Murky afternoon provides Undies with impetus to iron out batting frailties
The under elevens put up a very brave fight on Saturday afternoon against a good and well-organised Merchiston side.
Winning the toss, Belhaven elected to put the visitors in, and were keen to snaffle a couple of early wickets to put pressure on the opposition’s middle order. Ollie Farr bowled well, and took the first wicket with the score on just 6.
But Merchiston had some strength to come, as first their top order, and then two players in their middle order set about the bowling. Belhaven responded with their best bowling display of the season, though it was Jamie and Ollie Farr who were having the most success. In fact, The first six wickets fell to these two, and with good support from Geordie Younger, Angus Harley, Will Plowden, Hughie Brooks, and the promising Kit Gordon Cumming, the
boys stuck to their task. Merchiston were eventually bowled out for 169, with Belhaven bowling an impressive 33 overs in under an hour and a half.
Ollie and Jamie Farr made a bright start in reply, but when Ollie was (needlessly?) run out after failing to ground his bat, Merchiston clearly smelled blood. Hughie Brooks, was once again stubborn in defence and to the great credit of the Belhaven middle order, they showed far greater resistance than in the previous two games, not just in defending but, when Angus Harley and Tom Wright came to the crease, in taking the game to the opposition. With those two together, the game could have been a far closer affair, and both looked solid in defence and very aggressive in attack. The game was finely poised as the clouds overhead began to loom darker and darker.
Wickets at crucial times win games, and when Angus and Tom fell, the momentum had definitely swung towards the visitors. With an hour or so of the game left only a few wickets were needed.
At this stage, however, the rain began to fall, and while
it is true that it is far better to play out the full match in the full time, the heavy shower did at least go someway to creating a more exciting finish. With the ball now wet the Merchiston bowling attack found accurate deliveries more difficult to come by and with half an hour to go in the match still needed four wickets to stop Belhaven achieving an unlikely draw. Three quick wickets from the rejuvenated opening bowler put paid to these hopes, but not before a few nerve-jangling moments in the field.
Better batting, then, will be the key in the coming matches. The bowling attack is developing well, the fielding markedly improved on the previous two performances. Who, then, will step up to the mark and prove that they can make more than a quick fifteen or twenty? This is all we need.
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