Issue 65

CARLTON ON FILM There is scant information about the film, only that it is dated from 1922. As to who filmed it, and why, nothing is known. Was it a home movie or a contribution to a local newsreel? How did it make its way to the national archive? Might additional footage exist? Who knows? It is likely that the cricket shown is from the two day match against a Western XI in June 1922 organised to celebrate Carlton’s 60th year. Carlton were strengthened by the guest appearance of the great English Test bowler SF Barnes, who may have been responsible for large crowd than is apparent from the footage. He did for the Western batting, taking 7-31 to skittle them for 61 - far behind Carlton’s first innings total of 216-7(dec). Carlton batted again and added 148. Another 5 wickets for Barnes demolished West’s second innings - they could only total 31, leaving Carlton victors by a huge margin. Over the match he took 12 wickets for 45. Barnes batted at 3 in both innings, scoring 18 and 15. Carlton’s Antarctic explorer RS Clark scored heavily in both Carlton innings hitting 55 and 79. Barnes visited Carlton again in 1923 and 24. Photos - above action from 1922. Rt - SF Barnes; RS Clark (images not drawn from the film)

CARLTON ON FILM Photos: above, sections of the crowd, hats to the fore. Below, further action. Right, the Evening News report of the first day’s play.

Pre-Season Saturday 13 April 7.30 Grange Loan The 1922 film lingers a moment on this splendid group of youngsters, dressed in their Sunday best and enjoying the action (or the jelly and ice-cream). Four members of the same family? Who might they be?

GRANGE LOAN GOES HYBRID Carlton continues to invest in the facilities at Grange Loan. Members can look forward to more time on the square as the club has laid four hybrid pitches over the winter. The pitches strengthen the natural grass surface with 5% of uniquely engineered, soft polyethylene yarn which is injected into the soil to a depth of about 90mm. This strengthens the natural root growth reducing damage through use and assisting recovery time. Similar hybrid surfaces are now widely used in sport - Murrayfield introduced such a surface in 2014 and Tynecastle in 2019. Major cricket grounds including The Oval, Lord’s and Old Trafford have also installed hybrid pitches in recent years. Carlton is the second club in Scotland to do so. Forfarshire installed them last season and have been very satisfied with their performance. Director of Cricket, Stevie Gilmour says he is excited to have the hybrid pitches introduced, ‘I am confident that they will be of benefit to all our playing members. A hybrid surface can cope with about 3 times as much cricket on it as a normal surface. By holding the surface together the maintenance burden on ends and bowlers’ footprints is reduced. Pitches recover faster. ‘To a club like Carlton with a large number of teams and a relatively small square this will make a big difference. We will be able to play more matches on the same pitch and we will also be able to train on the square more regularly. I hope also that they can assist more consistent bounce and lead to better performances.’ Photos from top - SIS machinery installing the hybrids at Grange Loan; the surface after installation. A welcome harbinger of spring as Carlton welcomes (the distinctly non-hybrid) Russell Weir back to assist ground work.

Taking on the role of cricket physiotherapist and medical head for Scotland’s Under-19 men’s team during the World Cup in South Africa was a profound responsibility and an enriching experience. My responsibilities spanned pre-game assessments, managing injuries, conducting recovery sessions, and educating on injury prevention to meet cricket’s demands. Ali Shah was a key member of the backroom team for the Scotland u19 Squad in South Africa He describes his role as physiotherapist The challenge lay in acclimatizing the athletes to South Africa’s diverse conditions while ensuring their physical well-being. This involved devising individual warm-up routines, hydration, and nutrition plans. The World Cup’s intensity necessitated immediate decision-making to manage injuries and preserve our competitive edge. /over As the medical head, my day began with health checks at breakfast to prevent food poisoning or illness, followed by overseeing training or matches. This included warm-ups, return-to-play fitness tests, and applying supportive techniques like taping, soft tissue work and joint mobilizations for injured players required to play. Post-match, I managed cool-downs and assisted players selected for anti-doping with the ICC medical team, noting any new injuries occurred during the match or training for reassessment the following day. Photos: above the backroom team including (left) coach and Carlton legend Cedric English; left Ali’s bag of tricks; far left and below, Ali at work.

