Scorecard

Edinburgh Uni Staff CC v Edinburgh South Cricket Club 2nd XI on Sat 21 May 2016 at 1pm
Edinburgh South Cricket Club Lost by 92 runs

Match report Cricket is a game of partnerships. Whether batting or bowling, you have to be in tandem with your opposite number and have chemistry. It also fielding difficult when you don’t have an idea what the bowler style is and where batsmen will tend to score their runs.

The 2’s have suffered with this lack of chemistry so far this season. 6 changes this week, a bit better than 7 the week before but still…The worrying thing is only the Smith’s, Adam and Graham, have played in all 3 games. Seriously, only 2 players. You can’t build chemistry like that and the seconds NEED 6/7 players EVERY WEEK to be consistently in the team. Doesn’t sound much, and it shouldn’t be, but until that happens we won’t improve on what has been a horrific start to the season. Even as a Sunderland fan it’s been a horrible start to the season and I’ve seen horrible starts to a season…too damn often for my liking…

We won the toss and bowled. It looked a good decision at the start with but we do live in Scotland. The Scottish summer kind of screwed up the day really. Lovely and sunny went to a light shower and then back to applying sunblock (I’m ginger…). Scotland then decided it would be funny to pour rain like a bucket on top of us throughout the rest of the afternoon in bursts. We’ll come back to this.

Ash started and got a wicket in his second over, Bristow LBW. Looked plum and he deserved it. Irving at the other end bowled brilliantly without result. Our next breakthrough was in the 16th over, Kiely out for 26 to debutant Humza Jamal.

Sadly, in his first over Ollie, who bowled very well the previous week, hurt his hip on his first ball. He was replaced by sub fielder Harry Barratt. Harry, aged 10(ish) was among our best fielders actually. He chased things hard and actually tried to take a catch which many adults wouldn’t have looked at. His dive was brave and he’s going to an asset for the club for years if he keeps progressing and keeps his positive attitude.

As Jamal taken an end and kept plugging away from his second, Adam held the other end trying to build pressure. After 5 he was 0-8 and Ali Mills was introduced getting Biswas caught by Ian Ross (he can catch!!! Just not when I’m stuck on 49 wickets, 3 damn times…thanks Ian…). Bulling fired a quick 12 then was caught too. Ali get 2 wickets for the second game running and starting to look like he can bowl at this level consistently.

Last week’s wicket keeper Sohail came on to bowl and I may just hide his keeping gloves so he has to do it every week. Accurate, moved the ball (quite a feat as it was like soap and the ground steadily becoming more like a sponge). The reintroduction of Ash finially bowled out Nagarajan for 85. You moved fielders back and played it short, moved them on the singles and he chipped them. Class display throughout, infuriatingly. Jamal taken the last 2 wickets in his last over to end with 3 wickets.

Irving was very unlucky not to take a wicket, as was Sohail. Sadly, we again gave too many extras. 9 wides (a couple dubiously) and 5 no balls. Not good enough…Something that can be changed with practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enough rain fell at tea to fill a swimming pool. We probably shouldn’t have continued, even the first called off while playing at the Inch (you could almost hear them walking off from Peffermill…).

3’s captain Charlie stepped up to open with Sohail. The wicket gradually becoming more like a ploughed field, we played on. Charlie was out for 1 in the first over and in the second Ian Ross fell to give Bristow his only wicket. Kumar kept coming and ended with 4-7 as we haemorrhaged wickets like the falling soldiers at the start of Saving Private Ryan…By the 9th we were 11-5. Yes, 11…The pitch didn’t help at all but their accurate bowling didn’t help.

The duo of Ash and Irving taken on the mantel from the 9th over and hung in till the 22nd over with some impressive batting from the pair. Opening next week? Possibly…Or we could have a whole new team so let’s see what happens. Maybe a punishment to open the batting so I’ll see how much they are willing to bribe me to stop it happening.

Both scored a few boundaries as Ash got to 26 and Irving on 37. Ash and Ali fell in the 22nd to Kiely. He got Adam to a dubious (actually plum…back foot middle stump but I’d like to have some hope) LBW in his next over. What’s that? Bowling accurately at the stumps takes wickets?! It may just catch on…

Eoghan went out and batted brilliantly. He got 4 but a couple of those would have gone for 4 had the ground not swallowed the ball like a sand pit on landing. Sadly, Irving was next to go. He deserved 50. Honestly, he did. The injured Ollie came out to see us passed a batting point. A mix up using his runner meant Eoghan was run out. Their Staff’s fielder had enough time to walk to the stumps with the ball. It was harsh and we were just short of a second point.

So, third week in a row we fail to get 100 runs. Yip…Yip, yip yip!!!

Mental, honestly mad we haven’t. I think the issue is chemistry. We don’t have it yet and we need to get a consistent team on the pitch! That’s a starting point. Another useful way to push on and get some points would be training. Novel idea though…

Edinburgh Uni Staff CC Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
5nb 9w 1b 7lb 
for 7 wickets
22
182 (40.0 overs)		     
V. Nagarajan b  A. Kumar 85 6 3
T. Bristow lbw  A. Kumar 0
R. Kiely lbw  H. Jamal 26 2
S. Biswas ct  A. Mills 3
A. Bulling ct  A. Mills 12 2
S. Vijayakumar lbw  H. Jamal 18
T. Ratnarajah Not Out  11 1
A. Joshi ct  H. Jamal 0
P. Singh Not Out  5
A. Gupta  
R. Kumar  

Edinburgh South Cricket Club 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ash Kumar8.0028214.003.50
Ian Irving8.012700.003.38
Oliver Collard0.10400.0024.00
Adam Smith7.512500.003.19
Humza Jamal7.0046315.336.57
Ali Mills5.0032216.006.40
Sohail Rupani4.001200.003.00

Edinburgh South Cricket Club 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 7w 1b  
for 10 wickets
9
86		        
Charlie Barratt lbw  R. Kumar 1 3 33.33 1
Sohail Rupani b  R. Kumar 4 11 36.36 1
Ian Ross ct  T. Bristow 1 2 50.0 1
Graham Smith b  R. Kumar 4 25 16.00
Ash Kumar b  R. Kiely 26
Humza Jamal lbw  R. Kumar 0
Ian Irving b  P. Singh 37 2
Ali Mills ct  R. Kiely 0
Adam Smith lbw  R. Kiely 0
Eoghan Clifford Run out  4
Oliver Collard Not Out  4

Edinburgh Uni Staff CC Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
R. Kumar8.04741.750.87
T. Bristow6.0011111.001.83
S. Vijayakumar4.002200.005.50
V. Nagarajan3.01300.001.00
R. Kiely2.00531.672.50
S. Biswas2.001500.007.50
A. Gupta4.001700.004.25
P. Singh3.1010110.003.16