Dollar Cricket Club

This is our year! 💪🏽 🏏

🚨 🏏 Dollar Cricket Club victory over Largo Cricket Club by 19 runs 🏏 🚨

Today we were delighted to welcome Largo CC to Newfield for our 3rd annual match to celebrate the life of a dear friend of both clubs, Ben ‘Beano’ Henderson.

After our visitors chairman (via his captain) passed on some moving remarks about Ben, DCC skipper for the day Bruce Harper opted to have a bat. Adam Buchanan-Smith went on to top score after a powerful and well-timed opening knock of 36. The thick outfield frustratingly limited runs as a number of good shots ran out of momentum just shy of the boundary. JP Ward added to the cause with a quick 21, but with only 3 more scores venturing into double figures we were bowled out in the final over for a below average score of 130. Special mention to young DCC member, Aaron Ross who pulled on the Largo colours today and bowled a very skilful spell.

In reply our handy opening bowling duo of Ben Dryer and Tim Dillon kept the early run rate low, as Dillon cut through the Largo top order with 3 wickets in his first 3 overs. A stubborn 4th wicket stand was finally broken from a well reacted direct-hit run-out from Charlie Dunn in the covers. This was followed up by Ward producing one of the spells of the season (4-21) as he and captain Harper, with the aid of some sensational catching kept us ahead. An all-timer of a low diving catch from Buchanan-Smith at first slip brought the curtain down on an extremely competitive contest as we held on with 19 runs to spare.

Special mention to all those who organised food for the barbecue held during the tea interval. Now let us end where this day began, for Ben.

🏏 NAIL-BITER AGAINST COMRIE CC! 🏏
Yesterday, Dollar CC welcomed our brilliant friends from Comrie CC for a match that truly had absolutely everything—rain delays, a century, dropped catches, and a final-ball thriller! 🌧️🔥

The day started with true club cricket camaraderie; Comrie were a few players short, so several Dollar lads stepped up to supplement their side and ensure the game went ahead. We ourselves were down on numbers this week with many of our youth players currently on international duties for Dollar Academy in Kenya🤝

🌧️ Rain Stops Play (Briefly!)
The Scottish weather tried its best to spoil the party, forcing the covers on after just a couple of overs. But the rain cleared up fast, things dried out, and we got stuck into a fantastic, shortened game where the runs really started to flow!
The First Innings: Dollar padded up and put on a very solid performance, setting a formidable total of 182.

The Chase: Eager to keep the momentum going, we decided to skip tea until after the match and put Comrie straight in to bat!

🪵 Back-to-Back 50s for James!
Following up on his brilliant performance against Glenalmond, James was in absolute peak form once again. He anchored our innings beautifully, fetching back-to-back half-centuries for Dollar! Talk about a man in form. 🎯🔥

😱 A Final-Ball Thriller
Comrie’s chase was spectacular. Backed by a few too many dropped catches from the Dollar fielders (we'll blame the greasy ball! 🤫), Comrie’s number 2 batsman put on an absolute masterclass, smashing a sterling 103 runs! 💯✨

It all came down to a nail-biting, nerve-shredding final ball of the match. Comrie needed a big finish but fell just short, closing their innings on 181—handing Dollar CC an incredibly tight 1-run victory! 🏆🎉

⭐ Another Academy Debut!
The future talent pipeline just keeps on delivering! We were thrilled to give a debut to yet another fantastic Dollar Academy pupil, who made an instant impact on the game by picking up both a catch and a wicket! 🎓🎯
Huge thanks to Comrie CC for a fantastic, competitive day out played in the best possible spirits. It's always a pleasure, gents!

Brewery

🏏 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS: Inspiring the Next Generation! 🏏

Last Wednesday morning, Dollar CC hit the road (well, just across the way!) to team up with Strathdevon Primary School for a fantastic morning of community cricket on the Newfields artificial wicket! ☀️🏫

From 09:00 to 10:30, under beautiful blue skies and glorious sunshine, we welcomed 24 energetic P7 Leavers (both boys and girls) to introduce them to the greatest game on earth.

🧠 Trivia, Drills & A Bit of History!
Led by our young Australian protégé now resident in Clackmannanshire, A***n Gates (18), alongside Nicholas Schellenberg (18+), the pupils dived into a fast-paced, educational, and fun 90-minute session. We covered everything from:

📚 Cricket History: Fun facts about W.G. Grace and his legendary 44-season career!

🪵 The Basics: Learning what bales are, decoding fielding positions, discovering what type of wood a bat is made from, and learning how to take a guard.

🎯 Skills: Every single one of the 24 leavers got stuck in, having a proper go with both bat and ball using the soft balls and gear provided by DCC.

A***n—who was a massive inspiration to the kids after recently smashing a Man of the Match 51 not out on that very same wicket—ran the bowling drills, while N Schellenberg coached the batting end.