Cont’d/ Cricket challenges players’ physical resilience. We focused on personalized rehabilitation and regular fitness assessments to boost performance and minimize injury risks. The direct impact of physiotherapy on player performance was evident, enabling them to perform optimally, contributing to thrilling matches and invaluable experiences. The journey was filled with learning and memorable moments, highlighting the importance of adaptability, proactive health management, and teamwork. Collaborating closely with the coaching staff, we aimed to prevent injuries, underlining physiotherapy’s vital role in sports. Hear Ali, and S&C coach Scott Hislen talk more about the trip on CricketScotland’s Podcast Witnessing players recover quickly and perform at their peak was rewarding, showcasing the resilience and hard work of everyone involved. A personal highlight was seeing Ruaridh McIntyre return from a significant injury to shine on the global stage. Beyond cricket, team visits to a safari and shooting ranges, where I surprisingly excelled at shooting, made our tour memorable. The exceptional food, weather, and hospitality in South Africa made our stay unforgettable. This experience has rekindled my passion for cricket and aspiration to win trophies, looking forward to the upcoming season with Carlton. Ali and Ruaridh McIntyre at the Wanderers Ground, Johannesburg

Anish poses with Zaki Yusaf following their partnership of 189 for Carlton 3 v Holy Cross at Peffermill, 22 June 2019. Anish scored 106 and Zaki 101. From Gujurat to Grange Loan Carlton’s favourite orthopaedic surgeon Anish Amin describes his Cricket Journey I grew up in a small city in western India called Vadodara* - the British called it ‘Baroda’, as its original name was felt to be too difficult to pronounce. Like many of my generation in post-colonial India obsessed with cricket, I learnt most of my game in the gullies playing unsupervised hardball cricket every day after school, with one pad and no gloves, and lots of schools cricket in India on coir cricket matting pitches with bare, arid outfields. So when my parents packed me off to Brentwood School in Essex as a 17 year old, I was delighted to be playing cricket for the very first time on grass pitches with beautiful green outfields. The master-in-charge of cricket was in fact a Stenhousemuir lad - Brian Hardie, who some may recall played for Scotland and Essex, alongside Graham Gooch. He threw me straight in at No. 3 for the School 1st XI in my very first week in the country, where I did repay his faith and ended up scoring a lot of runs over two years. However, nobody realised that the pretty decent No.3 dropped from the school team to make room for me, was actually quite decent at football too - no prizes spotting me in the school team photo, but can you spot Frank Lampard? (Back Row - extreme left)

Medical School in Edinburgh followed and I played for Edinburgh University where I made some lifelong friends and played some enjoyable cricket. Like others who have drifted to Carlton CC from the university teams, it was the lack of regular league cricket with university teams that first drew me to the club. I joined the club in the mid 1990s and loved the ground, the people and the atmosphere. Some of my earliest memories at GL include being firmly ordered by a teenage non-striker to take a single to give him the strike. He was about half my height, half my age and twice as fast, introducing himself later (after farming most of the strike, with some very impressive hitting) as Fraser Watts. I have very fond memories of mainly 2nd XI cricket with the likes of Dave Ponniah, Chris Kear and younger, more sprightly versions of Brian Forrester, Martin Robertson and Alan Murray. The rigours of surgical training, family and kids took its toll on my ability to play regular cricket for Carlton and a long gap followed, before a return to the club some 5 years ago. A cricket mad family of sorts, we have all been welcomed back into the club and felt we were never away. My daughter and son (Sonia and Dilan) are regular playing members for the junior teams. I have particularly enjoyed playing 3rd XI and 4th XI cricket for the club with juniors, seniors, men, women and a diverse group of like-minded cricket lovers. I have, somewhat unofficially, also assumed the role of ‘club Doc’ with a regular queue of broken fingers, twisted knees and painful shoulders heading to my clinics behind the Sibcas at GL or more properly at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. If there is one thing I love most about Carton CC, it is the club’s ability to draw people at various different stages of their lives, all because of a common, shared love of this beautiful sport. *Vadodara, Anish’s ‘small city’ has a population of over 3.5 million. It also claims to have the oldest cricket stadium in Asia, the Moti Bagh. First laid out in the grounds of the huge Laxmi Vilas Palace (below) for the Royal princes to practice their techniques, a turf wicket was laid in the 1950s. In the 1980s a number of ODIs were played there.

