Issue 55

2023! KERRY LOOKS FORWARD TO CARLTON’S 160th SEASON I am sure you are all as super excited as I am that the cricket season is just around the corner. Let’s hope it’s a vintage one for Carlton on and off the field! I hope everyone has had the opportunity to see all the work that’s been carried out at GL - the nets have been wholly refurbished, the artificial wicket has been resurfaced and the old carpet tiles in the changing rooms have been replaced. Work will start shortly on extending the metal fence along the Grange Loan wall to keep all those 6s in the ground (and so avoid passing cars!) Needless to say, all of these improvements come at significant cost, but fortunately the club has been in a position to pay for it without any additional fundraising. As you can read in this newsletter this is exceptional and the club’s history of fundraising is impressive. We should aim to match the efforts of previous generations. As with everything these days, the running costs of the club are increasing all the time. We have therefore had to increase subscriptions. But I am convinced that the club’s funds are well spent and those subs give seriously good value for money. However, if we can increase the contribution from sponsorship and takings from social events, we can hopefully minimise future increases. We need everyone’s help. Please use the bar at Grange Loan. Please support social events at Grange Loan during the season. Please consider sponsoring the club or a player. Social Events You can become involved in organising social events for the club. Got an idea? Please share it. Every team will be organising a social event though the season - starting with Andrew Lang and the 3s’ sausage sizzle last Saturday. Bar The bar will be open every Saturday throughout the season. We have made some changes to the range of drinks available but if you have any requests, please let one of the bar staff know. The bar will also be open for reduced hours on Sundays when there are home matches. Friday Night Beer Garden We all loved the Beer Garden which became such a popular feature during COVID lockdown, allowing us to enjoy each other’s company safely in socially distanced conditions. We had the biggest Beer Garden in Edinburgh! As the virus waned and other things opened up last year, the Friday Night Beer Gardens became quieter. Accordingly we have decided to not open every week this season. But the bar will be open if there’s a Friday social event on - such a pizza night, BBQ or junior derbies. However if there is adequate demand, we will look at this again - so let us know!

Sponsorship The club is very grateful to all our current sponsors. CALA Homes Pizza Geeks Scottish Half Marathon Umair Mohammed Dentistry Littlejohn Properties Chambers Tutoring Jumpship Brewing Sponsorship can come in many forms, not just money! There are many sponsorship opportunities which reach a wide audience - board sponsors, Livestream banner, Player of the Month sponsor and many more - so if you (or company you work with ) would like to become involved, please let us know. Player Sponsorship For just £100, you can sponsor a player in 1s /2s or women’s 1s team. The sponsors name will appear on published team sheets and all social media. Getting the ball rolling this year is Ardnamurchan Distillery who is sponsoring Will Hardie. We are excited that the bar will also now be stocking Ardnamurchan Single Malt - so why not come down and have a taste? If you are interested in sponsoring a player this year, or in any other sponsorship opportunity please contact domenicrisi@outlook.com COMING SOCIAL EVENTS AT GRANGE LOAN Saturday 13 May 8.00 QUIZ NIGHT All Welcome Teams of up to 5 £7 per person Please enter by email to bob.irvine86@gmail.com Friday 19 May Pizza Geeks Let’s see as many people as possible down to enjoy a pizza. It’s great that Pizza Geeks are sponsoring the club again this year and the more of their quality pizzas we buy, the more the club benefits.

U13 Scottish Cup After the fantastic achievement of the U13s getting to the last 8 in Britain last year (and the year before!) we open our 2023 campaign with a home match against Gala on Tuesday 9 May. If successful we then host MDAFS. U14 Scottish Cup We have a bye in the first round before playing the winner of Livingston and Grange in round 2. Last year we lost to eventual winners Grange in a very close game in round 2, so hopefully the result will go our way this year if they can get past Livingston. U15 ECB Cup Last year we made it to finals day, just losing out to Clydesdale in the semi final before winning the 3rd/4th playoff. This year we have a first round bye and then play the winner of Livingston and Stewart's Melville in round 2. U16 Scottish Cup Just like the U14 Cup last year, we lost to eventual winners Grange in another close round 2 match. If we can get past MDAFS in round 1 this year, we will set up another round 2 match against Grange. Junior Cup Action Can the u13s make it three in a row? Click the links below to see the full draw in each competition.

