Issue 49

CARLTON’S ROYAL PAST In the present mood of national remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II, it is fitting to remind ourselves of Carlton’s Royal past. Records do not suggest that any member of the Royal Family has ever visited Grange Loan, much, we suspect, to their great disappointment. However in earlier times, Carlton was no stranger to the Royal Household. During the 1920s and 1930s an important event in the club’s calendar was the Northern Tour. Usually at the end of the season, players, spouses and friends would embark on a trip to the North East. A number of matches would be played - many against teams which sadly no longer exist - eg Monaltrie at Ballater and Aboyne. NL Stevenson was made an Honorary Life Member of the Royal Household CC in 1936. The Club still exists. More recently Fantasy Bob recounted his own not so successful royaL cricketing encounter at Balmoral. There was also golf, some hill-walking, sightseeing and extended socialising. On this link you will find an interesting account of the 1927 Tour. A highlight of the annual trip was the match against the Royal Household XI played in the grounds of Balmoral Castle (rt). Usually this ended in a convincing victory for the visitors. In 1934 the club was invited to Windsor to play the Royal Household XI. The extract below from NL Stevenson’s Play describes this match:

Retiring Director of Cricket Fraser Watts looks back on a season full of challenges As I reflect on the season, it’s with a mix of emotions. It’s been an incredibly frustrating season in many ways but also hugely satisfying in many others. It’s been great to get a full season unaffected by Covid or anything else and one of the best seasons weatherwise I can remember for a long time. I’ve also felt a great sense of frustration for all the captains who have been trying to pick sides every week when availability has probably been the worst that I can remember. I hope it’s just a post-Covid thing, in that people are doing things they couldn’t have done for the last couple of years, going on holiday, going to festivals. It may be understandable but it is also very difficult to deal with when you’re trying to select six teams and more for Carlton every week. Well done to all the skippers and thanks for your hard work. I am on the selection WhatsApp group and can attest to the pain these guys go through with call-offs late on a Friday evening (often, lamentably, for spurious reasons) which causes issues throughout the teams - it is something they shouldn’t have to deal with every week. Hopefully this will change next year but if it doesn’t, then there’s going to have to be a serious rethink because we cannot repeat what happened this year. We had some tough results this year and things didn’t seem to go our way. But we also had many great team and individual performances to remember. As always there is lots to build on for next season. Preparation starts now! Two early pictures of a Carlton legend.

On a more positive note, it continues to amaze me that we can actually select six senior teams almost every week. This really shows how far the club has come over recent years. Certainly there weren’t so many opportunities when I first came to Grange Loan. We also now have two senior women’s teams which is such a great step forward for the club and hopefully we can continue to grow the women’s game not only at Carlton but also across the region and Scotland. Well done to Annette and her team in retaining the League title and getting so close to retaining the cup. Carlton’s juniors continue to be a source of great pride for everyone at the club and the junior section continues to be an example of how a club junior section should be run. Everyone involved in the continuing development of junior cricket deserves a huge thanks. I’m also pleased that the club has reviewed its stance and policies given the outcome of the recent investigation into racism in Scottish Cricket. I like to think that we are a very diverse club in all senses of the word, but that is no reason to sit still and do nothing. I’m pleased we now have a dedicated diversity committee to ensure we have policies and practices in place to ensure we continue to be inclusive to everyone and become even better at it. We can never stop learning, growing and evolving. Whilst I’m sad to be stepping back from official duties at Carlton it is definitely the right time, both for me personally (who knew a small child would take up a lot of your time!) and the club. I have been involved for a long time now, so it is time for some fresh ideas and enthusiasm and a great opportunity for the club to get more people involved in its running. Thanks to everyone involved at the club, all the volunteers, the organisers, the committee members, the ground staff, the coaches, and everyone who does things to keep the place working. We are very lucky to have such a great club but we need to work hard to maintain it and grow it. I cannot think of anyone more suited or more committed to Carlton and its ethos than Stevie Gilmour to take over the leadership of cricket at the club. I wish him and everyone working with him the very best of luck. Many thanks Fraser for all you have achieved and done at Carlton! Best wishes to you, Jane and Rory!

Carlton and Scotland Congratulations to Ali Evans, Gavin Murray, Ruaridh McIntyre, Ben Stronach, Max D’Ulisse, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Maisie Maceira, Gabriella Fontenla, Zaara Dancu and Imogen Campbell (no photo available) who all played for Scotland at various levels this season. Also to Ken Nisbet who was part of the team of scorers for Scotland’s senior men’s matches.

CARLTON CC HONOURS BOARD - SEASON 2022 Batting First XI Arun Pillai 110* v Penicuik - 31 May Women’s XI Charis Scott 102rt v Grange Women - 29 May Abbi Aitken-Drummond 101rt v Grange Women - 29 May Second XI Kyle McPherson 109 v Edin Accies - 11 June Fifth XI Martin Robertson 100 v Bass Rock2 - 13 August Bowling First XI Arun Pillai 6-14 v Edin Accies - 19 May Shuja Khan 5-23 v Watsonians - 21 May Women’s XI Saskia Aldridge 5-5 v RH Corstorphine - 3 July (incl hattrick) Maisie Maceira 5-13 v Grange Women - 29 May (incl hattrick) Second XI Shiv Gupta 6-22 v Grange2 - 14 May Harry Simpson 5-3 v Gala - 7 May Saif Khan 5-33 v Morton - 18 June Omar Ahmad 5-33 v Penicuik - 25 June Fourth XI Abhishek Mehta 5-44 v EU Staff - 27 August Fifth XI Angus Turner 5-4 v Watsonians4 - 22 May Angus Turner 5-6 Edin South3 - 28 May Hamish Turner 5-14 Stew-Mel4 - 7 May

