2011 Under Way!
As promised – junior practice sessions are up and running again, and Scotland’s future XIs are shaping up!
Some of our young ladies ….
… and some of our young guns.
Tomorrow (Sunday 24th) should have seen us with a friendly against Rossie Priory, but sadly, they can’t manage to come and we have just had news that our attempts to get another club here have fallen through. Roll on next Saturday when we’ll see some cricket!
Technorati Tags: Freuchie Cricket Club, junior cricket, junior training
Great News on Coaching
We have just heard that we are to be awarded a substantial grant from Cricket Scotland under its “Investment in Club Coaches” scheme. To put it mildly, we are delighted! Our own Dave Christie will undertake the role of Head Coach, guiding the efforts of all our qualified coaches and assistants.
The scheme is part of Cricket Scotland’s efforts to have clubs investing in coaching and better facilities, rather than simply bringing in ‘hit men’ to win matches. Long term growth, rather than short term league positions – we think that has to the target for our club, and we are – to repeat – delighted, both that Cricket Scotland is taking this practical approach and that we should be direct beneficiaries.
We know that the future of our club depends on bringing our youngsters through to the senior teams, and this grant will be a major boost to our efforts. Indoor practices for juniors have already started and outdoor sessions will begin on Fridays as soon as evening light is good enough. In the last few years, we have been seeing 70 to 80 kids in the park on Fridays, and this grant will let us do even more for them than we have been doing. For more information, email info@freuchiecricketclub.com.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, coaching, youth training, Cricket, Cricket Scotland
Media Roundup
Articles and blog posts related to the build up and during the Glorious Weekend are detailed below.
- In pictures: Little Freuchie Cricket Club – 25 and not out
- Reunited after 25 years.. the Scots who shook the world of cricket
- Freuchie Sports Court now open!
- New orchard commemorates ‘Freuchie’s Glorious Weekend’
- Freuchie’s Celebratory Cricket Match
- From the archives: Fabulous Freuchie win at Lords’
- From the archives: Freuchie cricket glory
- Freuchie Cricket Club to relive Lord’s glory of 1985
- Bowled over by Freuchie’s Lords’ heroes
We will revisit this blog post over the coming days as we become aware of other links to relevant articles.
Technorati Tags: Daily Record, Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Smart Community Fife, The Courier, The Scotsman
The Courier’s Tribute
The Courier has paid tribute on their website to the 25th anniversary of Freuchie’s cricket victory at Lord’s.
The report from Thursday’s newspaper can be found here:
They’ve also reproduced the full report from The Village Cup victory of 1985 here:
Finally, they’ve put together a wee gallery of pics from 1985 here:
A job well done by our friends at The Courier. Thank you.
Technorati Tags: cricket, Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Lord’s, The Courier, The Village Cup
Will June be as good as May?
The First team was at Edinburgh on Saturday, facing Imans Edinburgh. Winning the toss, Freuchie put Edinburgh in to bat, which looked like a really good idea when the home side was 3 wickets down with only 12 on the board, but their mid-order batsmen pulled away strongly to finish with 210 all out. For Freuchie’s innings, 61 for 2 didn’t seem too bad, but things looked grim at 106 for 6. However, Steve Rowley batting at number 6 had 61 not out, supported by Dale Cowan at number 10 with 29 not out. We had been needing 67 off the last 10.4 overs and got them with 7 balls to spare. A five-for for Scott Gourlay, 3 for 49 for Dale’s ten overs and Steveo’s excellent 61 – 10 points for Freuchie (and maybe a few sighs of relief).
Meanwhile, the Seconds were at home to Heriots. Captain Kenny reports:
Saturday saw Heriots 2s come to Muir Road. Kenny won the toss and put the visitors into bat. Freuchie bowled tightly with the score at only 49 for 2 after 20 overs but then Heriots started to swing the bat a bit, their opener H Wright hitting a few sixes which saw him reach 88 before Allan Wallace bowled him. R Ruru scored 43, Freuchie bowling Heriots all out for 233 in the final over.
