We had only fifty copies of the first edition (duly marked as such) printed. Today (2nd September) thirty five of the fifty are already spoken for.

If you want a copy, don’t just speak to someone at the club – please email secretary@freuchiecricketclub.com or phone John Anderson on 01337 857 292.

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, cricket

Gour keeps a watchful eye for overstepping ..

Relaxed at deep mid wicket ..

Thanks for now, bowler ..

Well played Neil, Gour, Mickey, Robbie – and so many others.

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Kwik Cricket

More information about the book, including a downloadable excerpt, is available here.

Technorati Tags: book, Freuchie , Freuchie Cricket Club, limited edition

Posters are already on display for what is being billed as Freuchie’s Glorious Weekend, but there’s an important date before that. This Sunday (22nd August) sees us hosting a Kwik Cricket festival – no less than twelve junior teams in competition, groundsmen Dave Christie and Dave McIntosh tearing their hair out to find six wickets dotted about the park.

Then the Glorious Weekend as billed: We are going to have a celebration of our 1985 Lord’s victory, spread across 4th and 5th September, with a family Fun Day on the Saturday and a 20:20 match on the Sunday. Some details have still to be worked out, but here’s the general set up:

The Fun Day will have craft stalls, bouncy castle, face-painting, and most importantly, ‘taster sessions’ of sports in the new games area in the school playground – short tennis, cricket, netball, dodge ball and so on. There will be a free family disco in the clubhouse, starting at eight o‘clock. Tea and coffee will be available at the clubhouse throughout the day, and we are keen to get as many people as possible coming to the club to see what a fine place it is.

Through the efforts of Scott McCrone, there will be an exhibition of some of our historic photographs, backed up by video footage of the great Lord’s adventure, courtesy of BBC and STV and our own Jock Wallace and his employer and major club sponsor, Black Light. That’ll be running all through the weekend (except during the Saturday evening disco, when it will be taken down to protect it from any over-energetic dancers. Swing yer Maw, swing yer Paw, swing yer Grannie through the wa’ …..)

On the Sunday, we will be gathering around one o’clock, with an opening speech from Sir Menzies Campbell at half past one. Cricket Scotland president Bob McFarlane will take over, with our 20:20 against Falkland kicking off at two o’clock. We’re hoping that between innings, there will be time for a very short junior game to let people see a few of our stars of the future.

And THE BOOK – THE BOOK! “Freuchie Cricket Club, 1908 to 2008” – a really beautiful hard-bound book of over 230 pages. Compiled by Scott McCrone (busy man, our Scott) and with an introduction by Sir Menzies Campbell, it has copies of old minutes, photographs, fixture cards, score sheets and a special section on the Lord’s victory. We will be giving it its official launch on 5th September with a limited First Edition of fifty copies. It may sound dear at £40 a copy, but many people, on seeing a draft copy, have said things like “you’re crazy – you’re way under-priced at £40!” and “this is family heirloom stuff!” Come and judge for yourselves – there will be at least one copy to see even if the first fifty have been snapped up.

Also on the Sunday, time yet to be decided, it is planned to have a tree-planting ceremony in the newly-landscaped school playground, commemorating the Lord’s squad and the official opening of the new multi-use games area.

And  there’s more, even if not exactly on the weekend – The Daily Record plans to run a feature on the Lord’s team on the actual anniversary of the victory, while STV cameras aim to be at our ground on 1st September to prepare for a horror show of all these aging faces ….

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Black Light, Falkland Cricket Club, Lord’s, Cricket Scotland, the Daily Record, STV, the National Village Championship

Like his older brothers John and Dave, Bobby was a long-standing servant of the club, both as a player (First XI Captain in 1973) and as a member of our committee

Our sympathies go to his wife Lillian, daughter Julie and all the Christie family.

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club

Technorati Tags: cricket, Freuchie Cricket Club, Freuchie

Two accounts have so far been set-up depending on the types of tweets you’d like to follow.

1. @FCCScore
At the moment this will only be used to tweet score updates and the odd match highlight during home matches.

2. @FreuchieCC
This Twitter account will be used to push out every update from the club – think of it as our most comprehensive source of tweets. You will see all manner of news, events, match commentary and score updates, etc. You don’t need to follow other Freuchie Cricket Club Twitter accounts if you’re following this one.

Get yourself signed up on Twitter if you’ve not already got an account. It is completely free with no strings attached (subject to Twitter terms and conditions). Finally follow either @FCCScore or @FreuchieCC before you miss out on what’s happening!

Technorati Tags: @FCCScore, @FreuchieCC, Freuchie. Freuchie Cricket Club, tweet, Twitter

At Nunholm on Saturday we saw another excellent game of cricket, which ended in victory for the Doonhamers by 4 wickets

Dumfries won the toss and Freuchie batted, the Birrell twins getting the visitors off to a solid start with 62 for the first wicket in 23.2 overs, when Scott Birrell was caught behind off Josh Geary for 24. Skipper Scott Galloway made a brief appearance but was caught on the square leg boundary for a single. Another indifferent shot was that by Scott Gourlay, who played a deplorable reverse sweep to be caught at slip for 14. Then Robbie Birrell was lbw to Geary for a patient 35 off 83 balls with 5 4s. Another wicket fell at 98 but Steve Rowley and Jock Wallace added 50 for the next wicket. Dale Cowan helped Rowley to add 40 for the 7^th wicket. There was just time for fair-haired youngster Liam Kelly to make his first SNCL run before the innings closed at 214 for9. The score was boosted by a tally of 37 extras, the highest score on the card. For the homesters, J Goodin took 3 for 38 in six overs, J Geary 3 for 49 from 10 overs. Steadiest bowling of all was by Jim Patterson who bowled his off-breaks for 1 for 20 from his ten overs.

