response to their 142. Regular fixtures followed right up until RH’s merger with Stewart’s Melville. In all, 96 matches were played between the clubs with 46 victories for Carlton, 26 for RH and 24 draws. The present Stewart’s Melville Cricket Club is the product of a number of mergers over the years. There are therefore 3 strands of Carlton’s history bound up in their relations with this club. Daniel Stewart’s College FP CC (also known in early records as Stewartonians) was founded in 1877. Melville College FP had started life as as Edinburgh Institution FP and was founded in 1872. The Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics changed its name to Melville College in 1937 and the club followed suit. In 1972 Daniel Stewart’s FP merged with Melville College FP, reflecting the amalgamation of the schools, to become Stewart’s Melville FP CC. In 1996, Stewart’s Melville, by now an open club like all other FP clubs, merged with Royal High to become SMRH. SMRH revised its name to Stewart’s Melville CC in 2018. SMRH. Royal High School FP CC had been founded in 1861 and was one of the oldest of the many FP clubs in Scotland. The FP designation was dropped when the club became open in the 1970s. Royal High crest Early Fixtures

Carlton first played Edinburgh Institution FP in 1877 at Grange Loan, Carlton scoring 91 to EI’s 33. According to the press report ‘The Institution team having been newly formed this result was not altogether unexpected.’ Fixtures were irregular between the clubs. (Poor results led to EI’s demise in 1883 but it was reincarnated in 1899). In the 1960s, Melville College FP was one of the stronger clubs in the East of Scotland, winning the then East League and the Masterton. Between 1877 and 1972 there were only 32 matches between Carlton and Edinburgh Institution/Melville FP, of which Carlton won 16, EI 10 and 6 draws. Carlton’s first match with Daniel Stewart’s FP (Stewartonians) was at Grange Loan in the opening game of the 1888 season, which ended with the scores tied on 62. Only 2 bowlers on either side took wickets, and Carlton conceded no extras. Press report of the first ever Carlton v Edinburgh Institution match in 1877. ‘...this result was not altogether expected. ..the heavy rains which fell during the club’s innings made their score smaller than it might otherwise have been.’ Rt: Press report of the first ever Carlton v Stewartonians match in 1888 ‘McBeth and Carruthers now troubled the bowlers and although a change was made it did not bring about the desired separation’. This was Stewartonian’s best result against Carlton for many years. It took them until 1959 to secure their first victory - although, as with Melville College FP, fixtures were less than regular. In 39 matches between 1888 and 1972 Carlton lost only 2. The newly merged Stewart’s Melville CC’s first outing against Carlton was in 1973. A Masterton tie at Grange Loan finished in a home victory by 5 wickets. SM fared no better in the East League fixture later in the season, losing by 80 runs. SM never achieved victory against Carlton in the years before the merger with RH. The newly established SMRH first faced Carlton at Inverleith in 1997. The match was drawn. In all there were 12 fixtures between Carlton and SMRH, of which Carlton won 8. SM have done no better in the years since 2019 when they reverted to their original name. Overall in the 50 fixtures from 1973 prior to this season they have won only 6. Carlton have won 33.

