Issue 72

There are moments as we sit on the boundary, watching Carlton’s junior cricketers put their adversaries to the sword, when the wind chills us to the marrow and we find ourselves thinking that this cricket season seems to be lasting for ever. But in truth it is all over in a flash and, as we look back, we remember only the sunshine and long bright evenings for lots of happy children. And we can’t wait for it all to start over again. There have been lots of great moments this year for all Carlton’s juniors from the Cubs who are making their first acquaintance with the game to the under 16s who have had their last year in the junior section and are already well seasoned in senior cricket. There have been many high spots - including the u15s successful defence of their Scottish ECB Cup and once again they did the club proud against English opposition, and their younger colleagues impressive domination of the Merchiston 8-a-side tournament. Our under-15 girls continue to develop rapidly, and Sam is greatly impressed by the progress this squad is making. We were all excited to hear them talk so well about cricket and Carlton on BBC’s Radio 4 feature about women’s cricket. There were some stand out performances too including ● Dan Mowatt taking 6 wickets for the 4’s against Stew Mel ● Elsie Fraser bowling brilliantly against Stew Mel to win the game for the women’s 2’s ● John Gill’s 60 runs at Peebles for the 5s in a tied match ● Hamish Foley’s 4 for against Benwell Hill ● James Stronach’s 54 not out for the 2’s - and his first appearance for the First XI ● Aadi Khadse’s 50 not out V Murrayfield DAFS ● Shreyas Tekale’s 4 for in the U16 cup also against Murrayfield DAFS ● Robbie Murray’s 5 wickets against Melrose for the 4’s And many more. Congratulations Oli Stones, James Stronach, Hamish Foley, Tom Hathorn, Aadi Khadse and John Gill for being selected to play for the Eastern Knights during the summer and special congratulations to Oli Stones for being selected to play for Scotland. It was also a very special moment for me to see Gabriella gain her first full cap for Scotland Women. All this is only possible through the efforts and commitment of many people throughout the club and everyone in the junior section owes them a huge thank you. To our Junior Committee - Val, both Kelly’s, Mary, Malcom, Kailas, Euan, Keith, Charles and Martin. To the Groundstaff – Regan, Paul, Lewis and Russell To all the parent helpers at Cubs and KwikCricket - Lorna, Kalyan, Susie, Ramona, Graeme, Kailas, Taha, Stephen, Abhi and Peter and to the Cubs and KwikCricket coaches - Gavin, Jamie, Lewis, Rudy, Max, Rory, Max, Tomos, Kyle Gabriella, Kiera and Elsie. It is one of the special things about Carlton that the older juniors take on coaching roles for the youngsters and I would urge as many as possible of our older junior players to give this a try. To Euan and Gavin for their work with the Primary School hardball team which is so important to our aspiration to widen opportunities for cricket. A BIG THANK YOU

Abbi and Gabby - 2017 to 2024. Abbi Aitken Drummond has been an important mentor and inspiration to Gabriella since she started at Carlton. It was fitting therefore that she presented Gabby with her cap on the occasion of her first full international match for Scotland. To Dan, Lewis and Kyle who have been regular coaches at training sessions for the u12’s and to all parent helpers for running the matches, including Anish, Daniel, Grierson, Vipin, Rahul, Andrew, Ken, Macca, Mitch, Euan, Kailas, Abhijeet and Abhi, and to Alison and Susan for doing much of the admin in the early season. Huge thanks to Dan Barry and Andrew Lang for running u14 teams and to Charles Stronach for shepherding the u15 and u16s and to Keith, Brian, Rahul and Pete for assisting with games. It is sad to say goodbye to CALA whose support over the years has helped us achieve so much - so special thanks to them. Finally, I would like to thank Kerry for her unceasing support for the junior committee and junior cricket at Carlton during her time as President. I wish all our parents and volunteers a restful and fun close season and I hope that you will continue to support junior cricket next year. We would be delighted to receive any feedback on what has worked well this year and also what we can do to improve for next year and beyond. Please drop me an email (juniors@carltoncc.co.uk) if you have any suggestions. Thanks and see you all in 2025! Siobhan Thanks to everyone who has supported junior cricket at Carlton this season. It wouldn’t happen without the help of so many. Many hands make light work and more assistance is always welcome - particularly at the Junior social events which are so important to the club. If you want to find out more or get involved please get in touch (juniors@carltoncc.co.uk)