1st XI After the successes of last year’s campaign, the 2022 season has been a mixed affair. There is no doubt that the league has continued to strengthen, and while finishing 4th and reaching a cup final is certainly nothing to be frowned upon, we did not reach our full potential this year. While there were moments of brilliance and strong individual performances, the continually changing personnel in the 1st team made consistency very difficult to maintain. As a club operating at the very top of Scottish cricket, we should be continually looking to challenge for titles across all formats. I am sure that everyone involved in the 1st team shares this ambition and knows that continued improvement and progression should remain a key priority working towards next season. The recently departed, Mikhail Gorbachev once said: “If you don't move forward, sooner or later you begin to move backwards.” In the case of club cricket, as in geopolitics, this seems remarkably apt! Nonetheless, while we struggled for consistency in the first half of the year, the last 10 games of the season yielded just 2 defeats, including strong home performances against Grange and Heriots, alongside some gritty displays in chases against RHC and Stew Mel. A run to the final of the Masterton Trophy, produced one of the most remarkable t20 matches I have ever been part of. With the team well behind the rate, Ali Shah produced an innings of immense power hitting to take us within touching distance of the title. While it wasn't quite to be, it was a hugely impressive performance from Ali (92* from 50 balls) that should continually serve as a reminder of his instinctive ability. Masterton Runners Up Eastern Premier League 4th T Simpson 509 runs @28.28 N Madziva 410 runs @ 31.54 S Khan 444 runs @26.12 A Shah 280 runs @25.45 A Beattie 26 wkts @18.77 A Evans 25 wkts @19.64 R Allardice 20 wkts @15.90 A RARE EVENT The 1st team match at Grange Loan on 2 July against Falkland CC ended in a tie. This is Carlton’s first tied match since 1 July 2017, when they tied with Glenrothes. With a single required off the last ball to win Callum Everett middled it but too close to a fielder. He was run out with scores level. Carlton’s previous tied match was against Grange in 2009. The season saw the debuts of three players, Neville Madziva, Gavin Murray and Ruaridh Main. I am sure all at the club would join me in wishing Neville the best in Zimbabwe and thank him for all his efforts across the season. Ruaridh McIntyre continues to grow from strength to strength as a young cricketer, while Rory Allardice highlighted his growing stature as a 1st XI cricketer, taking 20 wickets in the league/cup for the first time. The season also marked a number of significant milestones for members of the 1st XI. Ali Evans marked his 175th appearance for the 1s while Arun Pillai brought up his 100th appearance. Both are fantastic achievements, testament to their long standing commitment to Carlton. Other personal milestones included Arun’s 2000th run brought up against Falkland at Grange Loan, Shujaa Khan’s 1000th run brought up away to Arbroath and Angus Beattie’s 50th wicket, taken against Heriots. I have greatly enjoyed taking the reins this season - many thanks to everyone for their invaluable support. TS

WOMEN’S XI WPL Champions Abbi Aitken-Drummond 260 runs @86.67 S Haggo 158 runs @52.67 Z Dancu 151runs @30.20 M Maceira 16 wkts @9.19 Z Dancu 12 wkts @11.25 G Fontenla 8 wkts @15.00 We started the season knowing that it was going to be tougher than ever to retain our WPL title as other teams had strengthened their line-ups and the newly-formed Northern Lights looked like a team to be reckoned with. We got off to the worst possible start, losing by 2 runs to WoS in a real nail-biter. In a league season which only contains 7 games, I thought our chance had slipped away. However we fought back in style smashing almost 300 past Grange, including centuries for both Abbi & Charis, and a five-fer which included a hat-trick for Maisie. We then traveled to Galloway to defeat a strong Dumfries side in style, before defeating a Stew Mel side who have often caused us problems in the past. Next up was the biggie - Northern Lights. We traveled to Mannofield knowing that they were unbeaten, having put almost 600 runs past the previous 2 teams they played. And I tell you something, we played our socks off! Gabby bowled brilliantly, getting 4-26 as we restricted them to 171. We chased it down with 9 balls to spare, Sammy smashed 61 off 32 balls, effectively winning us the game. Could this be our season after all…? We held our nerve to beat Watsonians where Zaara bowled 4-3 in an outstanding spell, and other results went our way, meaning we had to win our last game in order to win the league. Once again it was against RHC at Barnton, which for some reason seems to be our bogey ground! In a nervy encounter, Heather got us out of a bit of trouble to help us post a pretty average 106. Then came along Saskia, bowling an unbelievable 5-5, including a hat-trick, to win us the game, and the league was ours! We didn't quite manage to do the double-double this season, but I couldn't be prouder of this team and everything it has achieved. Huge thanks to everyone who has helped out this season, including all the parents, scorers & ground staff. Also special thanks to Dewald for the excellent coaching sessions, Kerry for the many Friday night socials, and to Sam, Amelia & Sarah on the Women's Committee for all your help. It's been amazing to see how the women's section keeps going from strength to strength, long may it continue. AA-D

As my first season captaining a Carlton side it has not been short of surprises. A mixture of availability & injuries led to us not fielding the same team twice! In all 27 players appeared this season! In terms of overall results, we outplayed some teams - for example against the likes of Gala at the start of the season H Simpson 5-3 from 5, also against Grange with Shiv Gupta picking up 6 wickets. Another strong performance was against Edinburgh Accies with Kyle MacPherson making a brilliant hundred. A good win against Morton with Saif & Charles getting up 4 a piece. But in other games we know we let ourselves down a bit. So it was a season of might have beens! My favourite moment of this season was seeing two up and coming youngsters lead the way against a strong Heriots’ side. Ben Stronach at the top of the order picking up 4-45 and Max D’Ulisse picking up 4-20 in the middle order. Brilliant performances which ensured Carlton won a very close game. It was always good to have Omar’s line and length to and Mo’s big hitting. Another special mention to Rory Ledingham and Shaun Smith who both made their second team debuts, with many more appearances to come. ESCA Championship - 4th P17 W11 L6 K Macpherson 310 runs @25.28 M Nauman 277 runs @23.08 G Murray 168 runs @18.67 C Stronach 30 wkts @13.83 O Ahmad 20 wkts @14.3 C Everett 13 wkts @8.15 2nd XI Although we eventually fell short in the league, the talent and commitment from whoever came into the team was amazing to see. I am sure we can better our league position next year. Thanks to Alasdair and Colin for the great work they’ve done on the ground. A special mention to Bob for being our scorer - this has been much appreciated. It has been a pleasure to skipper the club this year and hopefully for many more to come. Have a great winter everyone: and see you in the New Year! BD’U

