MDCC MARCH 2001 NEWSLETTER |
This is also the time of year when we seek people's availability, as far it is known. Please let me know by email of any planned holidays and other absences - I will keep an ongoing list for the team captains (news of them later).
Whenever I come across a cricketing team-mate in the close season, it always seems somewhat out of context. So imagine my amusement one frosty night in January, when I saw ace batsman Lindsay Towns stumbling from the Caley Sample Room to Diggers Bar in Gorgie. Normally a dogged wearer of shorts in the summer months, he shocked Edinburgh by making some allowances for the icy weather. The flimsy, short sleeve shirt was still fairly risky, but at least he was wearing trousers.
Contributions for the newsletter are always begged for - so let me know if you have anything humorous, interesting or even really dull.
PHIL ROGERS
First ball, he hooked wildly and missed. Second ball, he square-cut elegantly and missed. Third ball, he swept dramatically and missed. Fourth ball, he drove viciously and missed. Fifth ball, he cow-shotted impressively, straight up into the air, and was dropped at silly point (sorry, guys...). Sixth ball, he clattered straight back towards the bowler and watched with surprise when the ball deflected off the bowler's hand onto the stumps ahead of the captain, who had desperately and unsuccessfully tried to fling himself back into his ground in time.
As the batsmen left the field, the skipper mumbled: "You should have taken up cricket earlier in your life."
"Why is that?" said his not-out colleague. "You reckon I could have made it into a county side?"
"No. If you'd started earlier, you would have retired by now.
EDDIE CLARK
It is an exciting time because the club undoubtedly has potential and I am sure that if everyone pulls together, it will be able to achieve more than the two 'old' clubs would have. However, there are bound to be teething problems and one of my tasks as President, I believe, is to try to keep these to a minimum and to find ways of dealing with major issues quickly. As some of you already know, my playing commitment this year will be reduced for a number of reasons but I hope that may give me a chance to see the club as a whole rather than from a single team perspective.
I already know one or two people have concerns about which team they will play in and, there is the concern about running a 'two' centre club - will the third team become isolated at Roseburn?
In recent seasons at Murrayfield, teams have changed on the basis of changing availability rather than form. I really hope that form does become an issue in selection because competition would be healthy for the club overall.
They have re-laid the central part of the square to try to resolve the drainage problems. The Council accepts, already, that the relaying of the square has not worked and if they need to carry out major work they need to be sure that it will work, as it will cost a five-figure sum.
However, worse than that, the re-laid part of the square is being regularly vandalised with the turf removed and the Council seems to have no answer to that problem. They have agreed that we can have a trial match in mid April on the square to see if it is ready to play.
The artificial wicket will be ready for play at the start of the season with work underway and the batting practice ends will also be ready by the end of April. That will give us a chance to practice midweek, particularly those that may not be playing. However we will have to pay for the facility which, given the cash invested, is not unreasonable.
I imagine that there will be confirmation of practice arrangements in due course.
PHIL YELLAND - President
ANDY PIGGOTT
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Willie Ritchie chaired the meeting; 22 members attended; 6 apologies were recorded.
For subscriptions, Gordon Dalyell proposed the following rates:
*It was argued by several members, and generally accepted, that the cut-off date should be fixed one month earlier, at 31 May. Members joining later in the season will pay at a rate to be negotiated with the Treasurer.
For match fees, Gordon Dalyell proposed the following rates:
The 1st and 2nd XI rate would be higher because it would go towards covering the season's tea provision at Muirhouse. Several members suggested that a tea supplier could be found for the 3rd XI as well, in which case club members would never have to provide a share of the matchday tea and the £5.00/£2.50 rate would apply to all weekend matches (whether at Muirhouse, Roseburn or away). Paul Hubbard will make enquiries regarding a tea supplier.
Regarding non-payers, Ian Shiels suggested that anyone failing to have paid the relevant subscription by mid-season should be ineligible for 1st XI cricket. It was generally felt that this might not be a practical rule, but should be discussed by the team captains when considering selection policy.
The Treasurer's proposed rates, with amendments, were approved (prop. Andy Knight; sec. Hugh Craig).
Lindsay Towns, previously auditor for Murrayfield CC, was elected in absentia as the newly merged club's auditor (prop. Eddie Clark; sec. Paul Hubbard).
