Category Archives: 3rd XI Match Reports

The first reunion match between Grammar Former Pupils and Grammar Former Players was due to take place at Harlaw but was changed to Sheddocksley Lower due to pitch unavailability.

The 2016 Aberdeen summer had been and gone during the week but at least it meant that the sometime minefield of a pitch would be dried out, hence the non appearance of the local sniffer pit bulls and their fearless handlers.  Unfortunately  this also meant the outfield would be faster than the ‘experienced’ team of Former Pupils would have preferred while fielding. Continue reading →

The new season saw several new faces and several old faces persuaded to turn out for AGSFP’s 3rd XI for the first Grade 4 match of the season.

Norwood held the innings together

The departure of a number (tbc) of players to a newly formed team and a perfect storm of holidays, exams, injuries etc meant the 3rd XI team of 10 included Canadian Gilles Gardner playing his first ever cricket match, schoolboy debutant Faraj Monnapillai,  two players who have not played since school in Nathan Jones and Bejoy Joseph, experienced schoolboy Matthew McCaughtrie playing his 2nd match for FP’s, very experienced Gary Stuart and Paul Norwood and the very, very experienced bearded duo Mike Hart and Iain Hopkin who were both around when the current fashion for beards was started by their former teammate W.G.

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Despite the lack of victories it had been an exciting if shorter than hoped for season for FP’s 3rd  XI, with two Grade 4 teams unfortunately pulling out of the league during the season. The last game and last chance for FP’s to register their first win over a still competing team was against the Grade 4 newcomers Grampian, who, in their first season in Grades cricket, had already won the Johnston Rose Bowl cup competition and were chasing promotion.

The high point of the season batting wise had been the emergence of  6 ft 7 inch Matt Garratt who had batted head and shoulders above his team mates and who had, despite two scores of over fifty in his previous two innings’s, kept his head out of the clouds. Unfortunately Garratt was unavailable and although his batting would be missed, his extra long reach round the tea table would not.

The team selected from the XXXIII available at the final selection committee meeting punch up of the season was Johnston, Kingshuk Ghosh (wkt, trainee 4G games consultant), Paul Norwood, Aly McDonald, Akil Thanga, Jeston D’Costa, Rajaa Monnapillai, Michael Blues, Agha Haider, debutant schoolboy Matthew McCaughtrie, Shashank Kulluru.

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So far this season FP’s 3rd XI matches have given full entertainment value to the loyal home and away support (Rajaa’s Dad), with 4 matches which could have been won with the last ball bowled. The Johnston Rose Bowl match lost by one wicket, Portcullis lost by 6 runs, Siyapa match tied, and the latest match against Turriff drawn with FP’s only 3 runs short.

Would the Grade 4  match against top of the table Portcullis be the perfect match to break this run of luck and claim  that elusive first win of the season? The team selected was Norwood, Lord Ja. McDonald A. Garratt, D’Costa J. Blues, Lee (wkt) D’Costa L. Thanga, Monnapillai, Johnston.

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The previous two matches had seen FP’s 3rd XI fall just one shot short of beating Grade 4 leaders Portcullis with only 10 men, then fall just one extra short of beating 2nd top Siyapa, tieing the match, again with 10 men, so it was a hopeful 3rd XI 3rd time lucky team of 10 which travelled to play Turriff.

The tieing team showed 4 changes, the new line up Ian Johnston, Paul Norwood, Jim Lee (wkt), Paul McDonald, Rutwik Hegde, Matt Garratt, Mike Blues, Rajaa Monnapillai, Akil Thanga, Leston D’Costa.

The toss was won by FP’s under a sunny sky who invited Turriff to bat first on a beautiful flat, well maintained square, a treat compared to a couple of the ‘wickets’ ‘prepared’  by the council in Aberdeen . The outfield, maintained by the local council, was badly in need of trim or two.

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