RHSFP In 1908 Carlton scored 368-4 against Royal High School FPs with George Jupp scoring 202*. Jupp (see NL44) obviously enjoyed the RHSFP bowling - he had taken 137* off them in the previous season’s match in which he also took 7-46. In all, 5 of Jupp’s 24 centuries for Carlton were scored against RHSFP. In 1904 Carlton dismissed RHSFP for 8, the lowest total to which they have ever restricted their opposition. Stewart’s FP Against Daniel Stewart’s FP, Carlton’s highest score is 182-4 in 1907. Their lowest is 41 in 1889, remarkably this was a winning score since Stewart’s were dismissed for 28 in reply. Early matches were notable for low scores - the following year Stewart’s were dismissed for 22. Stewart’s Melville Carlton’s 314-7 in August 2021 is their highest score against SM. Their lowest was in 1973 when they made only 153 at Inverleith. Hugh Parker has the highest score, 92*, made at Inverleith in 1990 while Ali Evans’ 6-19 in the match at GL in 2021 is the best bowling. SMRH Carlton’s highest score against SMRH was in the 2010 Scottish Cup tie at Grange Loan when they amassed 307-7 with Pete Deakin top scoring on 96*, which is also Carlton’s highest innings. The best bowling performance against SMRH was also in the Scottish Cup, 7 years later at Inverleith, when Michael Herdman and Ali Evans were too much for the home batters who were dismissed for 22, 5 of which were extras. Herdman’s return was 5-2-7-5 which included a hat-trick is the best return. Chayank Gosain has most wickets against SMRH with 13. Jamie Kerr’s 8 appearances against SMRH are the most by a Carlton player. In more recent times, Carlton scored 248 for 5 in June 1991 at Grange Loan. Hugh Parker’s 109 at Jock’s Lodge in 1985 is the highest score by as Carlton batter, and the only century, against RH(SFP) in the post war period. Highs and Lows Richard Dickinson (l) is the top wicket taker against SM with 19 and Ali Evans’ 6-19 in 2021 is the best bowling. Richard Dickinson - 344 wkts in 253 Carlton appearances. Best Bowler 1983 1985 Hugh Parker - 109 v RH, 92* v SM Alun Davies has the most appearances against RHSFP with 27 - not surprisingly he also has the most wickets with 41. Davies also has the most appearances against SM with 7, and against Stewart’s with 10. The best bowling against RH was by George Innes who took 8-25 at Jock’s Lodge in June 1982 - his career best return.

Carlton Women v Stewart’s Melville Carlton Women first played against a Stewart’s Melville team in 2018 in the Women’s Premier League, losing by 29 runs to the then combined Edinburgh South/Stewart’s Melville side. That partnership, which was developed by Katie McGill (see p11), is no longer in existence - SM now compete in the Premier League while ES continue to provide important opportunities at the introduction and developmental level. This season both SM and ES, now in partnership with MDAFS, have competed in the Women’s Challenger League. In 8 fixtures between Carlton and SM women first teams prior to this season, Carlton have won 3. Carlton and SM face each other again on 21 August in the semi-final of the Beyond Boundaries T20 Cup. The first fixture played by Carlton Women’s 2nd XI this season was against SM. In 2019 Heather Tait (below left) scored 101* at Inverleith, although it was not enough to win the match. Best bowling is by Zaara Dancu (below rt) who took 4-22 in the Scottish Cup tie in August 2021. Edinburgh Institution/Melville College FP In 1896 Carlton bowled Edinburgh Institution out for 9, NL Stevenson taking 6 wickets for 5 runs. Fixtures with Edinburgh Institution were regular only during the 1920s. Carlton scored 283-4 in 1921, CS Paterson (see NL44) scoring 138*, before dismissing them for 51. Similar results followed in the next 2 years with Carlton topping 200 and EI failing to make 100. Carlton’s lowest score of 40 had been in 1880. Fixtures resumed in the 1950s when the club had changed its name to Melville College FPs and were an altogether stronger outfit. Carlton could only muster 41 in 1962 and their top score was 148 in 1954. No Carlton player scored a century against Melville in this period. Carlton Lottery Recent Winners Angus Mair Richard Allardice Archie Robertson Lynne Whitaker lottery@carltoncc.co.uk

Melville FP CC was the first winner of the Masterton Cup in 1964, beating Royal High School FP in the Final. They had also beaten Stewart’s FP in an earlier round. Melville FP won the trophy again in 1966. Carlton did not enter the Masterton Trophy until 1968. It took them until 1974 to win the trophy, which they did by beating Royal High School FP at Ferryfield, the ground of Melville College FP. Victory actually took two attempts. In the first encounter Carlton had made 106-7 off their 25 overs; as the rain fell, RHSFP seemed well placed on 65-3 after 17 overs but an injury to Carlton’s bowler Richard Dickinson at the start of the 18th over led to play being abandoned suggesting the ground had become dangerously slippery. Two nights later, with Dickinson restored to fitness, Carlton made 113-4 - thanks to Fraser Dall’s 60*. RHSFP were 98-8 at the close of their innings and skipper Alun Davies could hold the trophy aloft for the first of the 15 times Carlton have won it. It took Carlton another 8 years to win the trophy a second time. In 1982 they beat Stenhousemuir at Myreside. Fraser Dall - 3282 runs in 129 matches for Carlton. He won best bat in 5 seasons Some Masterton History

