Issue 70

Back to the Championship! Carlton’s Second XI return to the ESCA Championship following a successful campaign in Division 1. Congratulations to Charles Stronach and his squad. End of Season Social Events at Grange Loan Friday 30 August - Junior BBQ and Prizegiving Saturday 31 August - Senior End of Season Dinner (Tickets available through Pitchero) Saturday 14 December - Senior Prizegiving The next issue of The Arrow will contain a full review of the 2024 season.

GO GABRIELLA Congratulations to Gabriella Fontenla who became the latest Carlton internationalist on 6 August. Gabriella featured in the Scotland Women’s Tri Series with Netherlands and Papua New Guinea held in the Netherlands. She played in three of the four ODI matches - helping the side to victory in each. You can watch her take her first international wicket on this link. But, as she reveals on the following page, she had other things to be nervous about as she prepared for her international debut.

GO GABRIELLA As nervous about her exam results as making her international debut… During August I was delighted to be asked to join the Scotland Women’s squad on a two week tour of the Netherlands. The team were there to play in a tri-series against the Netherlands and PNG over 4 ODI’s and 2 T20’s, the winners moving into prime position to take part in the global qualifiers for the next World Cup. The tour started with an early Monday morning flight to Schipol. It was a quick turnaround, as I had spent the week before in Aberdeen with the U19 squad playing in the European Qualifiers for the World Cup in Malaysia in January 2025 and we had just finished our last match on the Sunday evening. On arrival at our base in Amstelveen, I was delighted / surprised / shocked to be told by Craig Wallace, our coach, that I would be playing in the first ODI match against PNG. This was made even more nerve-wracking knowing that I would receive my Nat 5 exam results on the bus on the way to Kampong! The next day, we arrived at the venue after a long and nervy bus journey (exam results went well - phew!) and I was delighted to hear that my cap would be presented by Abbi Aitken-Drummond, a fellow Arrow and one who has coached, trained and supported me for a number of years. It was such a privilege to receive my cap from Abbi and I am hugely grateful to her for her kind words - they even caused a few tears in the squad! I slowly began to relax throughout the game due to the support of the team and they were delighted when I got my first international wicket! Truly a moment that I won’t forget. I played in two further ODI’s against both PNG and the Netherlands and claimed another wicket against the opening Dutch batter which really gave me a confidence boost. I enjoyed each of the three matches more and more as I began to adjust to the high level of cricket and the expectations on me. Playing for the Scotland Women's Cricket Team was an unforgettable experience and I’m really happy my family were there to share it with me. Representing Carlton on the international stage was a proud moment, and the support from the club has been incredible. Receiving her cap from Abbi - watch the full presentation on this link What’s in a number? Eagle-eyed Carlton supporters will have spotted that Gabriella has taken the same international shirt number as Ali Evans. A tribute? Gabby reveals that this apparent tribute is just a happy coincidence, ‘My Scotland shirt number is no 45 which I’m proud to share with another Carlton player, Ali Evans. I would love to say that is intentional or the start of a tradition, but I selected it by adding up my family's birthdays. I’m delighted that it matches Ali’s number.’ Everyone at Carlton is sure that Gabby is bound for as long and successful international career as Ali.

This year's Junior 6s took place on a glorious sunny August Sunday in a riot of colour and exuberantly joyful cricket. 43 junior cricketers drawn from all our junior hardball teams formed 6 teams, each under the watchful eye of a U16 captain and a parent mentor. Batters soon learned to exploit the almost total lack of fielders: almost 1100 runs were scored in the day; Tom H scored what I believed to be the quickest Juniors 6s 20 runs in 6 balls, only to be outdone a few matches later by Benji in 5 balls. Bowling was a thankless task, but despite the lack of fielding support Atreya, Emily and Issa all managed maiden overs! With only 6 fielders, you'd expect catches to be few and far between, but somehow Benji managed to snaffle 5 of them. In the end, each team won at least one game (one of the major aims of the day), and teams Blue and Yellow played the final game to decide the destination of the prestigious Junior 6s cup. In the end, Blue lost that game, but won the tournament by the minutest of margins on Net Run Rate, by hitting 4 runs off the last ball. An excellent end to an excellent day, and a magnificent advertisement for Carlton's junior cricketers. SIX SHOOTERS Immaculate as ever, Martin Firth donned his panama hat to oversee the fun of the junior sixes