The existing honorary vice-presidents of, respectively, Murrayfield CC and DAFS CC were returned en bloc by general acclaim as honorary vice-presidents of the newly merged club.
H4>Election of 2nd XI Captain, 2nd XI Vice-captain and 3rd XI Vice-captain
Nobody present was prepared to stand for the post of 2nd XI Vice-captain. Brian Johnson will approach two members to discover if either would be willing to take on the role.
Andy Piggott was elected 3rd XI Vice-captain (prop. Andy Knight; sec. Iain Martin).
Phil Yelland was due to meet council representatives at Roseburn in the week following the AGM (see earlier), and Edinburgh Leisure's scheduled meeting with local cricket clubs was due to take place in early March, so more information about Roseburn is likely to be available soon. Members agreed that the newly merged club wants to retain a link with Roseburn if possible and it would be a very great shame if that link were jeopardised by the maintenance problems being experienced there.
During season 2001 there will be no midweek practice facilities at Muirhouse and there may not be any at Roseburn. It was generally felt that members would, in any case, prefer playing midweek matches rather than practising midweek. Norman Allen volunteered to take responsibility for arranging midweek friendlies. The club has already been included in the draw for season 2001's Masterton Trophy and Parks Trophy.
Iain Martin advised the committee that 182 changes have been made to the Laws of Cricket, many of which may be adopted by the East League. Eddie is likely to hear soon from the League about this and will relay relevant information to the team captains.
Chris West asked if a kit audit would be carried out. Darryn Kidd and Andy Knight will look at the contents of all the club kitbags over the next few weeks and consider, in conjunction with Gordon Dalyell, what replacements (if any) need to be made.
Paul Hubbard asked whether future AGMs would take place in February. It was generally agreed that the best time for the AGM is in fact autumn/early winter; accordingly, the next AGM will take place in late November 2001.
There being no other business, Willie Ritchie thanked everyone present for attending the AGM and announced his intention to adjourn to the bar.
EDDIE CLARK - Secretary
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The following dates have been booked at the National Indoor Cricket Academy, Mary Erskine School, Ravelston (top of Ravelston Dykes / Murrayfield Road):
March
Thursday 29th - 8.00pm - 9.00pm
April
Thursday 5th - 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Monday 9th - 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Tuesday 17th - 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Tuesday 24th - 8.00pm - 9.00pm
Contact me on 0131 538 1602 for further details.
IAIN MARTIN
Ignoring disappointing scepticism about the Recruitment Committee from certain sections of the club, we are pleased to report that we have held our first meeting. Potentially useful and productive views and ideas were expressed. The main thoughts were:
Next meeting to discuss progress: THURSDAY 5 APRIL 7pm, at MURRAYFIELD HOTEL (before indoor net).
IAIN MARTIN
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Where and when were you born?
October 21, 1982 in Stirling.
Do you come from a cricketing family?
Both my older brothers were playing cricket when I started, but Andy the eldest gave it up. Gavin still plays and he plays for Stirling County 1st XI. He also played for Scotland U19s last season.
Why and when did you take it up?
Took the game up when I was 11. It was quite strange actually. Gavin had a coaching week at Stirling County and I went along to watch with my Dad. The coach, Raymond Bond, asked me if I wanted to join in. I jumped at the chance cos I had been playing with my brothers in the garden!
What teams have you played for?
Played for Dollar Academy 1st & 2nd XI teams, was captain of the 2nd XI for two seasons running. Played North District U13 & U17. Played Stirling County 1st XI, 2nd XI, 3rd XI and 4th XI. Played for England U17s and the senior Scotland team.
Honours won?
U17 Bank of Scotland trophy, I think! Played in a competition in England last year and the team I was in won that. Got a medal for winning Division 2 with Stirling County 1st XI last season.
Who was your best coach?
Tough question... all my coaches have been good but I owe a lot to my very first coach - in fact he still coaches me now - Raymond Bond. But Scotland and England coaches are also very good.
How did you get involved with the England Team?
Because Grange Ladies played in the Northumberland League, I got nominated to attend a trial in Manchester. I got through 4 of them then went on to Trent Bridge where I trained once a month from January to April and then I made the final squad.
Who is better, the England or Scotland Women's team?