A.S. Cairns started with Edinburgh Institution, playing subsequently for Leith Caledonian and, during the last years of his career, at Carlton - the photo below shows him in the Carlton First XI in 1911. Watsonians, Drumpellier and West of Scotland and was then at Carlton in 1996 and 1997, winning Carlton's Best Batter Award in 1997. Over the years there have been a number of players who have played for both Carlton and one of the SM family. Here are some of the better known. English c Gosain b Ahmad 67 - congratulations after the 2014 match. A.S. Cairns was a fast bowler and sound bat who represented Scotland 8 times, captaining them twice. His debut match was in 1891 against a Gloucestershire side captained by W.G. Grace. Prior to becoming Carlton’s professional in 192 Tom Crosskey (see NL44) had been coach at the Royal High School. Alistair Storie had played for Northamptonshire and Warwickshire before becoming Stewart’s Melville professional in 1989. He represented Scotland 33 times. After leaving Stewart’s Melville, he played for After 14 outstanding years at Grange Loan, Cedric English became Director of Cricket at SMRH in 2013 and 2014. He never lead his new side to victory over his old friends - his best score was 67 at GL in 2014. He won SM’s best bat Tankard in both seasons. Stew-Mel Royal High - Players Katie McGill was a key member of Carlton Women’s sides between 2012 and 2017 and played regularly, for the 3rd and 4th XIs. Katie then took on on a player/coach role at Edinburgh South CC. She was highly instrumental in developing women’s cricket through a partnership with Stewart’s Melville. She continues to play for SM Women and is an important member of the Scotland Women’s team. Katie completed her PhD in material science in 2021 and is now Regional Development Officer East at CricketScotland. Bryn Lockie (rt in 1991) spent two seasons at Inverleith before joining Carlton in 1993. He won SM’s best bat award in 1992, when he averaged 53.90. Nazish Hussain, originally a RH player, joined Carlton in 1999 from SMRH. In 64 first team matches he took 60 wkts.

Rob Thornton I came to Scotland in 1995 as overseas amateur for Royal High FPs and, like many, I caught the Edinburgh bug and stayed on. Returning from Christmas in Aus for the 1997 season I was told we had merged with Stewart’s Melville, ‘…., oh and you’re captain.’ Like any post merger arrangement there were a few teething problems and I found it quite daunting. However, we had a very good mix of youth and experience with players like Zahid Ali and Nazish Hussain (who would both later play for Carlton) Asim Butt, Alan Speirs, Ayaz Gul, Brian Townsend and a great pro Zahoor Elahi. We had some great moments and believe it or not, won the Masterton final at Grange Loan in 1998 and made it to the Scottish Cup Final. I was very fortunate to open the batting with test cricketer Zahoor, who scored runs for fun, and he was front and centre in my most memorable game which happened to be at Grange Rob Thornton arrived at Royal High as Overseas Amateur wicketkeeper/batsman in 1995. He stayed for the following season and continued with SMRH following the merger. He was SMRH’s best bat in 1998, scoring 621 runs. Rob remembers the merger and a subsequent match with Carlton at Grange Loan in 1997. Loan against a Carlton team which included Ced, Bryn, Jamie, a very young Fraggle and Craig Bulloch. Zahoor had just scored a double century against Strathmore (extremely rare in one day cricket in those days). We batted first and after I had departed (for 42 caught Watts bowled Spike McLeod), Zahoor started to go through the gears. It became very clear he was playing a different game to the rest of us, smashing it everywhere including a couple of massive sixes over the score box on the offside - which I have never seen repeated at GL. Another double century for Zahoor beckoned but he fell for a mere 170. As pointed out later by Carlton skipper Spike, I probably should have declared at some point but I was enjoying the entertainment and in the second innings after we had Ced out first ball Carlton shut up shop to secure a losing draw. Ced was caught behind by me off Alan Spiers’ first ball. What goes round comes round. Approximately 16 years later after successfully playing together at Carlton for circa 15 years, I bowled to Ced opening the batting for SMRH at Inverleith. He was out for a duck caught behind. (see match report on the following page) Both times Ced walked off muttering ‘how did I not hit that (insert expletive) for six.’ Happy days! I had always enjoyed playing at Grange Loan and was great mates with Jamie so after a year off, I joined Carlton in 2000. The rest is history. Rob made his Carlton debut in June 2000 and went on to make 108 first team appearances. He was a highly successful skipper of the 2nd XI in 2015 and 2016 and junior coach. He and his family returned to Australia at the end of 2016.