JUNIOR CRICKET Carlton’s juniors can look forward to a busy season. Martin Firth describes the Junior League Programme. The Lothian Junior Leagues start on Monday 1 May, and run through May, June and August. Carlton has entered 3 Under-12 teams, 3 Under-14 teams, a Girls' Under-14 team and an Under-16 team. There are two new developments in the leagues this year. Girls' under 14 league A Girls' Under-14 league has been introduced - a very exciting development in Girls' cricket in Edinburgh. It includes teams from Carlton, Edinburgh South, Grange, MDAFS, Stew Mel and Watsonians. Each team will play each other once on Sunday mornings during May and June. Hopefully, that will lead seamlessly into the Women's Challenger league in July and August where our Women's Second Team (featuring many of the same hardball-playing girls) will compete. The match format is pairs, which means that some negotiation between coaches should ensure that the players are batting and bowling against opponents of a roughly similar standard. Double-headers In order to provide more competitive matches than in previous years (the stated goal was "cup-level intensity"), the Under-12 and Under-14 leagues include "double-header" fixtures, where two teams from two clubs are drawn against each other on the same day. The intention is that clubs will select their players, such that the two clubs' first teams play each other, and so do the two second teams. Carlton, Grange, MDAFS, Stew Mel and Watsonians will play double-headers in 6 league weeks. (Double-header fixtures are shown in Pitchero by the opponents being named eg “Grange double-header”.) Game in the other 7 weeks will be against opponents from across the league. We will assign players to equally-balanced squads as we've always done, and those squads will play the 7 "normal" weeks. But in double-header weeks, teams will be selected as our first, second and third team, so players may not be playing with their assigned squads. This will take a bit of getting used to, but ought to provide new opportunities for all players. All players will have a suitably-competitive game, and the selection of players into teams will mean that the usual strong squad players aren't necessarily there, and others will have to step up. Intra Carlton Derbies The ever popular and highly competitive intra-Carlton derby matches are being scheduled for U12 and U14 - 3 matches each. The Under-12 fixtures are on a Friday so are a natural backdrop for a social evening. Make a note of these dates in your diary - more details will be sent nearer the time. Friday 19 May: Carlton Stars v Swifts Friday 23 Jun: Carlton Swifts v Strikers Friday 18 Aug: Carlton Strikers v Stars

Mowing starts. At first the square is mown at approximately 20mm in a diagonal direction. In subsequent weeks it will be mown in different directions, gradually reducing the height to the standard for the season, about 11mm. Mowing continues regularly - interspersed with other operations. As with mowing, rolling is done in different directions, gradually increasing the weight of the roller, first by weighting the mower then by using the light roller — with some of the ‘junior’ members lending a hand (right). While rolling smooths the surface its primary purpose is to compact the ground by removing air from between the soil particles. PRE-SEASON PREPARATIONS AT GRANGE LOAN The beginning of March, it is wet and cold but the grass begins to grow, the season is only weeks away and work gets underway. Gradually increasing the weight of the roller ensures the ground consolidates evenly so the heavy roller can be brought into use. Rolling also begins in early March. At first sight (left) it might look as if the square is being mown again but in this picture the mower is actually being used as a roller.

Scarification is a vital operation. Above right is the tool used in scarifying. It is deployed at the beginning and end of the season with the aim of removing “thatch”, a layer of dead grass and other matter lurking beneath the surface which deadens the bounce. Other tools which can be used with this machine include: a verticutter, similar to the scarifier bet having three times as many cutting edges and which does not penetrate far into the ground the aim being to cut lateral growing grass; and a brush. Both are used extensively in pitch preparation. The brush will also be used pre season to lift the scarifier spoil. When conditions permit, fertiliser is applied to assist growth.. The pitch is measured, the lines are drawn - and the umpire can can call PLAY. Cutting of the outfield also begins - throughout the season it will be cut twice a week as circumstances permit. Each cut takes about 2 hours. Thanks to Alasdair McLeod for photos and text.