300 and Counting Mention on previous pages of Anish’s partnership of 189 with Zaki Yusaf in the 3rd XI’s total of 317-3 invites speculation on where that mighty total stands in overall Carlton history. Mighty as it is, it is relatively modest! Carlton’s historian NL Stevenson reports that Carlton scored over 300 on 8 occasions between 1900 and 1914. The first was in 1900, when they piled on 343 for 8 against Dunfermline. A press report in the Scottish Referee described the innings: ‘One of the best of many splendored batting displays given this season was that of Carlton against Dunfermline when all previous records for this run-getting ground (McKane Park - known at the time as Lady’s Mill) were beaten………Boundary followed boundary in quick succession and the first hundred was signalled after 33 minutes play, while 200 came up after 65 minutes batting. This happy state of affairs went on to the end.’ The highest score in that period came in 1908 - 368-4 against RHS which included 202* scored by Carlton’s leading batter of the day George Jupp. The final pre-war 300 was 350 for 2 against Brunswick in 1914, which inevitably included another large Jupp innings of 178. The Scottish Referee rather dismissively commented, ‘the weak opposition of the Brunswick discounts the merit of the performance.’ A hiatus followed and it was not until 1976 that 300 was topped again, when Carlton’s 2nd XI scored 300-7 against Leith Franklin 2s. There was another wait before the First XI scored 307-3 in a friendly against SMRH in 2004 with Rob Thornton scoring 132 against his former team-mates. Since then the total has been topped regularly. In a Scottish Cup Tie against Edinburgh at Grange Loan in 2006 Carlton batsmen, Ben O’Connell 151* and Cedric English 118, went to town as 358 were scored for the loss of only 2 wickets. It was a good day for English - he took 4-4 as Carlton dismissed Edinburgh for 157. In all, Carlton’s First XI have passed 300 20 times. In 2010, they did it on 3 occasions - twice against West of Scotland and also against SMRH. In 2022 they did it twice - against RH Corstorphine and StewMel. The highest ever total was 388 for 5 against Stoneywood Dyce in 2016 which included that most memorable 105* from Mario Olivier (see The Arrow 63). However that huge total has been exceeded by Carlton’s 3rd XI who put 441-5 on the board against Leith FAB 2 in 2010. That innings featured a partnership between Ross Burns, 129 (12 sixes and 8 fours) and Nick Hunt, 112. This was the 3rd XIs second 300+ total that season - they had passed 300 for the first time in their history when they amassed 336-4 in the opening league match of that season - see scoreboard above. Four players topped 50 but none got to 100. 2010 was a good year; not only did the First XI score 300 3 times, and the Thirds twice, the Seconds also got in the act with 328-6 against Glenrothes. The Second XI have scored more than 300 on 7 occasions, the highest being 336-8 at Kelso in 2021, when Gavin Murray scored his maiden century. As mentioned in the previous, the Third XI’s most recent 300+ score was in 2019 when Anish Amin and Zaki Yousaf both got to three figures in the total of 317-3.

Carlton’s Women have also gone big, passing 300 on two occasions, despite innings being limited to 30 overs. The first was in 2016 against Galloway when Olivia Rae (rt) scored 171*. In 2021, the Women scored 330-4 against Watsonians. On the debit side, there are gratifyingly fewer occasions when Carlton have conceded over 300. The First XI have done so only twice: in 1999 Ayr, helped by 146* from Aussie Graeme Rummans, scored 307-2 in Alloway; and in 2017 Grange scored 310-4 at Grange Loan, Preston Mommsen feasting at his former home with 156* before 4 wickets for another former Carlton star, Harris Aslam, blunted the home challenge. The Third XI conceded 372-4 to Livingston in 2013 and the Fifth XI did so three times in their early years. The Fifth XI’s generosity in letting StewMel4 score 393-6 in 2018, assisted by the nano-boundaries at Cavalry Park, remains the highest score any Carlton side has conceded. Carlton’s most recent concession of 300 was in 2021 when Watsonians 3 scored 306-5 against the Fourth XI. ROSS BURNS Big hitting Ulsterman Ross Burns played his part in Carlton’s highest ever total of 441-5. His 129 included 104 scored in boundaries. Unfortunately there was no ball count (by all accounts the scorers were having trouble keeping up with the amassing of runs). Ross’s duties as a policeman sadly limited the number of his appearances for Carlton, but when he was on song he was among the most destructive batsmen the club has known. He won the 6-hitting trophy in 2010 with 20 clearances in 6 innings - the highest ratio of any winner of that trophy. His last Carlton innings was in 2013 when, in his only appearance, he smashed 113 for the 3rd XI against MDAFS. His hitting power led to occasional call ups to the First XI T20 campaign. None was more important than his contribution the Murgatroyd win in 2011. In difficult conditions at Shawholm, he top scored in Carlton’s semi-final and, chasing a low total in the final, got Carlton’s innings off to a flying start before holing out. Carlton ran out easy winners over Clydesdale. Earlier in his career he played regularly for the First XI, top scoring with 61* in victory at Titwood in 2000.