After tea, Freuchie’s innings started poorly, with Blair Forrester out from the 1st ball of the innings and Lee Duncan, who came in at 3, out shortly after for only 6 to leave the score at 7 for 2 off the first over. In came Allan Wallace to start a 71 run partnership with the other opener, Robbie Wright. Allan Wallace was eventually caught by Wallace on 40. Shortly after, the fall of two more wickets saw the score at 116 for 5 off 27 overs. That brought captain Kenny to the crease to start another good partnership and good batting performances from both Kenny and Robbie with a 90+ partnership coming to an end with Kenny on 40 before being run out and Robbie going on to 78 before being caught. That saw Freuchie at 208 for 7 of 40 overs but unfortunately, with some tight bowling from Heriots Freuchie finished 2 runs short of victory.
It was a great game of cricket and although Freuchie didn’t win, they still picked up the maximum points of 12 which Kenny was pleased with.
Special mention for Peter McNicol for stepping in at the last minute to help out after not playing for 4 years.
Secretary’s note: I watched some of the game, in which I thought Heriots had a very strong-looking side. I had seen some of Robbie’s batting when he scored a century against Kinross the previous week but this was different stuff against a very different standard of bowling. Very, very well played, Mr Wright.
We have very little news about Sunday’s Murgitroyd T20 against Stirling County. “Gubbed” was one report, “hammered” another.
However, we end May with the Firsts second from top in SNCl Division II, the Seconds fourth in Division II of the East League. Can we continue this for the rest of the season?
Teams for Saturday 5th June:
First XI at home to Weirs: Scot Galloway, Dave Cowan, Scott Birrell, Robbie Birrell, Steve Rowley, Jock Wallace, Mike Jackson, Dale Cowan, Graeme Christie, Fergus Black, Stuart Gibson.
Second XI away to top of the table Murrayfield DAFS: Kenny Crichton, Blair Forrester, Lee Duncan, Robbie Wright, Shane Munro, Liam Kelly, Ross McMurdo, Grant Horsburgh, Ian Paterson, Rory Brown, Greg Birrell
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, SNCL, ESCA, Edinburgh, Heriots, Stirling County, Murgitroyds
29th and 30th May
Lots happening. On Saturday, the Firsts are off to Edinburgh, the Twos at home to Heriots. On Sunday, the Firsts are off bright and early to Stirling County for a Murgitroyd T20 tie, while at home, we are hosting a Scottish U15 trial game.
Saturday First XI: Scott Galloway, Dave Cowan, Scott Gourlay, Scott Birrell, Robbie Birrell, Dale Cowan, Steve Rowley, Mike Jackson, Jock Wallace, Stewart Gibson.
Second XI: Kenny Crichton, Blair Forrester, Graeme Christie, Liam Kelly, Robbie Wright, Shane Munro, Lee Duncan, Alan Wallace, Ian Paterson, Ross McMurdo, Chris Hunt. Reserves Grant Horsburgh and Greg Birrell.
Sunday – meet at eight am for 9.30 start at Stirling: Scott Galloway, Scott Gourlay, Mike Jackson, Steve Rowley, Dale Cowan, Robbie Birrell, Scott Birrell, Jock Wallace, Stewart Gibson, Graeme Christie
Come and support Kenny and his men on Saturday, and don’t miss the U15 trials on Sunday.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Heriots, Stirling County, Murgitroyd, SNCL
Another Good Weekend
Not three out of three this weekend, but two out of three, and these two pretty good ones.