This season has seen the introduction of a woman's 2nd XI Challenger League. It has been a great success and hugely enjoyable. Being able to field a 2nd XI on Cup Finals day is proof of how far women's cricket has come at Carlton and we have a lot of promising young talent coming through. This league has given players both young and old the opportunity to play in competitive matches that they wouldn’t have had previously. We have all benefited hugely, and our skills and confidence have improved. 26 players took part throughout the season ranging from 10-56 years old with 10 of them tasting their first competitive women's games. We have played 8 matches, 5 friendlies - of which we won 3 and 3 Challenger League - winning all 3. And we have been lucky enough to have played 4 matches at Grange Loan and I would like to thank the ground staff for that. Two games stick out for me. The first one against a strong Watsonians team. They needed 10 from the last over bowled by 11 year old Sonia against an U19’s Scotland player. They got 5 - the rest is history. The second was the final game of the season against Perth Doo’cot another good team. We bowled really well and they finished on 58-6. Challenger League - P3 W3 H Sladen 40 runs S Beith 39 runs A Beattie 35 runs A Robertson 4 wkts K Ansell 4 wkts A Rajan 3 wkts A Foley 3wkts (Based on Challenger League matches only) Women’s 2nd XI We thought we had it in the bag but our batting never got going and we found ourselves on a measly 19 runs after 10 overs with 8 wickets gone. But never say die, and a steady partnership during the last 10 overs saw us win the game….with 5 balls to spare. I would like to thank all the players who have given their time and commitment to make this happen. Everyone has played the games in a really good spirit which is pleasing. We couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers and parents. So a huge thank you to Tharm, Jeremy, Ian, Gemma, Kelly, Alison and Alan for umpiring, scoring and taxiing their children. And of course to Amelia who was always on hand to help her novice Captain. 2022 has seen a great start for the women's 2nd XI, but 2023 promises to be even better. SB

ESCA Div 2 - 6th P16 W8 L8 B Thurman 339 runs @37.67 Z Yusaf 292 runs @48.67 R Main 208 runs @41.6 The 3’s finished sixth in Division 2 after winning eight and losing eight with two washouts. I didn’t pick the same team twice but we had a solid core of players who would rotate in and out around weddings, holidays, Covid, etc. To this, we added the next generation of Carlton seam bowlers - Shaun, Mark, Dougie, Kyle, Fraser, Isaac and Ferg, who all came in and did really well. Overall, we gave debuts to ten players and 31 players played for the 3s this season. On field highlights included doing the double over RHC beating Accies and anytime Zaki and Ben scored runs, when we would usually win. Ben’s consecutive bat carrying won us games at Kirk Brae and Westquarter and got us away from the lower end of the table. The season’s low point was probably the three hour round trip to Hawick to be all out for 40. 3rd XI K Burgess 11 wkts @19.64 M McKay 10 wkts @22 We used seven different keepers this year - special thanks to Rory for taking it on to the detriment of his bowling. Batsmen have been talked out by Rory, adding another method to the accepted list of dismissals! The 3’s have a difficult balance to make - playing good, intense cricket to prepare for playing 2’s, but also allow for players to enjoy themselves. After the last two years, it’s been great to get back to normal again. Thanks to everyone who has taken the field for the 3’s - see you again next year! BMcK The 3rd XI were the most affected by weather this summer - the first match of the season v Boroughmuir was abandoned. The return fixture at Meggetland was cancelled when the novelty of heavy overnight rain rendered the pitch unplayable.

4th XI wicket to see us home with 2 balls to spare. Another heavy loss followed but then in the shadows of the Meadows fun-fair we crept past Edinburgh 3s with Fraser Kentish again hitting priceless lower order runs. We then played the teams at the top of league and struggled to make much of an impression to leave us languishing at the foot of the table. Back to the Meadows to host Linlithgow and with Paul Kentish blasting 60 to give us 169 to defend. Stu Dawson then proved virtually unplayable with 8-5-11-3 and we bowled them out for 68. ESCA Div 4 - 8th P18 W6 L 12 A Murray 292 runs @18.25 B Smith 205 runs @34.17 D Simpson 198 runs @24.75 R Ledingham 159 runs @39.75 A Mehta 13 wkts @16.62 F Kentish 10 wkts @14.90 J Ward 10 wkts @20.30 Two more basement battles were next and we chased 179 at Gyle 2 thanks to 75 rtd from Harry Hardie. We then put 295 on Watsonians at Cav Park 2 with David Simpson hitting 98* - we thought that about par for the diminutive surroundings of Cav Park 2 but then bowled out Watsons for 60. In previous years, 5 wins would mean we were safe but not this season. With 5 games to go we were still in trouble with teams around us having a much easier run in. To make matters worse we lost to bottom side Edinburgh at the Meadows. So, with 3 to go we played the top 3 sides – the first 2 in front of the cameras at Grange Loan. Two good bowling and fielding performances meant we were chasing manageable totals and some much needed top order runs* broke the back of the chases. We couldn’t make it 3 wins in a row against top team Edinburgh Uni Staff but results elsewhere meant we finished 8th in what had been a highly competitive ESCA Division 4. AM *Al Murray is characteristically modest in not mentioning his own exceptional contributions to these vitally important wins - 74* and 46* - 2 brilliant skipper’s innings. The 4s season got off to shaky start with 3 straight losses. We stopped the rot with a fine win against Watsonian 3s at Craiglockhart with Fraser Kentish and Joe Ward adding 37 for the 9th

