Issue 85

Congratulations to Gavin Murray who takes over captaincy of the Second XI in succession to Charles Stronach. Skippers are unchanged across the rest of the club, with Dan Da Costa again at the helm of the First XI, and Sam Evans leading the Women’s First XI both keen to challenge for silverware this season. Ms Cricket herself, aka Sarah Beith, leads the Women’s 2s who have the novel challenge of competing in a new league. Brad Mackay, Alan Murray and Keith Murray will bring all their experience to bear in the 3s, 4s and 5s respectively. John Beattie will lead the Development XI Carlton legend Ally Evans has accepted appointment as Women’s Coach. It is great news to know that Ally will remain engaged with Carlton. Captains and Coaches News Namibia Bound Congratulations to Chris McBride and Olly Davidson who have been selected for the Scotland squad to play World Cup League 2 fixtures and T20 internationals in Namibia during April.

Following the pre-season friendlies against Watsonians on 18 April, League cricket gets underway on Saturday 25 April when the Second XI, under the leadership of new skipper Gavin Murray, take on Morton in the ESCA Championship. The Seconds start off with 3 home matches on the trot - the following Saturdays see them meet Penicuik and Drummond Trinity. The First XI’s League season starts on 2 May when the First XI visit Stew-Mel, but their first match at Grange Loan is not until 16 May when Falkland are the visitors. The First XI’s competitive season kicks off with the Cup match at Aberdeenshire on Sunday 26 April following significant changes to the Scottish Cup schedule this year to accommodate new regional fixtures later in the season. The Fourth XI play Stew Mel 3 at Grange Loan on Sunday 26 April. The Women’s teams also get into league action on Sunday 26th with the First XI taking on Watsonians at Myreside and the 2s playing Stew-Mel 2. Also getting underway on 26 April is KwikCricket with a Players v Parents tourney at Grange Loan. Junior fixtures begin the following week, with the First Carlton u12 derby on Friday 1 May. Grange Loan Looking Forward to Early Season Action It is only 2 years ago that Carlton and Aberdeenshire last met in the Scottish Cup which produced a comfortable 2nd Round victory for Carlton at Grange Loan. A century by Dan Da Costa was the basis of Carlton’s total of 214 and they bowled the visitors out for 142, with Lewis O’Donnell’s 3-16 being the pick of the bowling. The match also marked Jamie Beattie’s First XI debut. The Arrow 67 presented a full account of the history of Carlton’s relationship with Aberdeenshire and the following page taken from that edition summarises the match history. The record now stands at 20 wins for Carlton from 40 matches. To the list of those Carlton batters who have made a century against Aberdeenshire must be added Dan Da Costa. Ally Evans now has 25 wickets in the fixture. It was also noted that Aberdeenshire and Scotland batter Mike Smith (son of Carlton great C C Smith) made 120 v Carlton in 1996. The Arrow is therefore sad to report Mike Smith’s death earlier this month. Carlton’s condolences go to his family. Scottish Cup R1 - 26 April Aberdeenshire v Carlton

Carlton v Aberdeenshire While Aberdeenshire first played Grange CC in 1859, it is uncertain when Carlton and Aberdeenshire first crossed swords. NL Stevenson refers to the fixture being revived in 1906, when Carlton were victorious at Mannofield, after dismissing the home side for 71, but there is no record of those earlier encounters. He makes reference to some subsequent matches - in 1908 he himself took 7 wickets for 35 to bring victory at Grange Loan. In 1913 Carlton won by 8 wickets at Grange Loan and there were further victories in 1920 and 21. In 1921, Aberdeenshire were the county champions and the defeat by Carlton was their only loss of the season. Carlton were dubbed by the newspapers Scottish champions that season. Following the Second World War there were only 3 encounters between the clubs prior to the SNCL. A drawn friendly in 1972 and cup ties in 1982 and 1995, both of which went Carlton’s way. Overall in this period, there have been 39 matches between the clubs. Carlton have won 19 and lost 12 with 4 draws and 4 matches abandoned. The most recent meeting was in the 2019 SC at GL when Carlton won convincingly by 218 runs. Batting first, Rory McCann’s 119 (photo below) helped the home team post 315 for 6 before the Carlton bowlers knocked the visitors over for 97. Four years previously things had been considerably closer with Carlton emerging the narrowest of victors on DLS at Mannofield. A century opening partnership between Hamish Gardner and Fraser Watts was the foundation of the victory. Carlton pro Robin Singh was the first Carlton player to score 100 against Aberdeenshire, which he did in the 1995 cup tie. Cedric English scored 2 centuries (108 in 2001 and 146 in 2010) and Rory McCann (see above), Fraser Watts (103 in 2015) and Michael Herdman (104 in 2017 - photo below) also got three figure scores against Aberdeenshire. Mike Smith (above right - elder son of CC Smith, see elsewhere in this issue) scored 120* for Aberdeenshire in the 1996 cup semi final as Aberdeenshire demolished Carlton by 10 wickets at Grange Loan. They went on to win the final. Omar Ahmad (seen below) is the only Carlton bowler to take 5 Aberdeenshire wickets. He took 5 for 13 at GL in 2012 as Aberdeenshire were skittled for 64. Ali Evans is Carlton’s leading wicket taker against Aberdeenshire with 24 scalps including 4-23 in 2018’s league match at Grange Loan.