My initial memories of playing against Carlton was when I played for Watsonians and I was a bowler back then! I remember my first senior wicket was Alan McLeod (Spike), clean bowled at Myreside! It was great to play against Robin Singh and very strong players like Cedric English and Bryn Lockie. Grange Loan is a lovely picturesque ground, enclosed by the wall and great views up to Arthur's Seat. The hill was never easy to field on, never mind trying to catch a steepler running down the slope! The wicket was always excellent and very nice to bat on. I had some fantastic games against Carlton over the years whilst playing for Grange especially against talented players like Fraser Watts, Gordon Drummond, Preston Mommsen and Ally Evans. These guys were very competitive on the pitch and played hard but were always there to have a drink after the match whether they had won or lost! My favourite memory of batting with Fraser Watts was for Scotland against Denmark in the European Championships at Anniesland. Fraser and I put on a 150 run partnership and he played some tremendous shots all round the wicket during his memorable 171 not out! I was run out for 52! My son Ollie joined Carlton last summer and he is thoroughly enjoying the junior section. It is great to see so many juniors at the club all under the fine leadership of Stevie Gilmour and his great team of coaches and parents who give up their time to help the children. After having many great tussles on the pitch I never thought I'd be back at Carlton with Ollie, but it has definitely been a fantastic move and one we're both enjoying greatly. MACCA First for Watsonians and then for Grange, Neil McCallum was a much respected opponent at Grange Loan. He was capped 135 times by Scotland - with a highest ODI score of 121* v Ireland in a World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. His highest First Class innings was 181 against Netherlands at Mannofield in 2007 in the Inter Continental Cup.. He is now a parent at Carlton helping his son Ollie learn the game. He recalls some Carlton moments in his career. In the photo above, Macca sweeps to the boundary in the 2013 Cup Final. His innings of 76 was the foundation of Grange’s total of 216. Despite 60 from Fraser Watts Carlton’s batters fell well short of this total and skipper McCallum lifted the trophy for Grange. In 15 innings against Carlton for Grange between 2006 and 2018, he scored 762 runs, passing 50 on 6 occasions, with a highest score on 93*. In 7 innings for Watsonians against Carlton his top score was 53 bating in a Watsonian side which latterly had a very Carlton feel about it with Drummond Stronach and Nel all on the team sheet. A chip off the old block - Ollie was joint under-12 Player of the year in 2023

CARLTON’S OLYMPIANS In the 1908 London Olympiad, 3 members of the Carlton Hockey Club - NL Stevenson, Capt CJ Foulkes and HT Fraser - were part of Scotland’s bronze medal winning team. It was the first time hockey had featured in the games and the home nations entered as separate teams. Also in the Scottish team was HS Walker, who was a fine cricketer and subsequently joined Carlton playing both games for the club. Preparations were less intense than would be the case for an Olympic squad these days. Carlton defeated Western 2-0 at Grange Loan on the Saturday and travelled south for their match against Germany on the following Thursday. They won that match, but were beaten 6-1 by England in the semi-final - Scotland’s goal was a Carlton affair - Stevenson providing the pass for Walker to net. Olympic events were spread out between April and October, rather than packed into an intense two week period as they are these days. The Hockey tournament was one of the last events and was held in October, so it did not interrupt the cricketing commitments of the Carlton players. They had had a busy season - they played 22 matches winning 14, drawing 6 and losing only 2. In the course of the season the indefatigable NL Stevenson took his 1000th wicket for the club. As the Paris Olympics fade into memory, it is appropriate to recall Carlton’s own Olympic medallists.

