Merchiston Super 8s 2025

Beat Grange CC

Lost to Belhaven, St Mary’s

We had dramatrically won this tournament last year, pipping Merchiston at the death in a hugely exciting and entertaining final, and with a strong group of cricketers at the top of the school hopes were high that we might be able to repeat this. However, pressure out in the middle does strange things, and despite having bowled with laser accuracy in the nets and out on the square during practice last week, our usually metronomic bowlers chose today of all days, to concede possible the largest number of wides I have ever known a Cargilfield 1stXI to bowl…….so we certainly made history today in one form or another!

After the heat of last week, Sunday dawned cloudy and there was a cold wind blowing across Colinton throughout the day and it was rugs and woolly hats for the spectators watching from the boundary edge! First up, we played Grange CC and it very quickly became evident that our bowlers were not on form: we bowled around 24 wides and some front foot no balls (this is unforgiveable), and so gifted them nearly 50 runs out of their total of 88 in their 10 overs. In addition, there were some glaring fielding errors in this game and the next one, and we did manage to edge past their total with 5 balls remaining thanks largely to Arlo’s undefeated 25 retired out – another fine knock by him. A win is a win, but our bowling really would have to improve if we were to go any further in the competition.

Sadly, it did not.

The group decider was against Belhaven and we would need to be on top of our game if we were to win and get to the final. The need to not bowl down the legside was stressed and really focus in the field. We bowled first and although we did reduced the number of wides we bowled, it was still well in to double figures and there were also some front foot no balls thrown in for good measure. At 76-2 after 9 overs, the game was finely balanced, but we conceded 28 in the final over which was to prove costly. In reply, Hamish and Arlo batted very well, and although we fell behind the rate we ended up 10 runs short which was a good effort, but there was a sense of ‘what ifs’ and ‘what might have been’. We were more than a match for them, and on another day, who knows, but we were not precise or accurate enough when the pressure was on, and we needed to be stronger in those key moments of the game. Another lesson learned, which is the beauty of cricket – always a chance to learn from performances and this was one of these opportunities!

The 3^rd/4^th Play Off was against St Mary’s, and the cold was beginning to bite and everyone watching was wrapped up even tighter in rugs – the vagaries of the Scottish summer for you after we had been sweltering in hot sunshine all week! We batted first and got off to the worst possible start by losing a wicket first ball of the innings; thereafter, there was some rebuilding which was largely done by Jamie who scored 25 before being retired. The wicket had got slower and lower, and Stn Mary’s only had two bowlers, with the rest jogging in and bowling slowly on a length, but they bowled very few extras and they bowled straight. We ended up on 68 off our 10 overs, which was very defendable given the quality of our bowling attack, but I was very nervous due to our propensity for bowling wides throughout the day! We did bowl fewer wides and no balls, to be fair, but it was still in to double figures which meant we gifted them over 20 runs. In a low scoring contest, that was to prove crucial in the end as St Mary’s limped over the line with one over remaining. We effected two excellent run outs in the final moments of the innings which made the end a little tense for the St Mary’s batsmen, but they deserved to win and finish in 3^rd place.

A day of learning, and a chance to reflect on how we perform under pressure, when the heat is on. Today, we were found wanting and we wilted but we should learn from this, and there is an opportunity to put this right up at Glenalmond on Sunday, when it promises to be an excellent day of cricket, with Belhaven, St Mary’s and ourselves very much on a par, but the difference will be which team and perform under pressure.

I am sure we have learned some valuable lessons today, and we have opportunities to put things right with a very busy week of cricket ahead of us this week.

Thank you to Merchiston for hosting us so well and to the parents who came along to support. Hope you have defrosted!