News Useful Info Fixtures/Reports Profiles Averages Records Results Forum Links Largo CC Contact List U15: Dick Dakin U13: Ian Brown U11: Willie Anderson Dave Robertson Ian Scott Rob Tooze		The players, parents, and Largo fans forum for expressing opinions, airing views and sharing experiences related to junior cricket at East Drive. If you wish to add an opinion/article/view please send it to Ian Brown A View from the Boundary 3 (TEST MATCH SPECIAL’S VISIT TO EAST DRIVE ---- A DREAM) - Posted on 25th Sept 2007 by Mr I Scott Not Lord’s or The Oval. Not Fenner’s or Arundel. Not England versus Australia. Not the Duke of Norfolk’s XI versus Lashings World XI. It’s East Drive and Dakin’s Debs. versus Broon’s Bairns. My Dear Old Things! Who could resist “Daker’s” invitation to come to the Kingdom (the furthest North T.M.S. has ever been) to commentate on what is certain to be another epic contest in the legend of “Dakin and the Largonauts”. Wicket looks in excellent condition “Boycs”? Certainly does “Blowers”. Should be a batsman’s paradise! In my opinion (and I’m always right) I could have seen myself score a run every couple of overs on this wicket when I were in my prime. One of the best bits of carpet I’ve seen although it looks a bit green and it could take some turn from the rough patches where the bird poo hasn’t been completely swept off. Dickie’s peacocks been up on holiday? When they’ve finished with it do you think I could have it for the parlour floor? Jolly good strawberry tarts! Must be Stuarts of Buckhaven. As the dappled sunlight falls on the pavilion the openers for the “Bairns” make their way to the wicket to the accompaniment of rapturous applause from the large crowd (David’s Dad, Laurie’s Mum, Albert, who hasn’t gone home for his tea yet, and Stella the Club cat). The lowing of cattle in the adjacent meadow and the tolling of the church bell…… scenes from Gray’s Elegy? A pastoral idyll to gladden the heart of all Englishmen……err….. all of you Scotch…. Oh! Gosh! Now there’s a rather splendid ‘bus passing along the main road….. shades of cream and brown in the evening sunshine. Young Anderson to face the first ball: Anderson a batsman less likely to give up his wicket than Boycott to let you see the inside of his wallet. Non-striker is Tooze Junior, Largo’s Alex Stewart - captain - wicketkeeper - batsman. One of three Tooze at the Club or is that six? What fun “Johnners” could have had! Aqaf Ahmed and Warrender Minor to open the the bowling. Aqaf and some other fellows in the team are up at Buckhaven High… “Dakers” was a French master there. “Buckers” is a rich source of cricketing talent in the area he tells me…..much like Eton, my old school. Is that a swallow? A pigeon you think Aggers? Jolly thoughtful looking one any way. I say you’ve got a rather ghostly pallor Fred! Nice tidy spell by these lads. Always told thee it were a side on game ,‘Enry. Good coaching at this Club. Have them bowling 100s of balls each practise night with bags of coal on their backs. Just like when I were a lad……none of your mamby-pamby bring the physio on “I’ve got a twinge” stuff….no pasta for these lads….plenty greasy chips, burgers and fizzy drinks…. Change of bowling “Bearders”? Paterson on for Ahmed from the” East Drive End “and Grieve to replace Warrender from the “Cow Field End”. Ahmed 2 overs -1 maiden- 0 for 1………strike rate this season is………. And Tooze has gone! Simply marvellous catch by Shafique from the last ball of Patersons over… just when he was looking settled and playing some delightful shots…… jolly sad really. The bowling change has worked splendidly for the “Debs”. Leicester’s making his way to the wicket. Never a slow starter….the “pinch-hitter”of the team. The “Bairns” are expecting some lusty blows from this chap. Where’s Anderson going? Retiring to give the others a bat? Jolly sporting I’d say. Wonderful forward defensive. Left-hander Humphries replacing Anderson. Coping with all of these changes “Bearders”? …Leicester’s gone. Gone without troubling the scorers! Hugely disappointing for his team and the crowd but another wicket for Paterson and a good catch by Rioch. Where does “Dakers” get them? Scott takes his guard as some rather frisky calves cavort in the adjacent meadow and there goes another delightfully livered bus. .....Oh! I say some splendid scoring shots played by this pair Geoffrey? Well “Blowers” the bowlers are just not getting the ball in the right areas. It must be in that corridor of uncertainty. Old Fred would be turning in his grave. Line and length, lads, line and length. The “Debs” have brought Shafique into the attack to replace the tyro Grieve. A rather intimidating figure as he bounds in from the Cow Field End to bowl to the relatively diminutive D. Scott who plays him away off his legs. Well this is quite extraordinary! Humphries has been run-out in Boycottesque fashion by his partner. There was no way that young Scott was going to be the one walking back to the pavilion. Well done lad. Got to look to your batting average. Let t’others look to theirs. How do scorers at this Club keep up with these constant retirals by batsmen “Bearders”? Chaps coming and going even more frequently than Boycott tells us how good he was! Martin, Brown and Price have come and gone, retiring after brief cameo innings supporting D.Scott. All appear to have taken to the bowling of Nash and Rioch. Too much width I fear. Ritchie and McFarlane gone without troubling the scorer. Ritchie well caught by Warrender from the bowling of Johnstone and McFarlane bowled by the impressive Paterson in his second spell. L. Scott left on 1 Not Out at the close of the innings. Well C.M.J. not a big score to chase? By no means a huge target. 