ESCA Div 7 - 10th P 18 W7 L11 In many ways, this has been an extraordinary year. The 5s have played 32 matches, including all 18 league matches and 14 friendly games. 44 players have played in the league, with 8 senior debuts for juniors. We won 7 games in the league, but lost 11. However, many of the losses were by very small margins and we were competitive in almost every game. We bowled 6 teams out for less than 100 runs. We have played at least 5 or 6 juniors in every game, with at least two juniors batting in the top order and they routinely contributed with the bat as well as the ball, which has not always been the case in the past. Particular highlights of the season were Martin’s fantastic century against Bass Rock, three fivefors from the Turner family, two for Gus and one for Hamish, Ferg’s wonderful match-winning 84* at GL, and Joe’s great catch running in from the deep against Drummond Trinity. There have been many fine individual contributions. Aadi took 17 wickets, consistently foxing opponents with his straight accurate bowling. Robbie also took 17 wickets, routinely opening the bowling, and bowling 22 maidens, including 5 in a row on the Astro at Newfield. Gus Turner who took 29 wickets at an average of 8.72. He was only two wickets away from winning the Division 7 bowling prize. As for batting, I am excited to note that there have been a number of significant contributions from juniors this year. Robbie scored 136 runs at an average of 19. Hamish Turner scored 131 runs at an average of 22. 5th XI K Murray 480 runs @34.29 J Stronach 272 @24.73 M Robertson 231 runs @19.25 A Turner 29 wkts @8.72 A Khadse 17 @11.12 R Murray 17 wkts @16.76 James Stronach scored 272 runs at at average of 25, the most any junior has scored in the 5s in any season. He was involved in two 100 partnerships, one 98 run partnerships and several 50 partnerships. His top score was 76. Martin also scored 231 runs, including his excellent century. I scored 480 runs at an average of 34, including four 50s, (two of which were live streamed at GL). The fielding this year was very good, with numerous catches taken and excellent commitment shown in all matches. Finally, I would just like to say thanks to my two vice captains Euan and John, who have been a big help again running all these matches. Also a big thank you to Amelia for organising our many fixtures. Thank you to the ground staff for the games we have played at GL. We really do appreciate playing here when we get the chance. Finally, many thanks to all the players and their parents who have made this year such a special experience. KM

The Mixed Development XI wasn’t so mixed as previously since the arrival of the Women’s 2nd XI provided a rival attraction for women players. However the side played 7 matches in the ESCA Sunday League, winning one and running a close second in the other 7. They had the misfortune be subject to a number of mismatches with sides who have a different conception of development to that at Carlton and are really looking for Sunday fixtures against more conventional opponents. There were also half centuries for David Rowlands and Dougie Firth, who rarely get the opportunity to bat in other sides. It was hugely enjoyable for everyone involved and a huge debt of thanks is owed to John Beattie who masterminded all the logistics. Thanks also to Matt Wells and Hayden Laing for their support and for turning out. It would be great if other more experienced players could also consider giving a helping hand to ensure that developing cricketers have the most enjoyable introduction to senior cricket. Over 50s XI Mixed Development XI Nevertheless 38 players took part - many of them tasting their first senior or competitive matches. Highlights were the father and son half centuries for Ian and Tom Hathorn (rt). Following their debut last year, Carlton’s Over 50 XI renewed the sponsorship deal with Voltarol and took to the sun parched fields again this season. Two matches, home and away, with friends and rivals Watsonians ended in victory. Stu Dawson was the pick of the bowlers in each match and the batting was strengthened by the presence of Pete Deakin. Rolling back the years, and the elasticated support, the skipper thumped the winning runs in the second match. Fixtures were also arranged with Grange. There was slight anxiety in the Carlton ranks when it was learned that Grange would come to Grange Loan with a side packed with former internationals. But the match was played in excellent spirit. Sarah Beith (surely she can’t meet the age criterion) took the wicket of former Scotland wicket-keeper Alec Davies. But inevitably Carlton came second. Unfortunately the return fixture at Portgower Place was one of the few casualties to weather this season. So Carlton will have to wait until next year to exact revenge. Many thanks to Keith for doing the hard yards in arranging the matches.

A LOT OF CRICKET! The senior players who feature most often in Pitchero’s team selections are: ● Martin Robertson: 29 ● Joe Ward: 28 ● Keith Murray, Tom Simpson: 27 ● Arun Pillai, Shiv Gupta: 26 Sarah Beith was the most-selected woman, with 23, followed by Amelia Beattie on 18. 46 Juniors have turned out for senior teams this year. The most-selected Junior was Aadi Khadse, with 22 outings for the 5s & Mixed Dev XI. Runners-up were: ● James Stronach: 21 ● Ben Stronach, Robbie Murray: 19 ● Kieran Glass: 17 ● Benji Risi, Zaara Dancu: 16 The 4s selected the most players, with 56 players selected at least once. Aadi Khadse was selected for 50 games in total this year: 26 junior and 24 senior. Runners-up were: ● James Stronach: 48 ● Kieran Glass: 38 ● Benji Risi: 36 ● Robbie Murray: 35 ● Hamish Foley, John Gill: 36 But James Stronach also played 4 matches for the Eastern Knights - so he is Carlton’s most cricketing cricketer this season. Members of 196 different families were selected for Carlton teams this year. The most-selected families were Foley and Stronach, with 97 selections each. Runners-up were: ● Khadse: 91 ● Simpson: 65 ● (Keith) Murray: 64 ● (Euan) Murray, Glass: 63 The family with the most selections per family member was: Risi, with 36 selections for Benji. Runners-up were: ● Stronach: 32 ● Khadse, Ledingham: 30 ● Robertson, Sweet: 29 ● Ward: 28, D'Ulisse: 26 The family with the most senior player selections were the Simpsons, with 65. Runners up were: ● Kentish: 53 ● (Al) Murray: 23 ● Firth: 36 ● Keatinge: 34 ● McIntyre: 33 ● Hardie: 32 ● Macpherson: 31 There has been a lot of cricket played this season. But who has played the most? With the aid of Pitchero, Martin Firth looks for Carlton’s most cricketed cricketer.

Spoiler Alerts Here are the season’s Top 5 viewing figures on Carlton’s YouTube Channel 1.2k Views - Carlton v Falkland - 2 July The match was tied. Batting first Carlton scored 222-7, Fraser Burnett top scoring with 56 off 52 balls. Falkland needed 8 to win off the last over, but could only manage 7. 1.1k Views - Carlton Women v West of Scotland Women - 22 May Carlton lost by 2 runs failing to chase down 186. Abbi Aitken-Drummond top scored with 70. 1k views - Carlton v Arbroath United - 7 May Carlton scored 270 - with six batters out in the 30s. They then dismissed Arbroath for 72, Rua McIntyre taking 3-11. 938 Views - Carlton 2 v Huntly - pre-season friendly. Carlton scored 283-7 with a century partnership between Pete Deakin (60*) and Ruaridh Main (44*) before bowling Huntly out for 85 with Max D’Ulisse taking 4-16. 904 Views - Carlton 5 v Drummond-Trinity 4 - 7 Aug Carlton won by 6 wickets with 8 balls to spare chasing down 193 with Fergus Foley scoring 84* and Keith Murray 58. Fergus also took 2 wickets. There were 3 wickets each for James Stronach and Angus Turner. The Masterton Final was streamed on Heriot’s Channel. It attracted only 713 views. The Scottish Cup Final between Forfarshire and Ayr on Sunday 28 August attracted 5.4k views.