Saturday 11/Sunday 12 April Intra Club Cricket Wall Painting - Fun and Food Saturday 25 April First ESCA match at GL 2s v Morton BBQ / Karaoke / Raffle Friday 1 May Friday night bar opening Junior Social - Pizza Geeks Saturday 16 May - First EPL match at GL (v Falkland) Legends Afternoon Games Night Friday 5 June Friday night bar opening Friday 19 June Junior BBQ Saturday 27 June Cricket Bingo Friday 3 July Friday night bar opening Saturday 18 July Quiz - Pizza Geeks Friday 7 August Friday night bar opening Saturday 8 August Celebration of 2016 Championship win Cricket Olympics Friday 28 August Junior BBQ and Prizegiving Saturday 29 August Final First XI match (v Arbroath) End of Season Dinner GRANGE LOAN OUTLINE SOCIAL PROGRAMME - 2026 We have an exciting series of fun events planned at Grange Loan this season. Get them in your calendar! Volunteer to help at some of them!

JAPPY TROPHY - 2025 Worthy winner of the Jappy Trophy for 2025, Charles Stronach received his award at the club’s recent AGM. The award recognises Charles’ long service to the club which ere he began as a junior many years ago. Charles went on to be a regular in the First XI during the 2000s. Following a break Charles returned to the club with his sons Ben and James, playing alongside them in the lower XIs. He took over captaincy of the Second XI guiding them back to the Championship. He has been an outstanding role model to all the young cricketers who have played under him. The award also recognises Charles’ invaluable contribution off the field and in particular his skilful organisation of the huge number of junior matches Carlton plays every season. The icing on the cake for this was of course the victory of the u15s at Lord’s in 2023 - where Charles’ background work was essential to the boys delivering on the field. The Jappy Trophy is Carlton’s highest accolade. It is named after Jimmy Jappy who, over a 33 year association with Carlton up to his death in 1980, worked tirelessly on the club's behalf. He served many years on Council, including 5 years as President, and performed just about every essential task around Grange Loan. Since 1981 the Jappy Trophy has been awarded to the person deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to the running of Carlton. A person can only be awarded it once. The full roll of honour can be seen on the club website.

LEND A HAND It’s a good few years since the walls at Grange Loan were whitened. And they are showing it. We will be repainting them during the weekend of 11 and 12 April, while the club’s pre-season practices are underway. Everyone can lend a hand (or a paintbrush). Make sure you do your bit!

As we landed in Zimbabwe, we were welcomed with a special performance from traditional dancers. Then we sat in the bus which had “ICC Men’s Under 19 World Cup” written all over it. There were police escorting us everywhere which was very surprising but helpful nonetheless as, due to them all the cars on the road, including the ones on the other side, had to move so that we could get through. The next day, we had some light training at Bulawayo Athletics where it was great weather (way better than Scotland!). SHREYAS TEKALE A Journey to Zimbabwe With Scotland u19s to the World Cup Game vs India - We arrived at the ground and started getting warmed up while the India team arrived. They had just landed from their great tour in South Africa and had arrived in Zimbabwe a few hours after we had landed. We put them into bat and watched Sooryavanshi* hit some big sixes and within no time he was on 90 odd when he nicked off trying to dab one down to third man. I was onto bowl just a couple of overs after he got out so I got to bowl at Vihaan Malhotra and Aaron George. Despite it not being my best spell of bowling, I beat their bats a couple of times. Overall, it was great playing a team like India against people who will most likely play for India for a long time. *15 year old Sooryavashni would go on to hit 175 fro 80 balls in the Final

