Issue 52

I hope everyone saw the message that went out a couple of months ago asking for volunteers for both the Cricket Committee and the Social Committee. Thank you to those who came forward but we really need more of you! The Social Committee is crying out for some younger blood to set the Carlton social agenda for 2023. It is not onerous. There aren’t many committee meetings so don’t be put off - it is a great opportunity to help the Club. We also need someone to take on the important role looking after of Well Being and Protection for our junior cricketers. Please contact me if you need more information or wish to discuss. South Africa Bound! Congratulations to Carlton’s Maisie Maceira who has been selected for the Scotland Squad for the U19 women’s World Cup in South Africa next month. Their first match in the qualifying round is on 14 January when they play UAE. Their subsequent fixtures are against South Africa and India. Go well Maisie! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - when we’ll be starting to get things in place for the next cricket season! Only 4 months to go! Can you help? Thank you again to all the volunteers who work so hard during the year to run Carlton. We cannot survive without these efforts - but we need more people to step forward. Please Volunteer A MESSAGE FROM KERRY

The Arrow has come into possession of a transcript of the report from the groundsman of Bethlehem CC of events which have lead to concerns about the state of the pitch. You requested a full explanation of the recent damage to the square, recognised as the finest batting surface in the province of Judea. In the bleak midwinter I am mainly engaged in minor maintenance tasks of the sort club members think simply do themselves. One afternoon last week I was beginning to lock up when there appeared at the gate this lad and his young lady. 'We need somewhere to sleep,' he said. Well, this was a new one on me. I suggested he try the Travelodge at the end of the road. 'Please, there is no room at any inn or AirB&B on the TripAdvisor list - they are all full on account of Hogmanay High Jinks organised by your highly imaginative Town Council. We are desperate: we need shelter - any shelter. I can do a bit of carpenting work in return.' I could hear the desperation in the lad's voice. His lady friend looked demurely at me. She was immaculate. I felt myself weakening. 'Well,' I said, 'you might find room in the scorehut.' Some joinery work on its dodgy floorboards wouldn't go amiss. The lad was effusive in his thanks. As his lady friend followed him through the gate, my reservations grew. A donkey trotted in after them. 'He'll be no trouble,' the carpenter-lad assured me. ''He'd better not be,' I said sternly, 'just make sure he stays off the square. I watched them tether the beast to the door of the scorehut. As I left the ground I noticed a bright light in the sky to the east. It was a silent night but all was bright. Next morning I arrived at the ground intending to cut back the holly and the ivy from the boundary fence, only to find sheep everywhere, several of them nibbling on the square. I shooed them off as best I could, but not before I was knocked over by the donkey who seemed unduly excited by the sheep and had worked his way free from his tether. It took me twenty minutes to catch him and re-tether him. He kept braying excitedly. A shout came from the hut, 'Please, you'll wake the baby.' I gulped. What baby? I had thought the children’s nursery had closed for the holiday. ONCE IN RAHUL DRAVID’S CITY A Crickmas Story

With trepidation I looked into the scorehut. There was indeed a baby lying in the slip cradle. It was surrounded by a group of what I took from their rustic attire to be shepherds scrabbling around on their knees. 'What the **** are you doing here,' I asked. 'We’re abiding in the fields, washing our socks, when an angel comes unto to us and we was sore, and shit scared. But the angel says unto us that he’s brought good news. Is it the lottery I says, no the angel says a saviour has been born and we would find him in a scorehut. And so we’ve hied ourselves hither for a dekko.' 'Get these ******** sheep off the square!' A piercing whistle left the shepherd's lips and a black and white collie bounded out. 'Come by, lad, come by lad.' Ten minutes later, the square was clear and the sheep were penned in the practice nets. But all the whistling and shouting got the donkey going again and he worked himself loose and galloped across the outfield. One bark from the dog and he skidded to a halt in the middle of the square. The dog was now torn between keeping the sheep in the nets and dealing with the donkey. Just as the dog was getting things under control there came a jangling sound of bells from the gate and a trio of unlikely suspects in fancy dress came into the ground each wearing an outsize turban and carrying a shopping bag. 'Jesus, Mary and the wee donkey,’ I said. And who do you think you are?' 'We are the Magi. We have travelled far, over moor and mountain, following yonder SatNav and come to worship the Messiah. We bear him gifts of gold, frankspencer, and something else which I always forget.' 'That's as maybe, Maggie, but get your **** camels off the square.' For three ships of the desert were now waddling up and down on a length at the pavilion end. This new livestock was too much for the donkey who started braying excitedly; which set off the sheep bleating and every neighbourhood dog starting howling in sympathy. ‘Please be quiet you’ll wake the baby,’ the carpenter lad said. But no crying he made. The sheepdog made a bolt for it to try to get the camels under control. Five minutes later the camels were in the nets. But the sheep were on the square and the donkey had worked himself free again and was ready for anything. He made a brave but forlorn effort to mate with one of the camels. The dog knew something was wrong. Five minutes later the sheep were back in the nets making things difficult for the trio of junior members who had just arrived for some winter practice. But the camels were parading up and down the square like they owned it. The donkey was eyeing the sheep wondering if he had a better chance with one of them.