78 is probably below the par score for this wicket although the target could have been even smaller but for the profligacy of the “Debs” bowlers. 30 wides! The “Bairns” will probably back themselves to defend this total given the strength in depth of their bowling and they are undoubtedly a very efficient fielding unit. A close run thing I fancy with everything depending on the duel between Dakin’s big “big-hitters” and the guile and skill of Brown’s relatively small bowlers. Warrender Major and Basher Ahmed prepare to open the “Debs” account as a sea fret starts to roll in along the Forth. Haar!? That would have been an excellent word for “the Alderman” and “B.J.’s” word game. Reminds me rather of those hazy days at the Scarborough Festival Geoffrey? The haze were probably more to do with John Arlott’s claret than any mist from t’sea. Warrnder to face as D. Scott prepares to bowl. He stands contemplatively at the end of his run-up, ball held in both hands as if praying to gods of line and length, swing and pace. Scott glides down the slope jewellery glinting in the last of the evening sun…………………….and Warrenders gone. Beaten for pace and the “Debs” are 1 for 1. Leicester to bowl to Basher as he pounds up the slope from the “Cow Field End”. Contrasting physiques and actions but Leicester and Scott look like a useful pair to bowl in tandem. A bye from the over and now Basher on strike to Scott……… …..and Bashers gone. Not sure that he even saw that ……………. Drng! Drng! Drng! Come on get up! Time to go to work. A View from the Boundary 2 (BEACH CRICKET) - Posted on 5th May 2007 by Mr I Scott On a late spring evening as one stands developing the early stages of hypothermia watching your youngster practising for “the summer game” thoughts turn to balmier climes…….to holidays, to sun, sea, sand, perhaps even a little sangria and naturally cricket on the beach. I say “naturally” as all self-respecting Largonaut supporters would surely allow their child to pack a bat and some balls in their holiday luggage in order to maintain or even improve their form while away from East Drive. (Pads, helmet etc. are probably not required and are likely to incur parental wrath if not an excess baggage charge if flying.) The Ship Inn, Elie is rightly famous for its beach cricket matches but Largo too must have a long association with cricket on the beach as our club badge shows Robinson Crusoe (or Mr. Dakin) being bowled by a Malinga-like ball from Man Friday as they batted and bowled away the hours/years on the beaches of the Juan Fernandez Islands circa 1707!!! Cricket on the beach should be a fun, seemingly simple activity, requiring only a few resources - a batsman, a bowler, a bat, a ball, driftwood for stumps and a stretch of sand. Surely there should be nothing easier than finding a suitable strip of sand where you and your Largonaut can play out a few overs between cooling dips in the sea no matter whether you are on the Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa Fife or Costa Plenty. Dream on!! Spoiled by the fine quality of the wicket/carpet at Largo (Axminster I’m told) your Largonaut will demand a strip that will give similar bounce and pace. Consequently you have to spend the first few days of your holiday studying the local tidal range, times of high and low tides, average daily temperatures and rates of evaporation to establish when and where there might be “22 yards” which is neither too wet or dry to bounce a ball on. Local coastguards, fishermen and lifeguards may be able to help with this semi-scientific approach to the problem provided you share a common language. Alternatively you could simply establish yourself at a beachside bar for the day, watch the tide ebb and flow along with the cold beers and send the Largonaut out at regular interval to attempt to bounce a ball on those golden acres of sand. Problems solved? Unfortunately not! Where’s the boundary? As the wicket will undoubtedly run parallel to the shoreline the boundary on the seaward side will constantly change with the tide (unless you’re on the Med.) while on the beachside one mound of sand soon starts to look like any other, the line separating wet and dry sand advances up the beach as temperatures rise and your sandcastle markers are kicked over by macho, muscle-bound beach bums who are entirely un-intimidated by the little plank of wood you wield in your hands. With no neutral umpire to hand (mum doesn’t get involved if she has any sense) disputes may arise resulting in fractious Largonauts stomping off in the huff and later seeking vengeance by burying you in the sand as you snooze