The Gala Foxes made the away trip to face Edinburgh Southmuir Sharks at Inch Park on Monday night for their first match of the season.

Batting first, Gala made a positive start before losing opener Ellie Wilkie who was bowled by Kiely for 3. Keiran Singhtoor and Robbie Paterson then put on a good partnership, with both players playing some nice shots before Singhtoor was dismissed for a well made 16.

A boundary filled partnership then took place between Paterson and new partner Sam McAneny. The pair both went onto retire not out following excellent scores of 31 and 39 respectively.

This brought Maisie Maceira and Ruaridh Anderson to the crease who put on a good partnership, with Maceira making a well made 16 unbeaten. Finlay Skeldon was unlucky to be bowled for 1 and Fred Leslie finished the innings not out.

In reply, Edinburgh South got off to a good start with batsmen Khadsy and Kiely putting on a good partnership and playing some nice shots between them before retiring not out. However, Gala fielded well and though some good bowling, managed to break through and take some wickets later on. Bailey Paterson and Finlay Skeldon both picked up 1 wicket each. However, it was Fred Leslie, making his debut for the team along with his brother Will, who was the pick of the Gala bowlers, taking 2 wickets for just 4 runs from his 2 overs. Gala managed to restrict the home side to 44 for 5 from their 16 overs, winning the match by 76 runs.

Many thanks to the parents of the players for making the journey to Edinburgh and to Stuart Skeldon for coaching the team.

Scorecard

GALA FOXES INNINGS

• E.Wilkie ct A.Khadsy b S.Kiely 3
• K.Singhtoor ct S.Kiely b A.Khadsy 16
• R.Paterson retired not out 31
• S.McAneny retired not out 39
• M.Maceira retired not out 16
• R.Anderson not out 0
• F.Skeldon b K.Miller 1
• B.Paterson not out 0
• F.Leslie did not bat

Extras – 13

Gala Foxes 120 for 3 wickets from 16 overs.

Edinburgh South bowling

• S.Kiely 3-0-7-1
• S.Zia 3-0-17-0
• A.Khadsy 2-0-15-0
• O.Henderson 3-0-33-0
• A.Khadsy 2-0-22-1
• S.Rawat 1-0-10-0
• D.Fletcher 1-0-11-0
• H.Miller 1-0-4-1

SOUTHMUIR SHARKS INNINGS

• S.Zia run out 3
• A.Khadsy retired not out 11
• S.Kiely retired not out 12
• O.Henderson b B.Paterson 0
• A.Khadsy b F.Skeldon 1
• D.Fletcher b F.Leslie 0
• H.Miller b F.Leslie 0
• D.Richardson not out 0
• S.Rawat not out 0

Extras – 11

Southmuir Sharks 44 for 5 wickets from 16 overs.

Gala bowling

• B.Paterson 3-0-10-1
• E.Wilkie 2-0-6-0
• R.Anderson 2-0-13-0
• F.Skeldon 2-1-6-1
• F.Leslie 2-0-4-2
• R.Paterson 2-1-3-0
• K.Singhtoor 1-0-3-0
• S.McAneny 1-1-0-0
• M.Maceira 1-1-0-0

A Gala XI welcomed visitors Heriot Watt University to Meigle Park on Sunday in our first pre-season match of this year.

Batting first, Gala made a composed start opening with 1st XI opener Finlay Rutherford and experienced batsman Graeme Ormiston. The pair were going well until a small mix up resulted in Rutherford being run out. Ormiston was joined by other first team opener Siddhanth Siddhu who also started well but was then caught for 11 trying to accelerate. Robbie Irvine also departed cheaply leaving Gala 3 down.

Sebastien Loumeau then came to the crease and he and Ormiston put on a fine partnership, with the latter retiring after a well made half century. Loumeau began to play some big shots on his way to an excellent 49 not out. The Gala tail was well restricted by the visitors and Gala finished on 153 for 7 from their 35 overs.