A HUGE THANK YOU TO CALA HOMES FOR THEIR SUPPORT SINCE 2018 CALA Homes are stepping down as sponsors of Carlton Juniors after 7 years of amazing support for junior cricket at Carlton. In addition to the annual sponsorship of the Juniors, CALA were also one of the sponsors of the U15 team who won the ECB cup at Lord’s in 2023 and also the Carlton senior team who went to Spain in 2022 to compete in the finals of the European Cricket League. So we have a HUGE amount to be grateful to them for their support over the years. It’s been special - many thanks! The Carlton shirts bearing the Cala logo worn with pride by so many young players have changed over the years.

Thanks to Wright Johnson and Mackenzie LLP for their sponsorship of the Junior Awards evening. CARLTON JUNIORS 2024 Many congratulations to all this year’s Junior Trophy Winners U16 Batting - James Stronach U16 Bowling - John Gill U16 All Rounder - Hamish Foley U14 Batting - Lewis Broster U14 Bowling - Noah Moncur Fielder of the Year - Robbie Murray U12 Player of the Year - Reuben Van Der Merwe Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Florence White Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Nathan Glass Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Gus Watcyn-Jones Primary School Cricketer of the Year - Aaradhy Khadse Girls’ Hardball Cricketer of the Year - Aggie Foley Most Improved Girl Cricketer - Abby Caton Most Improved Boy Cricketer - Chris Kilfara Outstanding Performance by a Junior in Senior Cricket - John Gill Maurice Murphy Award for Significant Potential - James Stronach

MAURICE MURPHY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL* UNDER 16 BATTER OF THE YEAR James Stronach James has been a consistent run scorer again this season, with 410 runs in junior cricket including two half centuries in the u15 cup campaign. He scored 136 runs in the senior 2nd XI including a highest score of 54 not out, and he also made his 1st XI debut this year. *The Maurice Murphy Award was inaugurated in 2019. Maurice served for many years as the club’s auditor and at the time of the first award he was the club’s oldest living member. Sadly he died in 2020. Previous winners are Zaara Dancu, Max D’Ulisse, Ben Stronach and Gabriella Fontenla I was delighted to end the season being presented with the Maurice Murphy trophy and have been asked to write a bit about my season and the highlights and lowlights of the season. This season was a really busy summer of cricket. It was full of fun, training hard and improving. My lowlight would have to be not getting selected for the Scotland u15s. All of the hard work I had put in over the winter felt pointless after hearing I hadn’t been selected but it motivated me to work even harder to develop my skills. Luckily, all that hard work paid off when I scored my first 2nd XI 50 and then later in the season when I was selected for the 1st XI. My highlight would definitely have to be getting my first 1st XI cap and getting the chance to score my first runs for the 1s. It was great to be selected for the 1st XI to play at Meigle and I was really excited when I saw my name on the team sheet. I was down to bat at number 9 but as I was sitting with the team calmly watching as we were only 3 wickets down and Angus Beattie was taking us close to the Meigle total, Dan told me to quickly put my pads on. I was confused as I thought I was batting 9 but with 10 runs to win, the 4th wicket fell and Dan sent me in so that I had the opportunity to score my first runs. I managed to a couple of runs before Angus hit the winning runs and it was great to be out in the middle when we won the game. Thank you to all of the coaches who have supported me and helped develop my skills this season, especially Dan and Dewald who have really helped develop my batting. Dan has also really helped with my wicket-keeping and hopefully I can keep improving both next year.

