DOLLAR COLTS CRICKET TOUR – MAY 2008

A selection of Form III cricketers were invited to take part in a three match tour of North East England.  After an extended net practice our first fixture against Durham School took place.

Dollar won the toss and elected to field first.  Although Melling struck twice in his opening overs, Durham settled and began to build some effective partnerships.  They batted confidently helping the home side to a formidable score. 

In reply, Dollar got off to a good start but wickets soon fell and the innings stalled as the visitors fell behind the asking rate.  Dollar fell well short in the end but the team had took some valuable learning points away with them.

vs Durham

The following morning, the squad arrived early at the Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street to witness the county championship match between Durham and Yorkshire.  We enjoyed a guided tour of the ground including the media centre and executive boxes as the pros prepared on the outfield for the day ahead.  A special highlight was standing in the middle of the square before play began and watching England’s Ashes heroes Hoggard and Harmison go through their paces either side of us. 

With Harmison

The next match against Newcastle Royal Grammar School followed a similar pattern to the day before.  Dollar inserted RGS and took an early wicket. That was to be the last success for a while as the home batters feasted on a flat track and fast outfield.  Despite the score, Dollar stuck to their task well and made significant progress in many areas from the previous match.  It is very satisfying to watch a team learn from their mistakes.  In the second half, although the target was formidable, the Dollar batsmen regrettably showed little application and all too often gave their wickets away cheaply, resulting in a heavy loss.  

To put the first two games into context, it must be noted that the home sides elected to field ‘Select XIs’, chosen from their best players from years above and below who qualified as under 15.  Had we also taken a ‘select’ squad we would also have been considerably stronger.  Nevertheless, it was a valuable opportunity for the Dollar boys to compete with high quality cricketers on top class pitches.

vs Newcastle

Our last fixture was on a drizzly Saturday morning against Dame Allan’s.  For the third match in a row, Dollar fielded first.  Dollar put together a fine bowling and fielding display - on a helpful pitch - to restrict the home side to an achievable target.    It was never going to be straightforward as the conditions were in favour of the bowling side, and the wet outfield meant less than full value for shots.  Put under pressure early on, the Dollar batsmen applied themselves well and a display of controlled aggressive batting ensured that Dollar were always in control, winning the game with a couple of overs to spare.   It was great to end on a high note with a victory over a true year group side.

vs Dame Allan's

The squad were impeccable ambassadors for the school and confirmed to those south of the border that Scottish schools’ cricket is alive and flourishing.  The boys worked hard at improving every aspect of their game and relished the challenge of focussing on cricket for a few concentrated days.  I trust this will have been a memorable experience for them. 

Mark Robson
May 2008

Results

Durham School U15 Select v Dollar Academy U15
Durham 197-7 (30 overs)    Dollar 107-9 (30 overs)    Durham win by 90 runs

RGS Newcastle U15 Select vs Dollar Academy U15
RGS 206-4 (30 overs)    Dollar 75 all out (27 overs)    RGS win by 131 runs

Dame Allan’s School v Dollar Academy U15
Dame Allan’s 82-8 (20 overs)    Dollar 86- 3 (17.5 overs)    Dollar win by 7 wickets