Cricket: Carlton back youngster Hunt to outfox city rivals Grange

Eighteen-year-old batsman Nick Hunt has been promoted from the third XI to the first XI after scoring a century last Saturday and Gilmour, who as well as playing also coaches at the Grange Loan club, had no hesitation in calling him up for such a big match.

The encounter at Raeburn Place sees first take on third as the second half of the campaign gets underway and Gilmour said: "Nick is a really talented young cricketer, who has been scoring a lot of runs for Edinburgh Academy at school level and scored a century for the threes last time out so he is in form.

"It might seem like a big jump going from the threes to the ones, but I think he is ready for it and it just shows the strength in depth we have at the club at the moment."

And that strength in depth is going to be tested to the full over the next two weeks with Fraser Watts, Preston Mommsen, Gordon Drummond and Ross Lyons all on Scotland duties at the ICC World Cricket League in Holland.

As well as Eastern Academy member Hunt, Ani Majumdar is given another top-team chance after continuing his good form for the second XI.

He will open the batting with overseas amateur Blake Dean in the absence of Watts and Mommsen and Gilmour believes it is a great opportunity for the duo.

"Ani has been working so hard on his batting as well as his fitness this year. He is often down at the club undertaking extra training and I feel he is good enough to do well in the SNCL.

"As for Blake, he is a guy who has opened in first-grade cricket in Sydney and scored a hundred so it will be good for him to get a chance to spend longer at the crease than he has been used to batting down the order."

Elsewhere in the Carlton side, second XI captain Nathan Pietsch also comes in, while Oli Tame and Charles Legget are back after missing last week's home loss to Aberdeenshire.

Carlton head to Stockbridge having won six of their nine league matches to date this summer with one of the defeats having come on the opening day to tomorrow's opponents.

Gilmour added: "We have had some great tussles over the years with Grange and I am sure tomorrow will be no different. They, like us, are affected by players being on Scotland duty, but they have quality performers and are top of the league. We are looking forward to it."

Grange head into the match off the back of a win against Forfarshire last Saturday but both their top scorers from that game – Oli Hairs and Gregor Maiden – are in Holland along with Neil McCallum.

Simon Smith is also in Holland so Cammy Coles or Iain Worth will keep wicket. Kenny Rae and Drew Weir step up from the twos and Jonny Gray, a former first-team player, is back from a spell in South Africa. Meanwhile, over at Myreside, Watsonians are aiming to keep up their own title challenge against Forfarshire.

The Capital side are looking for their seventh win on the spin and have opening batsman James Easton back to bolster their top order.

Vice-captain Euan Stubbs is unavailable so Ally Fleming comes in after 111 not out for the second XI last week. He will also keep wicket. Andy Learmonth is also involved with Ewan Chalmers on Scotland duty.

Watsonians captain Steve Paige said: "We have been on a good run, but it counts for nothing if we cannot replicate our form in the second half of the season. We are looking forward to the game."

In the First Division, Heriot's host Falkland looking to bounce back from last week's defeats to Arbroath and Uddingston in the league and cup respectively. And Penicuik will be looking to build on last week's first win of the season against Stenhousemuir when they take the long road trip to Ayr.

Edinburgh and RH Corstorphine will be keen to get back to winning form when they host Renfrew and Kelburne respectively in the Second Division. Currently they sit bottom and second bottom respectively.

SMRH, with Jon Kent now fully settled back in Edinburgh, head for Freuchie who they lost to on the opening day of the campaign at Inverleith.

In the East League, all eyes will be on Carlton III in Division Five to see if they can repeat their run scoring feats of last week.

Against Leith FAB II they scored 441-5 and tomorrow travel to Inverleith to face SMRH II.