1973 may go down in history as the year the UK joined the then European Economic Community. It was also the year that the Wombles made their first appearance, picking up the litter on Wimbledon Common. And, as Carlton’s 110th season got underway under the captaincy of Alun Davies for the tenth successive year, Paul McCartney and Wings were about to play at the Odeon in Clerk Street. A stalls seat would set you back £1.20. At that time Carlton was part of a 14 team East League set up - each team playing each other once. Carlton had finished second the previous year, losing out to Grange. They finished second again in 1973, losing only one of their 12 completed league matches. That loss was to Stenhousemuir who finished as Champions. They inflicted a 7 wicket defeat on Carlton at the Tryst, dismissing them for a distinctly underwhelming 111. Stenhousemuir also did for Carlton in the Rothmans Quaich, as the Scottish Cup was then known. Also at the Tryst, Carlton’s batting put together a more respectable total of 174, with 57 for Christopher Sutton-Mattocks (making his only appearance for Carlton - he was an Oxford University Blue and minor county player presumably on holiday - registration rules were evidently less strict in those days! He went on to a distinguished career at the Bar). But Carlton’s total fell well short of Stenhousemuir’s 220 for 3. Stenhousemuir went on to win the final. HOW MUCH HAS CRICKET CHANGED IN 50 YEARS? JUDGE FOR YOURSELF HERE IS CARLTON’S 1973 SEASON It was not surprising therefore that Carlton’s President, Fraser Dall Snr, observed at the AGM that ‘while we were close to success on the playing side this could be achieved if we could beat Stenhousemuir.’ John Hiley scored over 1000 runs in all matches - he batted 32 times that year. He had also topped 1000 runs the previous year. However the best bat award went to Alun Davies with an average of 50.8 across all matches. Best bowler went to Chris Smith (see over) for 33 wickets @ 8.91. John Hiley also won the single wicket competition. In those years Carlton struggled to field a 2nd XI for whom 40 players appeared over the season. That was one short of the total number of playing members - which had increased by 10 from the previous year due to an influx of Edinburgh University Students. Playing subs were £6.50. Non playing subs were £2 and there were 353 non playing members. The Treasurer reported a profit of £125 for the year (including a surplus from the bar of £500 (£7500). On Tuesdays and Thursdays during June and July, Grange Loan was used by Edinburgh Ladies Archery Club for practice, an arrangement that had existed for many years and continued to the late 1970s. Princess Street in 1973

The Rothman’s Quaich was just one of the many tobacco sponsored events in cricket in these years including the Benson and Hedges Cup, a 50 over knock out competition and the John Player Sunday League, a 40 Over competition. In 1973 both events were won by Kent, captained by Ayrshire born Mike Denness. Chris Smith 1973 was the last season at Carlton for Chris Smith (front left in the team photo and in later years rt), as his medical career took him to Aberdeen. Chris is one of the club’s all time great all rounders. In 139 league and cup matches he scored 3067 runs @29.49, and took 193 wkts @ 14.02. He was 5 times best bat, and 3 times best bowler (including in 1973) a haul equaled only by Tom Crosskey in the post war period. He was also made a life member of Carlton at the end of his last season. Chris died in 2019 and you can read his obituary in the British Medical Journal on this link. Other Farewells The 1973 East of Scotland League contained 2 clubs who no longer exist. It was Brunswick CC’s final year. First founded in 1830, the club soon went into a period of demise but was reestablished in 1861 to become a well respected force in local cricket. There was also a short lived Brunswick FC which grew out of the cricket club. The other club no longer alive is Cupar CC, founded in 1836 and who ceased playing in 2011. In 1865 Cupar CC was host to Carlton’s first ever match out of Edinburgh and fixtures were regular between the clubs from them on. Trinity Academicals were also part of the league - they merged with Drummond CC in 2004 to form DrummondTrinity CC whose various XIs are regular opponents of Carlton’s lower teams. A Puff of Smoke More from 1973 The pavilion at Duffus Park Cupar - home to Cupar CC from 1920. Scotland first played in the Benson and Hedges competition in 1980, with Carlton’s Richard Swan in the side. Tobacco sponsorship had boomed following the ban on TV advertisement of cigarettes in 1965. Indirect tobacco advertising in the form of sponsorship was finally outlawed from all sport in 2002.

