Round the Wicket

No – it’s not Christmas already, just some shockingly belated notes about our Centenary Cricket Festival.

So many people did so much to bring the Festival about, not least our main Festival Sponsor, Belhaven. More of that in a moment, recognising at the outset that my sieve-like memory is likely to do a grave injustice to many who helped.

The first of our games was on Tuesday 17th June (I’m only a month late in writing this!) against a Scottish President’s Select. Captained by Euan McIntyre from Cricket Scotland with luminaries such as Pete Drummond and Bill Scott from Meigle with a big partnership from Gregor Maiden of Grange and Ian Young from West of Scotland, the Select was a bit much for us, despite a brave innings from Arun Trivedi.

Just in case you missed it, information and photos from this match were posted earlier.

Wednesday was the Big One, our visitors Sussex Ladies. For anyone who might have thought that Ladies’ Cricket is a kindergarten pat-about, this would have come as a revelation. Technically superb, commanding batting, excellent bowling, crisp throwing-in. Just a pleasure to watch. However, our 239 for 8 (half centuries for Scott Galloway and Stevie Rowley) was a bit much for the ladies. They finished 175 all out, Ebony Rainford-Brent top-scoring with 53. We hope Katherine Brunt has fully recovered from her altercation with a cricket ball.

Photo: Freuchie Cricket Club & Sussex Ladies photo call 

Photo: Timeout for a wee break and a drink…. note the marquee

Fife Scouts had put up a marquee for us and Belhaven had equipped it with a bar. We planned a barbecue, hoping for one of these balmy evenings, but it was decidedly cold. We moved inside and the Milenberg Jazz Band got the dancing going. “Let Ebony play the drums,” cried the ladies. That’s usually a cue for all-round embarrassment, but not this time – Ebony’s drumming was up to the standards of her excellent batting. (Our drummer was lucky to get his sticks back at all).

Photos: Ebony on drums and the Milenberg Jazz Band in full swing 

Thursday brought us Falkland Cricket Club and the Archie Cowan Memorial Trophy match. I think we’d have to confess that getting out a mid-week team three days in a row was a struggle, and like the President’s Select, Falkland, with pro Tim Lythe, proved a bit much for our somewhat depleted side. Family Watson (Brian, with 30-odd not out and next generation Graeme and Paul) provided a solid core that we could not match on the day.

Although we may have failed to recapture the Archie Cowan Cup, the presentation of a centenary celebration gift to the club by Falkland’s Paul Watson, graciously accepted by Alan Duncan, demonstrates the close links and comradeship between us and our local rivals. Perhaps next year they’ll remember to bring the cup with them so as to save us the trip to retrieve it!

Photo: Paul Watson presents Alan Duncan with a gift from Falkland Cricket Club 

So – at risk of forgetting major contributors – big, big thanks to Harry ‘The Barbecue’ Barclay, The Scotsman, the BBC, to Belhaven, whose generosity covered the travel costs for the Sussex Ladies, to the local families who provided bed and breakfast for the ladies, to our own committee, who put in so much work, to the Lomond Hills Hotel who loaned us a barrel of Best for our beer tent, to the Scouts for the beer tent, to the Milenberg Jazz Band for their good-time music, to all the players, visitors and our own, to visiting photographer Alan Richardson and our own John Thomson of Roundtrip Solutions …. The list just goes on and on, but it really has to include our President, Alan Duncan, who was the means of our having Sussex Ladies here, and also who provided many of the ideas that made our three-day Festival a success.

Now, when we get to the bi-centenary …..

Technorati Tags: Cricket Scotland, Belhaven Brewery, Cricket, Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, The Lomond Hills Hotel, Sussex Ladies’ Cricket Club, Falkland Cricket Club, Meigle Cricket Club, The Scotsman, BBC

People who blink while travelling in or out of Freuchie on Eden Valley Row may well miss one of the most stunning displays in the whole of Fife, laid on courtesy of the Freuchie in Flower Team.

It isn’t until you stop and take a close look at the work and artistry involved in this display that you realise the importance of this year to the whole village. Let’s take a moment to explore the centre piece of The Millennium bed display…

A few words were passed along to us by Joan Cran by way of explanation of this colourful and pretty display that livens up the outlook for the many horses grazing the adjacent fields and those people walking past that take the time to notice.

The Freuchie in Flower Team were asked if The Millennium bed could be planted this year to recognise the centenary of Freuchie Cricket Club.  Two members of the Team, Mick Adams and Anita McKain, planned, planted and maintain this magnificent tribute, which has drawn many compliments and recognition of the tremendous amount of imagination and skill put into the project by Mick and Anita on behalf of  Freuchie in Flower to benefit the whole Community.

Everyone at Freuchie Cricket Club would like to show our appreciation to the Freuchie in Flower team, and in particular Mick Adams and Anita McKain, for the inspiration, thought and sheer hard work that went into making the tribute to Freuchie Cricket Club in our Centenary Year. You have truly done us and the village proud.

Please take a moment to take in the display when next you’re passing and maybe even leave a comment here for the Freuchie in Flower Team.

Technorati Tags: Anita McKain, Fife, Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Freuchie in Flower, Mick Adams, Tony Cran