On 6th July, I made my senior league debut for Carlton 5s against Holy Cross 2 at Peffermill. When my dad told me Keith had asked if I could play in an ESCA league game, I was very excited but also a bit nervous. We batted first and I was down to come in at 10 so it seemed like a long wait as I had never played in a 40 over match before. I spent my time helping with the scoreboard. I came in very late in the innings and didn’t last very long. I felt much better when I was fielding because I was more involved and busy. When Keith called on me to bowl, I couldn’t wait to get going but was still relieved when my first ball was on target and a dot-ball. I was delighted to bowl a maiden in my second over especially as their best two batters had been in for a while. It felt even better when, in my third over, I took my first senior league wicket (lbw) and broke the partnership (photo below). Unfortunately, the final result was not what we had hoped for, although it was close and Holy Cross were strong and doing very well in the league. MY SENIOR DEBUT Tom Sweet enjoyed his first taste of league cricket It was a great experience, and I am grateful for the rest of the team for being so supportive, especially Keith for asking me to play, trusting me to bowl and giving me a special Carlton CC Arrows pin badge.

Carlton took a strong U11 squad to the Merchiston Super 8 tournament on Sunday 9th June. Throughout all 3 of the 8 over games in this round robin event, the Carlton bowling was relentless, the fielding oppressive and the batting destructive. In the opening game, Carlton were convincing in a 66 run win against the hosts, scoring 89 for the loss of 3 wickets in the process. This was followed by a 57-run win over Grange including a batting performance of 93/1 with 41 being scored in the last 2 overs! Cargilfield had also won their first two games which set up a decider in the final game of the competition. Carlton batted first and scored 85/3 in their 8 overs and always seemed in control while defending, only allowing Cargilfield to get to within 14 runs. Congratulations to the U11 team (Dilan, Ben, Archie, Ollie, Sam, Tom, Aaradhy, Ross and Arjun) who showed great determination, skill, teamwork and sporting attitude while claiming the Merchiston Super 8 trophy (and fielder of the tournament – Ollie!) Under 11s Triumph at Merchiston

The U16s had another good season this year. A number of games were lost to the weather, but the team won almost all of their league games. The highlights being Robbie Murray's 47 v Grange, Hector Murray's 44 in another game against Grange and Jake Heller's 60 not out - including six 6s!! - against Watsonians It has been great to see the squad develop with the majority of players having played for at least one of the club's senior teams - most significantly James Stronach made his debut for the 1s this season, and that weekend we had at least one junior in each senior team that the club put out. The most improved player was Chris Kilfara, who summed up his progress in the final game of the season by playing some lovely shots when batting and also bowling well. In the Cups, the U16s were disappointingly knocked out in the second round after Stew Mel played better than us on the night. 4 wickets for John Gill and 51 not out from James Stronach nearly got us over the line, but not quite. Four wickets for Shreyas Tekale in the first round was a highlight as well. After winning at Lord’s last year, the U15s continued their successful run by retaining the Scottish Cup. After further wins against Benwell Hill and Carlisle CC it was off to the North finals day in Neston. The fourth North finals day for the club in the last four years which is an amazing achievement. Unfortunately we lost out in a close semi-final to Cuckney CC who went on to win a very tight final. Highlights of the Cup run included two 50s for James Stronach and Hamish Foley, a 50 for Aadi Khadse and a 4 wicket haul for Hamish Foley. Thanks to Dan, Kyle and Lewis for their coaching every week and to Keith, Rahul, Brian and Pete for helping to run the matches. Charles Stronach U15/16

