Issue 54

I am truly humbled by this opportunity. Stevie Gilmour was captain when I debuted for Carlton in 2016 and for him to offer me the same position now is very special. The club has been fortunate to have had good men doing the job, most recently the youthful leadership of Tom Simpson. But as he moves away for other adventures, I hope to repay the faith shown in me. I am eagerly looking forward to working with our new head coach, Dewald Nel, and the rest of the team. We are aware that clubs around the league are already recruiting and strengthening their squads, and we understand that the race to the top won't be an easy one. Our challenge will be to gain momentum from the onset and stay competitive throughout the season. With a mix of experienced and young players, I believe that we have the talent and drive to not only compete but also to win some silverware for Carlton. There will be some changes in line-up this year with limited availability of Tom and Shujaa Khan; Rory McCann and Shiv Gupta moving down south and no longer available, and Hugo calling it time on one-day cricket. We should thank them all for the great contribution they have made to Carlton over their years here. So there are lots of new opportunities. It is crucial that we focus on getting the little things right as we move forward. The bigger plans will take care of themselves. As a starting point, I look forward to getting round a table with the team and setting out our expectations for the season. I am eagerly anticipating trying out a few combinations in the pre-season friendlies and excited to see what the future holds for our great club - as must be our new T20 skipper, Umair Mohammed. ARUN PILLAI The 67th skipper in Carlton’s history looks forward to the new season

We have made brilliant progress over the past few years, helped by the Friday night beer garden(!), which has allowed us to build a strong group of players across a range of ages. It is a great group to be part of and I'm looking forward to working with Dewald, Stevie and the women's committee to help ensure everyone in our section has a positive experience with ample opportunities to play, whether it's for our 1st XI, 2nd XI or the Men’s or development teams. I am especially keen to see more females participate in Saturday senior cricket and hope I can encourage some to have a go. /more from Sam on the following page Looking forward I am absolutely delighted to be elected captain of Carlton Women's 1st XI this season. I hope to build on the brilliant progress and success that the side achieved under the leadership of Annette Aitken-Drummond and keep driving the team forward. My main goals are to help the team retain our Scottish league title as well as look to lift the Scottish Cup trophy, after our disappointing semi-final loss last season. Underpinning all this is my desire to keep our women's section thriving, ensuring it is a fun, welcoming and inclusive environment. SAM HAGGO Takes over the reins as skipper of Carlton Women

Challenges Whilst Carlton have been a dominant force for some years now, it is indubitable that other teams have caught up with us, and so it's important to keep building momentum. I have no doubt that we have the squad, talent and camaraderie to help us achieve this. However, for any of the squad reading this, holidays in the cricket season are very much frowned upon...... Philosophy This Carlton side has been led by some fantastic women over the years and I can only hope to emulate their successes. I thought Ruth and Annette mastered the skill of making clever decisions on batting order and bowling changes that helped win us games, balanced with giving players opportunities to practise new skills in match situations. Finding this balance is something I would like to do well this season to ensure we put in strong performances whilst also encouraging the development of all players. I'm incredibly excited about the balance of our squad, ranging from the 'Old Bats' (who train relentlessly 12 months of the year in all weather!) to our Scottish internationalists Charis Scott, Abbi Aitken-Drummond and Maisie Maciera. We have an abundance of young talent, including Scotland u19 squad members Gabriella Fontenla and Zaara Dancu, and we are delighted to welcome back pace bowler Caitlin Hutchison. We are also lucky to have keeper-batter Ciara Gibson join us from Australia for the summer which is very exciting. I'm really looking forward to working with the younger members of the squad and giving them ample opportunities to demonstrate their skills, as well as helping them think more 'cricket' in terms of their plans and how the approach game situations. I am hopeful that there will be healthy competition for places and am excited to see players stick their hand up with some match-winning performances. It's exciting that we have a team where anyone has the ability to do this. The bottom line, however, is that I want the team to have fun. We play the sport because we love it, and I hope everyone feels empowered to go and express themselves over the rope, and to enjoy being part of the Arrows.

