Issue 88

Many thanks The 2026 cricket season at Carlton has given us lots to celebrate with our U14 boys and girls winning the Scottish Cup and the U13's having a great run in the ECB Cup finishing as one of the best 8 teams in the whole of the UK! And there were a few near things too! Winning cups is special, and we all love sharing the joy of winning but this is not what it is all about at Carlton. Community, family, friendship, teamwork and having fun.... they are the special ingredients of our club.... thank you to all players, parents, supporters and friends for being part of that and for making Carlton’s junior section the legend that it is. Stevie, Bob, Siobhan YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT CARLTON ARE IMPORTANT Young people frequently notice things that adults miss - we want to understand and learn from them. So we are very keen to hear from our junior players about their experiences at Carlton in 2026. Your ideas, concerns or suggestions matter greatly for Carlton’s continued improvement. Listening to our junior members helps us create a more child-centred culture, and make decisions with their needs in mind. Please encourage your child(ren) to complete the survey, or help them to do so if needed. Please complete the survey by clicking on this link Player Survey 2026

MANY THANKS TO SIOBHAN We are all very sad to learn that Junior Convenor Siobhan Fontenla has decided that it is time for her to stand down from the best job at Carlton. She has had a fantastic spell in the post seeing regular silverware come to Grange Loan and the rapid expansion of girls’ cricket. The Management Committee and everyone at the club cannot thank her enough for her invaluable contribution to Carlton. In the following pages Siobhan reminisces about some of the highlights. As she recalls, she had a tough start as she took up the Junior Convenorship just as the COVID lockdown started. She introduced herself in an early edition of this Newsletter

It is with mixed emotions that I write to say this will be my final article for Carlton, as I've decided that now is the right time to step down from the role of junior convenor. With both of my children having reached the end of their junior cricket years, it is a good opportunity to pass the baton to someone closer to the action who can bring fresh energy and ideas. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of being junior convenor of the best cricket club in Scotland and I want to say a huge thank to everyone who has supported the junior teams and the wider club through the years I’ve been in the role. I’ve been asked to reflect on my time with the club and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to look back over the memories and changes at Carlton. We stumbled across the cricket club by accident. The club house used to be a lovely friendly nursery for pre-school children and both of mine made full use of the large cricket ground for running around and making full use of the hill for rolling down. At Wednesday late afternoon collection time, we noticed that the place turned into organised chaos as lots of enthusiastic children turned up for the weekly junior training sessions. This looked fun! My children were desperate to join in, but had to wait until they were aged 7, at that point this seemed a long way off! I popped their names on the waiting list and they were delighted to hear from Richard a few years later to come and have a go! Gabriella started first and from the very first session was hooked on the sport and her enthusiasm for the game continues today. The girls' training was held later during the evening on the north west hill under the expertise of Eric Edwards (photo rt), and the other eager parents and I used to count the number of cartwheels that took place during each session. It was always a lot, but the girls clearly enjoyed the coaching greatly!

A couple of years later, my son Harrison joined in the Wednesday fun too, and from then on we were fully fledged and committed members of the special club that is Carlton Cricket Club. I used to sit on one of the benches watching all the fun but was honoured, after offering to help one evening, to be trusted with tea and coffee making. After a few other roles I was asked to take on the junior convenor role in 2019, when Kerry's brilliant run came to an end. I expected it to be plain sailing, basically copying what Kerry had done so successfully for years, but then Covid hit us all! My first year in the role was like no other, with social distancing, group limits and rules to make sure no saliva was used on cricket balls (who knew that was a thing?). Despite the restrictions, it was a real honour to watch the committee members and junior coaches pull together to ensure that as much junior cricket was played as possible in such a challenging period. It gave me my first real insight into the passion for cricket at this very special club. Since those early days, I have loved watching the club develop, especially the girls' section, which has grown from one hill session a week into a proper pathway on a Monday evening, fully aligned with the boys. The success of the Monday sessions is easy to see, both in the large numbers who turn up and in the list of Carlton representatives on the regional and national girls pathway squads. There are so many highlights that I could happily mention, but, to avoid taking up the whole newsletter, I'll stick to a handful. Parents and players matches organised by Keith Murray were a real highlight of the annual calendar and one that all Carlton parents should experience at least once! I think I managed several hockey shots and didn't entirely embarrass myself. That can’t be said for my response when being asked to stand in various mysterious and unintelligible fielding positions and staring blankly back when I was convinced I’d misheard the word.

Keith's support for junior cricket goes well beyond those matches, and I'm extremely grateful for the help he has provided to junior cricketers through the years. As 5th team captain for as long as I, or anyone, can remember, he plays such an important part in helping juniors make the leap to senior cricket, and he does it brilliantly, making sure every individual gets positive feedback each week which they really appreciate! The annual Junior Sixes. What an event this has become! What makes it so special is seeing the different age groups work together, with the older children encouraging the younger ones and everyone cheering one another on. It's a lovely sight and sums up the spirit of junior cricket at Carlton. Martin Firth does an absolutely amazing job organising this event every year (as well as a lot of other roles at the club!) and I am hugely, hugely grateful for all of his help over the years and extremely grateful that he retired from his day job at just the right time! The famous Lord’s team of 2023! Winning a national competition is a remarkable achievement, but seeing the team, parents, coaches and supporters all work together to make it happen was even more special. I love how that legacy continues. It's very rare for a week to pass at Carlton without someone mentioning the famous win and the team have definitely left their impact throughout in the club. Lord’s September 2023 - the moment of victory!