CARLTON’S OLYMPIANS Above left - 1908 bronze medal; Left - Hawick’s Ivan Laing scores the first goal in Olympic hockey history as Scotland beat Germany 4-0. Stevenson is credited with an assist. Laing had been a late recruit to the squad - apparently when the squad assembled at Waverley for the journey south he happened to be on the platform. Asked by Stevenson what he was up to the next few days, he was promptly recruited to the team. Captain Charles Foulkes of the Royal Engineers had an illustrious military career, becoming Major General and gaining the CB, CMG and DSO. He saw service in World War I and, following the first German use of gas on at the Second Battle of Ypres, became Britain's chief advisor on gas warfare and subsequently President of the Chemical Warfare Research committee. A multi-talented sportsman, Foulkes also played football for Hearts. However there is no record of him as a cricketer whether at Carlton or elsewhere. NL Stevenson needs no introduction to readers of The Arrow, but the other Carlton players in the Olympic Hockey team may be less familiar. Hew Fraser moved to London in 1920 working as Insurance Broker. He was the unsuccessful Liberal parliamentary candidate for the Wood Green Division of Middlesex from 1929 to 1938. As a cricketer he was part of the group who revived Carlton after the interruption of World War 1. Hugh Walker, an Edinburgh University player in 1908, subsequently joined Carlton and played hockey and cricket there until he moved to Glasgow. For a couple of years he travelled from Glasgow to play cricket for Carlton. He subsequently became Headmaster of St Mary’s School, Melrose, where he had been a pupil, and played cricket for St Boswells. According to Stevenson he was ‘A beautiful and reliable batsman…he had every stroke at his command and when he was set runs seemed to flow from his bat without effort. A grand fielder he was too….

‘Two years of second position followed, and then in season 1910-11, the championship was won afresh, a circumstance easily understood when it is recalled that no fewer that seven internationalists were members of the team. Eight of the eleven were lost between seasons 1910-11 and 1911-12, but with a new team the championship was won once more and it is impossible to quarrel with the statement in the book that ‘Nothing in the history of sport can exceed this.’ The Carlton Hockey Club - a short but brilliant life It was a brief flowering - the club continued into the 1912-13 season, but in October 1913 the Evening News refers to the ‘now defunct Carlton Hockey Club.’ But hockey at Grange Loan did not die completely. Given the synthetic surfaces on which the game is now played, it may be hard to imagine hockey on the outfield at Grange Loan, but for many years there was a hockey pitch on the east side of the ground which was used by St Hilary’s School until it merged with St Margarets in 1983. The school was sited in Cluny Drive - the building is now a nursing home. Standard Ladies Hockey club also made use of the ground until the early 1970s. As with so much else of Carlton’s history, the institution of the Carlton Hockey Club in 1906 can be credited to N L Stevenson. Stevenson had previously been a rugby player of some note but his career ended following a serious head injury. (It may be that the reference in the Evening News article quoted below to rugby crocks was inspired by him). On the hockey field Stevenson played in a forward position and was a prolific scorer - he netted 53 times in his second season. An article in the Edinburgh Evening News of 25 May 1912, reviews the history of Carlton prior to its 50th Anniversary year and contains a potted history of the brief but successful life of the Carlton Hockey Club: ‘A hockey section was instituted. This game has, its exponents say, been scurrilously libelled as ‘a good game for Rugby crocks’ but it is, evidently a capital winter paradise for cricketers, particularly those attached to the Carlton club. In hockey, as in cricket, the Carlton fellows thrive on competition games. Season 1906-7, the first in the hockey club’s history, found the Carlton second in what the club book describes as the ’so-called championship,’ and a year later the Carlton were hailed as champions.