Another great season for Carlton in the junior section. I really enjoyed this season (when the weather stayed half decent!) as there were plenty of successes. From my season some highlights were the U15 ECB Cup team doing so well to win the Scottish Finals Day, and then going on through the stages of the English national competition and being in the top 16 in the country. I have been lucky to have been involved when Carlton have made the ECB Northern Regional Finals day for four consecutive years - twice at U13 and twice at U15. That’s some achievement for the club!!! It was also cool to play alongside so many Carlton Cricketers playing regional cricket for the East of Scotland and I’m sure this will continue through the years to come. The junior sixes was also a superb event this year as we had awesome weather and some great cricket played with great fun alongside, with a variety of playing skills. It is clear that there is some quality upcoming talent in both the boys and the girls hardball teams to come! Thanks to Martin F for another fun-filled event!!! I would like to say a big thank you to Stevie G, Dan DC, Lewis OD, Kyle M and Chris M for helping with all the training and Charles for all his work organising games, to help make the most out of the occasional good weather. Also to all the behind the scenes helpers that help make the club such a fantastic place to belong and making the season go so well!! (felt like it came and went in two weeks!!) Overall another amazing season for Carlton juniors. Roll on season ‘25!!! Hamish took 16 wickets in junior matches including a best of 4 wickets against Benwell Hill in the ECB CUP. He added 215 runs to this, including 2 half centuries in the cup campaign. Hamish also made a significant contribution in the 3rd XI, where he had a top score of 33. He is still U14 but is one of Carlton’s strongest all round cricketers. UNDER 16 ALL ROUNDER OF THE YEAR HAMISH FOLEY

UNDER 16 BOWLER OF THE YEAR OUTSTANDING JUNIOR PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR John Gill John broke into the national u15 training squad last winter and has backed that up with some great performances this year in both junior and senior cricket. He has taken over 20 wickets in junior games and a further 12 for senior teams with his pacy leg spin. John can also deliver with the bat. In June he had a stand out innings for the 5th XI at Peebles County. Chasing 157, Carlton were in a bit of trouble when John came to the crease at 40-5, but he settled down to dominate partnerships with Ian Thompson and Angus Turner. He scored all around the wicket as the wagon wheel clearly shows. When he was unluckily run out on 60 off 50 balls in the 38th over, Carlton were within touching distance of a winning total at 149. Unfortunately as wickets fell in the scramble for the remaining runs, the remaining batsman couldn’t quite get the side over the line, and the match ended in an exciting tie. John’s innings was the highest score this season by a junior in senior cricket and is appropriately recognised as the outstanding performance of the year.

I am very honoured to have won the Carlton Junior Fielder award this year, following in the footsteps of some great Carlton juniors. I really enjoy fielding and am aware of the importance of it, so I was really pleased to have fielded pretty well this year. I have really enjoyed my time as a Carlton junior. It is hard to believe it has now come to an end. The highlight was obviously playing at Lord’s last year, but we have had so many other great times at training and in matches. I am very grateful to all the coaches who have made it possible and hope to keep playing at Carlton for many years to come. The highlight of Robbie’s consistent contribution in the field to all the teams, junior and senior, in which he played this year, was a special diving catch at midwicket for the 5th XI against Tranent Preston Village at Meadowmill. His skipper reports that he had no right to get anywhere near it. But he did! JUNIOR FIELDER OF THE YEAR ROBBIE MURRAY The camera missed Robbie’s catch at Meadowmill, but it captured another fine catch by him - this one was last year in the u15 ECB Cup match against New Rover at York CC

GIRLS’ HARDBALL The bare facts show a very good season, played 11, won 7, lost 4. But that’s not really the story - this was the season where a group of girls who enjoyed playing cricket united and became a Team. That this was still only their second (or occasionally third) season with a hard ball makes this story all the more remarkable. By and large this Team know their batting order. They know the bowling order. They have the ability to adapt to changing situations when demanded. Above all, however, despite knowing the above, this Team also knows how to give everyone in the line-up a role - and make it enjoyable for all. This Team has progressed to the point that a pairs game (which still happens occasionally against less strong opponents) - is met with slight disappointment that a ‘proper’ game will not be played, but they happily play anyway. The majority of this Team have been together for a couple of seasons now, and it is clear that they play for one another, and it is also clear that they welcome new players or occasional players into the fold. If a women’s match is going on at Grange Loan, this team will stop after training (and sometimes during!) to support the players on the field. This Team is supplying players to the Women’s First XI on a regular basis. This Team is supplying players to the Women’s Second XI on a VERY regular basis, and their bonding, knowledge and teamwork is improving further because of this. The spirit in which this Team plays is difficult to describe adequately- suffice to say it is a template that could be used by other clubs. The success of this season is there in the numbers above, it is also in the batting and bowling averages. But that’s not the point. The girls are showing how the game should be played. Sorry, did I say ‘girls’? I meant to say TEAM. Graeme Caton