in the role so enjoyable, and to the other committee members who provide so much support to make the junior section the success it is. It’s been a pleasure to work with the management committee and thank you so much to Bob, Euan, David, Richard, Alan, Martin, Stevie. Kerry, Karen and Sarah for passing on their huge enthusiasm and skills to the club. Charles was also invaluable in coordinating all the junior cricket matches. I’ve learned lots from you all! I'll continue to watch the Carlton junior successes from afar. But wherever I am, whenever I see a cartwheel on a cricket pitch (and cherry blossom trees in the background) then it will make me smile and remind me of those early years at Carlton. All of the coaches at Carlton are amazing and Stevie Gilmour coordinates absolutely the best junior training programme - clearly evidenced by the silverware on show season after season in the clubhouse. I'm sure I've said it before, but Carlton is a very special place, full of very special people. Thanks to everyone who has made my time

Oh no - don’t leave us Siobhan we love you! Siobhan thanks for all your work - you’ve been brilliant What a star you’ve been So sorry to see you go! Missing you already Thanks so much Can’t thank you enough

WHY NOT BECOME CARLTON’S JUNIOR CONVENOR? IT’S THE BEST JOB AT CARLTON BE A PART OF THE COMMITTED TEAM WORKING TO WIDEN CRICKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OUR YOUNG PEOPLE YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE DON’T BE SHY - YOU CAN DO IT DON’T BE SCARED - IT’S NOT AN ONEROUS BURDEN Contact president@carltoncc.co.uk to find out more

CARLTON JUNIORS 2026 Many congratulations to all this year’s Junior Trophy Winners U16 Batting - Tom Hathorn U16 Bowling - Elliot Peltenberg U14 Batting - Ollie McCallum U14 Bowling - Arjun Shelke Fielder of the Year - Dilan Amin U12 Player of the Year - Rajveer Shelar U12 Player of the Year - Louis Dweck Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Louisa Hardie Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Thekshith Pavarthraj Kwik Cricketer of the Year - Thomas Elder Primary School Cricketer of the Year - Neevan Mehta Senior School Cricketer of the Year - Siddharth Vishnu Girls’ u14 Cricketer of the Year - Lindsay Thompson Girls’ u16 Cricketer of the Year - Aggie Foley Most Improved Girl Cricketer - Abby Caton Most Improved Boy Cricketer - Anders Raeside Outstanding Performance by a Junior in Senior Cricket - Tom Hathorn Maurice Murphy Award for Significant Potential - Hamish Foley

MAURICE MURPHY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL* HAMISH FOLEY Hamish Foley is a deserving winner of the Morris Murphy Award for Significant Potential. He has been with the club since he was a young boy, progressing through the teams. As an under-13 playing in the under-15 side, he opened the bowling for the ECB Cup-winning team at Lord's. He has since represented Scotland at age-group level, including as captain, showing real leadership. An equally talented batter, bowler and fielder, he is an exciting prospect for the future. Stevie Gilmour *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, Gabriella Fontenla, James Stronach and Sonia Amin.. It was a absolute pleasure to pick up the Maurice Murphy Award, especially due to the past winners list being so impressive and it shows the great produce of the Carlton junior section. The 2026 season was great fun and I enjoyed every minute on and off the field with my teammates. I was disappointed not to go further in the U16 cup this year, but with younger players coming up, I’m sure they will go far in the future! I have massively enjoyed my time in Carlton Juniors (I can’t really remember a time when summers weren’t mostly at Grange Loan!), made many memories - not least at Lords 2023, and have made loads of friends. Thanks to Stevie especially, for his wisdom, counsel and encouragement over the years; and to every single person at the club who coach, who organise fixtures, Martin for his work with the Junior Sixes, those that keep the ground at Grange Loan playing and looking so brilliantly, and those who run events for the junior club to make every season so memorable. It’s appreciated!

KWIK CRICKETERS OF THE YEAR Thekshith Pavarthraj, Louisa Hardie, Thomas Elder I had an awesome time playing cricket this year! The festival matches were so exciting, especially playing against other clubs. Training was brilliant because the coaches taught me cool new shots like the reverse swipe, straight drive and swipe shot, and helped me get better at bowling and fielding. I loved protecting the boundary and doing big diving catches in games! Playing with my teammates was the best, and Carlton is the coolest place to learn cricket. I can’t wait for next season — it’s going to be amazing! Thekshith My highlight of the season was when I got a huge 6 at the Grange. My favourite things about cricket are that I love being able to hit the ball as hard as I can, and I really like playing diamond cricket and nonstop during training. I really enjoy being a member of Carlton because it’s a fun place to be and I have met lots of people. Thomas I have really enjoyed my season playing for Carlton. Meeting new teammates and friends, improving my skills at training and learning more about the game of cricket. I really enjoyed the festival and games on the Sunday Mornings. My favourite highlight, was getting two hat-tricks with my bowling in the same game. I was also really surprised and pleased to be awarded with the Kwik Cricketer of the year, which was a great way to end my season. I’m looking forward to making the step up to playing hardball next year for Carlton. Thank you to the coaches and all the parents that helped. Louisa