The Firsts were at home to West Lothian on Saturday in what turned out to be an absorbing match. Batting first, things were looking pretty rocky for us at 41 for 4, decidedly rocky at 96 for 5 then desperate, you might have said, at 96 for 6. However, these last two wickets had seen a ship-steadying stand between Steve Rowley and Jock Wallace. Kash Khalil added another 12, but it was the Cowans who did the biz – Dale with 62 not out and father Dave with 32. Freuchie fielded well, Dave Cowan getting pro van Wyk out for 29 while overseas amateur Cookson was run out for 38. Crucially, we had Scott Gourlay bowling the last over, showing his experience and holding his nerve to restrict the visitors to three runs when they needed six for victory. As skipper Scott Galloway pointed out, this is just the sort of narrow margin that we were on the wrong side of several times last year. Let’s hope we stay on that side a few more times this season. For the full scorecard, go to http://www.cricketscotland.com/node/15407.
Meanwhile, the Twos were in the Falkirk area to face Westquarter and Redding. The word is that the wicket had been recently cut and had no markings, the outfield “not likely to offer many fours along the ground.” However, the wicket was marked, Freuchie lost the toss and were put in to bat. Scoring was difficult, but Blair Forrester and Robbie Wright did well, equal top scorers with 44 apiece. Our total was 132 for 7 after 50 overs. Tight bowling and good fielding saw Westquarter all out for 95, with Blair notching 4 wickets for just 21 runs in his ten over spell. Captain Kenny Crichton was delighted with this great team effort.
Sunday. Scottish Cup first round, at home to Soneywood Dyce. Lacking Scott Gourlay and Dave Cowan, our attack was maybe a bit down on what it might have been, but it gave a chance to let a couple of our younger bowlers feel the fire. It really has to be admitted that all of our bowlers got a bit of heat – eight of the eleven had a go, Dale Cowan the least expensive with 1 wicket at 5 an over, Graeme Christie just behind with 1 wicket for 5.3 an over, others nearer 7 an over. The result was a rather daunting 339 for 6 off 50 overs for the visitors. Graeme was an early casualty when we had only 9 on the board, but Robbie Birrell and skipper Scott Galloway were looking good until Galzo went to a good catch at deep square leg. Things were never quite the same after that, although we reached a very creditable 215 all out, which included a sterling 40 from Jock Wallace.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, cricket, Cricket Scotland, West Lothian, Westquarter, Stoneywood Dyce
Three Out Of Three
I like to think that my personal outlook is ‘generally optimistic.’ However, when it comes to matches – of any kind – where I have any sort of interest in the outcome, my hopes for success for a given side or player seem often to be the kiss of death.
But this weekend? Wow! On Saturday, Galzo and his men beat SMRH by three wickets. Kenny and his crew beat Corstorphine and Galzo and his lads beat Breadalbane on Sunday. It would be hard to say which of these results gives most satisfaction, but I’ll have a go at that in a minute.
A ‘five for’ for Steve Rowley – 5 for 20, no less, plus 3 for 16 for Scottie Birrell led to SMRH all out for 114. Stevo was also top scorer with 33 not out, Galzo close behind him with 32. It would have been good to have lost fewer than 7 wickets, but there was a lot of criticism of the pitch. Max points for the lads, though, and Stevo has to be man of he match.
Meantime, at home, Corstorphine had compiled 233 for 6 off 50 overs, a pretty daunting target. However, Jock Wallace got 52, Lee Duncan a magnificent 108 not out (his first century) while Robbie Wright weighed in with 26. We finished with 234 for 6 of 40.2 overs. The only downside was that Alan Duncan – Lee’s dad – retired hurt. Speedy recovery, Duffer.
On Sunday a mixed team visited Breadalbane. We would have had more young lads in the side had there not been a U15 match scheduled for the day (which in the end did not take place). Our aim in seeking entry to the Strathmore Union is to get more competitive cricket for our younger players, and on this showing, it’s going to work out really well. Everyone had a good time (well, almost everyone) while the like of Liam Kelly and Chris Hunt got a chance to show what they are made of. “I didn’t realise how good these guys are!” said Galzo. May be too soon to say that this is a plan that will deliver what we are after, but so far, so good.
Tough to pick what has pleased me most, but my pick is the Third XI outcome – not just the result, but the involvement for our promising juniors.
RESOURCE
Cricket Scotland result service for the SMRH v Freuchie match.
