Weekend Sport 28th July 2018 – Cricket 1st XI away to RH Corstorphine

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RH Corstorphine   154 for 5 (25 overs);   Stewart’s Melville CC   74 all out  (22.1 overs)

Match reduced to 25 overs a side

With the heatwave ended  prolonged rain overnight and on Saturday morning meant a lot of time hanging around at Barnton waiting for the umpires to agree conditions had improved sufficiently to allow a reduced overs match.   Ultimately cricket got underway at 4.10 pm (instead of 12 noon) with RHC winning the toss and electing to bat.  Opening bat, Robert Taylor facing Shaylen Pillay didn’t seem tuned in when he hit the first ball of the match straight to midwicket (unnamed to save embarrassment) and was dropped only to be bowled by Shaylen with the very next ball.   Things didn’t get any better for Stew Mel as the remaining bats pushed the score along at 6 runs an over although four further wickets were taken, two each for Adam McHoul and Sam Tait.    The Stew Mel reply never reached the required rate with only Hayden Sweet (26) and Kris Steel (21) achieving double figures.   In reality the early dismissal of professional Shaylen Pillay for a duck left the team facing an uphill struggle and supporters wondering if all the waiting around for the game to start was worthwhile.   Three home games now follow against Carlton next week and Glenrothes the following week, the two teams we defeated in the first half of the season and then Watsonians who we didn’t play at Myreside due to a rare day of heavy rain.   Thereafter only an away match at Raeburn Place against league leaders Grange remains.

On Saturday following the match with Carlton the club hold their annual race night in the clubhouse (upstairs) starting at 8pm.   All supporters of the club are encouraged to come along.

Weekend Sport – Sat 21st July 2018. Cricket – 1st XI v Aberdeenshire

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Aberdeenshire  189 all out  (49 overs)      Stewart’s Melville CC    174 all out (49.3 overs)

Captain Greg Ruthven won the toss for the umpteenth time this season but in a change of tactics elected to bowl first on a green wicket, a rarity this summer.     The tactic seemed to work in so far as the visitor’s batsmen  struggled against opening bowlers Shaylen Pillay and Tom Hilton with the exception of Chris Venske batting at 2  in an innings of 3 hours and 10 minutes struck 113.    Shire’s final score of 189 was not considered beyond our capabilities but required more than achieved in any other league match this season.   In reply openers Kyle McCallum and Greg Bissett were dismissed with 20 on the board leaving our hopes of challenging the target mostly in the hands of Shaylen Pillay, Mikey Miller and Hayden Sweet.   On this occasion Shaylen and Mikey set about the task with purpose and put 101 for their partnership taking the score to 121 for 3 in the 35th over.   Fifteen overs to score 69 to win was certainly achievable but with no one showing much confidence in supporting Shaylen we both lost wickets and drifted behind the required run rate forcing Shaylen to go for a big hit in the 48th over and being caught on the long on boundary with the score on 157.  Nine out, prospects of the win gone  and still 14 runs required to collect bonus points Chris Miller and Tom Hilton did well to defy pavilion expectations and take the score up to 174 in the final over before Chris was caught behind.   The two bonus points gained were welcome but the feeling was that this was an opportunity for 10 win points lost.

Scorecard:    http://www.totalcricketscorer.com/TCSLive/TCSScorecard.aspx?id=69287

Weekend Sport – Sat 14th July. Cricket 1st XI at Forfarshire

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Stewart’s Melville CC     90 all out (34.3 overs);    Forfarshire    91 for 2  (13.3 overs)