I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed the Carlton t20 captain for the 2023 season. A club close to my heart with a lot of special memories to date, I look forward to the challenge ahead, with a good mix of youth and experience in the squad to hopefully challenge for local and national championships. T20 cricket has been a big part of my cricketing career, having won the national Murgitroryd t20 trophy on several occasions with both Carlton and Forfarshire. However the highlight with Carlton has to have been winning the 2021 National t20 title in Arbroath meaning we qualified for the European cricket league in 2022. The experience of playing in the European Cricket League was absolutely fantastic and certainly left a lasting impression on all the players and support staff that took part in it. There is no doubt that we want to get back out there again but I am well aware of the stiff competition that faces us from the many fantastic cricket clubs in and around Edinburgh who we would need to get past in the first instance. There are many exciting players at Grange Loan to look out for this coming season who I am hoping will help contribute to a successful season. Rua McIntyre would be my one to watch; with another senior year under his belt Rua is an extremely exciting talent who I feel has a big future, not just with the ball, but with the bat also. And not just for Carlton, but hopefully for his country too! Here’s to an exciting 2023 season. UMAIR MOHAMMED Skippers Carlton’s t20 campaign and looks forward to celebrating another national championship win

All About Nel Meet Carlton’s new head coach Dewald Nel He has some good memories of playing against Carlton - in particular he recalls a match-winning 47 at Myreside in a Masterton tie in 2012. His best bowling against Carlton was 3-23 in 2006 at Greenock. At GL his best was 3-52 for Watsonians in 2015. In 2014 he scored 70 at Grange Loan, when he remembers putting the ball over the trees into the road. Speaking of his hopes for this season he says, ‘I would love the club to be as successful as possible, but my main aim is to get a good crop of “next generation” players blooded and experienced at 1&2 team level.’ What is Dewald’s top coaching tip? ‘Believe! If you don’t believe in yourself, then how can you expect other people to.’ ● Favourite Film - Jerry Maguire; ● Favourite TV - Suits; ● Favourite Music - Country ● Favourite Song - Buy Dirt ● Favourite Food - Peanut Butter, Ginger tofu with noodles. Dewald was born and brought up in Transvaal and his earliest memories are of playing cricket on the beach and in the back garden. He came to Scotland when his family moved in 1998 and finished his schooling at George Watson’s College. During his playing career he spent two stints with Watsonians and also played for Heriot’s and Greenock. He also had spells with Worcestershire and Kent. Dewald was one of the first players to be given a contract by CricketScotland as they professionalised the game in 2008. In all he played 110 times for Scotland. He particularly remembers his debut against Durham where he took 2-16 in 7 overs. His best performance for Scotland was 4-25 against Ireland at Mannofield in 2008. In the ICC T20 WC qualifier against Kenya in 2008 he took 3-10. Dewald says that his favourite ground (apart from GL!) is Headingley. Not much wonder - he took 4-74 there in his first match for Worcestershire and 6-62 playing for Kent in 2010.

Carlton Juniors Open Afternoon Saturday 25 March 1-3pm Grange Loan * Pick up your free 2023 Carlton polo shirt (u12’s) * Order additional junior kit including u14 and u16 playing shirts. * Second hand kit stall. * Find out how you can help the Junior Section * Carlton lottery draw BAR OPEN! Easter Cricket Camps Weeks of the 3rd and 10th April Kwik Cricket (softball) 9am to 12 noon Monday to Friday – ages 6 to 11. (Mainly softball - some intro to hardball cricket where appropriate) T20 Hardball 1pm to 4pm Monday to Friday – ages 10 to 14. (Players must have competitive hardball experience for this camp) If in any doubt please contact Stevie for advice on which camp would be most appropriate. A great way to kick off the cricket season! BOOKING FORMS ON THIS LINK CONGRATULATIONS To the following Carlton players invited to participate in the National and Regional Pathways Scotland u15 - Fergus Foley, Ollie Stones, James Stronach, Scotland u17 - Rudi Adair, Max D’ulisse, Ben Stronach Scotland u19 - Ruaridh McIntyre, Gavin Murray, Shaun Smith East u15 -Fergus Foley, Hector Murray, Ollie Stones, James Stronach East u17 - Rudi Adair, Max D’ulisse Isaac Foley, Rory Ledingham, Ben Stronach Confirmation of girls’ squads is expected soon

