CRICKET — Dramatic First Win For GreenockUddingston 228 for 7 from 50 overs (9 points) DLS par score 111 in 24 overs
Greenock 112 for 4 after 24 overs (25 points)
Greenock win by 6 wickets (DLS)
GREENOCK’S recent improved form was rewarded on Saturday afternoon with a dramatic win over Uddingston in their Premier Division clash at Glenpark. The 25 points gained lifted the Glenpark side off the bottom of the table.
On a warm and sunny afternoon, with Glenpark in superb condition and the outfield lightning fast, it might normally have been the case that the team winning the toss would bat first. But when Greenock won the toss, with the knowledge that there was a possibility of heavy showers later in the day and the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) scoring system may play an important role in the match outcome, Neil Flack elected to insert Uddingston.
Greenock got an early wicket when Shailesh Prabhu took a sharp catch at first slip off the pace bowling of pro Saurabh Bandekar to dismiss Mo Awais (9) in just the fifth over. Opener Sam Allan and Harmanjit ‘Harry’ Singh took the score along to 50 when Greg McDougall trapped Allan leg before wicket for 20.
South African amateur Jimmy Sholto-Douglas joined Singh and a good third-wicket partnership developed. But just as it seemed these two were in control of the innings, Jonathan Hempsey had Singh caught by Harry Briggs for 28 with the score on 108 in the 31st over.
The wicket of Singh brought to the crease Ross Lyons. The Scottish internationalist who has the talent to win games with both bat and ball, was given a second-ball ‘life’ when he was dropped off the bowling of Jonathan Hempsey. But it was only a short reprieve, as Hempsey had Lyons caught by Neil Flack with the Uddingston talisman having scored just five runs.
Jimmy Sholto-Douglas, who had also earlier been dropped, was scoring well and he struck up a good partnership with team captain Gavin Bradley. The pair put on 34 runs and took the score along to 161 in the 40th over when Sholto-Douglas mis-timed a shot off the bowling of Laurens Smit and was well caught by Sam Sanghera for 63. Bradley and Adil Raza put on 51 runs as Uddingston looked to accelerate in the last ten overs of their innings. Raza (24) was the batsman dismissed when teenager Sean Fischer-Keogh took a smart catch off Greg McDougall’s bowling in the middle of the 48th over.
A further 16 runs were added from the final 15 balls of the innings with Uddingston captain Gavin Bradley unbeaten on 54 as the Lanarkshire side finished on 228 for the loss of 7 wickets. Jonathan Hempsey 2 for 33 and Greg McDougall 2 for 56 were Greenock’s top wicket-takers with Saurabh Bandekar, Laurens Smit and Neil Flack also picking up one wicket apiece.
In reply, Greenock got off to the worst possible start losing both Neil Flack and Laurens Smit in the first over to the bowling of Adil Raza. Raza then bowled Harry Briggs with the score on 12 and, when Shailesh Prabhu was brilliantly caught at first slip by Sholto-Douglas from the bowling of Mo Adnam, Greenock were reeling on 24 for 4. F
ortunes then changed as Greenock’s Indian professional Saurabh Bandekar and Jonathan Hempsey built an unbeaten partnership which brought Greenock right back into the game and ahead of the run rate if the match was to run its full course. But, with four wickets down and clouds building and rain obviously imminent, Greenock began the 24th over needing to score eight runs from the over to overtake the DLS score.
Rain began to fall as the over began and Jonathan Hempsey scored a couple of twos from the second and third balls off Sholto-Douglas’s over and then hit a boundary off ball five to put Greenock just one run ahead. With rain now torrential, the umpires took the players off the park at the end of the over, and with no further play possible as the rain continued to fall very heavily and the ground quickly developed puddles in numerous areas, the match was called off and Greenock declared winners by just one run (DLS). So the decision to insert Uddingston had paid off.
Match sponsors Blair & Bryden Solicitors.
Glenpark XI Win Comfortably
Greenock’s 2nd XI (Glenpark) gained a comfortable 82-run win against Helensburgh 2nd XI (Ardencaple) at Ardencaple on Saturday.
Batting first, Glenpark scored 184 for the loss of 7 wickets in the 40-over innings with Mark Farrell top scorer with 36. All the Glenpark batsmen contributed well to the total with Sudeep Chaudhary 26 not out and Ali Calder 24 the other main contributors.
Ardencaple were bowled out for 102 after just 26.3 overs with Jamie Nowell taking 3 for 26, Ewan Stewart 2 for 25, Cammy Calder 2 for 14 and Tom Forrest 2 for 3.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U