Aggie has contributed in not only the girls’ team but also in the boys’ teams, the Womens 1st and 2nd XIs. She took 3 wickets in a 1st XI match v Watsons including 2 Scotland players. Women’s skipper Sam Haggo has commented, ‘Aggie has worked hard and improved her pace as a bowler and I would never hesitate in throwing her the ball in tough situations.’ As was shown when Aggie made the important breakthrough in Carlton’s league deciding match with Stewarts Melville. The 2024 cricket season has been great. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing for lots of different teams - women’s first and second XI, girls’ U15 and boys’ U14 teams. My favourite moment of this season has to be taking 3 wickets in an early season game for the Women’s first team against Watsonians. I was also very happy to be part of the women’s 1st and 2nd XI teams and to win the league with both. The girls hardball squad is super fun, and is a very supportive, friendly group. I am very grateful to all the coaches (Sam H, Lewis OD, Dee, Sarah (aka Mother Beith)) for the unending support and encouragement, to Alison A for organising the girls squads, to my teammates for making it all good fun, and to the ground staff for keeping the pitch in excellent conditions for every match. I had a great season this year, and I can’t wait for 2025. GIRLS’ HARDBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR Aggie Foley

Cobras The Cobras had a great season, with really strong results and a great and supportive team spirit. I saw a huge step up this year in skills this year – a lot of strength but also maturity in the batting, and our bowlers can really control the ball’s movement. We won all but one of our games, which is a real achievement, but more importantly we had fun together, and always played in the right spirit. Special mention to Freddie Charman for his 43 of 20 balls against Livingston early in the season, as well as a really solid 21 against a good MDAFs team. Atreya also had two excellent knocks of 41no and 25no, playing with a calm head. Tom, George, Fergus and Oliver all had scores in the 20s which they should be proud of. With the ball, we had three standout performances: Sam’s 2/8 against Grange 2s, Corin Lang’s 2/9 against the Caimans, and Tom Mitchinson’s 2/19 against Livingston. But everyone contributed with the ball this year, getting at least one wicket over the course of the season ...Well done to everyone, and looking forward to seeing you all next season. Andrew Lang Caimans I have thoroughly enjoyed running the Caimans games. Some excellent progress made through the season and some extremely talented players. Tom H and Lewis B have been a great example for the younger team members, selfless and demonstrating mature leadership. I can’t praise the positive and encouraging atmosphere in the team highly enough. This was very noticeable compared to opposition and made for an excellent atmosphere which in turn helped performance and to bring on the younger squad members. I should also mention some brilliant cameos from the u12’s that filled in on several occasions. Well done to all the coaches and parents for their efforts. Dan Barry U14

I started at Carlton in Primary 6. I took up cricket after my Mum put the Ashes on the tv and I just loved the sight of it and from then on I kept on playing. I love cricket because I could have a bad day but then go to training or play a game and just have fun with my friends. Some of my favourite memories from cricket have been part of the under 13 Carlton team and playing a small part in winning the Scottish Cup in 2022. I really love being part of the team. I’ve started playing regularly for the senior 5th team which I really enjoy. One of my stand out moments from seniors this year was taking 3 for 0 in our win against Tranent and getting my first Arrows badge. The 5th team been great because all the seniors members have been so welcoming and encouraging. It was great to be recognised this year for my bowling. BATTING Lewis Broster Lewis may not always have been recognised for his batting as he is also a big tall fast bowler. But his stats in U14 cricket are really impressive - 174 runs (almost double anyone else) at a fantastic strike rate of 164 and a highest score of 57. He also scored a few handy runs in senior matches. "I was unable to attend the Awards evening so I was extremely shocked when some of my friends messaged me about the award, so shocked that I didn’t believe it at first. I loved this season so much and loved playing with everyone that I did, and in all formats of the game. My favourite innings was when I made my first half century for the u14s." BOWLING Noah Moncur Noah has been a great addition to the senior 5th XI this year taking an impressive 14 wickets. He has also done really well in u14 matches and is showing real talent and potential as an off-spin bowler. UNDER 14 PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