MOST IMPROVED CRICKETER ABBY CATON I could not have enjoyed the 2026 season any more than I have. To score my maiden 50 in one of the first games of the year gave me to the confidence to continue scoring as many runs as possible. Achieving further unbeaten half centuries for both Carlton and U15 Scotland were obvious achievements. My contribution with bat and ball to the team’s successful defence of the Women’s 2s Challenger Cup was a great highlight and playing with my mum made it a fun family affair! I’ve loved the team camaraderie and support coaches and fellow players have had on the development of my game and I’m looking forward to more hard effort over the winter months to see what lies ahead! Her fantastic work ethic, positive attitude and willingness to learn have really stood out, and she has taken some great strides forward in her game this season. Notable performances include 30 retired for the u16s against Stew Mel in the cup semi-final, as well as a fighting 26* against MDAFS in the final. She also scored a personal highest score of 76* against Prestwick 2s, as well as 56* against the same opposition earlier in the season, showing great potential at senior level at the age of 15. Sam Evans

MOST IMPROVED CRICKETER ANDERS RAESIDE My first season at Carlton by Anders Raeside On the first day of my cricket ‘career’ at Carlton, there were a lot of people I didn’t know but a surprising number I did. I felt like I fitted in immediately and one of the pleasures was donning the Carlton blue for the first time. It is such a beautiful colour. Something I have found funny and enjoyable are all the nicknames for all my beloved team mates at Carlton. It makes me laugh at any match or training session. My favourite memories of the season include taking two wickets in one over and two catches in the same game; hitting my first four (a leg tickle) and bowling at training sessions in the nets with Daniel de Costa. It really hit me at the sixes what a special community lives around Carlton cricket club. I enjoyed beating the all girls team by quite a margin and clean bowling their captain. Something else I really enjoyed is staying after our games to watch the 1s and 2s play. Whenever I see players from those squads coaching us, I can tell they really enjoy it. When they coach the softball teams, I think they feel like kids again. Training at Carlton has a good vibe because the coaches laugh with you and that makes cricket so much fun. Anders joined the club this year, with a huge smile on his face which has only gotten bigger with each session he has attended. He has shown up to every training session committed to getting better, putting all his effort into all of his skills. His progress has been phenomenal and it is amazing to see just how far he has come. Whether it be working on a new shot, trying to bowl a different delivery or running around in the field, all 3 aspects of his game have improved drastically and I’m sure this is only the beginning! Dan Da Costa

UNDER 16 BOWLER OF THE YEAR ELLIOT PELTENBERG I was delighted to receive the U16 bowler of the year award. It’s been a brilliant season with many highs and lows and I have gotten to play a lot of cricket over the summer, for various teams including the U16 team, 3s and 4s. I especially enjoyed being part of my first great escape with the 3s by winning all 4 of our last 4 matches to stay in division 2 for another season. Captain Brad and the team have been great to play with. I feel my bowling and batting have both improved which contributed to me winning the award. I look forward to playing lots more cricket with Carlton next season. Elliot Peltenberg is the deserving winner of Under-16 Bowler of the Year this season. A regular in the senior third XI, he took 17 ESCA wickets overall, including a five-for in the fourth XI. He also represented Eastern Knights and was a member of the Scotland Under-15 squad. A talented left-arm bowler, he swings the ball back into the right-hander from over the wicket and he is an ever-improving batter, who works hard in all aspects of his game. Well done, Elliot. Stevie Gilmour

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A JUNIOR IN SENIOR CRICKET AND UNDER 16 BATTER OF THE YEAR TOM HATHORN TOM HATHORN H This season has been great fun. I have played for 9 teams and played 40 matches. It has been a successful season, making my Carlton 1s debut, scoring runs for the 2s, and getting to represent Scotland. It has been amazing to play for 3 of Carlton’s senior teams this season, helping the 1s to win their last two games, being a part of the 2s coming 4th in the championship, and contributing to the 3s effort at ‘The Great Escape’. This season has been extra special because I have got to play with lots of people that I didn’t think I would get to play with, for example Dan Da Costa who I have known since he joined the club in 2023 when I was only 12 and playing for the 5s. It was also a great opportunity to get to bat in the 2s with Stevie, who has coached me for as long as I can remember and to have a partnership of almost 50 with him was an awesome moment of the season. Tom Hathorn is our Under-16 Batter of the Year. He has shown great technical ability from a young age, and as a youngster showed he could occupy the crease for long periods of time. Starting in the fifth XI, he has worked his way up the teams over the last couple of years. This season after scores of 55no, 61no and 30no in the 2nd XI he earned a call up to the first XI, making a fine 42 on debut. Stevie Gilmour