Suddenly, a troop of mounted soldiers stormed through the gate and galloped across the ground. They thudded to a halt in the middle of the square and their commander challenged me, 'Where are your firstborn?' 'Why ask me?' I said, my patience wearing thin, 'I’m not the Convenor of the Junior section. Now get your ******* horses off the square.' 'When your Junior Convenor comes tell him to send all the firstborn of the club to Herod, Chief Exec of CricketJudea, ‘cos he wants to give them extra coaching.' So saying they galloped twice around the square and disappeared. Little by little things settled down. The overnighters emerged from the scorehut and pronounced that they had to move on. I thought I heard them mention something about a flight to Egypt, but I could be wrong. They mounted onto the donkey and off they went. The shepherds and the camel riders followed soon after. No thought of clearing up after themselves. The light in the sky to the east of the ground seemed to dim and I was able to inspect the condition of the square. I regret to report that it is not a pretty sight. There are hoof and foot prints everywhere, many patches nibbled bare and a significant amount animal droppings of various sizes scattered all over. As he left, one of the camel riders said to me that a miraculous event had taken place. In my opinion it will take another bloody miracle for the square to be anywhere near ready for the coming season. Joy to the World. Signed Hon Doughty Groundsman Bethlehem Cricket Club

UNTO US A SON IS BORN Many congratulation to Carlton’s former wicket-keeper Fraser Boyd and Naomi on the recent arrival of Torran. (Torran is on the team sheet for Carlton 5th XI 8 May 2033.) 2023 The editorial team (LOL) would welcome Photos of Carlton juniors (or seniors for that matter) with brand new cricket gear brought by Santa Claus. Photos of Carlton gear - caps, hats, sweaters - being worn on the ski slopes. And as ever suggestions of recollections of memorable matches or personal cricketing stories would be gratefully received. Newsletter@carltoncc.co.uk Full Details CARLTON LOTTERY STILL NOT SORTED THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? WHY NOT GIVE THE GIFT OF WINNING? A TICKET FOR THE CARLTON LOTTERY THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT

On leaving school in 1971 and being a keen and enthusiastic cricketer, I was looking to join a senior club. At that time there were only two “open” clubs of note, (Carlton CC & Grange CC) the rest were FP clubs, and you could only join them if you were a former pupil. Some of my school masters were at Grange CC who had won the East League the year before, so I enrolled. There followed a year of poor quality 2nd XI cricket where if you bowled you wouldn’t get a bat and vice versa. . After my first year Fred Dall, then President of Carlton CC, had a quiet word with me intimating there would be a place for me at CCC but I was persuaded by Grange CC to give it another year as it was relatively uncommon in those days to switch allegiance. My second year at Grange was no different to the first year. I never really settled at Grange which, at the time was on a bit of downward spiral so I took Fred’s advice and joined Carlton CC in 1974. I was immediately made very welcome and made my debut as an opening bowler for the First XI - a pre season friendly at West Lothian. I can remember being very nervous as I had rarely played at this standard during my two years at Grange. Midway through my opening spell I bowled a rank longhop outside off stump which the batsman duly dispatched from the middle of the bat only to be caught in the gully by a stunning catch by Allan Swan! I can remember thinking that it was the first time a catch had been taken off my bowling in 2 years! But it was my first wicket for CCC and was instrumental in settling me down. Had it gone to the boundary, as it should have done, my Carlton career might well have been at an end! Richard Dickinson In a Carlton career spanning 1974-91 Richard made 235 first team appearances, He is 4th highest all time wicket taker with 344 wkts. His best was 7-26, v Cupar (a) in 1981 and he had 11 5-fers. His economy rate was a miserly 1.53. He also scored 2235 runs with a top score of 70. Now living in Dunbar where he hails from, Richard is an occasional visitor to GL, when the lure of the golf course is not so strong. I was very fortunate to join CCC at a time when there was a good mix of experience (eg Alun Davies, George Innes & Bruce Dixon) and youthful enthusiasm (eg Richard Swan, John Hiley, Fraser Dall, Hugh Parker & Nick Ross to name but a few). There was a healthy competition for places, practice nets were taken seriously and we all took turns cutting, watering and rolling the wicket. As a result we bonded well as a team ably supported by our scorer, Chris Paul, umpire, Jimmy Jappy and of course, Mrs Masterton our benefactor. The nucleus of this team broadly stayed together over the next 15 years winning the Masterton Trophy in 1974, 1982 and 1988 when CCC also won the East League and were nominated “Team of the Year”. At the end of my career I may well have been recognised as the slowest fast bowler in Scottish cricket! All in all I have many great and happy memories of my time at CCC – any regrets? Just one, I should have joined CCC when invited to do so by the then President, Fred Dall!