This season has flown by - my only disappointment is that it is over. Carlton is such a fantastic club. I have an excellent set of friends in the under 15 girls, and we meet each other at training, barbecues, pizza evenings and other Carlton social events, as well as playing in a lot of matches! My best memory of the season was in one game (8 a side), I went in at 4, we quickly lost two wickets and I was batting with Libby at 40-5. We managed to put on 30+ for the last wicket in 5 overs and went on to win the game by 8 runs. What I remember most was my feeling of being part of a team effort and that is why I love playing at Carlton Coaches have reported Abby as having a great work ethic, dedication and a positive attitude. She worked hard over the winter and was rewarded by making her Women’s 2nd XI debut this season MOST IMPROVED CRICETERS Abby Caton Chris Kilfara Chris only joined the club last year as a fairly new cricketer so he has improved rapidly with bat, ball and in the field. It was exciting to hear about his heroics in the field and late order batting against Grange to win a tight match towards the end of the season. Chris is graduating from junior cricket this year and we hope he maintains his improvement into senior cricket. What I enjoy most about cricket is how even though generally it's the same thing repeated on every ball, the outcome can vary drastically which I find interesting. As well as that, I think the lull between each ball and the adrenaline rush of it being hit at you and having to mentally prepare yourself to make the catch or to chase it down at the boundary is really exciting. My favourite and arguably best moment was when we were playing Grange and needed twenty something off the last few overs, I came in at eight and after a whiff on the first ball I hit three fours in a row which led to us pulling off the win.

Florence says, ‘My most memorable match was when I scored a wicket against Stewart’s Melville. I find cricket fun, playing and meeting new players.’ Nathan says, ‘I was very excited to be awarded one of the Kwik Cricketers of the 2024 season. ‘I started at Carlton a few years ago and really enjoy training and the Kwik cricket matches against other teams. My favourite is batting and I play in the back garden with my brothers Kieran and Finlay. Often the balls go over the wall but we’re lucky that our neighbours throw the balls back! ‘My favourite match was at the Stewarts Melville Gala. I cycled there with my Dad and was proud of both my batting and bowling that day. We all worked as a team really well and won all of our games. I also really liked the matches at Penicuik where the cakes were really nice too. In this season I liked non-stop cricket and diamond cricket and my week at the summer camp was very fun. ‘I’m looking forward to starting back at Carlton in 2025.’ KWIK CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR Florence White, Nathan Glass, Gus Watcyn-Jones

U12 - MORE MATCHES THAN EVER An astonishing 35 U12 matches were played during the season which is in no small measure due to the efforts of Euan Sweet. As well as regularly taking a team on a Friday evening himself and masterminding the primary team, Euan also expertly took over the administration of all the U12 teams and brilliantly managed regularly to fill 3 teams on a Friday evening, even during the holidays which is unprecedented. While thanks go to all the parent helpers who assisted team organisation throughout the season, the biggest thanks must go to Euan. The Primary Team had an impressive record of 9 wins from 11 games, which was founded on the team’s relentless bowling which produced almost 100 wickets in the 11 games. The outstanding team spirit also stood out and fed into the fantastic fielding. This season also saw the inaugural fixtures arranged with a state school team set up by Murrayfield DAFS. Hopefully this will continue to be a fruitful relationship that has a significant impact on promoting grass-roots cricket. Let’s hope we can spread the message wider! Euan Sweet Former Scottish international cricketer Neil McCallum was pleased to help the u12s out this season and was impressed by what he saw: I took the Under 12 team on a few evenings and it was great to see the improvements in all the players throughout the season. The bowling tightened up and the stumps were attacked more by the bowlers. The ground fielding was slick and there were some great catches held in the outfield. In the batting department it was great to see the players rotate strike more which enabled them to pinch more singles and hit more boundaries in their innings. PRIMARY SCHOOL XI