To make my First XI debut at home this year was really special but to score 42 with a partnership of 94 with James Stronach, helping the team win by 1 wicket against Forfarshire, was incredible. It was also good to take my first wicket for the 1s. I was also proud of my run of scores in my first season for the 2s, including a run of 55*, 61* and 30*. This season has also been successful in age-group cricket. At the start of the summer, as part of the U17 Scotland squad I got the opportunity to train with Scotland players like Brandon McMullen which was really cool. I have also played for Scotland U16 against some very strong sides, most notably Lancashire and Yorkshire. I also got to play for Eastern Knights U17 where we won all of our games in the regional championship. The highlight from those games was scoring 67 against the Western Warriors and getting to watch our team get to 305/0 after less than 25 overs before the game was rained off! I am looking forward to more cricket over the winter and another exciting season at Carlton next year

It is always one of the greatest pleasures of the summer to see our young cricketers making an impact in senior cricket. Over the years there have been many outstanding contributions with ball and bat and in the field, where our youngsters regularly show up their sometimes less athletic elders. This year is no exception and it makes judging this award particularly challenging. There was lots of competition for Tom in getting the award. These were just some of the brilliant performances over the course of the season: Arjun Shelke - 5.5 overs 5 for 9 V MDAFS for the 5th XI Felix Lisher - 5 for 31 V Heriot’s for the 2nd XI Sam Gilmour - debut league 50 V Edinburgh South for the 5th XI Abby Caton - 76 not out V Prestwick for the Women’s 2nd XI Ollie McCallum - 48 off 48 balls V TPV for the 5th XI Tom Hathorn - run of 55 not out, 61 not out and 30 not out in successive innings for the 2nd XI – earning a call up to the 1s and scoring 42 on debut. Aggie Foley - run of 12 wickets across 3 consecutive WPL 40 games OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES BY JUNIORS IN SENIOR CRICKET Carlton Girls meet up with former Carlton player Neil Duncan and daughter during the ICC Tournament, Taunton July 2026

GIRLS’ U16 PLAYER OF THE YEAR AGGIE FOLEY At just 14, Aggie has shown maturity far beyond her years, making a huge impact with the ball and taking important wickets across both league and cup competitions at junior and senior level. She captained the u14 girls to the first ever Scottish cup final win. Aggie has also thrived in the Women’s First XI, taking a staggering 24 wickets across all formats, which was undoubtedly key in the Carlton women securing the league and cup double this year. Sam Evans 2026 has been another brilliant season for Carlton’s junior girls. Lots of new girls joining and many of us playing additional matches with the women’s 1st and 2nd XIs, and 5 girls representing Scotland U15s side. Our U14 and U16s teams both reached the final of the respective Scottish cups. (14s won and 16s lost) Highlights: A hard fight for a close win in U14 final with wickets shared between me, Shoba, Emily and Lindsey T, and valuable runs especially Emily and Lindsey! I was really proud to Captain this team. We fought hard against a very good Murrayfield DAFs team in the U16s final, batting first and then attacking hard with the ball to keep the game tight, but sadly it wasn’t to be for our very young team. We go again next year!! Definitely worth a mention to all the girls who have played for the senior women’s teams including scoring valuable runs, and taking wickets at important stages of matches. Lowlights: Not many - thankfully. But losing our first ECB game against South Northumberland hurt, we just didn’t play our best.

And then the loss in U16 final - though it wasn’t a very exciting match so we can be proud of how hard we fought. Overall it was a great season, with lots of success for all our junior girls, and valuable learning curves to work on. Very proud of all the girls and can’t wait for next year. Thank you to Sam, Ally and everyone who make this such a great club, and for my award this year which means a lot.

GIRLS’ U14 PLAYER OF THE YEAR LINDSAY THOMPSON I would like to thank everyone at Carlton for the exceptional support throughout this season. I know the U14 Girls have had a brilliant time, with new and upcoming girls playing their first hardball matches, to seasoned players winning the U14 Girls cup. I really appreciate the award of this trophy, and I am truly grateful to all the coaching I have received over the course of this year, which has greatly improved my game. I hope next summer the girls in the U14 team will carry on the tradition of beating Grange and playing to their best. Lindsay has had a fantastic season having shown an excellent attitude and a real willingness to develop her game. She has represented Scotland at U15 level this year. Her experience playing 2nd XI cricket has helped her grow in confidence and maturity, while her pace bowling has continued to be a real strength. She is also developing into an exciting all-rounder, showing great potential for the future. She played a key role in the u14 Cup run which led to us securing the trophy. Whilst her stats speak for themselves, a contributing factor to her winning this award has been her attitude and support of teammates. She showed a maturity beyond her years when batting with a teammate making their senior hardball debut in the cup final, talking them through it and putting on a partnership which undoubtedly contributed towards our strong total and the win. Sam Evans

U12 PLAYERS OF THE YEAR LOUIS DWECK, RAJVEER SHELAS I have been playing cricket at Carlton for over four years, and I really enjoy being part of the club. Carlton feels like my second home because everyone is so friendly and welcoming. The coaches always encourage me and help me improve my cricket, and I have made lots of good friends through the club. I also really enjoy the social events and spending time with everyone. This year, I was very happy and proud to receive the Under-12 Player of the Year award. It made me feel that all my practice and hard work have been worth it. Rajveer I really enjoyed the season at Carlton. We had a very good season and I think everyone improved a lot. We have also all become very good friends. A big highlight for me is the amount of cricket you play with training on Wednesday and games on Friday and sometime Monday. My favourite game was at a Grange tournament where we faced a touring team from Newcastle It was a lovely day, on a great pitch and we played some excellent cricket against a solid team. A big thanks to all the parents and coaches who umpire and help us improve - they make it very fun for us. Also, to all the people who organise the barbecues and the prizegiving - we absolutely love those evenings. Louis