England. Scotland have a lot of catching up to do you have to remember the team was only started last year so to expect us to be better than England is unrealistic. England have won the World Cup as well.
What else do you enjoy doing apart from cricket?
Play hockey when I have a bit of free time but I don't have much of that at the moment. I like to go to the gym, play a bit of football now and again and socialise with my friends.
Are you studying at University; if so what?
Studying at Northumbria University in Newcastle. I'm studying Sport Sciences, surprise surprise!
What are your playing ambitions?
Win the World Cup! Realistically want to play at the highest possible level.
Who else do you think we should watch out for in Scottish women's cricket?
That's tough. Folk will have a go at me if I don't mention them! Fiona Urquhart is a very talented bowler, in a few years time she will be the main line of attack, I think. Our Captain, Linda Spence, is a good player. She opens the batting for us and scores some vital runs along with Susan Warren (one of the best fielders I've played with) and Sara McClean. Also the fastest bowler in the team, Kathryn White, takes vital wickets and is useful with the bat.
Do you have much to do with the men's international team?
No.
What are your views on the way the game is structured in Scotland?
I didn't play a lot in Scotland last year but I think that not much more can be done. I don't think Scottish Cricket has enough funding to develop as fast as everyone would like.
Will women ever compete alongside men in cricket - if not, why not?
No! People at the top will never allow it! I think if you're good enough why not but not all people have the same view. Cricket is regarded as a men's game but we're trying to put that right!
ANDY PIGGOTT
Australian batsman Martin Love will be Durham's overseas professional for the coming season. The 26 year old has signed a one year contract. This follows the news that fellow Australian Simon Katich will not be returning to Durham, in order for him to be fully rested in time for the Ashes Tour should he be picked.
His replacement is an exciting right handed No. 3 batsman from Queensland, who will be joining Durham for the start of the season. First Team Coach Martyn Moxon says he is delighted to be able to sign Love: "I've heard nothing but good reports about Martin and his career record in Australia is outstanding. By all accounts we have a very talented player coming to join us."
Love has scored over 6,000 first-class runs including 17 centuries in Australia at an average of 44, his highest score being 228.
Right Hand Bat
| First Class Record | |||
| Matches: 89 | Innings: 151 | Not Outs: 11 | Runs: 6207 |
| Highest Score: 228 | Average: 44.33 | 100s: 17 | 50s: 24 |
| Australian Domestic One-Day | |||
| Matches: 47 | Innings: 44 | Not Outs: 6 | Runs: 1321 |
| Highest Score: 124 | Average: 34.76 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 7 |
IAIN MARTIN
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Bradman was born on 27th August 1908 at Cootamundra, a township in southern New South Wales, but he was raised further east in Bowral, a small highlands town which lies close to 100 kilometres to the south west of Sydney.
As a youngster, he refined the technique and the remarkable hand-eye coordination that was later to dominate his timing and strokeplay. He indulged in the famously recalled practice of repeatedly hitting a golf ball with a stump against a rainwater tank at the Bradman family home.
His progress through schoolboy and country cricketing ranks was swift, and by the age of 17 he had made his entrance to first grade ranks in Sydney club cricket. The portents for future success were established early: a century on debut for St. George, another three figure score in his first interstate appearance, his debut for New South Wales just over a year later against South Australia in Adelaide.
Over a period which spanned 21 years, Bradman's first-class record ultimately produced 28,067 runs at the staggering average of 95.14. Not to mention the small matter of 117 centuries. These include a score of 452* for New South Wales which still stands unchallenged as the highest-ever first-class mark ever compiled in Australia.
But it was in the international arena where confirmation of his greatness was generated. Unlike his junior, club and state careers, there was not immediate success for Australia. He scored 18 and 1 in his opening Test - against England in Brisbane in 1928-29. But over the 20 years and the 51 Tests which followed, the ledger was mercilessly redressed.
Bradman's Test record was so exceptional, in fact, that he only needed to score four runs from his final innings - against England at The Oval in 1948 to end with a three-figured average. Famously, he was bowled by leg spinner Eric Hollies for a second ball duck. Almost universally it was speculated that the thunderous reception which greeted his walk to the wicket, and the occasion itself, were so overwhelming that it was little wonder that he was unable to produce his best. Bradman himself later denied the suggestion, but there was also a suspicion that there were tears in his eyes as he attempted to play Hollies.