Russell Johnston was caught behind off Scott Birrell, who opened with his slow left arm opposite Dale Cowan, who saw his father spill Tom McBride at slip. Thereafter it was McBride who scored steadily while the other Dumfries batsmen helped him along. Skipper Scott Beveridge was lbw to Rowley for 6 but Geary went on to make 56 in a stand of 126 with McBride in 27.5 overs. By this time, McBride had moved on to 80 off 132 balls and the score was 175 for 3, but Dumfries lost a further 3 wickets, all to Gourlay, before they crossed the finish line in the second last over. Just before the end, McBride completed a determined and well-played hundred, scored off 151 balls with only 6 4s. Gourlay took 4 for 26 off his 10 overs but Freuchie are needing more runs from him and the other recognised batsmen.

Meanwhile, the Seconds were at home. Captain Kenny reports:

This Saturday saw the 2nds play Leith FAB at Muir Road. After Kenny WINNING his first toss of the season he decided to put the visitors into bat. Freuchie’s bowling started strongly with a couple of early wickets but Lovatte of Leith decided he wasn’t going to hang about, hitting a quick 50, and with help of his fellow players he had Freuchie thinking they were going to be chasing a high score. However, after drinks Freuchie didn’t give up and after a continuous fall of wickets, ended up bowling Leith all out for 198 with Lovatte unbeaten on 83. The pick of our bowlers was Blair Forrester with a 4-for and Ian Patterson (president) taking 2 for just 9 runs, while young Ross Mcmurdo was the pick of the fielders.

After tea, Freuchie’s innings saw an early wicket with Allan Wallace out for just 4. but Blair Forrester and Robbie Wright batted on, with Blair getting his 50 and Robbie Wright scoring 26. Stuart Gibson and Kenny Crichton carried the team win what was in the end a fairly easy win. Blair scored 87 to go with his 4 wickets. Freuchie have now made it 3 out of 3 for the 2s. Once again Kenny was very pleased with the great team effort.
(Secretary’s note: I was watching the late stages of the innings and it didn’t look all that comfortable to me!).

Injuries and call-offs meant that we didn’t settle on the Third’s team to go to Meigle until late on Sunday morning, but the unexpected availability of Stuart Gibson (early finished work) Chris Hunt (home from holiday), Gordon Mutch (dragged out by his cousin Robbie Wright) and the addition of Robbie Birrell saw us with a very respectable side. For Meigle, it turned out to be a bit of a one-man show, our former player, Arun Trivedi, getting the home side to 212 for 2. “Ouch,” you would have thought. Not so. Liam Kelly batted well for 39, while skipper Dale Cowan hit 115 off 75 balls – six sixes and six fours among them – until caught on the boundary. He had been well supported by Grant Horsburgh, now joined by Robbie Birrell, who hit the winning run.

After the disappointment of having to cancel the Third XI game last weekend (two XIs on a Sunday is nigh-impossible for us) it was great to see our participation in the Strathmore Union doing just what we hoped it would – opportunities for our young lads to get competitive games, supported by a few of the senior players – and especially good to see Mutchy back in the side.

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, The Fife Herald, Dumfries Cricket Club, SNCL, The Strathmore Union, Meigle

Scheduled 3rd XI Strathmore Union game v Cupar – rained off.

So – year to date results: Weather Two, Cricket Nil.

What’s to come? For remainder of April and for May and as always, hoping for better weather:-

28th April U11 at home to Largo in the league

1st May Firsts away to SMRH, Seconds at home to RH Costorphine

2nd May Thirds away to Breadalbane

3rd May U11 at home to Dunfermline

8th May Firsts at home to West Lothian, Seconds away to Westquarter

9th May First at home in Scottish Cup, Thirds away to Kirrie

15th May First away to Dumfries, Seconds at home to Leith FAB

16th May Thirds away to Meigle

17th May U11 at home to Falkland in the league

22nd May Firsts at home to RH Corstorphine, Seconds away to Marchmont

23rd May Thirds at home to Kinross

26th May U11 away to Kinross in the league

29th May First away to Edinburgh, Seconds at home to Heriots

30th May 20/20 at Stiring

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, cricket, SMRH, Corstorphine, Dunfermline, West Lothian, Westquarter, Dumfries, Leith FAB, Falkland, Marchmont, Kinross, Edinburgh, Heriots

Hard times all round and too many of our guys finding £140 not easy to spare. In truth, it has to be admitted that by the time you add your lemonade money, it could be a dear weekend.

We’ll try to get something that doesn’t involve travel and accommodation to take its place.

In the meantime, pool, darts and dominos with the Glenrothes lads on Saturday 6th March. Beats touring any day!

Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Glenrothes Cricket Club, hard times