SCHOOL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR Senior - SIDDHARTH VISHNU, Primary - NEVEEN MEHTA Joining Carlton Cricket Club has been one of the most special parts of my first year in Edinburgh. When I moved here in February, everything was new and I sometimes felt lonely and unsure about finding my place. Joining Carlton in April changed that completely. I met wonderful people, made new friends and found a place where I felt welcomed and happy. Cricket gave me a sense of belonging and helped Edinburgh start feeling like home. I will always remember the friendships, matches and memories from my first season, and receiving Senior School Cricketer of the Year was a very special and emotional moment for me. Siddharth It’s been a fantastic season for me, and I’ve loved every moment of playing for Carlton. One of the things I enjoy most here is the chance to play cricket at different levels — U12, U14, Super Sixes, and even fun games with parents and primary school players. The coaches and players make it a great environment; everyone is friendly, kind, and supportive. The extra training on Friday afternoons really helped us prepare for our U12 matches, and I’m grateful to the coaches — Dan, Rudy, Stevie, and Ollie for all the guidance they’ve given us throughout the season. I want to thank them for the award I received this year. My season highlights include the 40 run partnership Lewis and I put together against Loretto, and another one was defending 8 runs in the final over during the Super Sixes group stage, and later we won the whole tournament. Neveen

U14 BATTER OF THE YEAR OLLIE MCCALLUM U14 BOWLER OF THE YEAR ARJUN SHELKE I have again enjoyed another fun season at Carlton Cricket club. It has been a great season with lots of highs and a few lows. One of my highlights was the under 13 cup run, which sadly ended in Neston by a two run defeat in the final. This was an amazing experience with a great group of boys and we loved every bit of it. Also winning the Scottish Cup against Clydesdale with the under 14 team, which was a great day at a very sunny Meigle. I have also loved playing senior cricket and joining in with lots of events at the club. Senior cricket has built me as a cricketer and helped me improve massively. I can definitely say turning up for under 14 training and then staying on for senior training has made a significant difference. Training with older and more experienced players has given me much more confidence on and around the pitch. Ollie This year was the most exciting for me as we won the U14 Scottish cup & were county winners in the ECB U13 cup when we reached the north regional finals. I am glad I helped in U14 with my 10/43 and U13 ECB cup with 15/55 I am also delighted to score good 184 runs in the ECB U13 cup run. My highlight of the season was my contribution in 5th team's win against MDAFs with taking 5 wickets for 9 runs. I really enjoyed playing this year U13, U14 & league games and specially my bowling. Thank you to all Carlton captains & coaches for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Arjun

JUNIOR FIELDER OF THE YEAR DILAN AMIN This season has been action-packed for me with games and training at least twice a week. At the start of the season I was set back because of a broken wrist and missed the first 3 weeks, which was very frustrating. My first few games were in the U13 Cup. After winning the Scottish Stage, we played one game at grange loan against Durham CC and then moved on to the northern regional semi finals and finals in Neston. We won the semi final against Appleby Froddingham CC and then narrowly lost in the final against Caveliers Carrington CC by just 2 runs. It was such a great experience staying in a hotel with my cricket friends for the first time. As well as playing in junior league and cup games, I have also played in the men’s 5th team for league games, friendlies, and cup matches. This was another great experience playing with adults that were double my size. Finally at the end of the season our U14 cup team went on to win the Scottish Cup at Victory Park. At junior prize giving I was awarded 2026 fielder of the year for my wicket keeping. Wicket keeping has been one of the main aspects of my game along with batting this season. I kept for the U13 and U14 league games and cups, and for the 5th team games as well. I have really enjoyed this season and I’m already looking forward to next season.

MANY THANKS TO ARTEMIS AND WJM FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF JUNIOR CRICKET AT CARLTON And thanks also 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 about how to help junior cricket please get in touch (juniors@carltoncc.co.uk) Bring Carlton to a wider audience Please follow Carlton on Linkedin

SHIRT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Following Carlton’s highly successful relationship with PIZZAGEEKS, we will be looking for a new First Team Shirt Sponsor for season 2027. More information on the benefits of this sponsorship are outlined in this booklet which sets out the full range range of sponsorship opportunities at Carlton and the benefits they will bring to any sponsor. The booklet can be downloaded as a PDF on this link. It is also available in hard copy. To discuss any aspect of sponsorship at Carlton, please contact sponsorship@carltoncc.co.uk

BOYS U15/16 This year’s under 16 season has been faced with a number of the usual challenges such as weather, exams and holidays, but celestial bodies aligning to cause a solar eclipse mid game was a somewhat unforeseen yet perhaps apt metaphor for the 2026 campaign. However, I’d like to mention the stalwarts of the u16 who did show up for their club, at both training and games and managed to keep the u16’s competitive. Thanks go to the Elliot’s B and P, George and Alexander for regularly turning out and being the first names on the team sheet. Special thanks also go to the many u14’s who came in, often at the last minute, and in large numbers. Such is their strength that we were able to hold our own in most games and win several. Finally, thanks as always goes to Stevie, Dan and Ollie for their coaching, which has really helped the youngest members of the squad improve over the course of the summer. I leave the final words on this years u16 campaign to Shakespeare’s Henry V: ‘We few, we happy few…’ Dan Barry

