Saturday 11 May

Stoneywood Dyce CC 169-9 (50 overs) Stewart’s Melville CC 172-3 (42.1 overs)

The 1st XI scored an important first league win of the season against a Stoneywood Dyce, promoted from the Championship last season, who came to Inverleith with a two out of two win record this season.

Stoneywood won the toss and somewhat unusually for visiting teams to Inverleith elected to bat. Stew Mel opened the bowling with professional Shaylen Pillay from the road end and wicket keeper turned bowler Ben Wilkinson from the Castle end. Shaylen claimed a first wicket with his first ball of the fifth over bowling opener, Liam Lindsay for 6 with the score at 13. Further Stew Mel success followed at regular intervals helped by a run out and two catches behind by stand in keeper, Greg Bissett and one by Sam Tait at mid on, 44 for 5 after 15 overs. In the next over two further wickets, both caught, fell to Ben Wilkinson’s bowling and at 50 for seven there were expectations of an early tea and a low total to chase.

Ewan Davidson (no 7) and Garreth Wolmarans (no 9) didn’t follow the script and set about restoring Stoneywood’s innings playing with caution against a combination of slow bowling from Greg Ruthven, Hayden Sweet, Kyle McCallum and Sam Tait, and gradually lifting the score to 103 in the 41st over when Davidson with an uncharacteristic swipe fell to a catch in the deep by Greg Ruthven off Kyle McCallum’s slow left arm bowling.

Stoneywood’s number 10 David Kidd joined Wolmarans at the crease and together they lifted to tempo to take the score to 169, Kidd being stumped off the last ball of the 50th over. The main architect of the recovery, Wolmarans finished on 67 not out. After the early elation it was a subdued Stew Mel side that left the field for tea.

Kyle McCallum and Kris Steel opened the batting for Stew Mel and Kyle showed every intention putting runs on the board quickly but was given out to a leg side catch by the wicket keeper in the second over so that Ben Wilkinson joined Steel at the crease. Both looked comfortable against the bowling attack and took the score to 61 before Wilkinson on 27 fell lbw to Stoneywood veteran ex Pro, Jan Stander’ s accurate medium pace bowling. That brought Shaylen Pillay to the crease and after a cautious start he and Steel took the total on to 120 after 32 overs before Shaun Coetzer, brother of Scotland’s captain Kyle, bowled Steel for 40. Shaylen by now looking wholly confident was joined by Hayden Sweet and with time to spare got the 50 runs needed for the win in ten overs to secure a very good seven wicket win with eight overs left. Shaylen finished on 56 not out and Hayden 21 not out.

The capability of the side is much determined by the availability in any given week but at least for the moment we have got ourselves into the middle orders of the league.

Scorecard – click on link below

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

After heavy rain overnight Livingston’s ground is waterlogged.

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

https://www.stewartsmelvillecricket.com/1st-xi-undone-by-scotlands-ali-evans/04-05-19-scorecard-carlton-v-smcc/