Hello everyone! Hope all of you had a cold and wet winter…as I haven’t! For those of you who don’t know…I’ve been in Sri Lanka (SL) for almost 10 months enjoying the tropical weather. Most of you probably think I’m out here playing cricket but I’ve actually been surfing instead. Sadly, I am still terrible and look like Bambi on ice as shown in this picture. I somehow find myself working at a surf camp in Sri Lanka as a “social host”. That is some LinkedIn job title, if you have never seen one. SURF’S UP! Where has Cheeky been hiding? My daily duties include being sarcastic to guests 24/7 and sitting in a hammock reading a book. (Unlike Calum Sibley, I don’t announce to the world what and how many books I’m reading on instagram. - but lots!) My other duties include taking guests out for a beach clean, dinners, and hosting pool parties. Pictured below is a sunset spot that I take the guests to as part of my "work". So as you can see lots of relevant experience for when I decide to continue my career in sustainability at some point in near future! More from Cheeky over/

I remember one conversation with a local saying “we have fruit, coconuts, and fish. We are good.” Over the last 20 years, they have experienced so much hardship including the tsunami, civil war, Covid, and the terrorist attacks. So the financial crisis was seen as just another daily hurdle for these resilient people. Fortunately, the country's economy is slowly getting back on track with financial loans approved by the IMF and it is absolutely safe for tourists to return. The country has so much to offer beyond those warm mellow waves! It has culture, good food, rainforest, safaris, diving, beautiful beaches, kind hearted people and cricket of course! So If you are reading this and want to escape somewhere tropical next winter, I highly recommend this gem of an island before it gets destroyed by tourists like Bali! Surfing is an interesting sport. I don’t mind getting up at 6am in the morning to get tossed around in the ocean for 2 hours and catch a few waves. There’s no winning as I probably will never compete, but yet I keep waking up at 6am. I would like to remind everyone that I used to complain about an 8am meet for Aberdeen away so this is a big change for me. If you ever wanted to try surfing, my only tip: don’t. If you get hooked then you will never go on a city holiday again. You might have seen on the news that SL was in a financial crisis last year due largely to an inept and corrupt government. The country was made bankrupt and basic necessities such as medicine, petrol, and food were scarce. Living here during this period has honestly made me feel guilty for being so privileged, yet also amazed and envious that my local Sri Lankan friends were still positive, smiling, and happy even as they would queue for days in petrol lines. PS - - it turns out, as you can see in the picture right, you can buy baby pictures of Fraggle and Omar on Sri Lankan buses. Worth every rupee! Chayank Then and Now

Early Days - Celebrity Matches In 1872 a fixture arranged by Carlton at which the XXII Gentlemen of Edinburgh played the United South of England XI (photo below) featuring WG Grace attracted 3,000 spectators and made a profit of almost £100 (£14,500) as a result of which NL Stevenson reports that ‘The Carlton finances, for the time being, were put on a solid basis.’ As Carlton players emerge from hibernation to enjoy the refurbished nets suite, it is worth reflecting that in years gone by, major investments at Grange Loan were usually accompanied by significant fund-raising efforts. By contrast, this season’s major improvement project was financed from within the club’s resources. Prudent management over a number of years has ensured a financial stability that would be the envy of many previous generations of Carlton members. Nevertheless money can only be spent once, and fund raising remains an important challenge for the club. In a 2 part series, The Arrow looks at fundraising activities over the 160 years of Carlton’s existence. MONEY MONEY MONEY The 2 innings match ended in victory for the Gentlemen of Edinburgh, WG Grace failing to spark in either innings. The Carlton skipper of the day, D McDonald, was commended for his efforts in the field at back-stop - not a fielding position favoured in contemporary cricket. A fuller account of this match can be found in Issue 18 of the Newsletter. The prospect of repeating this financial bonanza a couple of years later through a money-spinning fixture with the travelling Clown Cricketers (a popular entertainment in the late Victorian period) had to be abandoned when a road roller commandeered to flatten the wicket proved too heavy for the drainage pipes.