U16 GIRLS The U16 girls have had another strong season, with many of them playing in junior league matches, WPL 30 and WPL 40 games, as well as regional and national squads. Here are a few highlights of this year: Carlton was the first team from Scotland to enter a girls’ team into the U15 ECB cup this year. Great experience for the girls, despite losing their game to South Northumberland CC. (photo below left) We reached the final of the U16 girls Scottish Cup at Strathallan school in August, narrowly losing to MDAFS in a close fought game. (photo above right) We entered an all-girls team into the Junior 6s for the first time, coming 3rd overall in the competition (photo below).

Five of the girls have represented Scotland at U15 level this year- Keira, Abby, Aggie Lindsay and Sonia, and were part of the winning team at the ICC European festival at King’s College Taunton over the summer (photo below). Seven of the girls have played in the U16 Eastern Knights Regional squads- the 5 afore-mentioned, plus Shobha, and Elsie, who is also part of the U18 Scotland emerging girls training squad. Two of the girls – Keira and Aggie- were invited to play in the Women’s Regional Series in August. Some of the U14 girls were called upon to play in U16 games, which was great fun. Many of the U16 girls made important contributions to the winning Carlton teams in the Challenger Cup, the Women’s T20 Scottish Cup, and the Women’s Premier League 40 team. Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to take games as Team Managers or scorers this year. This includes Scott, Graeme, Ian, Kelly, Kartic, Ajitha and Anish. Alison Amin

GIRLS U14 The Girls U14 cricket season was a tale of two halves. We played only a couple of league games, owing to a combination of unavailability, mismatched opposition and weather. On the plus side, many of the squad also played for other teams, so cricket was played and skills developed. By contrast, the Girls U14 cup team won the first ever Girls U14 Scottish Cup! They beat Stewarts Melville and Grange convincingly at home to reach the final, then worked hard to overcome a strong Stoneywood Dyce team to come home with the cup. Very well done to captain Aggie and all the players who took part. The coaches created a fun environment for the development squad of 11 year olds, who are making the transition up to hardball. Unfortunately the development team had limited opportunities for matches this year. The match against MDAFs was a great chance to try a hardball match for the first time for several girls. Next year may be a chance for the team to focus on getting more girls out for hardball games. But in the cup matches the girls had a great run all the way to the final. The more experienced players were available for these games. Those players worked hard, as well as using their experience to support the whole team, earning an amazing win. Congratulations to the whole squad! Susie McCosh The state school team provision at Carlton is one of the things that makes this club such a special place. It provides extra training and matches for our junior members that attend state schools, where cricket opportunities are very limited. For primary school aged players, it plays a major role in the transition to hard-ball cricket while allowing others to develop their skills further. This year was no different, with many players taking the chance to play their first hard-ball matches. During the short, term-time season, the Primary Team played 11 games with local independent schools and our friends at MDAFS. Amongst these a record number of players represented the club at this level, recording some great results and, more importantly, using the opportunity to gain valuable experience. The highlight of the short season was surely seeing 2 Carlton Primary Teams play at GL at the same time with 2 sides from Edinburgh Academy. In its second year, the Senior school team went undefeated over their 10 games and has, hopefully, now become an established part of the club. The squad made full use of their opportunities with impressive attendance rates at Stevie’s high quality training sessions as well as always making themselves available for fixtures, despite their busy cricket schedules. It was great to see so many of this team enjoying cup success and getting numerous opportunities at senior level, showing just how valuable the state provision has been in the development of these players. Congratulations to Neevan (Primary player of the year) and Siddharth (Senior School player of the year). Senior State School Primary and Senior Teams

BOYS U14 Despite the numerous players away on cup duty for large parts of the season, our under 14s were still able to field 2 full teams, and often 3 throughout a busy season. The strength in depth was displayed weekly in the high quality cricket displayed by the players in all fixtures. As well as the local games, we provided teams to play the teams from further afield such as Gala, Bass Rock, Penicuik and Livingston. It cannot be underestimated how crucial this is for the development of the game and how much these teams appreciate Carlton always fulfilling these fixtures. It was pleasing to see so many U12 players step up to the challenge of U14 games this year gaining valuable experience, while being far from out of their depth at this level. The club is extremely grateful to all those parents and carers who made themselves available to manage teams, without whose help none of these games would take place. Congratulations to Arjun (U14 bowler of the year), Ollie (U14 batter of the year) and Dilan (junior fielder of the year). Euan Sweet