I have loved hockey since I first played it at school. Having decided that being rubbed in the mud on the rugby field wasn’t a fun way to spend my time, I give the game a try. I never looked back. I played not only for school and Watsonians but for Scotland age group sides. At school we were very proud to be the first school team to win the U18 Cup - which was then open to clubs and schools and had been dominated by clubs such as Kelburne whom we beat in the final. Happy days. I played as much as cricket commitments allowed. At Watsonians I was proud to be a member of the side that gained promotion to the National League Division 1. At Loughborough Uni, after I was admitted to the MCCU Cricket Academy, I could not play other than in intra-college matches between our Halls of Residence. I was lucky in that the warden of my Hall was David Ralph a Scottish and GB international who is now coach to GB Women. I am sure that there are a lot of complementary skills between cricket and hockey. It is a non-stop game so fitness levels have to be high. The agility and dexterity to keep low to control the ball on the ground is also good training for fielding on the cricket field. Hand-eye coordination is obviously central to both sports - and I think that hockey skills have a lot to offer particularly to batters playing spin. It is well known that Joss Buttler looked to hockey players to develop his range of sweep and ramp shots. At Derby I played alongside South African batter Wayne Madsen, one of the best players of spin bowling I have seen. He had played international hockey for South Africa in the Commonwealth Games and the Hockey World Cup. Closer to home, Calum MacLeod is another fine player of spin - and a good hockey player. He and I played with and against each other through all the age grades. When I am coaching the sweep shot, I often put the cricket bat away and get the hockey stick out. The technique is the same - eyes and head low and close to the ball, hands out in front and snap the wrists through the ball. If you can hit it with a hockey stick, there should be no problem with the cricket bat! ALI EVANS - THAT LOVE OF HOCKEY I now work at Merchiston, coaching not only cricket but also have been given responsibility for developing the hockey programme. I am also coaching at Watsonians Hockey Club - taking the Women’s Second Squad, among whom is Carlton’s own Gabriella Fontenla. I look forward to helping her develop further on both the cricket and hockey fields. Also in the squad is former Carlton Women’s skipper Ruth Willis. Cricket has given me a lot, for which I am very grateful. But if the truth be told, I’d really rather have been playing hockey! Ali stops off at the hockey pitch on his way to cricket practice at Loughborough

HEATHER TAIT A member of title winning cricket and hockey squads, Heather reflects on her love for both cricket and hockey. Heather scored 101* for Carlton Women against Edin South-StewMel in June 2019 My first experience of Carlton was tagging along to the white walled Grange Loan to drop off a friend’s older brother at a Carlton junior session, 9 year old me thinking, ‘this looks fun, why do boys always get to do the cool sports?’ Luckily for me, a couple of years later I got the opportunity to join the girl’s cricket club at my school. In fact I played pretty much every sport on offer through school however in post-school life there were only two sports that made the cut; one was cricket and the other, hockey. Now, I have to admit, hockey was my first love. I loved the the skill, the fast pace, the competitiveness and being part of a team. But alongside hockey, cricket has always had a place as my summer sport and I’ve now played for almost 25 years. Undoubtedly, there are a number of transferable skills between the sports that I have benefitted from over the years. Quick hands needed to eliminate a defender translate to hand speed when batting. The hand eye coordination needed for cricket helped me to pick out hockey balls flying through the air. General good fitness levels mean a propensity to me being given some of the more remote fielding positions. Sprint training translates to stealing some quick singles on the wicket. The hitting in hockey of course lends itself, in my case at least, to a tendency to try and hit every ball as hard as possible over square leg. A tactic that has often resulted in a handful of boundaries before being bowled while trying to hit across the line. Winning the Scottish Cup and Premiership with Watsonians