Is there a Doctor at the Crease? Dr W G Grace may claim to be the most celebrated medical practitioner to wield the willow. Although he never played for Carlton (to mutual disappointment no doubt) he did accept an invitation from Carlton to bring his United South of England XI to play the Gentlemen of Edinburgh in 1872 (see Newsletter 18 for the full story and see following pages for more about Grace’s Edinburgh connections). But Carlton’s own medical heritage is significant. Anish Amin and Iain Hathorn are the latest in a long tradition of medically qualified personnel to play at Grange Loan. In recent years Drs Shujaa Kkan, Joe Flynn, Ruth Willis and Christina Evans have laid aside the stethoscope for the cricket bat and done great work in Carlton’s cause. Previous issues of the Arrow have noted the contributions to Carlton’s fortunes and to medical science of Chris Smith, who stakes a claim as Carlton’s greatest all rounder, (See Arrows 45 and 55) and Australian fast bowling kidney specialist Tony Clarkson. Peter Berry played a handful of first team matches in the late 1980s before going on to a career in anaesthetics in London. Lower team players will remember Jamie Blackmur and New Zealander surgeon Barnaby Smith, who turned out for Carlton during a training year at ERI. Medics were also significant during Carlton’s early years. In the 1870s, there was Dr John Macfarlane: in the words of NL Stevenson, ‘a brilliant short-distance runner and long jump and hurdles champion who played rugby for Scotland. He was a steady bat and one of the Club’s last regular underhand bowlers.’ Macfarlane died tragically young at the age of 22 in 1874. (Find out more about Macfarlane in Arrow 40) The 1900 team photo includes Dr A Raffel. Of Dutch-Ceylonese extraction, Commentators dubbed him the ‘Scottish Ranji’ on account of his graceful wristy batting. His top score for Carlton was 103*. He was also an effective left-arm spinner. He returned to Colombo where he continued to play cricket at a high level and was President of the Ceylon Cricket Association in 1925. Photos from top - Ruth Willis. John McFarlane. Alan Raffel, medical technician Steven Elder on duty during the Covid pandemic.

During the 1920s Carlton could have rebadged itself as as a cottage hospital, so numerous were its medical personnel. The First XI photo of 1921 shows no fewer than 4 - Drs Batson, Wright, Phillips and Stevenson. Batson and Phillips (both of whom were born in the West Indies, as, indeed, was CC Smith) both played for Scotland. Dr Wright was the club’s leading bowler in 1922 taking 56 wickets @7.91. When the great test bowler S F Barnes turned out for Carlton in 1922 (see previous pages) Wright matched his 5 wicket haul in the opposition’s second innings. Batson was that season’s leading batter. By 1930 Drs Wright and Batson had had moved on. But Carlton could still field a team dominated by the medical professions. The photo above shows 6 doctors in the side who took on Perthshire at Grange Loan that year. Drs Fisher and Darwin were South Australians, Dr Hendry from NSW and Dr Gardiner from South Africa. It availed them nought: despite Dr Fisher returning 5-34 Carlton lost a rain interrupted match being unable to muster more than 89 against the visitors’ 116. As the 1922 averages below) show, the medical colonials made a valuable contribution to Carlton’s season, that defeat notwithstanding. Is there a Doctor at the Crease? N L Stevenson even reports that that on another occasions in 1930 Carlton fielded 7 doctors, adding to the list above a Dr Cashmore, about whom nothing is known .