U14 Skipper Reuben Van Der Merwe describes the cup winning season. What a season it was for us as the u14 group winning the Scottish Cup - made extra special as it’s the first time Carlton have achieved this. Our road to the final started with a 7-wicket win against Watsonians on 7 June, followed with RHC which was a forfeited fixture. We then faced the “big one” against a talented Grange on 23 June, which was our focus match and we won convincingly by 7-wickets. From here we faced Livingston in the semi-final on 3 August with a convincing 164-run win. Building to the final we had the opportunity to host the touring Tower House Prep school on 11 August at Grange Loan which was a fun day in the sun, another good win, and a valuable extra fixture to sharpen us up before the final. This brought us to the final against Clydesdale, which we played at Meigle CC on Sunday, 23 August. It was a sunny day in Fife, and we fielded first. In similar style to our knockout matches, our focus was discipline in the field, limiting extras and making the batting side having to work for every run. Although bowling well (Reuben 1/13, Arjun 2/17 & Sid 1/8) wickets were tough to come by, but so was it for them to build runs. We then chased our target successfully (Sam 26, Ollie 21* & Reuben 20) allowing us to bring the cup home to Carlton with a strong 7-wicket victory. A big thank you to Stevie, Dan and all the coaches who helped and supported us all season, to Euan for his admin and all our parents for their support throughout the season. Reuben van der Merwe – (Captain, Carlton u14s)

U13 CUP Having won the Scottish Region finals of the ECB Vitality Cup by overcoming Glasgow Hillhead in the semi and then Aberdeenshire in the final, Carlton’s u13 boys had a memorable victory at Grange Loan against Durham City. They then made the long trek to Neston to compete in the Northern Regional Finals. A solid victory in the semi-final featuring a hattrick by Aaradhy Khadse was followed by an agonising loss in the final against Cavaliers from Nottingham. But what an all round season! Congratulations to all involved in the fantastic cup run. Watching the tense final over at Neston

U13 Skipper Ollie McCallum reflects on the all round team performance in winning the ECB Scottish Region (reprinted from Arrow 86): Sunday’s Scottish Cup Final was a tremendous team effort. In both the semi-final and final, the players showed their quality. With the bat Arjun, Sebastiano, Aaradhy and Tom Sweet all played excellent innings to keep the scoreboard moving. Although we didn’t post the highest totals, we remained confident. Our bowling attack started strongly in both matches, with Tom Sweet taking a wicket in the first over each time. The spinners then took control and were outstanding throughout the day. Captaining was made much easier by having clear game plans and players who understood their roles. A special thanks to Stevie Gilmour for his outstanding coaching and support. It was a memorable day in an amazing setting—one none of us will forget anytime soon. Victory Strike at Doocot Neston CC

First, I want to thank the club for the opportunity to manage the U12 team this season. It’s been a fantastic experience and I've learned a lot working with the boys. What a fantastic end to the U12 season for Carlton! The boys treated us to some top-tier cricket and brilliant skills to close out the year. A massive highlight was the nail-biting chase of 110 against Grange. Shlok Shelke showed incredible nerve, batting brilliantly with the tail to seal a last-ball thriller while crucially protecting his wicket to avoid the dreaded 5-run penalty. Over at Livingston, Neevan put on an absolute show, scoring rapidly and grabbing vital wickets. It was another massive year for Rajveer, who topped the junior charts with an impressive 40 games played. The season wrapped up with well-deserved awards: Rajveer and Louis shared the Player of the Year honours for their overall consistency, Neevan took home the U12 Primary Team Player of the Year, and Anders picked up Most Improved Player in his debut season with the club. Huge well done to the whole squad! Kailas Shelar U12 Boys U12 Girls The girls have had a great season this year. We have seen great numbers every week at training and the enthusiasm and fun levels have been amazing. Thanks for the coaches who put in all the effort alongside the girls every week! There were lots of opportunities for softball games for those who fancied trying a match - with festivals put on by Lothian Juniors; Cricket Scotland; Penicuik; Bass Rock and of course Carlton. Hopefully we will see all the girls back next season, ready to continue with learning the core skills and having fun within the team. Susie McCosh

KWIK CRICKET The Under-10 squad played 7 festivals, the Under-12 Girls played 5. We entered two teams in every under-10 festival, two teams in our own girls festival and one in the others. Around 60 players took part overall, giving them a first taste of representing Carlton. A great season for our Carlton Under 10s! We’ve packed in lots of festivals, with the weather being kind and giving the kids plenty of chances to get out and play. There’s been some really good cricket on show, with lots of improvement and plenty of potential for the future. We have a great group of keen young cricketers to choose from, which bodes really well looking ahead. A huge thanks to all the parents for your support and encouragement throughout the season. It’s been great fun and we’re already looking forward to next summer! Huge thanks to Susie and Fraser for managing the squads, and to a legion of parents who managed teams at the festivals: Arun, David, Graeme, Mark, Michael, Parvath, Peter, Scott, Stuart, Tom, and apologies to anyone missed out. We can’t do Kwik cricket festivals without you.

CARLTON CUBS Friday evenings at Grange Loan and you can hear the shrieks of excitement from miles away. Carlton’s youngest members take their first cricketing steps under the watchful eye of Carlton’s coaches. They learn basic skills such as catching, throwing and hitting balls. Fun is the key and parents are exhausted just watching the energy dissipated. Somewhere in all this chaos is someone who will be walking out to the middle for Carlton’s First XI in 15 years time. Who can it be?