Carlton found themselves in the field and got off to a great start as ex Carlton player and prize wicket Cedric was caught by a genuine Jaffa down the leg side off Rob’s bowling. After this genuine delivery came a genuine run out thanks to the Aussie boy. Omar was the surprise call up for this game as statistics show he has been short of wickets this season. Once again he was satisfactory, picking up 2 wickets. Frallardice went hoovering about once more and picked up 3 wickets, all nicked off on the boundary. Top effort from him. At teas, I did not expect to put on my pads let alone have a bat as the chase was 121 to win. We started off with Hamo and Kylo batting - very test match as usual. After the loss of the two Carlton were 33 for 2. A Match to Remember? SMRH v Carlton 20 July 2013 Inverlieth SMRH 120ao; Carlton 121-9 Match Report by Chayank Gosain (13-5-18-2) Now what happened next I cannot describe as we were soon 42 for 5 as Preston, Stirlo and Drummo were out cheaply thus leaving it to Fraggle and JK to build a partnership. After some crucial runs Fraggle dragged one onto his stumps. Score now 88 for 6. Still haven't got my pads on as I have faith in JK and Rob ... Score now 109 for 7 and Rob has also played on. Still have faith in Frallardice and JK to get 12 runs ... 10 runs later I find myself going into bat after Frallardice had missed a straight one. It’s 2 to win and I’m with boom boom Omar. We clearly knew our options … which was to wait for the bowler to bowl a wide. After 4 maidens the tension was building but we stuck to our plan and it finally paid off. A great relief for the team as we had just avoided a crisis for the second time this season. Special mention to Omar for managing to stick in with me in that tense situation after playing and missing at 5 in a row. Players - a footnote Fantasy Bob was a stalwart of the Royal High 2nd XI from 1982 until 1994. FB never played at Grange Loan in those years. He recommenced his not so glittering career with Carlton 4th XI in 2008. He has made 133 appearances for the 4th XI, the vast majority as skipper, and has written the occasional match report.

The history of Stewart’s Melville CC is associated with several playing fields, a number of which are now sadly lost to cricket forever. Stewart’s Melville’s present ground (above) at Inverleith was purchased in 1894 by the Governors of Daniel Stewarts Hospital, from the Governors of the Fettes Trust. The eastern part of the ground - the present rugby pitch and stand - had been purchased in 1897 by the Scottish Football Union (as the SRU was known at the time), who thus became the first of the home unions to own and run its own rugby field. The first rugby international there was played in 1899 against Ireland and internationals were played until January 1925 when insufficient space to accommodate growing numbers of spectators caused the SRU to move to Murrayfield. The Inverleith ground was then sold to the Merchant Company in 1926. In the early 1900s the rugby ground was also used for cricket. The groundsman at the time was a very keen cricketer and Leith Caledonian Cricket Club were granted summer lease of the ground. Caledonian went out of existence at the time of the First World War. The Inverleith artificial wicket, the first in the area, and so familiar to Carlton’s lower and junior sides, was installed in 1982, following the sale of Ferryfield, see further below. STEWART’S MELVILLE - THE GROUNDS - A SHORT HISTORY Edinburgh Institution CC played originally at Warriston (where softball is now more commonly played). From 1907 they played at Ferryfield, which lay on the other side of Ferry Road from Inverleith. Ferryfield was sold for housing when Stewart’s and Melville Colleges merged. The last match at Ferryfield main square was on 28 June 1981 against Selkirk. The second square remained in use until the end of the 1986 season, usually mainly by the SM’s 2nd and Sunday XIs. /cont’d over Inverleith is noted for its balmy summer temperatures