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN Ian Thompson reports from Carlton CC Girls U12 latest indoor games on Sunday 5 March Lindsay Thompson, Chloe Aithie, Ariana Fletcher, Emily Jobson, Eva Kerrigan We should have been a Team of Six but a late call off didn’t unsettle the girls, all of whom turned up at Broughton early allowing for a warmup. First up we faced MDAFS, when some Carlton batting hesitations missed a few runs but the Team bowled and fielded well to keep the game tight. In the end MDAFS won a very close game, the difference being they lost one wicket fewer than Carlton. Second game was against Edinburgh South who only had 4 players, but the sharing of fielders allowed a 6-a-side game to be played. Carlton batted first and were now getting into their stride with all the team scoring freely. The pairing of Emily / Eva scored 31 in their two overs; Chloe / Ariana 18 runs and Lindsay / Emily (batted twice) scoring a fantastic 38 in their two overs, all hitting some wonderful 6’s for a total of 87 with the loss of just one wicket. Edinburgh South struggled in the face of excellent Carlton bowling and reached 49 for 3 in their 6 overs. A Carlton win. The last game against StewMel was 7-a-side. Again Carlton batted first and scored 83 for the loss of 4 wickets, everyone contributing with some wonderful shots all over the hall. The Carlton bowling by this time was really “on song”, regularly taking wickets, but the StewMel girls kept to their task and the scores were on a par with Carlton with one over to go. Lindsay bowled a fabulous last over for just 4 runs and took a wicket giving Carlton their second win of the afternoon. As always it was a pleasure to manage the Team and see them grow in confidence and especially great to witness the way they supported each other when playing.

MAISIE MACEIRA A midwinter trip to South Africa as part of the u19 WT20 squad was a dream come true Representing my country at cricket has always been a dream of mine and will now be something I will never forget. After experiencing a World Cup I have realised that it’s much more than just playing cricket. I’ve learnt that socialising with other teams is the most effective way of getting everything you can out of the experience. During my time in S A I did as much I could to make the most of it. Outside cricket we did multiple activities as a team to build bonds within the squad such as going on safari. We realised that doing these things as a team helped us place better together and allowed us to connect with each other on a more personal level. As a whole, I am very proud of the team for putting their most into the World Cup and helping us to accomplish what we did. DATES FOR THE DIARY Sat 22 April - get together at Grange Loan following pre-season friendlies with Watsonians - full details shortly on Pitchero. Sat 29 April - League season gets underway as Meigle visit Grange Loan in the EPL. Carlton 2s have the always challenging visit to Campbell Pk to take on Edinburgh; 3s visit Tranent and 5s play MDAFS at Roseburn. Sun 30 April - 4s host Melrose at Grange Loan. Sat 13 May - Quiz Night at Grange Loan - teams of up to 5 (£7 per person) - enter by email to bob.irvine86@gmail.com. More details shortly on Pitchero. Sun 14 May - Carlton Women’s first league match away to West of Scotland. Fri 19 May - Pizza Night with PIZZAGEEKS

There is only one job which would drag me out of retirement and that is to assist Alasdair McLeod in preparing the best square in Scottish cricket. I honestly believe that we prepared some of the best pitches in the country and the amount of praise which we received from opposition players and umpires seemed to back that up. I previously worked on the ground from 2006 to 2016, before spending a couple of years in Spain. I didn’t think for one moment that I would ever be back behind the mowers and seated on the heavy roller. But hey ho. I started again on the first day of March and on the Friday I had my first venture onto the square shifting 8 barrow loads of grass (see photo below). This is the most difficult part of the season when we have to do a lot of preparatory work with not a lot to show for it, sometimes in rather inhospitable weather. Snow greeted me last week! But before we know it the shorts and t-shirts will be on and our lovely ground will be back looking at its magnificent best. After seven years away I feel quite invigorated and ready for the challenges ahead. I also look forward to enjoying the camaraderie and hospitality rightly associated with our club and meeting up with some old friends. We want to get the band back together…… A BIG WELCOME BACK TO GRANGE LOAN FOR RUSSELL WEIR