Public Concerts Carlton’s fundraising efforts then turned to more aesthetic ventures less likely to damage the ground. In the 1880s Carlton organised a number of public concerts. Long before the movies or TV provided more compelling attractions, these entertainments proved very popular - and profitable. Carlton was not alone among cricket clubs in those years in promoting such entertainments and similar events were organised by many other clubs across Scotland. Above - Programmes from Carlton’s concerts in 1880 and 1881. Right - The Literary Institute was at 34-42 Clerk Street. It had opened in 1871 offering a programme of lectures and discussions. It became a Methodist Chapel in 1901. In 1925 it opened as the Salisbury Cinema and was badly damaged by fires in 1939 and 1943. The cinema never reopened and the building was then used as a furniture store before being demolished and replaced by the flats which stand on the site today.

The Carlton Concerts In 1881 Carlton’s concert produced a tidy profit of £14 (£1,300 today). The concert programme was mixed (see below), with contributions from club members bolstered by local professional and semi-professional musicians. A review of the 1880 concert in the Scotsman reports that it was attended by a large and appreciative audience. The reviewer laments that during the orchestra’s rendition of Suppe’s Dichter und Bauer Overture ‘the first violins were considerably out of tune’; however other contributions fared better - the piano solos of Herr Feodor Blume (a German-born local music teacher) were particularly commended for ‘delicate phrasing and brilliant execution’. Sadly Herr Blume’s rendition of a movement from Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto was ‘marred by a complete misunderstanding in tempo between piano and orchestra.’ Perhaps this is why Herr Blume does not feature in the subsequent year’s programme, when piano solos are undertaken by Miss Goldie. Perhaps, also, these artistic challenges persuaded the club not to risk further similar ventures and the 1881 concert appears to be the last one it promoted. Expressing its satisfaction with the financial outcome of 1881 concert, the Council also expressed the view that ‘if all the members had taken the interest shown by a few the profit would have been much larger.’ Some things, it would seem, never change.

The Fancy Fairs In 1904 Carlton moved to the present Grange Loan ground. Money was required to clear the ground, to lay the square and to erect a pavilion. A Fancy Fair and Carnival was organised which raised £1,800 (£166,000). In reporting the event the Scotsman noted that a cycle parade attracting over 100 entries had taken place. It further reported that on the Friday of the 3-day event 1,200 people paid for admission. A second Fair and Carnival was held in 1912 - celebrating the club’s 50th birthday and provided further funds for improving the ground and its amenities. For three days in June, and undaunted by the poor weather on the opening day, the ground was covered with various stalls and entertainments - photo right. The Programme is a valuable historical document in its own right with some splendid period advertisements (see over). Its opening page (above) reveals how a huge number of volunteers participated in the event in various capacities across a range of stalls and other entertainments including musical and dramatic performances. There is a fuller account of this great event on the club website.