Both games feature in my sporting highlights. In 2021/2022 I was part of a Carlton side which won the Women’s Premier League and Women’s Scottish Cup, and also of a Watsonian hockey side which won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup: a two sport double double you could say (and I did to anyone who would listen). I hung up my hockey stick at the end of the 2023 season, my team winning our first European tournament allowing me to go out on a high. The other girls seemed to just get quicker and quicker, or maybe I was getting slower? With no more hockey to distract, I now have more time to focus on refining my cricket game. It’s really about time I put some work into my cover drives after all. That’s one thing I love about cricket, it really is a game for all ages as demonstrated by the range of ages at women’s training on a Friday night, and even my increasingly creaky knees won’t be putting me off for a long time. Sport can bring you the highest highs and crushing lows at times, and I’ve had my fair share of both from losing a cup final on penalties to hitting my first century against ESM…. The less said about that time I tried to open the batting with no pads on the better. I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to play two great sports with two great teams, but there is one thing hockey definitely has over cricket: you can play in the rain! Above Heather in action for Carlton against RH Corstorphine in the 2022 title decider and below winning the WPL in August 2024

Hockey Sticks The long distant demise of Carlton Hockey Club has not deterred Carlton members from the game. Although they can’t grace Grange Loan as a hockey pitch, many others, in addition to Ali and Heather, have turned out for clubs across the country. Tom Simpson played throughout his years at St Andrews. Ruth Willis has been a regular with Watsonians. Former Carlton junior Euan Burgess was capped by Scotland earlier this year. Shortly before making her international debut for Scotland on the cricket field Gabriella Fontenla played for Scotland Emerging Players in a Four Nations Tournament. Gabriella takes after her Mum for Siobhan was also once seen on the hockey fields as were Ian Thompson and Sam Haggo and many more. Alex Fedenzcuk has been working his way up the international hockey umpire rankings and officiated at the EuroHockey U21 Championships in Terrassa Spain earlier this year.

HOCKEY AT LORD’S In the days before astro-turf, hockey was frequently played on the outfields of cricket grounds. While as the previous pages have revealed, Grange Loan swarmed with hockey players at one time, the Home of Cricket itself, Lord’s, held more prestigious matches. In 1967 India played Pakistan at Lord’s as part of a pre-Olympic tournament (photo above). The annual Oxford-Cambridge match was played at Lord’s between 1969 and 1990. A source of regret to Jon Foley (seen rt in his Cambridge blue blazer), who missed out on playing at Lords and had to wait almost 30 years for Foley feet to grace the hallowed turf. ‘The highlight of my hockey career would be representing Cambridge University in the Varsity matches against Oxford University in 1993 and 1994 and being awarded two "Blues". While very smart at the time, the light blue blazer is not exactly a fashion item and when it miraculously seemed to have shrunk quite a lot it was confined to sit proudly in a frame at home. ‘I was a couple of years too young to have played the Varsity match when it took place on the outfield at Lords in front of the members' pavilion - which would have been very special. My games took place on an Astro Turf in Reading...not quite the same. Thankfully, two of my progeny managed to grace Lords in that glorious win for Carlton U15s in 2023.’ While Jon’s hockey career may be a distant memory, Foley is still a name to be feared in hockey circles - Hamish was a member of the team which won the Scottish u-14 cup in 2023.