ZAKI YUSUF Why Carlton is special for me When Bob suggested last June that I contribute a piece to the newsletter, I imagine he probably expected it for the next edition… not an edition seven months down the line. But in keeping with how many of you might describe my cricketing career, the laziness somewhat took over, but hopefully I’ll make it worth the wait. The options I could discuss are endless, but, given Carlton has been part of my life since I was 12 years old (and now I am dangerously close to the big 30), I guess it makes sense to start at the beginning. While few things remain the same since I started on the Hill all those years ago, the most fundamental aspects have stayed: the friendships; the inclusion; and most importantly the pads. All of you are often quick to comment on how pads such as mine (see photo above) can survive the rough conditions of top flight 3rd XI cricket, and you might be right………… ……..but don’t for one second think I will be buying new ones! My life at Carlton started as a pace bowler and I’ve since been able to dabble in all formats, most recently settling as a top order batter (or whatever Brad decides!). Coming up through the juniors I was able to be part of a team that reached the Scottish Cup Finals three times and I will always lament the fact we were never able to quite lift the cup in the end. But being part of Carlton isn’t just about cricket. Yes, it is of course where I first learned to love this ridiculous game that actually builds itself around stopping for food, but it is also the place where life-long friendships have been formed and where age seems irrelevant if not illusory. /more from Zaki on the next page

Outside the club I get mocked for my attempts at keeping up with my ‘young friends’ at Carlton, but it’s actually quite something to be part of a space where equal, and reasonably sensible, conversations can be had between a 15-year-old, 28-year-old and 55-year-old. And for me that’s what this club is all about. We all want to win matches, trophies and leagues, that’s indisputable; but it’s also a safe haven where anyone and everyone is actively encouraged to integrate and contribute in whatever way they can. Zaki - part of the 2007 u13 side. Do you recognise anyone else? I don’t know how many years I’ve briefly muttered to myself, “I don’t think I’ll play next summer”, only to once again find myself agreeing to help out ‘just this one game’ which ends up extending to another full season. So, while I’m currently enjoying having full Saturdays that aren’t spent questioning why I’m standing for three hours at fine leg having got out for a duck earlier on, I’ll secretly look forward to May, hoping those mystical pads can survive yet another season of attempting to hit a four up the Hill! It couldn’t be easier to make a contribution to Carlton with all your on-line purchasing SIGN UP TODAY Easy Fundraising

Where are tomorrow’s cricketers? Not every kid lives in a house with 24 hour TV coverage of international cricket. Not every kid has a playing parent or relative. Not every kid has opportunities to find out about the game at school - particularly in the state sector. But lots of kids want to find out about it. And lots love it when they do. They are the future of the game. Without them there is no future. There are regular headlines that cricket is a posh sport - only for the elite. This is not a viable future Carlton is foursquare with Freddie Flintoff whose Field of Dreams series showed the impact opportunities for cricket can have on young lives. Cricket can be enjoyed by everyone. It would be easy to leave this challenge to others. But Carlton takes seriously its responsibility to nurture the future. Building on the success of its respected junior section, Carlton works at this all year round. During the winter months Carlton has been supporting regular sessions in 10 primary schools and 2 High Schools across Edinburgh with around 100 children enjoying the programme. Coaching is provided by younger players such as Adeel Raza, Kyle Macpherson, Rory Ledingham, Tomos Hunt and Jamie Beattie - many of whom have themselves come up through Carlton’s junior system. CRICKET FOR ALL With the help of Kerry Simpson Kyle MacPherson and Euan Sweet, The Arrow looks at how Carlton is widening access to cricket through its work in Active Schools Programme and the Primary School XI. A lot of kids don't get the chance to play sport. Andrew Flintoff

Club President Kerry Simpson says….. We have worked with Active Schools coordinators in different city schools to help provide coaching to children who would otherwise never have exposure to cricket. St Cuthbert’s primary school is a great example of this - a very keen group of children and a very keen headteacher - who have never had any lessons in cricket. We now have a coach going in every Thursday after school and the children love it. There’s even a waiting list. It is hard work - funding is always an issue - we have recently had successful application for a £500 grant through City of Edinburgh Council which will pay for some coaching up until Easter. Last year we had support from Artemis Investments which was very helpful. But we always need more help! FUNDING CARLTON’S OUTREACH ACTIVITIES CAN YOU HELP? David Simpson secured funding through the RBS volunteering scheme to support Carlton’s Primary School Team - which plays a series of matches against Edinburgh’s private schools. This gives early hardball and team experiences to children that would not otherwise be able to play schools cricket. Perhaps there are other similar sources of funds that could be drawn on. Let us know. Sponsorship money will pay for coaching but it is also our ambition to bring all the schools together for a festival of cricket at Grange Loan. All the cricket so far has been played in school halls which are too small so it is our aim to show the children what a proper cricket ground looks like and to share the love of the game. In an ideal world (ie if we had enough money), we would be able to provide the children with a small bat and ball so they could practise at home. We are therefore open to any ideas and offers of support or ideas for how to make our dreams- and those of the kids we work with - a reality.