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Carlton u8 2013 Who Do You Recognise? Carlton u15 2015

In the previous Arrow, we saw just how much cricket some of our juniors play. Junior players have played in every senior league team and we can now look in more detail at the part junior players play in our senior teams. Not surprisingly, the 5s select most juniors - an average of 4.6 juniors per team - but remarkably the Women's 1s are second, with almost 3 juniors per team. Of course, we train juniors not only so they can play now, but so they can graduate to our senior teams and keep playing when they finish junior cricket. Every senior league team includes players who learned to play cricket in Carlton's junior section and have since moved up into the senior ranks. This year's 2s relied heavily on our ex-juniors, selecting on average nearly 8 home-grown players per game. The 3s were next with 5 per game, closely followed by the 1s with 4. Juniors playing in senior teams Matches Juniors Jun/team First team 18 2 0.1 Women's First team 12 34 2.8 Second team 18 23 1.3 Women's Second team 23 58 2.5 Third team 17 35 2.1 Fourth team 16 24 1.5 Fifth team 16 73 4.6 Total 120 249 2.1 Ex juniors in senior teams Matches Ex-Jun ExJ/team First team 18 76 4.2 Women's First team 12 11 0.9 Second team 18 138 7.7 Women's Second team 23 15 0.7 Third team 17 85 5.0 Fourth team 16 32 2.0 Fifth team 16 11 0.7 Total 120 368 3.1 CRICKET BY NUMBERS Martin Firth continues his deep dive into the Pitchero data

But wait, there's more! A steady stream of parents seize the opportunity presented by their children playing cricket to rekindle their own cricketing careers, or even start from scratch. They tend to exhibit their - ahem - skills in the lower teams, providing significant numbers to the Women's 2s, 4s and 5s. Parents in senior teams Matches Parents Parents/team First team 18 0 0.0 Women's First team 12 0 0.0 Second team 18 0 0.0 Women's Second team 23 59 2.6 Third team 17 8 0.5 Fourth team 16 40 2.5 Fifth team 16 53 3.3 Total 120 160 1.3 Putting that all together, we can see the impact that the Junior section has on our senior teams. Nearly 9 players in each 2s and 5s team joined Carlton through the junior section. Overall (not shown in this chart, you'll have to take my word for it) Carlton teams field on average 6.5 home-grown or related players. A footnote for anyone who is still reading and is really on the ball: no, I am not counting Arun, Charles, Keith, Al or several others as parents in this analysis. They joined Carlton in their own right, then brought their children along later. The parents I'm counting in this analysis all joined after their children. (That said, I am counting Charles as a Carlton ex-junior of course.)

Families Carlton is a family club. We have many families with multiple playing members, sometimes seen in the same fixtures. We have 48 families where more than one family member has played this season, although only 25 of those families have played together in the same fixture. And when they do, we get scorebook entries like "c Kirk b Kirk" or "c Stronach b Stronach" to provide us with stories for years to come. All families Played Played together 2-player 35 21 3-player 10 4 4-player 3 0 Total 48 25 Here are the top 6 families in terms of games played which include more than one family member. Top of the Carlton family tree are the Subrs, who played together in 22 fixtures, more than one a week! Despite not heading the list, particular mention needs also to go to: - Euan and Tom Sweet, the 2-player family with the most appearances together - Avik and Avin Deepak, 2 juniors who have played 12 times together - a very unusually high number of games. Looking at actual pairs of family members, the Subrs are still top. Ajitha and Krithi played an amazing 18 games together for the Women's 2s. Multi-Player families All families Matches Subr 22 Stronach 16 Sweet 13 Barry 12 Deepak 12 Khadse 12 Family pairs Family Members Matches Subr Ajitha Krithi 18 Sweet Euan Tom 13 Deepak Avik Avin 12 Stronach Ben James 12 Khadse Aaradhy Rahul 11 Barry Daniel George 9 Dulisse Ben Max 9

Parent-Junior is the most frequent combination by a long way - the most frequent Parent-Junior pairs are the Subrs and Sweets, both already mentioned. In third place are the Khadses - given how much Aaradhy plays, any time Rahul turns up at a fixture there must be a good chance they'll be playing together. The most significant of the other possible combinations were: - Junior-Junior: Avik & Avin Deepak (12 fixtures) - Senior-Senior: Ben & James Stronach (12), Ben & Max d'Ulisse (9) - Parent-Senior: Ben & Charles Stronach, Charles & James Stronach, Finlay & Ian Thompson (2 each) - Senior-Junior: Fergus & Hamish Foley (1) - there were no instances of two parents from the same family playing together. There were only four instances of three players from the same family playing in the same fixture. The Khadses played together three times and Euan, Hector and Alexander Murray once. Final bonus fun fact And finally ... some of our players will do anything to play cricket: - 28 players have played for 3 different senior teams (including friendly fixtures and Over 50s) - 8 players have played for 4 different senior teams - but only one player has played for 5 different senior teams this summer: a round of applause for Carlton's most available senior player: Aadi Khadse!

Raise money for Carlton through EASYFUNDRAISING website or app The annual end-of-season Players v Parents tussle proved as competitive as ever. FITNESS TRAINING AT GRANGE LOAN Looking to take care of your health by boosting your strength and fitness, to transform your body shape or improve cricket performance? Inside Out could be your solution. 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.

Many thanks to Dawn Sweet for her delightful watercolour of Carlton on a sunny day. ART AND DESIGN STUDENTS - INSIRED BY DAWN? 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!