MORE HOCKEY Feds is not the only Carlton member to take up the umpire’s whistle. First XI scorer Ken Nisbet also officiated for many years. He recalls his career was kick started by the same person who first asked him to keep the score for the cricket at McKane Park (see Arrow Issue 46) - Sam McVicker. He says this was a relief to many hockey players in Dunfermline since he was a hopeless player, ‘I once headed the ball further than I could ever have hit it. That was a cup tie played in Dundee. I ended up with stitches courtesy of Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret Hospital.’ Ken umpired in the National League and recalls officiating at many cricket grounds around the country including Grange, Clydesdale, Kelburne, Ferguslie (where he claims to have averted World War 3), Pitreavie and Perth’s North Inch as well as at Stirling Albion’s football ground. Amongst his best memories is the time he umpired a reserve cup final, and managed to put the wrong Kelburne player in the cooler. Ken still disavows the nickname he had in umpiring circles. He says he looks nothing like a bush kangaroo... Former Carlton President Dave Carter was unable to swing his hockey stick at Grange Loan and had to exile himself to Grange for the winter where he enjoyed an extended hockey career. Like many cricketers I combined my Summer sport with Hockey in the Winter months. When I lived in London I turned out for Catford Wanderers CC, and played Hockey with Blackheath HC (5th Team). When I moved to Edinburgh in June 1987, I joined Carlton and slotted into the Second Team (at that time the Club only ran two senior sides), and at the season’s end I asked around for recommendations for a Hockey Club, and Richard Dickinson put me in touch with the Grange HC where he played. Joining Grange HC, I turned out for the Fifth Team. The rest, as they say is history. I have been a beneficiary of the steady expansion of both Clubs. As I have aged, both Clubs have steadily increased the number of Teams - which allowed me to gradually subside to the point where I turned out for Carlton 5s, Grange 6s and then 7s. I am grateful to both clubs for taking steps to accommodate my veteran status. So over the years I have had a lot of fun, as a medium pace trundler in the Summer, playing as a Full Back in the Winter - until the arrival of Covid, together with the inevitable effects of the passage of time, brought an end to active participation last year.

The previous issue of The Arrow reported that the youngest First XI debutant was 14 year old Fraser Watts in 1994. New information has now come to light which has revealed that it is another Fraser who should be given this honour. Apologies to him for this oversight. On 12 September 1964 Fraser Dall played in a friendly against Penicuik at the age of 13 years 9 months. He did not bat or bowl. Fraser’s next First XI match was in April 1967 when, aged 16, he scored 42* in a league match against Edin Accies, the first of his 3282 runs for the club in 129 league and cup matches. In 27 Masterton matches he scored 672 runs. Fraser was the dominant batter of his day and won the Best Bat award 5 times - including 4 years in succession between 1969 and 1972. FRASER DALL The Arrow celebrates, apologises to, the man some would nominate as Carlton’s best ever batter The Scotsman, 9 June 1975 In the days of uncovered wickets, centuries were less frequent than nowadays. Fraser’s solitary League and Cup century came in 1975 when he scored 101 (out of a total of 156) against Drumpellier in the Scottish Cup. It was described in the Scotsman report below as ‘completely chance free contribution which included 11 boundaries.’ This was the first century at the club since 1962. Fraser also scored 107 in an early season friendly v Kirkcaldy in 1977. While his highest score in the Masterton was 81*, his most important innings in that competition might have been the 60* he scored, which was the foundation to Carlton’s first ever trophy win in 1974. Behind the stumps he took 77 catches and 27 stumpings, and 13 and 10 in the Masterton.

Back in the late nineteen sixties and seventies club cricket didn't have much to offer compared to the modern game......NO wicket covers,.. NO big bats,... helmets,... engine driven rollers..., coloured clothing,.... white balls, ...women's cricket,... professional groundsmen, ....warm ups (thank goodness) ....nor the incessant "encouraging " shouts after every ball. What we did have though was tea ladies, (God bless the WAGS) ..... the young "volunteer" adolescents who got harnessed to the roller to help with the preparation of the weekend wickets (God bless us too),......proper whites,....classic cricket shots and of course proper characters !! Carlton had their fair share.....arguably one of the most notable was long standing captain Alun Davies from the Welsh valleys, a marvellous all rounder(look him up on the stats) who was a fierce adversary and a player you were always glad to have on your side."Crikey Moses" was his favourite warcry when a batsman played and missed or, worst of all, had the audacity to hit his bowling towards cow corner. We had players from all over the globe grace the side...Barbadian doctor CC Smith, a man mountain of a cricketer who would be welcome addition to any current T20 side, Yorkshireman John "Boycott" Hiley another great allrounder who lived and breathed cricket, West Indian doctor Oscar Jordan whose flashing white smile matched his flashing blade and George Innes, the man from Buckie, sporting pirate-like red hair and beard, who had the ability to talk you out even if his excellent left arm spin couldn't.......... We had many other delightful characters too (I won't mention any names in case my comments might be construed as being libelous!!) .....but those of you that were around at the time may well recognise the descriptions .....we had the Indian spinner with the dubious action, the umpire that couldn't look you in the eye when he gave you out, our fearsome quickies some with "longshanks" and skinny frames and others who were more "robust" but insisted on only bowling from the pavilion end, the twins that regularly took impossible catches, the three brothers from Merchiston Castle School whose impeccable technique was widely envied and lastly a wonderful supporter called Jack Hamilton (yes, I will name him as he must have passed by now), a real rogue and gentleman who single handedly helped to keep the club afloat through his contribution towards the bar profits. Yes, it is amazing just how these wonderful times ......these wonderful memories all came flooding back..... it may have been a trickle had it not been for all the old team photos though.........so keep yours safe...... if they still take them of course !!! FRASER DALL "CRIKEY MOSES".....A SWIPE AT THE MODERN GAME In a short reminiscence Fraser remembers some of the characters he played with at Carlton.

