CRICKET — Greenock Lose One And Win One Over The WeekendGREENOCK’S pre-season warm-up matches were completed over the weekend with a loss to West of Scotland on Saturday and a win over Renfrew on Sunday.
Greenock 133 all out
West of Scotland 137 for 3 wickets
West gained a relatively straightforward win over Greenock at Glenpark on Saturday as the local side failed to find form with the bat and therefore could not set a particularly challenging total for the visitors to chase.
Put in to bat, Greenock’s innings stuttered from the start. In just the third over, Kyle Scrimegour was beaten by a fast in-swinging delivery from West’s experienced opening bowler David McNulty and returned to the clubhouse having scored just six runs. And in the following over, Shailesh Prabhu was caught by Nick Boller off the bowling of Gavin Smith.
McNulty and Smith picked up two further wickets to put Greenock in a spot of bother on 38 for 4 after just ten overs. Julian Hulbert was adjudged leg before wicket (LBW) to McNulty for six and Chris Hempsey bowled by Smith for 10.
The Glenpark side could not get any form of partnership built and their troubles only got worse when Harry Briggs appeared to hit the ball on to his pads but was given out LBW for 15. The promising young player had seemed well settled and his dismissal was a blow.
Sehmat Pandher scored an entertaining, quick-fire 12 runs but then had his stumps ‘clattered’ by Anthony Hullatt. He was soon followed by Louis Ware, who had been building a useful innings. The youngster failed to pick a slower ball from West’s Sri Lankan professional Hashen Ramanayake, having hit the previous two deliveries to the boundary, and lofted his mis-timed shot to Cammy Gibb who took an easy catch to dismiss him for 20.
Greenock captain Jonathan Hempsey, who made a late decision to play despite a foot injury, came to the middle with his side precariously placed on 82 for 7, and along with Sam Sanghera put on the best partnership of the innings, 35 runs, to take the total to 117 before Sanghera was out to a sparkling one-handed, low diving catch by McNulty at mid-off.
Hempsey was the last man out for the home side when he became McNulty’s third victim of the afternoon, bowled for 38 to leave Greenock all out for 133 in the 36th over of the 40-over per side match.
McNulty took 3 for 18 from 7.1 overs, Smith 3 for 22 from 8 overs, Ramanayake 2 for 39 from 8 overs with Hullatt and Young picking up one wicket each.
West opened with James Fennah and Greg Watson and made a reasonably sound start to their innings. But in the sixth over, Fennah attempted to drive Julian Hulbert only to find an edge and the ball flew to Jonathan Hempsey in the gully position and the Greenock captain took a smart catch. The score was 25 for 1 and Fennah was out for 10.
Watson and pro Ramanayake took the score along with little drama and seemed at ease with the Greenock bowling. But in the 14th over with the score having moved along to 63, Watson was LBW to Scrimegour for 24.
Ian Young then partnered Ramanayake, and the two batsmen seemed destined to take their side all the way to the target until the Sri Lankan mis-timed a delivery from Greg McDougall and lofted the ball towards fine leg, where youngster Tom Forrest took a very good catch to send Ramanayake back to the dressing room for 24.
Young and Nick Boller scored the remaining runs and the win was achieved in the 29th over.
The Greenock team will look back on this match and recognise that it was a failure to build any real partnerships during their innings, and a meaningful total which would challenge the opposition, which cost them this game.
Renfrew 97 all out
Greenock 98 for 1 wicket
Sunday afternoon’s match at Glenpark against Renfrew, provided an opportunity to give a number of 2nd XI players a game before competitive matches begin this coming weekend. Renfrew too fielded a very mixed side for this friendly.
The visitors won the toss and elected to bat. Openers Hafeez and Mukayman were quickly dismissed with the former bowled by Sam Sanghera for 13 and the latter caught and bowled by Greg McDougall for 13.
The experienced Parvase Majeed and Renfrew captain Taral Khasiya steadied the innings for a while by adding 23 runs before Khasiya was caught and bowled by Ewan Stewart for 7.
Majeed and Rafay Khan then put together the side’s best partnership which was ended when Jamie Nowell trapped Majeed LBW for 16 with the score on 67. And the loss of Majeed signalled a collapse in the visitors’ batting. Just 30 runs were added for the loss of the remaining six wickets.
For Greenock, Jamie Nowell and Julian Hulbert each picked up two wickets with four other bowlers gaining one wicket apiece.
In reply, Greenock gave their two new young Australian players the opportunity to get some batting practice and they both took advantage of their opening position. Scrimegour and Hulbert showed good technique as they scored quite freely against the Renfrew attack.
Just when it looked like the two Aussies would see Greenock to a ten-wicket win, Hulbert was bowled by Rafay Khan for 28. Scrimegour was unbeaten on 41 as Greenock reached their target in the 20th over.
Next weekend sees the start of competitive action and Greenock will welcome Uddingston to Glenpark for their first match on return to the Premier Division.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U