Cont’d/ Royal High School FP originally played at Holyrood (below) - roughly where the Scottish Parliament now stands. A pavilion was erected in 1868 to replace a sentry box which had previously served. Large crowds regularly attended - newspaper reports frequently mention thousands in attendance. Two games were accommodated at times although space seems to have been limited. In 1877 it is reported that in the match against Carlton, A Buchanan, one of Royal High’s leading batters, was ‘run out because of another match taking place on the same field.’ The Club continued to play at Holyrood for 60 years, with the last match being played on 28 May 1921 against Edinburgh Institution. The FP club then purchased Jock’s Lodge (bottom right) as a memorial to their fellows who had fallen in WW1 and the first match there, against Grange, took place on 4 June 1921. A substantial pavilion (below) was built in 1925. The Royal High School relocated to Barnton in 1970. Although the FP clubs remained at Jock’s Lodge for a time, the upkeep of the large ground was too much without the link to the school and the ground was sold in the late 1980s. The new ground at East Barnton Avenue, adjacent to the school, was completed for the 1990 season. The memorial gates (above) which once stood at Jock’s Lodge were also relocated. Barnton is now the home ground of RH Corstorphine CC, which has no relation with the former RHCC. It was formed from the merger of Corstorphine CC and the Royal High Athletic Clubs in 2003. Corstorphine previously played at Union Park in Corstorphine. While rugby continues to be played at Union Park, cricket no longer is.

SUCCESS AT LORDS Will Hardie reports Rory McCann, Angus Beattie and I were lucky enough to spend Sunday 31 July playing at Lords for MCC Scotland. It was a memorable day, with MCC Scotland coming out victorious after defeating MCC West Midlands in the semifinal and then having a very comprehensive win over London North in the final. It was a very surreal feeling turning up at Lords in the morning for a game of cricket! We had a brief net on the nursery ground before being treated like kings and served lunch in the players’ dining room where the England players usually dine. After this it was game time. Thankfully over the course of the day all the Carlton representatives managed to contribute with Beattie doing particularly well taking five wickets across the 2 games. McCann and I managed to hit a few bombs between us into the Tavern Stand. Upon completion of the game, it was a swift turnaround into number 1s and time for copious amounts of beer and canapes starting in the Long Room at Lords and then into the Big Smoke! All in all, what an amazing experience to play at the Mecca of cricket and even better to do it with some fellow arrows. Friday 2 September Junior prize giving & BBQ Saturday 3 September World Famous Carlton Sixes - teams compete for the prestigious Martin Flynn Trophy Pizza Geeks in attendance throughout the day. To be followed by Senior Prizegiving with street food available. END OF SEASON EXCITEMENTS Watch Pitchero and WhatsApp for more details