After the India game, we had a travel day from Bulawayo to Harare where it had been raining a lot . We had our media day on the 12th and it was a new and fun experience. We had to do different poses for the individual photos and we could do some more fun ones afterwards if we wanted to. We also got to do different trends which was quite entertaining. Game v Bangladesh Due to the rain the day before, the start of the match had been put forward and it was a 45 over game. I bowled nicely in that game breaking the partnership and getting 2 wickets. Unfortunately due to rain, our bowling innings had to end and the match ended with no result. Game vs Zimbabwe The day before it had rained a lot in the morning but it was sunny in the afternoon and it didn’t rain afterwards so we were quite hopeful for a game. Unfortunately, due to the wet outfield, even though it was sunny on the 15th, we couldn’t get a game in. This was really disappointing as it was our best chance at going through to the super 6s. Games vs Pak and Eng I was not playing in these games but it was great to support the team from the sideline. We put up a good performance against a pretty good Pakistan team and ensured they had to work hard for the win. Unfortunately against England, we weren’t at our best and they got over 400 in the first innings and batted us out of the game. This reduced our chances of going into the super 6s as if we had lost to England by fewer runs, our net run rate would have been better than Zimbabwe’s allowing us to go through. 22nd Jan We were all nervously watching the Zim vs Pak game - if Pak chased down Zimbabwe’s score within 25 overs, it would have meant we got through on superior net run rate. We were so excited after the first innings when Zimbabwe were bowled out for not many. Even more when Pakistan were cruising only needing 35 in 10 overs in order for us to qualify. Though they slowed down drastically and it meant Zimbabwe got through. It was gutting, especially as we were overall better than Zimbabwe but due to net run rate we had to exit the tournament.

24th Jan We had a nice rest after a training day on the 23th and also went for a game of padel. It was fun to just relax and play a new sport with friends. I was chuffed to be playing vs the USA in our play-off game at Harare Sports Club. Luckily it was the nicest weather we had had on the tour and it was great to play on a very good international ground. We had a good start with the bat but had a collapse between overs 31-40 meaning we got a below par 236 on a wicket that was very flat. The USA batters batted very well on a pitch which got better to bat on throughout the day and chased our score being 3 down marking the end of our journey at the World Cup. Zimbabwe was a great country to go to. There was loads of greenery and their hospitality was really good. (I am going to miss those milkshakes from the cafe in the hotel!) Overall it was a great experience getting to go to a World Cup in a country I had never been to and playing against the best in the world. This tour taught me a lot of things but it was also a whole lot of fun and I would do it all over again if I had the chance to.

OLLY ENJOYS THE WORLD CUP STAGE Also in World Cup action during the winter was Olly Davidson who joined Scotland’s squad after their late call up to the T20 WC in India. ‘Playing at the World Cup was very surreal, I still look back at the photos and videos and think, “Did that really happen?” I think if you were to ask any cricket player where they want to play their first World Cup India would he right at the top of that list, the crowds were insane and they absolutely love their cricket. ‘When playing that first game against West Indies, a few nerves were there. But most of it was sheer excitement. We’d been lucky enough to be a late addition to the competition so I was just so eager to get going with it all and thankfully I got a wicket in that game. It had been over 3 years since I had last played for Scotland so the excitement was overwhelming. ‘From the whole tournament I’ve definitely taken a lot away from it and learnt so much. Playing with those crowds and the noise is something amazing but learning how to control your emotions during that was a big lesson. ‘I couldn’t be more thankful that I was able to go to India and represent Scotland and can’t wait to hopefully do it again in the future.’ Above Olly celebrates after taking the wicket of Jacob Bethel and (left) watches the ball speed to the boundary after flipping Sam Curran. You can see Olly play the shot on this link. On this link you can read the extended interview Olly gave to The Herald during the competition. Olly had a great tournament and has been going great guns in Australia where he has been playing for Goodwood CC in Adelaide and piling on the runs. We look forward to welcoming him back to Grange Loan this summer and seeing him delivery more great performances for Carlton and Scotland.

