HCC vs Holy Cross 1st XI - 22nd May 2021
HCC vs Holy Cross 22nd May 2021
Saturday 22nd May saw Haddington CC take on Holy Cross 1st XI in the first competitive clash between the two clubs for more than two decades. The Scottish weather was keen to remind the prevailing global pandemic who is boss when it comes to interrupting amateur sport, as inclement weather preventing any pitch preparation during the week. Both sides agreed to play on the artificial wicket to get the game on.
Winning the toss and bowling, Goats captain Scott Logan tossed the ball to Tim Blades & Fergus Syme for the opening burst. Syme, off the back of a dozen wickets in three warm-up games, including a seven wicket haul against Loretto school, drew an edge from Clemens which was comfortably taken by Borrowman - the little Pete with the big gloves. 7-1 should have been 14-2 when Cross no.3 Kamran Ud Din, troubled by Blades’ bounce & movement, tamely chipped to midwicket. Dave Arbuthnott did the legwork, but somehow muffed the chance. Fortunately, he had chance to make amends later in the afternoon. Predictably, despite some disciplined and often unplayable bowling from Rob Macdonald in particular, Ud Din accelerated and biffed his way to a marvellous 83, well supported by the stubborn Nitin Mehta’s 33 in a partnership of 102. Ud Din was LBW to Macdonald (after almost being caught by Blades galloping around the boundary, only to fall over the boundary after taking the ball) who then took a second wicket in two balls to drag Cross back to 122-4. James Shaw’s brilliant direct hit run out of Mehra the other wicket to fall.
The Cross no.4, Lothian, began to tick the scoring rate up, and it was left to young Fergus Syme to return and steal the show. Steaming in from the Avril Lavigne Memorial Skate Park Memorial End, he shattered the stumps of Parker & captain Reiss with searing fast yorkers delivered from a great height. The opposition no.9 was no match for a dose of the same, completing a remarkable hattrick for the young man who has worked incredibly hard at his game, adding real threat to an otherwise composed & orthodox Haddington bowling attack. His five-for was wrapped up in the final over, for just 22 runs in 7 overs. The first league 5fer for HCC since Syme’s own in 2018 at Leith. Note must go to Shaw for two run outs in the innings, a tidy spell from Tom Proctor, and a brave effort in the field with injury from Dylan Pearce (even taking the catch to end the innings, with the tenacity of the Python’s Black Knight).
In reply, facing 177 to win from 40 overs - but with a record of 4 successful chases in 4 games in the pre-season friendlies - Haddington sent out Alan Cruickshank and in-form James Cardwell-Moore to open the innings. Orthodox and risk-free stroke play meant that not only was any new ball threat dented (with any opportunities for swing reduced by Covid precautions against bodily fluids in ball shining) but runs were scored at a steady pace. In remarkable scenes, Cruickshank neatly timed a short of a length ball over square leg for six, before playing on from Mehta’s left arm grenades for a well made 30. 81-1 the score at the halfway mark. Of course, flutters were inevitable - this is Haddington Cricket Club - and the reliable Borrowman popped a catch up for no score, and Blades attempted a single too brisk for Cardwell-Moore, cruelly running him out for 45 thanks to a handy direct hit from Reiss at point. 87-3, and the pressure was on the home side. Skipper Logan settled nerves with a boisterous driven six over extra cover, finding his form on a wicket where he has scored so many runs in midweek T20 competition. Sadly he was cut short on 15 - LBW to Ud Din’s right arm assortment.
Mr Arbuthnott entered the fray at 113-4, with around 12 overs to get 64 runs. With the unusually subdued Blades set to take the game deep finding the fielders in the inner ring, Arbuthnott set about punishing anything short or on his legs with a succession of boundaries. With 15 to win from the final three overs, Blades fell for 26 trying a scoop/sweep and was clean bowled by Reiss. The reliable Shaw joined Dave and the pair calmly took the singles on offer, but 8 to win from the last over looked tough. Arbuthnott managed to get on strike, and played one of the most astounding strokes seen at Neilson Park for some time. A back of a length ball, he stood tall and punished it with a perfectly straight blade in a glorious arc down towards the river, cresting the top of the mighty tree which marks the boundary behind the bowler’s arm. It was at once both immaculately textbook and disrespectful to calculations of line & length. [In truth, your reporter is struggling to recall the exact mechanics of the shot, but the arc of the 156g leather ball against the pallid May blue is seared into the mind’s retina.] Scores level, Holy Cross brought the men up, for a plinked single next ball to fine leg to seal the day for Haddington. A see-saw day of cricket played in brilliant spirits by two promotion contenders, with 20 points for the Goats to take to regular sparring partners Selkirk this Saturday 29th May. Truly a shame that the reverse fixture at Arboretum has fallen foul of the fixture matrix in this slightly truncated season.