1st XI Batting TOM SIMPSON 1st XI Bowling ANGUS BEATTIE 1st XI Fielding ARUN PILLAI Women’s 1st XI Batting ABBI AITKEN-DRUMMOND Women’s 1st XI Bowling MAISIE MACEIRA Women’s 1st XI Fielding JANIE HEMSLEY 2nd XI Batting KYLE MACPHERSON 2nd XI Bowling CHARLES STRONACH 2nd XI Fielding BEN D’ULISSE 3rd XI Batting BEN THURMAN 3rd XI Bowling KYLE BURGESS 3rd XI Fielding EUAN KEATINGE 4th XI Batting RORY LEDINGHAM 4th XI Bowling FRASER KENTISH 4th XI Fielding JOE WARD 5th XI Batting KEITH MURRAY 5th XI Bowling ANGUS TURNER 5th XI Fielding ROBBIE MURRAY Women’s 2nd XI Batting HOLLY SLADEN Women’s 2nd XI Bowling ASHLEY ROBERTSON Women’s 2nd XI Fielding STEPH READ Wicket Keeping Trophy TOM SIMPSON Club Fielder of the Year ARUN PILLAI Six Hitting Trophy ALI SHAH Best Individual Performance ALI SHAH Best Introduction to Senior Cricket DAN MOWAT Young Player of the Year MAX D’ULISSE Player’s Player of the Year KEITH MURRAY Women Player’s Player of the Year MAISIE MACEIRA Jappy Trophy AMELIA BEATTIE TROPHY WINNERS 2022

Amelia came to Carlton around 2008. The family lived in Blackford Road and when one of their boys showed an interest in cricket, they looked up the phone book, and were surprised (and delighted) to find that just around the corner, behind behind the old wooden gates there was as cricket club She had never played the game but, always enthusiastic, went along to the first ever women’s practice held by Helen Blair and Lily Cartwright in Liberton school. She played in the women’s first ever match on 10th June 2012 and is now Carlton’s most capped women’s player at the club with cup and league medals to show for it. And she's now involved in the development of the women’s 2nd team. But the Jappy trophy is not awarded for what you do on the pitch but what you contribute off it. Amelia was quick to get involved in the club and by 2011 was on the junior committee and organising the primary school fixtures. This soon widened to all the ever expanding junior fixture schedule, until she took over from Martin Robertson as Club Fixture Secretary in 2021. With 6 senior teams, two women’s teams, an evolving multitude of junior teams and competitions, and only one ground, this is a major challenge. Amelia’s enthusiasm knows no bounds and she was instrumental in recruiting and keeping the women’s section going through a sticky few years and will be delighted to see it flourishing now. Her so called Old Bats can be found practicing on Fridays come rain or shine. The Jappy Trophy is Carlton’s highest accolade. It is named after Jimmy Jappy who, over a 33 year association with Carlton up to his death in 1980, worked tirelessly on the club's behalf. He served many years on Council, including 5 years as President, and performed just about every essential task around Grange Loan. Since 1981 the Jappy Trophy has been awarded to the person deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the running of Carlton. A person can only be awarded it once. The full roll of honour can be seen on the club website. JAPPY TROPHY 2022 Amelia Beattie Amelia was surprised during her Silver Wedding Anniversary celebrations, when a knock on the door revealed Hugh Parker who had come to present the trophy in front of 80 equally surprised guests. She says she is really chuffed to receive it. She thinks that while she has put a lot of time into many things at Carlton, her biggest contribution may have been her bloody minded perseverance with the City Council to get the nets put into the new gym at Gillespie’s school.

In addition to masterminding the demands of the 5th XI league campaign, Keith has been tireless in organising additional fixtures - in particular 2 evening series against mixed sides from Edinburgh South and Stew-Mel provided lots of enjoyable cricket away from the stresses of the search for league points. Keith also instituted the over 50s XI and has been integral to the junior section for a number of years. Keith also had a great year with the bat scoring over 500 runs including a career best innings of 90. No one faces more balls in the nets. The rumour that Keith sleeps in his pads has yet to be verified. Keith Murray Players’ Player of the Year Many congratulations to Keith on an outstanding season. ‘I was greatly honoured to receive the men’s players’ player award this year. It was incredibly humbling to see the list of illustrious names who have won the award in previous years and a great testament to Carlton’s “one club” ethos that a player from the 5s can be recognised in this way. It has been an incredible season, with every 5s game played, and I have really enjoyed playing with my son, Robbie, and with all my fiends in the 5s. I made a technical adjustment to my set up at the start of the season, which has made a big difference, so a big thank you to Fraggle and Dewald for their coaching. It just goes to show that even at the tender age of 55, you can improve your game! Many thanks to everyone who voted. I am looking forward to next season already.’

Maisie Maceira Women’s Player of the Year Many congratulations to Maisie for an outstanding season. ‘It has been a good season for me again this year. I love playing for Carlton Women, everyone is so supportive of each other, and we have a lot of fun along the way as well as working hard. The league this year was very competitive and that just made us work harder as a team and eventually we came out on top. Unfortunately though it wasn’t our year in the T20 cup, but that will just make us more determined next season. ‘Away from Carlton I have played for Gala U16s, Gala 2nds, U18 Eastern Knights and I was lucky enough to be in the Scotland Women U19s Squad that travelled to Utrecht, Netherlands where we won the series 3-0 against the Netherlands to qualify for the inaugural U19s Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in January 2023. The Netherlands trip was an amazing experience. (Photos below). ‘For my last game of the season, I was invited to play in a 150 year Celebration Match for the Selkirk Chairman’s XI v Captain’s XI. Selkirk is where I started my Cricket Journey.’