My Dad introduced me to cricket when I was 5 years old when he took me along to Kwik Cricket. The game seemed to come naturally to me as I had good hand-eye coordination, and I progressed quickly into softball. By age 9, I had come to love cricket. I like that we work together as a team, with everyone getting a turn to bat and then bowl and field. It is such an exciting and technical game where things can change very quickly, which I really enjoy. I was keen to take cricket more seriously, so I moved away from the club that I had played at with all my friends, to Carlton where I knew very few boys. It was the best decision I ever made! The club and the boys were very friendly and welcomed me into their team. I chose Carlton because I thought the coaching was excellent and they were going to help me become a much better cricketer. When the time came to move to hardball, I was so excited. Getting ready to go out to bat with my pads, helmet, and bat I feel both nervous and thrilled, it can be a lonely place out there on the wicket, but I love the challenge. Stevie and Dan are the best coaches, they are so patient and take the time to look at my game and show me what I can change to make me better. They encourage you to be the best you can be and are always there to listen when the game or training hasn't gone the way I had hoped. Carlton is like a family. The social events we have at the ground are the highlight of the year, especially the Junior 6's where we get to play with the older kids. I feel privileged to wear my blue shirt and be part of the Carlton team. Next year moving up to the U14 squad is going to be a big challenge, but I can't wait to play under the different rules and get exposure to more games. What I really like about this young player is that he is always asking good questions of the coaches, seeking help, which shows me that he really wants to get better at the game. He is showing great potential with both bat and ball and I think he is showing real potential as a future captain of Carlton teams - Stevie Gilmour U12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR Reuben Van Der Merwe

Aaradhy has been at the core of the Primary School Team for the last 4 years and follows brother Aadi’s achievement in winning this award. He had an incredible batting average of 70 and took plenty of wickets to boot. Most importantly though he has always been an extremely popular, polite and dedicated member of the team and is now a senior team regular. This year has been one of the best seasons for me as a cricketer. As a young boy I had seen Aadi play for the primary school team and I used to accompany him and squeeze in the team whenever an opportunity came up. I have been lucky to get training on the field and off the field. Winter training started in February and helped me prepare for the season. My favourite time at winter training was when we played short pairs cricket games with the incrediball. I was looking forward to outdoor training and was very excited. Training was fun and I was also looking forward to the matches. A few highlights I have are; opening the batting against Edinburgh Academy. They have always been a strong rival for the primary school team, seeming to beat us every time, this time we very nearly beat them. I scored a 20* and took a wicket and our team played well but we ended up losing the game, it had been a good game even though they sledged a lot! My other highlight was when we won the Merchiston tournament - everyone did really well and I hit my first ever six. Carlton is my favourite place, and when we first came to Edinburgh we got our house in the area just because of Carlton. One thing I really like about Carlton is that they let juniors play a lot of senior games and this season I got to play a few matches. My highlights were picking up 3 wickets for Mix Dev at Kelso and the three matches I played for 5s when I got 2 wickets in each game. I am very grateful to Keith for letting me play for 5s and giving me lots of overs. PRIMARY SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR Aaradhy Khadse

KWIK CRICKET The 2024 Sunday Kwik Cricket season has been a fantastic journey for Carlton Cricket Club's youngest (under 10) players. Running from May to August, this programme saw clubs across Edinburgh hosting events filled with energy and excitement. Carlton had a strong showing, with around 45 players selected from a pool of 70, all showcasing their passion and skills. Nathan Florence and Gus stood out, earning Player of the Season honours, while Rajveer, Harihaan, and Nivan also delivered impressive performances. It’s heartening to see some players preparing to move on to more challenging hard ball cricket next year—a testament to their growth and readiness for the next level. A big thank you goes to the parents, specifically to, Lorna, Kalyan, Susie, Ramona, Graeme, Kailas, Taha, Stephen, Abhi and Peter, whose support in bringing the kids to the Sunday morning games was crucial in making the season such a success. Their support in managing teams and giving their time has been a great help! And big thanks to all the Cubs and Kwik cricket coaches, Gav, Jamie, Lewis, Rudy, Max, Rory, Max, Tomos, Kyle, Gabriella, Kiera and Elsie. As we close the season, we look forward to seeing our young cricketers continue to grow and shine in the years to come. Keilas Shelar