Drs Batson and Phillips played for Scotland, as, over the years, have a number of other qualified doctors. The most recent (and most probably the last ever given the professionalisation of the game) was Dr Euan Stubbs (below), capped against Ireland in 1999. Stubbs enjoyed a club career with Poloc and Watsonians and played against Carlton many times but never quite did himself justice. 85 in a Cup tie at GL was his highest score. When he moved to Canada to pursue his career in radiography, his place behind the stumps at Myreside was taken by Carlton’s Fraser Boyd. Is there a Doctor at the Crease? Dr W G Grace MRCP, LRCP (Edin) W G Grace visited Edinburgh on cricketing business in 1872 and repeated the journey in 1873. What may be less well known is that his medical qualifications include one from Edinburgh In 1879 he came to Edinburgh for an altogether different purpose - to gain a diploma from the Edinburgh College of Physicians which would allow him to practice medicine. Cricket had somewhat slowed his progress towards professional qualification but he put the game aside for much of that year to gain his qualification. Grace paid no further visits to Scotland as a cricketer. But in 1903 he led a team of English Lawn Bowlers in a tour of Scotland. They played at Perth, Edinburgh (at Lutton Place BC) and Kirkcaldy. Grace was integral in founding the English Bowling Association in 1903 and was a determined advocate of the game. He was the Association’s First President and captained the English Team in international matches from 1903-08. While he no longer played First Class cricket he was still playing club cricket in those years. His final cricket match was in 1914 when he scored 69* for Eltham CC. He died in 1915. In 1908 on Grace’s bowling visit to Scotland, one time Carlton Secretary R H Christie spoke at a dinner in his honour. Both he and Grace referred to the 1872 match, recalling it being at Grange Loan (it was in fact played at Craigmount adjacent to the present Grange Loan). Grace recalled Grange’s J M Cotterill from that match. Cotterill was by then Head Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary and was subsequently knighted. Well might Grace have remembered him - he made a significant contribution to the home team’s victory with 14 in the first innings and 95 in the second. Grace managed a mere 25 in his two innings. Dentists have also been Carlton players - none more significant in its history than NL Stevenson. Namesake (but no relation) JK Stevenson was a first team regular during the 1980s. Also in the dentistry profession are last season’s T20 skipper Umair Mohammed and new 4s stalwart Chris Sale. Veterinarians at Carlton have included Peter Nettleton (awarded the MBE in 2007 for services to veterinary medicine) and more recently Hannah Rainey. Carlton’s medical roster is complete with Steven Elder (see above) and physiotherapists Ali Shah and Dan Da Costa among current players. Grace on the bowling green at South London BC

Watch Pitchero for details of outdoor training. Plans are in place for Intra-Club Practice Matches on the weekend of 13-14 April. The Pre-Season Quiz Night will follow (rain or shine). Details on Pitchero A slate of friendly matches with Watsonians - with the First XI visiting Myreside - will take place on 20 April. This will be followed by an open social evening at GL - all welcome. On Sunday 21 April, the Third XI will play touring side Chesham CC from Buckinghamshire and the Fifth XI will visit Inverleith to play StewMel. The First XI get their league campaign underway on 27 April with a home fixture against Watsonians, while the Second XI visit Myreside in ESCA Division 1. In Division 2 the Third XI play MDAFS 2 at Peffermill, while the 4th XI travel to face Gala 2 and the 5th XI take on Edin Accies 3. On 4 May GL hosts West of Scotland CC in the first round of the Scottish Cup (in recognition of this, the next edition of the Arrow will review the long history of Carlton and West of Scotland.) The Women start their defence of the WPL Title on Sunday 19 May with an away fixture against East Kilbride. CRICKET 2024! MAY PIZZA NIGHT WITH PIZZA GEEKS Date TBC NEW FOR 2024 ESCA MATCHES WILL USE THE PINK BALL AND COLOURED KIT

SPONSOR CARLTON’S CONTINUING SUCCESS? Carlton is grateful for the support of its many loyal sponsors. Interest in Carlton grows each year as we focus on developing the next group of club, regional and international champions. You can be part of Carlton’s continuing success. There are many sponsorship opportunities which reach a wide audience of Carlton players, members, supporters and followers on social media and match streams. Sponsor a player, an event, our active schools programme, secure a pitch-side or live-stream banner promoting your business. We will be happy to tailor to what suits you best. Sponsorship can come in many forms, not just money! Please contact Domenic Risi at sponsorship@carltoncc.co.uk 2024 Player Sponsorship Opportunity For just £110, you can sponsor a First, Second or Women’s XI player. The sponsor name will appear on published team sheets and all social media. 2024 Shirt Sponsorship Opportunity Teams in ESCA Leagues this season will play in coloured strips. Carlton is therefore looking for a shirt sponsor for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th teams. YOUR NAME HERE

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