1. This Indian batter is one of a small group to have scored 2 triple centuries in test matches. 2. This the last England player to take a Test match hattrick - at the Oval in 2017. 3. This player captained Scotland 110 times. 4. This player is the leading Test run scorer of all time. 5. This player is Carlton’s leading 6 hitter with 120 maximums. 6. This player is England’s leading Test Match wicket taker. 7. This player captained his country in a record 109 Test matches. 8. This player captained Carlton to the Women’s Premier League Title in 2021 and 2022. 9. This player scored 218 in his 100th Test for England. 10. This player scored the fastest ever Test hundred off 56 balls. 11. This batsman scored 199 first class centuries. 12. This player took 19-90 in a Test Match in 1956, still the record match return. 13. This player captained Carlton to the National T20 Title in 2021. 14. This Kiwi scored 200 at Lords in his first Test. 15 - Who? 16 - Who? 18 - Where? 17 - Who? 19 - Where? A CRICKMAS QUIX FROM EACH CLUE TAKE THE INITIAL LETTER OF THE SURNAME OR PLACENAME AND REARRANGE TO FIND A SEASONAL PHRASE

ONLY A GAME? Long before X-Box and PS5 and digital cricket games, a cricket mad kid could still plead with Santa to bring cricket related toys and games. A wide range of cricket based games involving dice, cards miniature players and rubber bands came and went in the attempt to attract cricket fans. In Edinburgh’s Museum of Childhood, one of the better known of these games is on display. A visit should tickle the memory cells of many older Carlton members. Test Match was first issued by Waddington’s in 1955. How did it work? The bowler moved the lever on the right to the ball number - it would show the type of ball bowled. The batter then moved the lever on the left corresponding to the type of ball and the outcome would be revealed, runs scored or a dismissal. A little picture of the bowler or batter would appear in the window above the lever. The score-board at the top of the board was moved along accordingly. The true cricket enthusiast would of course keep a ball by ball score score separately. Fancy it? A set was recently on offer through a vintage board game site for £120 This link will take you to an article on other pre-digital cricket based games.

In the beginning, as they say, kit was random. But shortly after their foundation when they were peripatetic, Carlton were the first ‘Meadows team’ to play in whites. Other ‘Meadows teams’ at the time were likely to turn up in a mixture of work and other clothes, but Carlton adopted the uniform increasingly being deployed as the English game professionalised. Accounts of why white was adopted are interesting - there seems an obvious practical reason for a summer game. But others suggest deeper reasons, ‘The white shirts and flannels so closely associated with the dominant cricket aesthetic, symbolizing the “lily-white” moral values of the game and those who played it, were in fact a classic invention of tradition that had emerged from the Victorian reinvention of the game…(Anthony Bateman 2005)”‘ Be that as it may, Carlton’s early adoption of whites seems to have assisted the improvement of its early fixture list and thus contributed to the development of the club as a serious force. Headgear was also evolving - tall hats and boaters giving way to the more familiar cap. The apparel oft proclaims the man Traditionalists may have sucked their teeth this season at the sight of Carlton’s First XI taking to the field in their distinctive light blue shirts. ‘How did it come to this?’, they might have lamented. It’s a long story, but here is how Carlton’s kit has evolved over the club’s 158 years. Even so, on or off field clothing was far from uniform or identifiable as a team kit. Sadly, photographic evidence from the earliest days is not available. The earliest surviving Carlton team photo (above) dates from 1877 and shows several players in blazers, a fashion that originated in Oxford in the 1860s (and we should recall that many of Carlton’s founders were Oxford men). Those blazers might be in Carlton colours but there is no team crest. Several players are also wearing pill box hats (described as military sports hats) also a fashion of the time. A number of players are wearing ties, which also was common on the field of play. The Carlton Crest By 1897 (below), Carlton’s team crest has emerged, although there is no account of when or why it was adopted. Two players are wearing caps with recognisable Carlton crests; the, scorer has a straw boater with the club crest. The majority are wearing blazers, single colour as opposed to 1877’s striped design. The Carlton crest can be seen on two of these blazers.