In reply, Heriot Watt never got going and the Gala bowlers restricted runs and took wickets at regular intervals. Tight bowling from Scott Paterson and Liam Skeldon in particular proved troublesome for the visitors as they went on to claim 3 wickets each in a pair of excellent bowling spells. Other bowlers chipped in too, with James Boyle, Sidd Siddhu, Seb Loumeau and Robbie Irvine all taking 1 wicket each.

*scorecard names not complete due to lack of score book info.

Scorecard

GALA INNINGS

• F.Rutherford run out 12
• G.Ormiston retired not out 50
• S.Siddhu ct unknown b unknown 11
• R.Irvine LBW unknown 10
• S.Loumeau not out 49
• S.Paterson run out 0
• H.Rutherford b unknown 4
• C.Thomson not out 0
• R.Paterson ct unknown b unknown 0
• J.Boyle
• L.Skeldon

Extras – 8

Gala 153 for 7 from 35 overs.

HERIOT WATT UNI INNINGS

• Devon ct F.Rutherford b S.Paterson 1
• Dan LBW S.Paterson 0
• Dylan b R.Irvine 0
• Fahmad b S.Paterson 1
• Lachlan b S.Siddhu 32
• Ben b L.Skeldon 1
• Adarzh LBW L.Skeldon 0
• Srivath b L.Skeldon 10
• Ben run out 14
• Cav not out 0
• Archie not out 0

Extras – 6

Heriot Watt Uni 54 all out from 18 overs.

Gala Bowling:

• S.Paterson 3-1-2-2
• R.Irvine 2-0-2-1
• L.Skeldon 3-1-5-3
• R.Paterson 3-0-20-0
• C.Thomson 2-0-13-0
• J.Boyle 2-0-12-1
• S.Siddhu 1-1-0-1
• H.Rutherford 1-1-0-0
• S.Loumeau 1-1-0-1

We will be running a fantasy cricket competition throughout this season for anyone who wishes to take part.

Entry will cost £5 per person and the prize will be determined by the number of entries.

HOW TO PLAY:

• Pick 6 players to play in your team
• Spend £35 million to make up your team
• The players in your team will score points if they score runs/take wickets & catches
• Players will lose points for poor performance e.g. a duck
• The winner is the team with the most points at the end of the season!

The club is happy to announce it will host a free All Stars Cricket come and try session on Friday the 7th of May from 5 to 6pm.

All Stars Cricket is a summer programme aimed at introducing children aged 5 to 8 years old to a new fun activity. All newcomers are welcome as are those who have already signed up for this year’s programme. It is a good opportunity for your child to see if they would like to join the programme this summer!

No sign up is required on the day, simply turn up! Parents are also more than welcome to stay and join in the session!

We are offering parents of children 5 to 8 years old the chance to win a free place for their child for this years All Stars Cricket programme being ran at the club.

To enter, please go to our social media pages (can be accessed from our homepage) and like, share and tag two other people in the comments to spread the word!

Please note that if you have already booked a spot for your child you may still enter the competition. For more information about all stars cricket please go to: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – The Official Website of the ECB

Training Information

Training for Gala CC senior players will start on Monday the 12th of April with COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures in place. Training will be from 6:15pm to 8pm and will take place every Monday and Thursday evening from the start date next week.

New members and players are always welcome at the club. If you are a cricket player new to the area or a local looking to try out a new sport, then you are more than welcome to come along or contact us for additional information.

All players attending training are encouraged to re-familiarise themselves with club guidance and instructions related to COVID-19. This can be viewed through the file below.

Teams/Fixture Information

The club is still awaiting full confirmation of its fixtures for all senior sides for the 2021 season. The club however will continue to field 3 senior sides this year – the 1st XI who will compete in the ESCA Championship, Scottish Cup, Border T20 and T20 Murgitroyd competitions; the 2nd XI who will complete in ESCA Division 7 and the Sunday Development XI who will play in the ESCA Sunday League.

It is hoped that fixtures will be fully confirmed soon, including the prospect of friendly warm-up matches before any league matches.

We are happy to share that junior training for the 2021 season will start on Tuesday the 6th of April at 6pm at Meigle Park. This year, the club will continue to run age groups at under 12, under 14 and under 16 level as well as our All Stars Cricket Programme for 5 to 8 year olds.

