Day 1:
It seemed that the first day of Scotland's only home fixture this season in representative cricket would be completely spoiled by the rain, but given little over three hours at the wicket against the M.C.C. at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, yesterday, the Scots did even better than was expected in scoring nearly 300 runs for the loss of eight wickets.

On winning the toss, J. F. Jones elected to bat, presumably taking into account the fact that the M.C.C. depended almost entirely on an all-fast attack. Despite the loss of Ramsden at 3 A, K. McTavish hit out merrily. Later in a dull enough afternoon's cricket, W. K. Laidlaw hit freely while R. S. Hodge, the badminton internationalist, who has been chosen as a bowler, got his eye in and knocked up 50 in half an hour. He was undefeated at the close with 76 to his credit.

Hodge had no fewer than fourteen 4s and a magnificent 6 that almost sent the ball out of the ground. He had a particularly good spell when partnered by S. J. Thomson the Queen's Park and Scottish amateur international footballer, hitting 23 off W. M. Welch in one over.

Yet perhaps more valuable was McTavish's innings. He rallied the Scots from a poor start and, scoring very much faster than his partners, reached his 50 in as many minutes. His gaiety was, however his downfall going out to hit everything, he fell victim to A. D. Baxter. His 69 runs included seven 4s and one 6.

Neither M. J. C. Allom nor A. D. Baxter could work up any real speed for want of a safe footing, and both McTavish and Jones seemed fairly comfortable. Jones was painstaking and slow in comparison with McTavish, as was J. Kennedy, who, however, opened with a 4. The Edinburgh student did little in the way of big hitting thereafter, but batted soundly for over an hour and a half.

After McTavish had left, W.K. Laidlaw helped Kennedy to put on 60 runs in forty minutes. But again it was Baxter who put a stop to the-free scoring, a good ball snicking a bail.

A glance at the scoring will show that there were comparatively few failures amongst the Scots batsmen, although W. Ramsden went out to a surprise "yorker." and A. Paris was " leg-before. " Bowling for the M.C.C, M. J, C. Allom had the best analysis with two wickets for 41 runs, while Welch had two for 43. A. D. Baxter the captain was often severely punished, and his two wickets cost 100 runs.

DAY 2:
The two-days match between Scotland and the M.C.C. at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh , was concluded on Saturday, very much in favour of Scotland, who, in the end, required only 22 runs to win with all their wickets in hand.

Leading by 157 in the first innings, the Scots enforced the follow-on, but, although they dismissed the M.C.C. for 224 in the second innings, there was too little time left in which to score the 68 runs necessary to win, only 46 being hit up in the fifteen minutes remaining for play.

In the M.C.C.'s first innings of 133 only three batsmen reached double figures. They had to bat a man short. W. M. Welch having been recalled south at short notice. Apart from A C. Wilkinson, J. C. W. Wykes, and J. R. Thompson, the side batted badly, and fell easy victims to the Scottish spin bowlers, W. K. Laidlaw and S. J. Thomson.

Laidlaw performed the "hat trick" in the late stages of the visitors' first innings, and ended their effort to avoid the follow on in summary fashion by taking four wickets in five successive deliveries. He had to thank J. F. Jones for his first victim, the Scottish captain taking a hard drive by M J C Allom brilliantly at mid-off with one hand, but A. J. B. Marsham, J. Webster (to complete the " hat-trick"), and A. D. Baxter were completely puzzled by flight and break.

On a pitch susceptible to spin, Thomson was also difficult to play, but his length was by no means as good as Laidlaw's and he was frequently guilty of bowling short.

R. S. Hodge A. Paris and W. R. Dippie, all fast-medium bowlers, - were unsuited by the sodden state of the ground, but each plugged away gallantly though meeting with little success. Dippie had the satisfaction of "yorking" A. P. F. Chapman when the former England captain's score stood at 4 in the M.C.C.'s first innings, and Paris deceived Wykes with an in-swinger in the second innings to strike a good blow for Scotland. Wykes having batted for ninety minutes in compiling 44 earlier on; but Hodge had no success.

A. C. Wilkinson, with 48 and 60 in the M.C.C.'s two innings, was really the saviour of his side, and his classically correct batting was greatly admired. He hit six 4s in the first innings and four in the second. Wykes, in the first innings, and Thompson, in both, also played attractively.

M. Howell and J. Webster put the final closure on Scotland's hopes of forcing a win. Howell was safe and correct in making 47, but, on his dismissal, the M.C.C. were still most likely to be beaten. Webster, however, then took charge, and, keeping A. D. Baxter away from the bowling by the cleverest "farming" he scored 52 out of the 53 added for the last wicket-the remaining run was an " extra "-and left Scotland with a practically impossible task.

In the last quarter of an hour Jones and Hodge hit recklessly and, in spite of the fact that fast bowlers like Allom and Baxter had each five fielders spread round the boundary, had 46 on the board without loss when stumps were drawn. About 2000 spectators were present.

(Article: Copyright © 2013 Cricket Scotland http://cricketscotland.com)