after a lunchtime refreshment. Travel to all the many and distant parts of “the Empire” and the locals will instantly recognise when a game of cricket, even beach cricket, is taking place. They will avoid walking down or across the wicket, give you room to play your most extravagant shots and they may even politely ask to join in. Alas this is not the case with the majority of our European cousins who have been sorely deprived of an introduction to this wonderful game primarily because Britannia did not conquer/ acquire /subjugate /colonise them!!! Continentals do not seem to understand that the short stretch of beach between a line drawn in the sand as the bowling crease and three bits of driftwood stuck in the sand as stumps is yours. It is your Lords, Oval or East Drive. It is not to be trampled on by passing joggers, power-walkers, dogs with or without their owners, beachcombers, pram-pushers….. who can destroy your wicket even more effectively than Sajid Mahmood does running down Test ones. Further difficulties arise when “helpful “ passers-by kindly stop the ball going into the sea and so prevent you from getting four runs or when topless bathers wander across the wicket to and from the sea causing momentary loss of focus as Malinga Junior hurls a vicious “Yorker” at your bare feet!! Perhaps cricket on the beach isn’t such a good idea after all. A” PSP” or “Game Boy” with “Brian Lara Cricket” might be a better option. A View from the Boundary - Posted on 16th March 2007 by Mr I Scott “THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO BEING A LARGONAUT SUPPORTER” or “HOW TO SURVIVE THE JUNIOR CRICKET SEASON WITHOUT FROSTBITE, SUNSTROKE, ULCERS OR A HEART ATTACK." Forget bleaching the “whites”, sanitizing the ”box” or oiling the bat for your youngster. This is the time of the year when you should start getting your Largonauts-watching kit together. What to wear? Before deciding on your attire it is probably a good idea to accept that your car/van/bus will have to serve as a mobile wardrobe for the duration of the season. Fitting a rail for hangers and installing a shoe/boot rack may be seen as excessive but not entirely a bad idea. The vagaries of the weather are such that, even during the course of one evening, you have to be prepared for all eventualities………..shorts, sunhat and sandals may well have to be replaced with thermals, woolly hat and fur-lined boots. If you have a “space blanket”, survival bag or old sleeping bag these could be useful especially for visits to away grounds early in the season! Hypothermic Largo supporters may still lie behind the sight screens from last year. Brollies are useful as “rain doesn’t always stop play” and make excellent windbreaks. A Mary Poppins flying over Largo kirk would be wonderful! Bring your own chair At Largo visitors generally have priority use of the “shoogly” benches and “electric” chairs (it’s only static) so bring your folding one: 20 overs per side makes for a long stand. Alternatively spread a blanket on the ground, lie back, relax and let a well struck “four” or a galloping fielder thump you! (Just don’t think about the weedkiller, fertiliser and dogs.) Nutrition/ Drinks Supplies of hot and cold drinks are required (see vagaries of the weather above) as well as quantities of milk and/or chalk based drinks to counteract the effects of your developing ulcer brought on by (1) your natural concerns about your Largonauts performance and (2) the mad dash you have had to feed your Largonaut sufficient amounts of pasta as recommended by the Club, get their kit as well as pals and their kit, into the car and off to the match. Fortunately if you have followed the advice your own gear is already in your mobile wardrobe/car! Rally Driving Skills These are needed due to the tight time frames set to get to venues some of which are even better hidden than East Drive. “Sat. Nav.”, appropriate O.S. maps, Google searches and a good sense of direction are all useful especially when seeking out a new ground! In addition to all the other “clobber” you already have in the car you may wish to carry a few emergency flares to set off if totally lost in some obscure estate where your mobile might not work Extras For the fanatical Largonaut supporter another item which may add to your enjoyment of the game is a set of Infrared/night vision glasses. These can help you see those final overs played in virtual darkness due to the late starting of the match or the time wasted by bowlers taking inordinately long, but generally inefficient, run ups. (A large torch or spotlight may be equally good.) Staying Calm. Close finishes are a Largo speciality in all forms of junior cricket and you must not get overly excited. Is this why a significant number of coaches have completed emergency First Aid courses? Remember it’s only a game!!! Will-power Essentially the ability to say “No” to finding that you are being drawn into the warm, friendly atmosphere of Largo Cricket Club and, suddenly without realising it, finding yourself with scorers book in hand, attending coaching courses, writing reports and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. ROLL ON THE NEW SEASON