FRASER DALL Bruce Dixon Vice Captain in 1975-75 remembers Fraser Dall From my recollections (some 50 years ago now!), I remember Fraser as our regular number 3. A batsman who had a wide array of shots all around the wicket and who scored quickly once in. He formed a brilliant upper middle order with Chris Smith who often together laid the foundation for a big score. Fraser was also a brilliant, agile wicketkeeper who pulled off some spectacular catches. I was not alone at Grange Loan in believing that he should have been capped for Scotland.He was also an excellent stand off for Heriots’ FP and while he was capped at B level he was also unlucky not to get a full cap for Scotland. He really should have been a cricket/rugby double cap! Richard Dickinson also recalls an exceptional team mate Fraser was a very talented all-round sportsman, representing Heriots’ FP rugby X1 inthe winter and Carlton CC during the summer as a wicket keeping batsman. His father, Fred, was an enthusiastic supporter and benefactor to the club, serving as President for several years. Fraser was a modest but naturally gifted player. If my memory serves me correctly, he rarely practiced, but had such good hand and eye coordination that he simply picked up a bat or put on his wicket keeping gloves at the beginning of each season as if he had never been away from the game over the winter months. He never seemed hurried and always had extra time to play his shots or take the ball behind the stumps. He played with a smile on his face and whilst he was very competitive, he never seemed to take the game overly seriously. He was a very popular teammate. Fraser retired early from the game to concentrate on founding the very successful sports retail shops named “Sports Conscious” and later evolved into a the Sports warehouse now based in Leith. Below - Fraser Dall seen in rugby action for Edinburgh-Glasgow against New Zealand in December 1972. He scored the cities side’s only try of the match, which they lost narrowly 16-10. Above - Teenage Fraser Dall poses at Grange Loan - he recalls the bat - a Gray Nicolls Ted Dexter model - was a Sunday Post Bat - during that period the newspaper awarded them to juniors for significant cricket achievements.

In Memoriam - A R D Bowman Carlton was saddened to learn of the passing recently of ARD (Alastair) Bowman. Alastair, First XI Cap number 70, played 66 First Team matches between 1958 and 1963. He was captain between 1960 and 1963, and best bat in 1959, 1961 and 1962. He is remembered as a very fine batsman who drove in the classic manner on the off side. He also bowled quickish leg breaks. He played several matches for the East District side in the early 60s and at one time may have been in contention for a Scottish cap. In 66 League and Cup matches he scored 1296 runs with a top score of 93 and took 105 wickets with a best of 6-29. Although he never scored a century in league cricket, he did top three figures twice for Carlton in friendlies. The attached newspaper cutting from July 1959 reports a remarkable all round performance. Against ‘a strong Poloc side’ he scored 115* and then took 5-31. Alastair returned to his native Tayside, where he continued to play for a number of years for Forfarshire and subsequently Perthshire. Alastair’s brother Neil also played a number of matches for Carlton. He was better known as a Forfarshire player and subsequently President of the Scottish Cricket Union in 1989.