Due to current restrictions, there are limits on the number of players that can attend sessions – up to 15 for children under 16 and up to 30 for children under 12. For current junior parents, if your child would like to attend training, please contact Stuart Skeldon at [email protected] or on 07724824274. Alternatively, please join our Parents Facebook Group which can be accessed through the link below. This is to ensure we can organise sessions to be within the current COVID restrictions.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/126078194611136/

Information for Upcoming Season

The club will again run age groups at under 12 (with softball and hardball cricket groups), under 14 and under 16 level this season. This season, we have entered an Edinburgh and Lothians under 12 softball league of which fixtures will take place on Friday evenings with home fixtures at Meigle Park and away fixtures within Edinburgh and the Lothians. We have also entered an Edinburgh and Lothians hardball league and the Scottish Cup at under 14 level. These fixtures will take place on a Monday evening and again, fixtures will take place at Meigle Park and different venues across Edinburgh and the Lothians. We have also entered an under 16 team into the Scottish Cup. Friendly fixtures against other Border clubs will take place throughout the season. However, fixtures for each of these age groups are yet to be finalised due to restrictions and season delay. Under normal circumstances, travel to away fixtures was done through a minibus that the club has access to however it is unclear at the moment if this will be possible this season.

In normal circumstances, junior training takes place every Tuesday evening from 6pm for all age groups, with free juice and snacks following every session. Both under 12 and under 14/16 sessions are led by well qualified and experienced coaches. However, due to current restrictions, numbers per session may have to be limited.

Our All Stars Cricket Programme for 5-8 year olds takes place on Friday evenings 5-6pm from the 28th of May for 8 weeks. More information can be found on our website.

New Members

If your child would like to try a new sport this summer and wants to give cricket a go, please contact us. New members are always welcome! Please contact our junior coordinator Stuart Skeldon at [email protected] or on 07724824274 or any of our social media pages. You can also request to join our Parents Facebook Group through the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/126078194611136/

The club is happy to have launched another year of All Stars Cricket in 2021 having run the programme every summer since 2017. All Stars Cricket is an 8-week summer activity programme for children aged 5 to 8 years old and is a great opportunity to develop new skills in a new sport but also to meet new friends.

Each session is jam-packed full of fun activities each week based not only on cricket but key skills that can be transferred to other activities. Included in the £40 cost comes 8, one hour long sessions from qualified coaches as well as a child’s own personalised kit bundle which includes a bat, ball, backpack and cap! The club will be running the programme, as it has done in the past, on Friday evenings from 5 to 6pm, starting on Friday the 28^th of May, and ending on the 16^th of July.

Parents and carers are always welcome to come along and join in if they like!

To sign your child up please follow the below link to our registration page:

ClubSpark / All Stars / Course

Or, if you would like more information on what All Stars Cricket is all about then please visit the below link:

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) – The Official Website of the ECB

Gala CC Bonus Ball rules

• The bonus ball winner is the owner of the number that corresponds with the National Lottery draw bonus ball
• The selected National Lottery draw will be identified at the start of the competition
• Payment must be made in advance of the selected National Lottery draw date
• If any ball(s) are not able to be sold before the draw, a rollover ball will be used in its place. In the event of a rollover ball being drawn in the selected National Lottery draw, the prize money will roll over to the next round of the competition
• Gala CC organising committee’s decision is final
• The monies raised in competition will be split 50/50 between the winner and club
• Prize determined by entry

Entries (£10 per ball) and payment should be made by contacting Josh Irvine (07891108681 or via social media) or email [email protected]

Gala CC is registered with SBC under the Scottish Borders Licensing Board under the Gambling Act 2005.

Promoter: Kenny Paterson, Secretary, 27 Roger Quin Gardens, Galashiels, TD1 3NQ.

A review of the club’s 2020 can be found below to view. Thanks to all of our players, members and volunteers for their efforts over 2020 and to sponsors and supporters for their continued support of the club. We continue to greatly appreciate this.