ALI SHAH - SIX HITTER SUPREME Ali Shah has won Carlton’s Six Hitting Trophy for the third time. He also won the trophy last season and in 2013. In all he cleared the ropes 36 times this year - 23 times in the 21 league, cup and Masterton matches he played and 13 times in the European Champions’ League competition in February. While 36 is comfortably the most 6s ever hit by a Carlton player in a single year, 3 players have hit more in a single summer season. Hugo Southwell hit 28 in 15 matches in 2016, Michael Castle 25 in 21 matches in 2018 and Cedric English 24 in 22 matches in 2006. Three players have won the trophy more times than Ali - Alun Davies won it 7 times, Richard Dickinson 5 times and Cedric English 4 times. It may be a measure of how the game has changed that in the 7 years that Alun Davies won it, the most 6s he hit was in 1970 when he cleared the boundary 12 times in 33 matches. In 1962 he shared the trophy with 2 other players - each hit one six in the entire season! In his unforgettable knock in the year’s Masterton Final Ali launched it over the ropes 8 times.

GOOD-BYE TO GAGZ GOOD LUCK NEVILLE! ‘It has been a great experience for me to be at Carlton, and I would like to thank the President and all the members for giving me this opportunity and being so welcoming. I must also mention the coaches, captain and thank the Glass family for their hospitality. ‘I know the season didn't go as I wanted it to go in terms of winning trophies and also my getting an injury at the wrong time, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. Like I’ve been saying to the guys, "once an arrow always an arrow" Carlton is now a part of me now and I will keep following the club.’ Neville said he enjoyed his taste of Scottish cricket, ‘The cricket here is good cricket, especially the eastern league where you get to play against good quality guys. Many players - especially at Carlton - have impressed me.’ Other than Grange Loan Neville’s favourite ground was Grange and his favourite places in Edinburgh are the Castle and George Square. He says his favourite drink is now Scotch Whisky (Ha ha!) and he has enjoyed the the pasta at tea time at Grange Loan. Neville wore number 7 on his shirt, the same number he wore in the Zimbabwe national team. But the story behind his nickname - Gagz - must remain a secret! JUNIOR CRICKET The next issue of the Arrow will feature a full review of 2022’s junior cricket.

A Maiden Century Anil Kumble played 151 Test innings before scoring a ton. Shaun Pollock had 189 ODI innings before he got to three figures. It is likely that Martin Robertson has played significantly more innings for various Carlton XIs. But on 13 August he emulated Kumble and Pollock and reached three figures for the first time. Unlike Kumble and Pollock this will undoubtedly be the first of many. Martin describes how it felt to get to three figueres. It’s 35 years since I walked through the gates of Grange Loan as a player. I was a bowler on the basis that if you said you were a batter you’d never get a bowl, but all bowlers get to bat. However I think pretending to be a bowler had more to do with never having made three figures, after all that would come eventually. As the seasons passed, and more importantly the draw was removed as a possible result, I stopped bowling and became a fielder. I had the odd reasonable innings to pass 50, but a lack of responsibility always caused me to fall short. That was until this August, in the scorching heat of Cavalry Park against the formidable bowling attack of Bass Rock CC seconds. I’m being self-deprecating, but one thing I’ve learned over the years is that a century at any standard is a major achievement. It requires the mental toughness to quell the voices telling you that ‘every ball can be hit to the boundary’ and that ‘defending is an admission of defeat’. The feat was made easier by our scorer who informed at drinks that I had 74. I really had no idea, there had not even been a ripple of applause at 50. Only 26 to go and I started to count. I pushed the ball about a bit, kicked one past the stumps, mishit a straight six (Cavalry Park boundary is thankfully short) and then smashed a cover drive and I was there. Sadly I couldn’t go on to a double hundred. With the build up of 50 barren playing years, the emotional release was immense, a loss of concentration and a straight ball was all it took. My delight with my score was tinged with disappointment that I’d got out and that we didn’t win the game, but that’s what drives you to improve the next time. Removing pressure on yourself seems to be key to success. In the 3 months since retirement, I’ve carded my lowest round of golf, completed my longest cycle and most importantly scored that 100. The hundred hoodoo is broken, and I can declare myself a batter.

DAN MOWAT Winner of Best Introduction to Senior Cricket A TURN UP FOR THE BOOKS Carlton’s World Famous Six-a-Side Tournament may now be established as a worthy end of season event. But it was not always so. At one time the season ended with a Single Wicket competition - in which players batted and bowled against each other on a knock-out basis. At that time the club ran only two teams but even so, first team stars were on occasion humbled by less accomplished players. None more so than when the then club captain and captain of Scotland Richard Swan who having worked his way to the final might have expected to win against second team stalwart Alan Kemp. Dan played once for the Mixed Development XI and 6 matches for the 5th XI. He averaged 13.64 with the bat with a highest score of 17* and took 7 wickets, with a best return of 7-0-18-2. "I love cricket because it is a great team sport that I can play with my mates and where I can bat, bowl and field. Carlton is a brilliant club to play for because it has a great atmosphere and fantastic coaches. ‘I have really enjoyed my first season of playing senior cricket because it has been a challenge but it has allowed me to meet loads of people across the club and really improve my cricket. ‘My favourite moment of the season was hitting two sixes in one over for the Dads & Lads in Peebles. ‘My favourite senior player is Neville because he's a great coach and great fun!" Things seemed to be going to plan when Swan dismissed Kemp second ball with a single run to his name. However Kemp then dismissed Swan first ball to take the honours. As Alan recalls it himself, ‘Not the most exciting conclusion.’ But Kemp was a dark horse worth a long-odds punt - he had previously won the trophy in 1969. Richard Swan won in 1975 but lost out in the 1976 final to Nick Ross (see elsewhere in this NL). While records are incomplete, they suggest that Richard Dickinson was the man to beat - he took the trophy in 3 successive years between 1977 and 79. In earlier years, Alun Davies won the trophy on two occasions Richard Swan Alan Kemp

SIXES Once again, Carlton’s world famous sixes day provided a fun ending to the season. An exciting series of contests between inappropriately dressed teams eventually saw Anish Amin’s A-Listers (rt) take the prestigious Martin Flynn Trophy as they prevailed in a nail-biting super over.

