Weekend Sport – Cricket. 1st XI lose in rain at Arbroath

Saturday 25th May

Cricket:    Stewart’s Melville CC    103 all out (37 overs);    Arbroath     105 for 2  (17.2 overs).     Lost by 8 wickets

The week’s good weather did not carry into the weekend and Saturday’s match was played throughout in light rain or worse at times.    The miserable weather seemed to affect our batsmen with the loss of two early wickets setting the tone for the innings.    On the contrary Arbroath with a low total to chase were concerned more about the weather and whether it would allow the match to be completed and so set out targeting a win or winning position by the end of twenty overs when the DLS scoring system kicks in.    This they achieved with relative comfort although they did have a scare when the umpires took the players off for a time just before they reached the winning target.   Shaylen Pillay maintained his good bowling form, his six overs costing only 13 runs.

Scoreline:    SMCC   103   (Shaylen Pillay 27; Kris Steel 24 not out; Kyle McCallum 16;  Euan Small 5 for 19.)   Arbroath 105 for 2 (Hayden Laing 42; Matthew Parker 37 not out).

Ball sponsor – Mark Coyle, currently living in Australia.

Note – The photograph above was taken during last season’s match which took place during the extended period of good weather.

This week’s matches – Tuesday:  T20 – Heriot’s CC at Goldenacre (6.15 pm);  Saturday: League – Heriot’s CC at Inverleith (1 pm).

Weekend Sport – Sat 18th May. Cricket – Grange EPL match falls to rain

Stewart’s Melville CC  v   Grange – no play due to rain

Waiting for play to startHeavy overnight rain and persistent drizzle resulted in the cancellation of Saturday’s match v Grange with the final decision to cancel just after 2pm.

Ball sponsor for the day was Ron Scobie, stalwart and former captain of Stewart’s FP sides of the late 1960s and early 1970s. A great supporter of the club despite living in London Ron has family connections with Grange sides of the past.

This week’s matches are against Watsonians at Myreside in the Masterton Trophy on Thursday evening (6pm) and at Arbroath in the EPL on Saturday (12 noon).

Weekend Sport – Cricket. 1st XI end Stoneywood Dyce’s 100% record in East Premier League

Saturday 11th May

Stoneywood Dyce CC     169 for 9 (50 overs – innings closed)    Stewart’s Melville Cricket Club    172 for 3  (42.1 overs).     Win by 7 wickets

The 1st XI gave themselves a lift when they decisively defeated previously unbeaten Stoneywood Dyce by seven wickets with time to spare at Inverleith on Saturday.  S-D won the toss and elected to bat, a decision they must have been regretting when Stew Mel had reduced them to 50 for seven in the sixteenth over.   Professional Shaylen Pillay and Ben Wilkinson, a recruit this year did the damage taking three wickets each with their seem bowling plus a run out mix up between batsmen.   Thereafter S-D set about mitigating the situation against the four spin bowlers they faced in the remaining time eventually reaching 169 thanks mainly to no 9 bat Garreth Wolmarans who made 67 not out from 105 balls.  What seemed a demanding total to achieve was ultimately reached quite easily by Stew Mel with Shaylen Pillay top scoring with 56 not out, Kris Steel making 40, Ben Wilkinson 27 and Hayden Sweet 21 not out.

The win took the 1sts halfway up the league table to 50% from two completed matches and merited a leading feature in the Scotsman’s Monday sports supplement.

The match ball was sponsored by former player from the sixties, David Anderson.

On Thursday the 1st XI open their T20 Masterton Trophy programme with a game against Carlton at Inverleith (6.15pm) and on Saturday face Grange in the EPL at Inverleith (1pm).   It is hoped that a few spectators might attend each game in the knowledge that the clubhouse and bar will open.

For the scorecard click on the following link

http://www.stewartsmelvillecricket.com/11-05-19-scorecard-stewarts-melville-v-stoneywood/

 

Weekend Sport – Sat 4th May. Cricket – First loss for 1st XI

 

 

Carlton 284 for 7 (50 overs); Stewart’s Melville CC 98 all out (39.2 overs)

After last week’s abandonment the 1st XI’s 2019 league campaign got underway against Carlton at Grange Loan. Unfortunately our attempts to secure an early win were undone by a raft of bank holiday withdrawals and Scotland quick bowler Ali Evans. Stew Mel won the toss and chose to bowl in dry but very cold conditions. Professional Shaylen Pillay and Hayden Sweet captured the wicket of Carlton opener Kyle Macpherson and restricted Carlton to two runs an over in their opening spell but after they were removed from the attack Carlton’s batsmen settled down to building a significant score aided by no less than 57 extras including 46 wides which will have Alan Veitch searching his books to see if this is some kind of unwanted record.

In the Stew Mel reply Greg Bissett was an early dismissal and the first of four Evans’ wickets caught at slip via a rebound. Thereafter Ben Wilkinson played a cameo innings of 15 with some exquisite shots and Hayden Sweet stuck around for a while for 12. No one else made double figures and the best that can be taken from this performance is that we were missing some important players who might add to the all round capability of the side.

Next Saturday sees our first home league match of the season against promoted Stoneywood Dyce who have surprised most by winning their first two matches.

Thanks to Malcolm Rennie the day’s match ball sponsor who was present to offer his support to the team.

View scorecard – click on link below

Scorecard – Carlton v SMCC