BEN DUERDEN When the 2nd XI played Marchmont at Grange Loan recently in a league fixture, there was a a familiar face in opposition ranks. Ben Duerden was a regular 2nd’s and occasional 1st’s player between 2007-11. He scored 2 centuries for the 2s, top scoring with 112* v Watsonians at Myreside in 2008. His return to GL brought happy memories. I have nothing but fond memories of my time at Carlton. I first came across the club as a homesick first year university student – questioning my decision to move so far from my Lancashire roots, I wandered around Marchmont looking for my most favourite of home comforts, some cricket to watch. To my delight I stumbled upon Grange Loan, only to find an empty ground on a sunny September day. The only sign of life was Hugh Parker walking his dog. Hugh explained that the Scottish season had finished the week before, in contrast to my home leagues which run through to the end of the month. I didn’t actually join the club until a few years later in 2007, when university teammate Tom Clarke invited me down to nets and things went from there. I immediately sensed a good fit, and although the standard was a step up from home, I relished the challenge. A challenge that would be affirmed to me on debut when, in a thumping win at Ayr, I failed to trouble the scorers! This match also featured the debuts of overseas player Kobi Griggs and Charlie Leggett if memory serves – Kobi a big character and bigger hitter (and possessor of the flattest bullet arm I’ve ever seen), and Charlie a metronomic bowler and close friend throughout my five years at the club. Although I enjoyed a few stints the first team, in reality as an opening batter I was always playing understudy to Messrs Watts and Mommsen, and so I mostly found myself in the seconds under the stewardship of Brad McKay and latterly Nathan Pietsch. We always challenged at the top end of what is now the ESCA Championship without managing to finish top of the pile – my abiding memory is of playing hard cricket, but also laughing every week with Stevie Elder, Craig Marshall, Clarkey and Fergus Guppy to name a few, and whom I still count as close friends today There are two games from my time at Carlton that stand out in my memory; one from the first team and one from the seconds. The first team game was a Scottish Cup match at Uddingston, where we fielded first and, to add literal injury to insult in conceding around 350, Cedric English dislocated his thumb trying to take a sharp return catch in the final over of the Uddingston innings. With backs to the wall, and thumb in a brace, Ceddy then went straight out and cracked an undefeated 150 to bring us home with a few balls to spare, superbly supported by a rapid 80 odd from Ross Lyons. I was stood on the balcony for the final ten overs, knees knocking together through my pads – thank goodness I wasn’t required! That day showed everything Ceddy was about – not just a phenomenal bat & bowler, but also the ultimate competitor.

If you’re planning travel, holidays, insurance, getting a take-out, doing an online grocery shop, buying clothes, buying a computer, buying a washing machine, or buying anything, then please remember You can raise money for Carlton - at no extra cost to you. Click through from the Easyfundraising website or app to get to your chosen retailer. The other game I remember well was away at Fauldhouse for the twos, where, chasing 220 we needed 18 to win off the last over. There had been some needle in the game all day, owing in no small part to the partisan home support, so when Stevie Elder chose that final over to hit his first ever six, and then Fraser Boyd cooly dispatched the last ball for four to take us over the line, the wild scenes that followed were certainly satisfying! Off the pitch, there were so many people around the club that made me feel very welcome; Nan Barwick was both my biggest supporter and harshest critic, and never missed an opportunity to tell me when I’d played a daft shot to get out! Ann McConnell and John Boyd, amongst countless others, were always on hand with a kind word, and I’ll be forever grateful to Stevie Gilmour for employing a penniless student every summer to coach at his summer camps when the loan had run out at the end of term! I have two young girls of my own now, so if I manage to imprint the cricket bug on them I may be back at Grange Loan in a few years time, albeit in a spectator/parent//coaching capacity. Ben on his way to 59 for the First XI v Grange in July 2009