The arrival of scoring using an app rather than pen and paper, and the idea of live streaming games, caused much excitement this season. Some scribes wouldn't touch an app with a barge pole, whereas some were well versed in many of its intricacies. After all, this particular platform isn't really that new, and some of us have used it a fair bit prior to its link to league, cup and other games. Indeed, I can trace e-scoring back to the days of the Press Association programme that was used for Scottish Saltires games against the English counties. That's not yesterday. The first e-eccentricity is the requirement, if the game is live streaming to click every time a bowler runs in so that the ensuing action can be captured in a brief clip. "Running in" for many slow bowlers is a bit of a misnomer, and it requires some sleight of hand to be successful in catching the action all the time. I wouldn't like to predict my success rate with this - judge for yourself in looking at the on steam highlights. Like many technological toys, the app is only fun to live with when it works as it tells you it should. Quoth one of our young fast bowling tyros - "it's much easier to do it like this". 40 years of scoring have taught me many things - one of which being that no matter how swimmingly things go for 95 overs, a "shark" will likely bite in over 96. Take the addition of penalty extras as an example. Following the instructions, one week the five runs wouldn't add. Trying it again, the app duly added ten. I got told I may have had "syncing issues". My heart certainly sank. Of course, the next time, it worked perfectly well using the same set of instructions... KEN NISBET, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM BOB IRVINE, TELLS OF THE FUN THE NEW SCORING APP BROUGHT THIS SEASON The key to success with this toy is to ensure that there is some sort of parchment and quill version running alongside it to back up in times of stress. Otherwise it can easily fall apart. When the gremlins arrive, it's simply not feasible to press the pause button on the game. One of the uber-gremlins is the one that simply refuses to accept that a batter is out even though the app has been firmly told that is so. I hear from Bob that when this happened he had to run the app with 3 batsmen in for a number of overs before he could persuade it to accept the umpire’s run out decision! Bob also tells me that faced with a freeze in the system, his more scoring colleague using more traditional methods kindly offered to ask the umpires to suspend play while he caught up. Of course the instructions cannot cover all eventualities, such what to do as when advised by the umpire of a bowler’s name it appears neither in the side selected nor in the club’s database. The player in question had failed to advise the umpire that his trading name was different from that in the system. The system will not allow a blank or to be advised later. And every now and then the gremlins temporarily seem to remove a player from the team altogether. Happy days. Apparently a new super duper improvement will be available next season. We shall see!

GOOD LUCK STEVIE - NEW HEAD OF CRICKET It really is a privilege to be named Director of Cricket at this great club. I am really looking forward to taking more of a lead role on all the cricketing aspects of the club. Ultimately, in my eyes, cricket is a game to be enjoyed by all and that will be at the heart of everything. Of course, I will be looking to drive the performance arm of the club to win more trophies (as that is also fun!), whilst making sure we have a clear development pathway through the club for those with the goal of moving up the teams. However, success for me also lies in just inspiring young and "old" players to want to just play for their club week in week out, to enjoy the game and each other's company, no matter the result. There are other areas to keep striving to improve such as our training facilities and at times I will be asking for your feedback and help with various aspects of the club. I hope that we can all pull together to keep making Carlton the best cricket club that it can be. I will be in touch soon!

The Coaches It was great that Pete Steindl could make it back from Australia this year to head up the senior section of the club again and along with Neville I know the players will have had some expert advice to improve their games. Pete has decided to step away from coaching in Scotland for the time being and so we thank him for all that he has done during his time at Carlton. A huge thank you to my large team of junior coaches; Neville, Sam, Kyle, Ru, Charles, GMac, Dewald, Tom, Keith and a whole host of recent juniors who helped out. Also, to our parent volunteer coaches for running matches, thank you so much. A special well done from all the coaches to this year's prize winners; especially to juniors Fergus Foley for his "Outstanding performance" award (87 for the 5's) and Dan Mowatt for the "best introduction to senior cricket" award. It is great to see juniors performing in senior cricket. We have been extremely lucky again to have had such a dedicated and qualified coaching staff across the whole club this summer. The women's section also hugely benefited from having Dewald lead their Friday evening sessions. It is crucial that we have someone of Dewald's experience to keep driving the women's section forward. Pete Steindl the man with a fielding drill for every occasion Carlton says goodbye and thank you to Senior Coach Pete Steindl who has made such an important contribution to the club’s development in his two spells at Grange Loan. Pete first came to Carlton in 2014 after spells as Scotland’s Head coach and as player coach with RH Corstorphine and was a very important stimulus to the development of Carlton’s women’s section. Pete combined his second spell at Carlton with posts at Loretto School and Brisbane Grammar School. Looking back at his years at Grange Loan Pete said, 'I have really enjoyed my years at Carlton. Many thanks to all those who made that possible. There are some great people on an off the filed. It has been great to share the club's successes in recent seasons and to see so many younger players rise up the ranks. I look forward to following the club in future years and will enjoy catching up with everyone during the summers when I am back.’

JUG AVOIDANCE David Simpson 98* v 4th XI Watsonians3- 23 July Rory McCann - 97 1st XI v Penicuik - 31 May Ben Thurman 93* 3rd XI v Westquarter - 20 August Ali Shah 92* v 1st XI Heriot’s - 14 July Keith Murray 90 v 5th XI Marchmont3 - 2 July SYMMETRY In a midweek outing against MDAFS, Fantasy Bob took the wicket of a 14 year old batsman caught by an 11 year old fielder. When he came to the crease his not over lengthy innings was ended when he was caught by a 14 year old off the bowling of an 11 year old spinner. 2022 - Some Moments The 1st XI and opponents pay tribute to Sandy Scotland following his death in August. Sandy was a member at Carlton and great friend to the club. He contributed to Newsletter 24. A full tribute by his umpiring colleague Ian Ramage can be found on this link. Rt: Grange Loan’s covers were seen only once on screen all season - 14 August L: David Simpson deals diplomatically with some excited autograph hunters on the Meadows Rt: A new task - trimming the foliage obscuring the live-stream Senior centuries may have been rarer this season than in previous years, but there have been several serious cases of jug avoidance.