Earlier, he plundered the best attacks that England, South Africa, India and West Indies could put before him. From eighty innings, in two countries, and across two decades, he scored 6,996 runs at an average of 99.94 with an astonishing 29 centuries. His insatiable appetite for runs even allowed him to score 309 runs on one day of Test cricket alone - against England at Leeds in 1930 - on his way to a score of 334 that still stands unsurpassed by an Australian and which long stood as the largest-ever individual Test score.
Opponents and teammates alike marvelled at his powers and at the lack of any apparent weaknesses in his game. It wasn't simply the feats themselves which separated Bradman from his contemporaries or from his successors; it was the mystique and aura that his extraordinary abilities carried with them as well.
Bradman's rise to Test status and the start of his ascent towards immortality occurred against the backdrop of distressing economic decline in Australia. Along with the legendary Australian racehorse Phar Lap, the unrivalled right hand batsman brightened otherwise despondent lives during the sombre days of the Great Depression. His feats also created a wave of patriotic fervour - but he later became revered throughout the cricketing world.
He was never a typical Australian sports hero - he shunned alcohol and tobacco, and was not one to socialise heavily. But nothing artificial nor contrived was needed to assist the growth of his legend. Even when Douglas Jardine's 1932-33 England tourists attempted to unsettle him with the reviled tactics of "leg theory" during the Bodyline series, Bradman's capacity to score heavily was not greatly diminished. He averaged 56.57 in that series and contributed strongly to Australia's win against the odds in the season's Melbourne Test.
Illness also proved little barrier to his success. After the 1934 tour of England, Bradman battled a debilitating onset of appendicitis which may have come close to killing him. During World War Two, fibrositis also plagued him; it forced him out of service with the army and threatened to cripple him. But he rebounded quickly from both setbacks to continue his record-shattering progress.
On his retirement, Bradman became the first Australian player to be knighted. Status as a Commander of the Order of Australia was also conferred upon him in 1979, and last year he was named (along with Jack Hobbs, Gary Sobers, Shane Warne and Vivian Richards) as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Twentieth Century. Of the 100 voters consulted, every one gave Bradman their vote.
After a successful period as captain that delivered 15 wins from 24 Tests, Bradman quickly assumed a prominent role in cricket administration. He ultimately became President of the South Australian Cricket Association and was a long-time convenor and chairman of the national selection panel.
Away from the glare of publicity in Adelaide, Sir Donald Bradman lived a reclusive life over recent years. But the legend has never waned. He was not only the finest batsman in the game on either side of World War Two, he was unarguably cricket's greatest-ever player.
1. Who played Bangladesh in their first test match (June 2000)?
2. Which team scored the lowest total in 1st class cricket in 2000?
3. Who was voted Scottish cricket's All Rounder of the Year for 2000?
4. Who is the odd one out from Mohammed Azharrudin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and why?
5. Who topped the English 1st class batting averages in 2000?
6. Who opened the new National Cricket Academy in September 2000?
7. Sir Donald Bradman was brought up in which NSW town?
8. Whose analysis read W 0 W W 0 Nb W in 2000? Bonus points for opposition/venue.
9. Scotland pace man James Brinkley has signed a 2 year contract with which county?
10. Whose winning streak did Australia surpass in 1999-2000?
11. How many Tests did Colin Cowdrey play in? Bonus point for Tests as captain
12. How many runs did the 'The Don' score in Test Match cricket?
13. Who did Curtley Ambrose dismiss for his 400th test match wicket on 1st August 2000? Bonus point for venue
14. Which England fast bowler of the 1950s died on 11th June 2000, aged 69?
15. Who topped the English 1st class bowling averages in 2000?
16. Which team finished bottom of Division 1 of the County Championship in 2000? Bonus points if you can name the Champions and their winning total of points
17. Name Scotland's group opponents in the ICC World Cup in Toronto this year.
18. The name of the London based businessman credited with sparking off the cricketing betting scandal?
19. What did the Sri Lankan Cricket Board present to Bangladesh on the occasion of their 1st test match?
20. Allan Border is the all-time top Test run scorer. What was his final run tally?
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