Do you know that our Carlton skipper Dan Da Costa is a qualified Sports & Rehab Therapist, Exercise Physiologist, and Sports Massage Therapist, with a passion on helping people recover, stay active, and enjoy life without pain. Dan has degrees in Sports Science and Biokinetics and works at Physis Physiotherapy at their Mayfield Gardens (EH9 2BY) and Westwood’s Health Club clinic (EH4 1RA). The same clinic where our very own Ali Shah used to work. He specialises in massage therapy and rehabilitation as part of a team of experienced physiotherapists who work with a wide range of patients including paediatric and sports injuries. Physis is the only clinic in Edinburgh with the specialist cricket knowledge of Dan and another two of the team who are ex Scotland cricket team physiotherapists. So, if you think Dan can help you just book an appointment online at www.physis.uk.com or call 0131 478 4646. Pre Season Aches and Pains? Dan’s Your Man

SPONSORSHIP HOW ALL MEMBERS CAN HELP Carlton has been fortunate to have benefited from the support of a number of sponsors over the years. Their support has allowed us to provide more cricketing opportunities and to improve the facilities at Grange Loan without significant increases to subscriptions. It is therefore on everyone’s interest to maximise Carlton’s sponsorship. Do you know or work with anyone who might be interested in supporting one of the premier cricket clubs in Scotland? The booklet below sets out a range of sponsorship opportunities and the benefits they will bring to any sponsor. It is available as a PDF https://carltoncc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sponsors-Pack-2026.pdf It is also available in hard copy. It would be great if as many members as possible could circulate the PDF through their own networks. To discuss any aspect of sponsorship, please contact sponsorship@carltoncc.co.uk

Many congratulations to Carlton legend Fraser Watts whose elevation to the Cricket Scotland Hall of Fame was announced at the end of last year. Fraggle gained 204 caps for Scotland - read about the highlights of his brilliant career on the Hall of Fame citation. Also elevated was Neil McCallum (left), who, after a distinguished playing career with Grange, is now a familiar figure at Carlton and becomes the first player to have turned out for Carlton 5th XI to enter the Hall of Fame. Fraser and Neil join five other members of the Hall of Fame who have Carlton connections: John Kerr, James Aitchison, George Salmond, Craig Wright and Gordon Drummond

A smart new bench has appeared at Grange Loan - it was donated by clients of Inside Out in memory of their friend Helen Gillanders who sadly passed away after a short battle with cancer in March 2025. On Sunday 8th March, some Inside Out members and Coaches met for a bootcamp as a memorial to Helen, who had been an Inside Out member since January 2020. Her warm smile, bubbly enthusiasm and encouraging nature will always be remembered by those that had the pleasure of training with her. Helen's husband, Alex, shared his memories of Helen's love for Inside Out and how he used to help Helen with home baking every Friday, which she would bring and share with her fitness buddies on Saturday mornings such was Helen's generous nature. Inside Out Head Coach, Marc said, ‘Helen should have been on commission as she made newbies feel so welcome that they often signed up and joined the Inside Out Community!Helen's passing away reminds us to give even more gratitude for our health and time here on Earth, and to share love and warmth with our fellow human beings as often as we can. ‘With a memorial bench and photo permanently at the studio, Helen's presence lives on, as will our fond memories of her. ‘Rest in peace, Helen Gillanders - your legacy remains at Inside Out.’

Looking to take care of your health by boosting your strength and fitness, to transform your body shape and improve cricket performances? Inside Out could be your solution. Parents of junior cricketers are welcome too. Go to www.insideout-pt.co.uk for more info or email Coach Marc to book a free taster session: support@insideout-pt.co.uk. FITNESS TRAINING AT GRANGE LOAN CALLING ALL ART AND DESIGN STUDENTS WHY NOT USE CARLTON AS A SUBJECT WITHIN YOUR PORTFOLIO? There are lots of possibilities. Landscape of Grange Loan Player Portraits Drawings or paintings of action (taken from the website photographs) Collage or montage We’d love to exhibit your work in the pavilion next summer!