Technorati Tags: Cricket Scotland, Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, cricket, SMRH, Corstorphine, Breadalbane
Year-End News
Two bits of good news. First, Galzo, Allan Baxter and I attended last night’s Strathmore Union AGM, where Freuchie was elected to join the Union. Second, we know that we are entered for the Indoor Sixes starting in January.
Strathmore Union first: We applied to join Division III of the Union with the aim of getting Sunday games giving more development opportunities for our juniors. We have a lot of promising juniors who are not quite at the stage of a guaranteed place in the Second XI and they need competitive matches to keep them involved and develop their playing skills. We’ll be aiming to field as many as possible of our older juniors, with a sprinkling of senior players to give the team some weight. Three clubs had applied to join the Union, Gordonians seeking to get back into the Union, ourselves and Stenhousemuir keen to get into Division III. Gordonians will go back into Division II; the vote went against Stenhousemuir, leaving the three of us biting our nails for a few minutes, but we were delighted to see a near-unanimous vote in our favour. We’ll report further as plans develop.
Indoor Sixes: We were bitterly disappointed not to participate in this tournament in 2009; invitations were sent by e-mail, and for some reason, we never received ours. By the time we realised that the draw had been made, it was too late for any adjustments. However, Cricket Scotland confirmed today that we are indeed in the draw for the 2010 competition. More to come on that one too.
AND THE AGM! Don’t forget that this is in the clubhouse at 2.30 pm on Sunday 6th December. All members – players especially – are urged to come, members of the public cordially invited.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, Strathmore Union, Scottish Media Indoor Sixes
First XI Performances
Scribe’s batting analysis for SNCL and all cups:
| Name | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Average |
| RT Birrell JSC Galloway S Gourlay S Rowley JA Wallace D Cowan SJ Birrell DW Harper DJB Cowan MPF Jackson GS GIbson A Sutherland AS Duncan |
18 19 17 20 18 13 10 12 7 7 5 13 5 |
3 1 2 1 2 2 1 2 3 2 1 1 5 |
564 508 410 405 284 193 134 101 37 40 30 76 8 |
95* 94 69* 76 51 42 33* 27 12* 14 18 20 5* |
37.60 28.22 27.33 21.32 17.75 17.55 14.89 10.10 9.25 8.00 7.50 6.33 inf |
Also batted: JDR Mackintosh 5,5,10,10: KJ Crichton 4*,2*,1*,1*:GB Christie 7*: RC Wright 3: S Kennedy 2: JB Forrester 5: CR Millar 2: CH Balfour 3.
And for bowling:
| Name | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average |
| D Cowan S Gourlay S Rowley JSC Galloway SJ Birrell A Sutherland DJB Cowan GS Gibson |
108.5 147.3 138.1 53.4 98 46 51.1 35 |
25 31 15 0 7 1 5 4 |
381 451 531 321 372 271 312 205 |
22 23 25 13 13 7 7 2 |
17.32 19.61 21.24 24.69 28.62 38.71 46.57 102.5 |
Also bowled: JDR Mackintosh 11-2-65-2;KJ Crichton 15-0-115-2;GB Christie 3.3-0-31-0;RC Wright 7.3-1-55-2;DW Harper 6-0-49-1; K KHalil 4-0-30-2; S Kennedy 4-0-26-2
Catches: AS Duncan 14, RT Birrell 9, JSC Galloway 9, MPF Jackson 8, JA Wallace 7, GS Gibson 5, D Cowan 5, SJ Birrell 3, JDR Mackintosh 2, A Sutherland 2, S Gourlay 2, S Rowley 2, CH Balfour 2, RC Wright 1. Total 72.
Stumpings: MPF Jackson 2, AS Duncan 1. Total 3.
AC Baxter, 08-Sep-09.
‘Semdy goin’ to do the same analysis for the Second XI? You do it, and I’ll type it up. John A.
Technorati Tags: Freuchie, Freuchie Cricket Club, SNCL