KWIK CRICKET FESTIVAL We held our "annual" Kwik Cricket festival a couple of Sundays ago, after the enforced 2 year break. It was as if nothing had happened in two years: players and coaches slotted seamlessly into the old familiar patterns; tea, coffee, juice and cakes poured refreshingly from the clubhouse; the sun shone; and the cricket shone even brighter. We were joined by teams from Linlithgow, MDAFS, StewMel and Watsonians. Impressively, Linlithgow had so many enthusiastic cricketers that we formed a combined Linlithgow/Carlton team in addition to their own team. Carlton Juniors' appetite for Kwik Cricket remains undimmed - 3 Carlton teams made up the ideal total of 8 teams. Grange Loan is a sight to behold on Kwik Cricket Festival mornings: instead of the normal 15 players and umpires dotted at intervals around the ground, the outfield is a riot of colour and activity: 64 players, 8 coaches and innumerable spectators jostle for space; and the pitches are so close together that balls frequently intrude into the wrong game. But the players seem to love it, and go home slightly wiser cricketers. The cricket is played at an impeccably high level of enthusiasm. At this level, results are secondary to enjoyment (read: I'm having a bit of trouble interpreting some of the scoresheets), but I notice that all the Carlton teams won one game, and most of them sportingly allowed our visitors to win one too. As a result of this remarkable hospitality, everyone went home happy. Many thanks to all the parents who gave up their Sunday mornings to coach a team or to feed the visitors. JUNIOR SIXES Sunday 31 July: 30 players, 9 noble volunteer parents and a handful of spectators resist the lure of the ODI going on across town, and convene at Grange Loan for the Second Annual Carlton CC Junior 6s. Teams comprise (roughly) a player from each Junior hardball squad, expertly led by the older players. The day starts quietly, players sizing up their team-mates: younger players wondering what they have got themselves into; older players eyeing the enormous gaps in the field. Gradually, realisation dawns: everyone is in this game, all the time. Younger players grow suddenly taller, older players relax as they realise that everyone is a Carton cricketer. After just two years, a pattern is emerging: teams all win at least one game, and Red wins overall - congratulations to Robbie, Harrison, Magnus, Noah, Oscar & Sacha. But wait: Green beat Red, Yellow beat Green, Orange beat Yellow and Blue beat Orange ... they are all winners! Bowling is hard with only 4 outfielders. Nonetheless, Hector managed a maiden, Sacha went one better with a wicket maiden, and Aaradhy trumped them both with a remarkable triple-wicket maiden. Batting looks easier, although high scores are hard to come by as batters are limited to 9 balls. Aadi, Fergus F, and Robbie all managed 20s before being hauled off, but the batting crown goes to Jake for doing it twice. Fielding involves covering hundreds of yards, and was of a high standard throughout. Three catches stick in the mind: Noah and Hector both ran a lo-o-ong way to take high catches. But the most incredible catch was a one-handed grab at slip by Harrison. To start with, what on earth is a slip doing in a 6s game? Very well played to everyone, and a huge thank you to Andrew, Doug, Euan, Graeme, Johann, Jon, Keith & Malcolm for giving up a whole Sunday to run the show. Martin Firth celebrates the post-COVID return of Kwik Cricket and Junior Sixes

PRIMARY COLOURS Carlton’s Primary School team provides additional hardball cricket opportunities to state school cricketers. Over the years, playing most of Edinburgh’s private schools in a variety of formats, the programme has helped produce multiple 1st XI cricketers and youth internationalists and maintained a steady supply of committed Carlton stalwarts. Graduate of the Primary Team, 1st XI skipper Tom Simpson has returned to his roots by helping out this season. He reports on the action in May and June before the schools broke up. This year saw the arrival of many new faces to the Primary squad, lots playing hardball cricket for the very first time! The 8 aside pairs format made getting teams together a little easier and the pain of getting a first ball duck somewhat more tolerable. It also helped to produce some very memorable finishes to tight games. In both fixtures vs Loretto the match came down to the final ball, the first in large part due to a tremendous final over from young P5 Tom Sweet who was inches away from a maiden hat-trick! The enthusiasm of the squad was fantastic throughout, and really showed in the commitment demonstrated in the field. Some fantastic catches were taken across the season, and after some introduction to the importance of backing up/ ‘action and reaction’, the team looked more and more organised each week. What is particularly exciting about the group is the youth of the side. With a high number of P5s and P6s, there is a great opportunity to maintain a similar team next year and to build and keep developing other new players coming through. GOOD LUCK to Annette Aitken-Drummond and her team as they attempt to retain the Beyond Boundaries T20 Cup at Falkland CC on Sunday 21 August.

Sandy Crerar undertook a wide range of committee tasks including bar/house convenor and Membership Secretary for a time in the 1980-90's and helped out around the ground. He lived in West Grange Gardens just across the road from Grange Loan where he was able ‘to keep an eye on things.’ Nan Barwick came to Edinburgh in 1995 following a career in special needs education in Melbourne. In a long and close association with the club, she became a much loved mother figure to generations of players. Overseas amateurs and juniors in particular benefitted from her kindness, good humour and understanding. The special place of Margaret Masterton in Carlton’s history has previously been described in the Newsletter. She was Honorary Life President between 1968-88. A number of benches she presented over 50 years ago are a small but fitting testimony to her enduring support for the club. However her contribution was recognised well beyond the boundaries of Grange Loan, as the bench presented by ESCA attests - a recognition not only of her dedication of the Masterton trophy but on her continuing contribution to cricket in the East of Scotland. MORE GRANGE LOAN BENCHES