Good luck to Ruari Macpherson on the recent launch of his exciting new venture. ACE CLUB GOLF Are you a budding musician in Carlton’s ranks? Fancy performing at Grange Loan? Folk, Pop, Classical, Jazz? We would love to organise a musical evening or two? Get in touch at events@carltoncc.co.uk and we’ll get something moving THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Bring Carlton to a wider audience Please follow Carlton on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/ carlton-cricket-club-limited/posts/?f eedView=all

OUTFIELD NEWS Grange Loan’s outfield is worked hard and given little time to rest during the season - everyday there is some activity across it. Last year’s exceptionally dry and hot summer placed further stress on it. And there have been signs of animal damage in some places. We therefore have to work hard to make sure that the outfield is in as good a condition as possible and satisfactorily complements the quality of Grange Loan pitches. Some remedial action is underway which we hope will improve the coverage. Also waiting in the garage eager to make its impact is the new outfield cutter purchased over the winter. In the meantime many thanks to Brian Forrester for repairing some of the animal damage.

1926 Carlton’s 1926 season was the eighth under the captaincy of NL Stevenson. It continued the run of success during the 1920s when Carlton could with some justification claim to be the strongest club in Scotland. In the 8 years of Stevenson’s captaincy they lost just 8 matches. The playing record in 1926 shows two losses out of 18 matches, one a tight affair with Grange when the Carlton bowling effort was significantly hampered by an injury to HFT Heath. However earlier in the season there had been no such misfortune as Carlton dismissed then County Champions Perthshire for 9 at Grange Loan. Heath took 3 wickets for 7 runs with GT Patterson taking 6 for 2. In the manner of matches in those days, Carlton batted for the remainder of the time allotted and were all out for 175. Low as this score was it is not the lowest in Carlton’s history. In 1904 they had dismissed Royal High FP for 8. This was Carlton’s second season at Grange Loan, the ground having been purchased in 1924 (see Arrow 68). Later in 1926 the club would hold a highly successful Bazaar in the City’s Assembly Rooms which raised the funds to pay off the debt incurred in that visionary purchase.

1926 Above - Carlton’s First XI 1926. Below - newspaper ad for the fundraising Bazaar

In July 1926 Scotland welcomed the touring Australians for three matches in Scotland. Australia beat a West of Scotland select by an innings and 59 runs at Hamilton Crescent. They then dispensed with East of Scotland by 6 wickets in a one day match at Perth. Carlton’s HTF Heath played for the East of Scotland, scoring 1 run and taking 1 for 48 in 15 overs. A 2 day match at Raeburn Place then followed. The match was drawn, although the scores were very one sided. Batting first Scotland were all out for 94. The Australians then scored 563. Scotland had reached 106 for 4 in their second innings when stumps were drawn leaving the match a draw. In the Scotland XI were Carlton’s CS Paterson and JM Fleming. Paterson scored 7 in the first innings and bowled 18 overs without success. Fleming failed to get off the mark. Between 12,000 and 13,000 attended over the two days, gratifyingly swelling the SCU’s coffers. England won the Ashes that year, with victory in the final Test at the Oval after 4 drawn matches. In the second Test of that series, Harold Larwood made his international debut. Daily Record 22 July 1926

Carlton CC has been buzzing indoors over the past few Sundays with our softball cricket sessions. The U12 boys have brought terrific energy, resulting in some exciting, close-finish games and plenty of sharp, committed fielding. The intensity and teamwork on show have made each session competitive while keeping the fun front and centre. These indoor matches, along with the net sessions, have been a great way for the boys and girls to stay connected to the game during the off-season. They’ve had the chance to work on skills, build confidence, and express themselves with the bat and ball in a supportive environment. It’s been a big success, lots of laughter, lots of learning, and a group of young cricketers clearly enjoying their cricket and each other’s company. They can’t wait to get outdoors again. Raise money for Carlton through EASYFUNDRAISING website or app

Square Cut Kitchen Now on Instagram Follow to keep in the know about all future events MAKE GRANGE LOAN THE SPECIAL PLACE FOR YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION Contact events@carltoncc.co.uk

Played 100 or more senior matches for Carlton? You are eligible to become a Carlton Legend - see the website for more details or contact president@carltoncc.co.uk