The Blazerati… If the Cap fits….. As seen in the 1897 photo, Carlton caps at first were single colour, but in 1912, two players are wearing hooped caps which might be in the Carlton colours - the photo shows a more contemporary version in Brian Forrester’s possession. There are other photos dated pre- and post WW1 of the celebrated Carlton and Scotland batter AS Cairns wearing this cap and a striped Carlton blazer. Subsequently team photos are mainly in shirtsleeves and offer no sign of Carlton caps or any other team kit. Players wear a range of caps and occasional sweaters with various crests (eg Oxford University Cricket Club). The last photographic sighting of a Carlton cap is in the photo for 1954. For the most part photos from then on are bare headed, although the great Scottish batsman of the time James Aitchison sports a Scotland cap, either on his head or in his hands, in his years with the club (1954-57). This is not to say that Carlton caps or blazers were not used in these years, just that the First XI photos do not show them. Caps were evidently available. In the note of the council meeting of 23 September 1969: ‘Mr Ramsay suggested that when a new stock of caps was ordered they should be of better material than the present ones from which in his experience at any rate the dye ran, producing a purple-necked effect in heated moments.’ From the 1990s on there is a move towards uniform. In 1991 the Council decided - on the motion of Andy McPherson - that club caps would be the only permitted head gear. The now familiar light blue cap was first seen in 2011. It was an initiative by Fraser Watts and Stevie Gilmour designed to foster greater team identity. Post-match shirts (also light blue) were also introduced at that time. Sweaterama Club sweaters have undergone a similar evolution. In November 1972 a decision is taken to order 2 dozen club sweaters from Munrospun at £6.00 each. In March 1973 it was reported that the sweaters would not be available until October and the cost had risen to £6.50. ‘It was therefore agreed that no sweaters be bought at present.’ Moving on to 1911 - the blazer has become striped again and is sported by the majority of players. By the 1920s this had fallen out of fashion, at least as far as team photographs are concerned, and it makes its last appearance in 1926. Blazers are a thing of the past, although a limited edition was revived for the 150th anniversary in 2013 and are occasionally sported by their owners at prize giving an similar events.

This disappointment was probably about casual sweaters. It is not until 1990 (below) that there is evidence of a playing sweater with a Carlton badge - 4 players in that year’s First XI photo are wearing it. A number of others are wearing a similar sweater with Oxford and Cambridge blue at the neck but without the crest. The next year only 2 players are wearing this sweater and there is a reversion to a melange of different sweaters. The heavy cable knit sweater became available in 1990, a slight remodel in 1993 and by 1998 when all players have a Carlton sweater of some sort or other. Martin Robertson, seen right modelling the 1990 model has recently revived this design as the popular ‘Heritage sweater.’ In those years there is also discussion about track suits and whether First XI players should pay for them. Some had, and reimbursement had to be made. In 2007 the design and manufacturer of the shirt changed and it bore the logo of CityLets until 2013, when Thomson took over. This changed again in 2014 when EveryCare became the club’s main sponsor until 2018. The club shirt then changed manufacturer and was without a sponsor logo until the arrival this season of the coloured shirt with PizzaGeek as sponsor. T20 Kit Previously, coloured shirts had been worn in T20 competitions. Initially they were provided by the national competition sponsor Murgitroyd. Carlton’s distinctive light blue was first worn in 2012. Junior Kit Not to be outdone, junior kit has also evolved. The first logods shirt was worn in 2013 with Multiply as sponsors, followed by Littlejohns and most recently Cala. Women Carlton’s women first wore the same shirt as the men, but in 2019 changed to a blue strip and now play in a shirt with the logo of the Scottish half Marathon. Playing for the shirt In 1999 there is the first sight of a playing shirt with a Carlton crest. By 2004 a different shirt is seen with blue facings, and a similar style sweater. In 2005 the shirt bore the logo of StarNet, an early sponsor of the club.

Some number plates seen outside Grange Loan this season - some well-kent Carlton faces, some opponents and some visitors. Do you recognise them?

E U T E R O B R N E S M M O M A V R A N G E L O N N T O N A N O A N R A B R E G H T R V C R L K N O M T M C L E O D E P O D J V S H M T D I I E G R H U E R T W E R R A S D I O L E H N T L A W N D V H I N W D R A A L X N S C G I L M O U R S W C I Y O S E B E U N H R U O S I M P S O N L S B V K P M N P E K E D I S E R Y M W L M T L O C K I E H L A R D S A O I D L E E F S T E V E N S O N T T Y K R L L I M R E F F E D L Q H E R E N D T W S H N Y P L SKIPPERAMA The names of 15 Carlton skippers are hidden in the grid below. They are spelled out from left to right, right to left, upwards or downwards, or diagonally. Can you find them all?

Winter Cricket Details of Carlton’s indoor winter nets programme are below Apply through Pitchero