🏆 The Main Event: 12-a-Side Clash
We set up a short boundary and a landing zone with cones, brought out the traditional wooden stumps from the DCC shed, and played a cracking 4-over, 12-a-side match with a boy and girl proudly appointed as captains!
For many of the Leavers, this was their first time ever playing a match or stepping onto the Newfields wicket right by their school. Safe to say, the talent was unbelievable. In fact, these young sports stars held more catches in 90 minutes than the DCC did in our last two games at Newfields! 👀🤫

There is some serious sporting potential in this year group, and we truly hope to see a few of them taking up the game!

🇦🇫 A Special Connection to Refugee Week
To wrap up a special morning, we handed out some mini-Afghan flags and keyrings left over from our match against the Afghan Snow Leopards XI, which marked Refugee Week.
We shared the inspiring story of the Leopards' captain, Zainullah, who played on this exact same wicket last week, and detailed his incredible journey to successfully signing for the Scotland National Team! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️

🔮 Looking Ahead
A huge thank you to the Strathdevon PE teacher and form teacher for having us. It was incredibly special for us to see these kids—many of whom we've known for years—enjoying the sport.
If the feedback is positive, DCC hopes to assist with another PE session in August/September for the new P7s, and again next June, encouraging them to come along and use the DCC nets. Our ultimate goal is to inspire and welcome the next generation of youth players in Clackmannanshire! 🪵✨

Harviestoun Brewery

⛳ FROM THE PITCH TO THE FAIRWAY! ⛳

Our match against Strathmore was unfortunately cancelled today, but you can't keep Dollar CC down. Instead of hanging up the whites, we swapped the cricket bats for golf clubs and headed to Muckhart Golf Club for our Annual Dollar Cricket Club Golf Day! 🏌️‍♂️☀️

The sun was absolutely cracking tiles, providing the perfect backdrop for a brilliant team day out and friendly rivalry.

🏌️‍♂️ The Pressure Was On!
The highlight of the day had to be the first tee. With everyone crowding around—plus a few spectators who wandered down from the clubhouse just to enjoy the spectacle—the pressure was well and truly on! There were a few nervous swings, plenty of laughs, and definitely some creative ball flights. 🫣😂

A massive thank you to Muckhart Golf Club for hosting us and to everyone who came out to make it such a great fun day out.

We might be a cricket club, but we also know how to handle a fairway! 🍻 ⛳

Brewery

☀️ WINNING NIGHT AT GLENALMOND COLLEGE! ☀️

Tonight, Dollar CC travelled up to Glenalmond College to take on a formidable combined side of their school 1st XI and faculty teachers.
With several of our usual juniors currently away on the Dollar Academy cricket tour (good luck to the chaps over there! 🏏✈️), we had to call in the reinforcements—making do with a fantastic contingent of our former pupils (FPs) who stepped up beautifully!

The match started in a phenomenal 24°C of glorious Scottish sunshine, and the cricket on display matched the weather. 🌡️😎

🏏 Match Report:

The First Innings: Dollar CC padded up first and put a fantastic score on the board. It wasn't easy, though—the Glenalmond youth showed incredible speed in the field, chasing down everything and keeping us on our toes! 🏃‍♂️💨

The Chase: In response, Glenalmond just couldn't quite get the momentum they needed. The Dollar bowling attack absolutely came into its own, backed up by some surprisingly athletic fielding from our side to seal a fantastic WIN for Dollar CC! 🏆🔥

📊 Scorecard Notable Mentions:
🪵 James put on an absolute masterclass with the bat, retiring on a brilliant 50!

🎯 Dollar Bill was lethal with the ball, tearing through the opposition to claim a superb 3 wickets!

A massive thank you to Glenalmond College for hosting us for another wonderful fixture. A great night of cricket all around! 🥂🪵

Brewery

🏏 THE ANNUAL AFGHAN SNOW LEOPARDS FIXTURE! 🏏

Last night, we welcomed the Afghan Snow Leopards XI for our annual fixture, and once again, it proved to be an absolute highlight of the summer calendar! 🌟
This friendly is always played in the absolute best of spirits, showcasing the incredible community bond between our clubs. The hospitality was next level, featuring refreshing mango lassi at tea and a spectacular curry to finish off the evening. 🍛🍹

🏏 The Action on the Field
It was a brilliant contest from start to finish:

The Leopards' Innings: The Snow Leopards were in fine form with the ball, pushing the Dollar batting attack all the way to their final batsman before their overs ran out.

The Chase: In response, the visitors' batting was nothing short of fantastic. Boundaries rained down all around the ground as they chased down the total to secure a comfortable win. Beautifully played, gents! 👏

⭐ Dollar Standouts

Despite the result, we had some massive individual wins for the club:

Two for Two! Our debutant from last week proved it was no fluke, smashing his second 50 in just his second game for the club! What a signing. 💥

Another Academy Star: We were thrilled to blood another Dollar Academy debutant, who looked exceptionally handy with the ball and fitted right into the side. 🎓🔥

Huge thanks to the Snow Leopards for a wonderful evening of cricket, culture, and camaraderie. We’re already looking forward to next year! 🤝❤️

Harviestoun Brewery