At hot and sunny Broughty Ferry, Captain Greg Ruthven won the toss and chose to bat first but thereafter things did not go quite as planned.   Openers Hayden Sweet and Greg Bissett batted with care and attention putting on 28 runs in 40 minutes when Hayden fell lbw to a ball which flicked off the back of his leg.   Misfortune enough but Mike Miller followed next ball, also lbw to opening bowler Scott Cameron who bowled aggressively throughout his 10 over spell taking 3 wickets and conceding only 10 runs.  The wickets of Greg and Shaylen Pillay, both caught,  followed quickly reducing  us to 32 for four.   The rest of the innings was the inevitable struggle and the total of 90 was far from a score that would stretch the home side’s powerful batting line up.   Shaylen Pillay and Tom Hilton opened our bowling and were successful in removing both Forfarshire openers for 6 runs.   This brought together two of Scotland’s World Cup batsmen Craig Wallace and Michael Leask who went along untroubled at a run a ball securing the win in only the 14th over.   In summary this was a disappointing performance although expectations for a win had not been high against one of the leagues best sides.     The twitter followers among the team and supporters then suffered further as the league’s bottom side Glenrothes seemed to be heading for an unlikely win against Arbroath before capitulating to a six run defeat losing their last five wickets for 13 runs.

Saturday sees the 1st XI back at home for a 12 noon start against Aberdeenshire who we defeated in the corresponding match last season.   Let’s hope for a repeat.

 

Weekend Sport – Sat 7th July. Cricket

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Heriot’s CC    346 for 2 (50 overs);    Stewart’s Melville CC    48 all out  (20.2 overs)

On the hottest day for playing cricket likely ever experienced by the sixteen non South Africans in this match a make shift Stew Mel bowling attack were put to the sword by the four South Africans in the Heriot’s side after the home side won the toss and elected to bat.   After Johannes Potgieter left the field first wicket down at 41 his compatriot’s Elnathan Meiri (139 no) and Hayes Van Der Berg (149) took their toll on all we put up against them in a second wicket stand of 305.   Greg Ruthven suffered least with 56 runs being taken off his 10 overs while the others will mostly hope for better days in the matches to come.

If the tea interval spared our bowlers from further distress it soon extended to our batters with only opener (South African) Hayden Sweet (17) making double figures.    Looking for positives among the mayhem we would pick out the appearance of our not out batsman Jack Pennell, an early “graduate” from the revitalised junior section operated in the club by Pete Wilkinson and now David Gibson playing a first match since returning from University in Newcastle.

Although of little consolation – for the stato’s amongst us this was neither the most runs conceded in a match by the 1st XI nor the lowest score made.

Next up is a visit to Forfarshire, now in third place, who on Saturday became the first side this season to inflict a league defeat on Grange.   Life does not get any easier at the moment !

 

Deuce @ End of Month Lunch

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Friday 29 June, the End of Month lunch looked like a scene from Wimbledon centre court as the EOM lunchers got into the spirit of the tournament and dressed in in their finest whites!

They enjoyed an amazing 3 courses, Wimbledon themed and raised a further £100+ for the defibrillator which the FP Club are fundraising for

Sunny Saturday

Weekend Sport – Sat 30th June. 1st XI Cricket

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Stewart’s Melville CC     180 all out   (47.5 overs);    Arbroath    183 for 6  (45.3 overs).

The second half of this year’s league programme opened with a visit from Arbroath who have a strong all round side and have been among the honours in recent seasons.   Arbroath won the toss and chose to field meaning we batted first for the third consecutive league match.   Kyle McCallum got the innings going with 27 runs (5 fours) from 29 balls and when he was out Shaylen Pillay came to the crease and was the mainstay of the innings with 76 in 89 balls, his best league score of the season.   Kris Steel (18), Steven Parker (13) and Greg Ruthven (16) all gave support without staying long enough for a big score.    In the end we reached a fairly competitive score for the pitch of 180 although it could have been more had we batted out our 50 overs.     In reply Arbroath reached 49 before losing their first wicket and with opening bat Ross McLean staying at the wicket for a patient innings of 76 in just over two and a half hours Arbroath were within sight of victory by the time he became the fifth wicket down well caught by Sam Tait off the bowling of Kris Steel.    School 1st XI player Sam Tait had a good all round day bowling ten overs for 33 runs, taking two catches (the opposition’s professional and their top scorer) and scoring 9 runs at the tail end of our innings.    Our efforts were rewarded with two bonus points on the  net run rate calculation which is of assistance in staying ahead of league rivals Glenrothes and still in sight of Watsonians above us.

Congratulations to the 2nd XI who had a rare victory against Heriots in East Division One.    Next Saturday it is the turn of the 1sts to visit Goldenacre on league business (12 noon start).