Advertisements from the 1912 Fair Programme

Funding the Purchase of Grange Loan In 1924 the club was faced with a major financial challenge. It had occupied Grange Loan since 1904 on a yearly tenancy. But the mansion house and Grange Loan itself were put up for sale. After some agonised discussion, Carlton resolved to purchase the ground (which otherwise would have been sold and built over). Lengthy and tense negotiations followed, in which NL Stevenson played a crucial role, and were eventually successful. The ground was purchased for £3,000 (£140,000). Four members made themselves jointly and severally liable for that sum. After much cajoling of the membership, a significant part of the cost was raised through personal donations - including 9 of 100 guineas (£5000). But there was still a lot of funding required, so various activities were planned. In 1926 the club organised a ‘Sports Week’, a more modest version of the Fancy Fair. The Scotsman reports ‘badminton, golf, clock golf and shooting were indulged in’. A week of cricket was also part of the fun - with the annual match between Carlton and Craigmount Ladies, a Carlton Ancients v Moderns fixture, and matches against West of Scotland District Select, Kings Own Scottish Borderers and Clackmannanshire. The Sports Week raised £200 and the associated 2-day Grand Bazaar in the Assembly Rooms produced a profit of £1,100 - ‘A sum more than sufficient to pay off all the club’s debt and leave the ground free of any liability.’ In 1924 the club attempted to replicate the success of Barnes’ visits and invited an Essex XI led by JWHT Douglas to Grange Loan. Nicknamed Johnny Won’t Hit It Today after his obdurate batting style, Douglas (below left) had skippered England on 18 occasions. He also won a boxing gold medal at the 1908 Olympics. Carlton enlisted the services of celebrated Australian and Lancashire quickie Ted McDonald (below rt). In addition to his match fee, McDonald was incentivised with a sovereign for every wicket he took. Despite his lucrative 9 wicket spell, the Essex batting proved too strong fr Carlton and the visitors emerged as winners. Sadly, while contemporary photos suggest a healthy attendance, this match made a loss for the club. Star Attractions During these years, occasional fixtures involving big-name cricketers were planned to boost gate receipts. In 1922 and 1923 Sydney Barnes, ‘the demon bowler’ turned out for Carlton. Barnes has been dubbed by many as the greatest bowler ever - in 27 Test matches he took 189 wickets at 16.43 bowling either fast medium or leg spin taking 5 wickets in 24 innings. In his 3 matches for Carlton he took 29 wickets at 4.5 - read more here. SF Barnes - with NL Stevenson at GL The story will continue in the next issue.

Among the 57,000 runners who participated in this year’s Paris Marathon on Sunday, the 2nd of April, were two Carlton favourites Calum sibley and Joseph Flynn. Callum sent this report to the Arrow. Participation was the name of the game for both Sibs and Flynn, due to horrendous training regimes. Sibs not undertaking any running in the month leading up to the event because of knee issues and Flynn suffering with severe shin splints. Yet these two men have done 50 overs in the Meadows in early April, so they knew they could make it through this light job. The event itself was incredibly well organised with the starting point Champs- Élysées, then working its way through the beautiful city centre going past the Louvre and many other famous sights such as the Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower and pretty much every other one you can think of. Thankfully the weather held out being a cool 10 degrees and cloudy. Both of us managed to cross the line - in 3:45 and 3:58 respectively. And did we enjoy a well earned glass of vin rouge red in the evening to round off a fantastic event! This looks like it will be the last outing for the Flynn-Sibley combination. Joseph will be moving to Melbourne once his current commitments in Manchester finish in August. Meanwhile Callum is about to take up a teaching position at Charterhouse School in Surrey. Charterhouse does of course have a significant cricket heritage - England skipper Peter May was educated there. Callum’s Meadows experience could come in handy! Callum plans to visit Edinburgh during the summer.

Poloc CC - Shawholm The most recent visit to the ground was the 2017 Scottish Cup Quarter final. Carlton’s 152 all out, with Michael Herdman top scoring with 43 and Hamza Tahir getting 3-16 off 8 overs, did not seem an overly commanding total. But if Poloc were confident of making the total, then Ali Evans had other thoughts. Leading from the front, the skipper took 6-34 in 9 overs and Carlton secured the semi-final spot by 19 runs. Highlights here. Carlton went on to win the trophy. Carlton CC is sorry to learn of the sad demise of Poloc CC following the disappointing decision of their landlord to deny them continued use of the Shawholm ground. Shawholm has proved a happy hunting ground for Carlton in more recent years. The Glasgow ground staged the National T20 finals during a period when Carlton was the dominant force in the shorter game, winning in 2008 and then in 3 successive years between 2010 and 2012 (photo right). Carlton were not so successful in a 2004 Scottish Cup tie at Shawholm, when their depleted bowling attack conceded 217-9 ( Jamie Kerr relinquished his customary role to take 2-47 as Brian Forrester took the gloves). A damp and slow start to their reply saw Carlton well behind the run rate when play stopped. Historical note - Shawholm saw the first televised cricket match in Scotland in 1955 when the match between Poloc and West of Scotland was broadcast (photo right).