The end of the season also marks the retirement of Colin Smith as Head Groundsman at Grange Loan. This is in fact his second retirement - he was previously Head Groundsman at Peffermill and came to Carlton when he retired from that post 6 years ago. Colin received a parting gift from Hugh Parker who thanked him on behalf of all at Carlton for all his hard work. He also wished him a long and happy retirement and hoped that he would visit Grange Loan from time to time if his efforts to lower his golfing handicap allowed him. As a cricketer himself, Colin played for Holy Cross CC for many years and was a wily seam bowler and made life difficult for many Carlton batsmen. Colin skippered Holy Cross in the match between Carlton and Holy Cross which inaugurated the Martin Flynn Trophy, now competed for in the annual 6-a-side competition. The photo below shows him receiving the trophy after Holy Cross’s narrow victory. A few words from Colin: ‘‘I was recruited by Andy Mac and Hugh and haven’t regretted it. It’s been a pleasure to be here. ‘Throughout my time, Hugh has always been supportive and I found his experience and knowledge of the club invaluable. The main assistance has come from Alasdair MacLeod. Alasdair works purely as a volunteer, is there most days (not just match days) and I have found his support and advice invaluable. Many challenges lie ahead for the club, but these two know so much and the club would be foolish to face them without their input. ‘Speaking of challenges, the weather in the past season has been one. You may ask how can an unprecedented season without a weekend cancelation be challenging? How can lack of rain be a problem? However, lack of rain means lack of growth, so in the second half of the season when we were using the pitches for the second time, the normal regrowth hadn’t taken place. At least it meant that the spinners got a chance. If I thought this summer’s weather was going to be repeated on a regular basis, my parting piece of advice would be to invest in a pop up irrigation system, but sadly that is unlikely. ‘Once again, thanks to everybody. Hayden is going to be working on the ground next year and I am sure you will all give him the support and help that he will need.’ COLIN SMITH SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE ROLLING

The end of another cricket season - doesn’t it always seems to come suddenly. Simply because it has been the first ‘normal’ season since 2019 this season has been special. Although is it a normal season when there’s been no rain on a Saturday? It has been very busy season with the ground being in almost constant use and it is with thanks to Colin, Alasdair and also Hayden (who has been working as part of the ground staff team) that they have managed to get wickets ready when faced with the challenges of dry weather and matches almost every day. Happy retirement Colin and thanks for all you’ve done. Carlton works because so many people give up so much time to help run it. There are volunteers involved in all aspects of the club from running teams to scoring matches from child protection to making cakes. Thank you to everyone who helps out - but we can never have enough volunteers so if you would like to get more involved, please let me know. There have been a couple of changes to the Management Committee this year. I welcome Omar Ahmad to the committee as Head of Diversity. Omar has been around Carlton for a long time and it’s great that he is bringing his enthusiasm to this very important role. Fraser Watts has stepped down from his role as Director of Cricket. He is a far more important role now as Dad to little Rory. Fraser has been a very involved DoC and I have relied on his knowledge of all things cricket on many occasions. Thank you Fraser for all your work and support. You can enjoy a few years off and we all look forward to seeing you coaching the Carlton Cubs in 4 years when Rory is knocking it out of the park like his Dad! 2022 - A MESSAGE FROM KERRY We are very fortunate that Stevie Gilmour is stepping in to replace Fraser. I can’t think of anyone better placed and he is already working hard in the role. Thanks Stevie. Thanks also to Pete Steindl for being such an excellent coach to the club. Thank you to all our sponsors with a special mention to Pizza Geeks, whose logo is now on the front of the 1st XI. We have now had Pizza Geeks at 3 social events which have been a great success (over 450 pizzas were consumed!) and we look forward to working with them for another 2 years. Also a Big thank You to CALA Homes for their continued valuable support of Carlton Juniors. As much as 2023 season seems a long way off, it will come round very quickly so we are planning for it already and making improvements where needed. Thank you to everyone for their support over the summer and hopefully see you before April! Richard Allardice thanks Kerry for all her hard work this season on behalf of everyone at Carlton.

1976 HEATWAVE YEAR As the hot dry weather continued through July and August, Carlton members looked over the parched expanses of Grange Loan and those old enough to remember recalled the summer of 1976. It was the warmest summer since Carlton’s founding in 1863, and the driest summer since 1868. Many areas in the UK were in drought. So severe was the dryness that the Government appointed Denis Howell as 'Minister for Drought'. Days after the appointment, severe thunderstorms brought rain to some places for the first time in weeks. September and October 1976 were both very wet months. Elton John and Kiki Dee topped the charts with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. David Wilkie, whose early years were at Warrender Baths not far from Grange Loan, won gold and silver medals at the Montreal Olympics. As far as cricket is concerned, England lost the Test Series to the West Indies - Viv Richards scored 2 double centuries in the 5 match series. They suffered a similar fate in the ODI series which, ironically, was much affected by the rain which had eventually arrived in late August. Scotland drew their 3 day match with Ireland at Hamilton Crescent, and won a 60-0ver match against them at Titwood. No Carlton player featured. Perthshire were the Scottish County Cricket Champions - for the 26th time - they would win it only once more in 1978. Perthshire also won the Scottish Cup. Perthshire went out of existence in 2009. Greenock were champions of the WDCU, while Watsonians triumphed in the East. Watsonians also won the Masterton Trophy. Perhaps it was no surprise that Watsonians were strong that year - they had future Australian Test Skipper Kim Hughes (right) in their ranks. He scored 1700 runs in the season.

Carlton, under the captaincy of Alun Davies in the last of his 13 successive seasons at the helm, finished 3rd in the East League. They were knocked out of the Masterton in the first round by Fauldhouse Victoria. In those years the East First Division comprised 8 teams and the full league season was therefore 14 matches. Of Carlton’s 14 scheduled league fixtures, 10 were completed, 4 were won, 2 lost with 4 draws. Watsonians won the title by virtue of losing only one of their 10 completed fixtures, with 3 wins and 6 draws. Second were Heriot’s with 4 wins, 6 draws and 1 loss. Richard Swan scored 74 in a drawn match with Stenhousemuir as did Nick Ross in a loss to Kirkcaldy - the season’s highest scores. Best bowling was Archie Gray’s 4-35 in the same match against Kirkcaldy - it was Archie’s only First Team appearance that season and his career best return for the First Team. The records suggest that May 1976 was a wet month - Carlton completed no league fixtures in that month. Covered wickets were a thing of the future. Only the match against RHSFP was started but was abandoned in the second innings. The season’s final league fixture, against Heriot’s, was also abandoned. A large number of friendly and Sunday matches meant that 34 matches in all were played. CARLTON IN 1976 The season’s best batter was Nick Ross and best bowler was George Innes. Nick Ross (rt) went on to succeed Alun Davies as skipper in 1977, when he was best batter again. Nick, who had played for Cambridge University and in the Minor Counties, spent only 2 seasons at Grange Loan - he played 21 First Team matches scoring 770 runs including 2 centuries averaging 48.13.