My main goal in 'Active Schools' sessions is to produce a fun, positive first experience of cricket for all involved. There can be some kids who already have a bit of experience in the game and they often pass it on to those who are new, which is always great to see. A typical session normally starts with a fun warm up that involves a bit of teamwork and warms up the brain, as well as the muscles. Since the priority is fun and involvement, I like to cut down the time spent practising skills to the minimum that is needed for the group I'm working with. It serves the purpose of allowing the kids to play their best in the games. I'm a big believer that all sports are more fun when you can observe yourself improving quite regularly and that's what I hope my sessions encourage. I also feel that skills like catching and throwing are best developed through fun, mini games for those who are new to the game. You can't help someone have lots of fun and improve if they are not at your session. Participants should be looking forward to hitting and throwing balls hard in the company of their friends and not worried about having to spend most of the session doing lots of boring drills! Some of my favourites for practising throwing and catching are 'stump demolition' and 'Kings and Queens'. After a warm up I may have the players do a couple of minutes of throws to a partner, just to get their hand-eye coordination warmed up. After, some 'Kings and Queens' may be followed by a game like 'Non stop cricket'. 'Non stop cricket' allows the players to experience hitting the ball and scoring some runs, whilst also letting them work together as a team to catch and field. It's the perfect game for these sessions and always creates a lovely environment with all the kids getting fully involved and cheering for each other. I may adapt the game some weeks and offer extra points for hitting the ball through a coned area or for playing a specific shot. This helps keep the game fresh and offers a new, exciting challenge, especially for the experienced players in the group. Overall, the sessions are designed to be fun and I like to make a point of reminding everyone that mistakes are completely ok. That's how we improve at the end of the day and with games like 'Non stop cricket', I hope that those who come to my sessions are able to improve each week and also recognise their own improvement, gaining some self confidence and using it in their day to day life and any other sport they may play. Kyle Macpherson (seen here celebrating a century at GL last season) describes his approach to an Active Schools Session

PRIMARY FORM Carlton’s Primary School XI comes under new management this season. New boss Euan Sweet looks forward (and back) The Primary School Team is a crucial part of Carlton CC that goes to the heart of what the club is all about by providing the opportunity for our state school club members to begin and develop their hard ball experience. After many years of brilliant work with the team, the Simpson family are now stepping back, and I will be helping to run the team. Through my work as a primary school teacher (at Craiglockhart PS) I have been able to see, first hand, the significant assistance Carlton are giving to promote cricket amongst youngsters who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity. Despite my limited cricket playing career (highlight being match-winning 47 not out for Kaohsiung City expats vs Pingtung in Taiwan), I have always been surrounded by cricket through father and nephews playing at a high level. (My own sporting time now tends to be spent on the golf course.) My son Tom will be entering his third season with Carlton this year. Towards the end of his first season, he was asked to join up with the Primary School team. This was his introduction to hard-ball cricket and what could have been a rather daunting and nerve-wracking experience, turned out to be the exact opposite. The most striking part of this was how the older members of the team encouraged, looked after and included the less experienced players. This gave a clear indication of the ethos that has been embedded in the Primary School team. The Primary School Team has been organised and managed for well over a decade by the Simpson family. Long after the Simpson children had performed for the team and moved on to greater things, the family continued their outstanding commitment to this vital part of Carlton Cricket Club, providing young players with extremely valuable opportunities and experiences. The importance and success of the team can be seen in the number of previous players who have gone on to perform at the highest levels and the affection the alumni clearly have for this team through their passionate support and readiness to help out. The Simpsons are now stepping away from the organisation of the team and they deserve an enormous amount of gratitude from all the players they have provided opportunities for, the parents of these players and the club as a whole! These are enormous boots to fill and I will do my very best to continue this part of the club with the values that make it such a special part of the club. End of an Era Euan notes the contribution made by David and Kerry Simpson to this key area of Carlton’s activities

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Don’t let others do all the work. Carlton’s success depends on the voluntary efforts of its members. Everyone can make a difference. Do you have skills or experience which the club could draw on from time to time? We would welcome additional advice and help in the following areas particularly. PR/Communications IT HR Fund Raising Facilities Management DIY Catering Photography Let us know at kerry_david_simpson@hotmail.com