Scorecard ESCA Select XI vs Scottish Students, Scroggie Park, Falkland, 6 May.

The Scottish Students men’s rep cricket team played their first fixture under their new name on Sunday 6th May at the picturesque Scroggie Park in Fife, home to Falkland Cricket Club since 1860.

The team was skippered by Edinburgh University & Grange all-rounder Andrew Brock and was against the East of Scotland Cricket Association (ESCA) League select XI. Brock lost the toss and Greig Hopcroft, skipper of the ESCA League select XI, invited the students to bat. The game saw Brock’s men put in an impressive performance against the best club cricketers from the East of Scotland League, which feeds into the Cricket Scotland League East Region set up.

The early season in Scotland, and indeed across the British Isles, has been hampered by incessant rain and lower than average temperatures after the late March heatwave had raised hopes of a dry and warm start to the season. This fixture was no exception to the recent dismal weather, although the sun came out a couple of times, it was played under leaden skies in the main. The rains came around 5.30pm and the game was abandoned shortly after due to the heavy nature of the storm, with the ESCA League select XI on 48 for 3 in the 17th over in reply to the imposing 271 that the students had set in their 40 overs.

Opening batsman Tom McBride (Heriot Watt) top scored with 84, but equally as impressive was the understanding between him and opening partner Keith Allen who racked up singles in the early overs despite some really tight bowling by the ESCA openers. Josh Edwards also chipped in with a useful score as did the Ed Abel Smith, who used his long levers to post 37 runs in only 19 balls. Overall the ESCA bowling was of a good standard, it was in the last 10 overs that the students started to clear the ropes and get away from their opponents. The fielding was not of the same standard as the bowling which led to some additional runs being totted up by the fitter student line up, as well as a couple of key catches going down.

Greig Hopcroft opened up the innings, and played steadily in the face of some aggressive bowling from Abel Smith. Josh Stinson (Aberdeen University) was not his usual reliable self and delivered some loose deliveries that ESCA cashed in on. It was Ed Abel Smith, who is being monitored closely by a couple of professional English county set ups, who go the breakthrough of the first wicket. He bowled with good pace and accuracy and was complimented by the left arm medium fast bowling of Aman Bailwal (Edinburgh University) and the steady seamers of James Rainford (Stirling University).

Bailwal owed his wicket of Wilkinson to 12th man Stephen Dathorne (Dundee University) who took a screamer of a catch. When rain came the ESCA select were on 48/3, under Duckworth-Lewis method they would have required to be on 110, so the Scottish Student bowling unit deserve credit for getting their opponents behind the run rate so early on.

Despite the frustration of the rain hitting the fixture, it was played in a hard but fair manner, with all present eager to play again in 2013. The ESCA League Select have plans to play the Strathmore & Perthshire Cricket Union League select XI while the Scottish Students look to a Jubilee bank holiday double header versus a strong looking MCC line up and a Scotland U19/20 XI at Peffermill and West Lothian CCA respectively.