Overall, 152 juniors played at least one fixture in the course of this season. 6 juniors played more than 30 matches, junior and senior. Top of the list - and Carlton’s most cricketing cricketer - is Tom Sweet with 49 appearances. Hot on his heels is Aaradhy Khadse (42), Aadi Khadse (39) and Aggie Foley (37). Benji Risi, James Stronach and John Gill complete the list of juniors who played more than 30 fixtures. Looking at just junior fixtures, Tom and Aaradhy remain top with 42 and 37, with Arjun Shelke (28) and Archie Barry (27) next. Unsurprisingly, they all play for the PS Team! Of the top 10 juniors playing senior league and cup cricket this season, 5 were girls: Aggie Foley, Abby Caton, Keira Ansell, Elsie Fraser and Sonia Amin - confirming the great strides being made by the girls u15 squad. As Martin noted in the previous issue of the Arrow, Carlton is a family club and some families enjoy playing the game together. The Khadses (Rahul, Aadi and Aaradhy, lead the list with 99 junior and senior fixtures played, followed by the Subrs (80), the Foleys and the Stronachs (both 67). While the Beatties are one of the most active families they are all now senior players. But other families have a mix of junior and seniors - the Subrs have 4 active players and are the only family all of whose members play - perhaps they will all play together next season? 14 combinations of parent and child played in senior fixtures this year - including one mother daughter pair (Ajitha and Krithi). The Stronachs and Khadses featured three family members in a number of fixtures and two sets of junior siblings played in the same senior match (Foleys and Charmans). As yet there has not been a father-daughter combination take the field other than in intra-club events. Perhaps next season! WHO PLAYED THE MOST CRICKET THIS YEAR? With the assistance of Martin Firth we take another look at the Pitchero data KELLY’S EYE One piece of information that is not available from Pitchero is parental appearances on the boundary. Nor is there an award in this category. But it seems likely that if there was such an award, Kelly Foley might win it - not only was she regularly providing taxi service to multiple venues but she also took up the scorer’s pen for junior and Women’s fixtures and did several tours of duty in the kitchen. KELLY’S EYE

10 YEARS ON - WHO DO YOU RECOGNISE? Carlton u13 - runners up in the ECB Cup Carlton Primary XI

10 YEARS ON - WHO DO YOU RECOGNISE? Carlton u15 - celebrate winning the ECB Cup Carlton Kwik Cricketers

TThe full u13 squad of 2014 pictured at an end of season intra club match

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Carlton was pleased to celebrate the 80th birthday of Alasdair McLeod when Russell Weir shared a few choice memories of his 40+year association with Carlton. While it was a long time ago that he was a junior cricketer at West of Scotland CC, Alasdair has been a great supporter of junior cricket at Carlton throughout his long period of service as groundsman at Grange Loan

ODE TO AUTUMN As the trees around Grange Loan shed their leaves, so the covers shed their foliage and settle down for the winter months. It looks as though Arun has made a miscalculation in putting the Grange Loan benches away for the winter. Will he escape in time for next season?

Raise money for Carlton through EASYFUNDRAISING website or app WHY NOT USE GRANGE LOAN FOR YOUR PARTY, CORPORATE EVENT OR SPECIAL OCCASION? Contact Kerry_david_simpson@hotmail.com) SENIOR PRIZEGIVING & CHRISTMAS SOCIAL 14 DECEMBER DETAILS SHORTLY VIA PITCHERO Some refurbishment is underway in the Grange Loan Pavilion - another reason to put this event in your diary.