1st XI v Craigclowan
The first match of the season, against Craigclowan, was played in traditionally freezing conditions and was a strange match containing equal measure of highs and lows.
A timed match, time was against us right from the start when the match began a little late after our navigator missed the turning to Craigclowan’s new cricket venue. Belhaven Hill were put in to bat first and got off to the worst possible start: GIK was run out off the very first ball of the match. What is this called? The first ball of the first innings of the season and he didn’t even face it! Golden, royal, diamond, jubilee duck? Who knows, I call it a disaster and I feel that the batsmen share the blame. Remember that if you do not want the run you may refuse to take it, as long as you call early and loudly.
Things improved after the first ball and both Stods and Ollie played well and kept the scoreboard ticking over. Stods eventually went out after playing across the line which brought Douglas to the crease. Douglas and Ollie then enjoyed a very impressive 60 run partnership. Ollie making most of the runs while Douglas wafted his bat at the ball, occasionally hitting it. Ollie was dropped on about 17 and then again on about 45 which allowed him to go on to score his fifty in his debut match for the firsts. Excellent and the perfect tonic after GIK’s disappointing dismissal. Ollie then went out caught immediately after scoring his fifty. Douglas and Fred added a few more runs before Douglas was also caught. Dougal added none. Neither did Cappy. Nor Angus. Will made 2, Geordie 1, Henry none. So, 111 runs off 34 overs which was quite slow considering the quality of the bowling but probably enough. All we had to do was bowl them out.
Unfortunately by the time, a very excellent, tea had been consumed, there was just over an hour left to play. A run out in the first over got us off to a good start and another in the fourth helped. After that the wickets dried up for a while and it wasn’t until the 16th over that two further wickets were taken. The bowling was generally accurate enough but the boys didn’t attack the stumps enough which is essential to do if wickets are needed. The field placing cvould also have been a bit more aggressive, certainly once it became apparent that Craigclowan had no hope of reaching our score.
Dougal’s double wicket maiden did liven things up for a while and reinvigorated the team. Unfortunately only one further wicket fell (to Cappy) before time ran out and the match ended in a draw.
So, a match of mixed fortunes and feelings. Ollie’s fifty was a high point as was the bowling in general and the positive (and noisy) effort in the field. Some of the batting was disappointing when considering the quality of bowling being faced and the inevitability of the draw with so few overs being bowled was frustrating.
Batting Bowling
|
Tom S
|
12
|
Bowled
|
|
George IK
|
0
|
Run Out
|
|
Ollie
|
51
|
Caught
|
|
Douglas
|
22
|
Caught
|
|
Fred
|
5
|
Not Out
|
|
Dougal
|
0
|
Bowled
|
|
Caspar
|
0
|
Run Out
|
|
Angus
|
0
|
Bowled
|
|
Will
|
2
|
L.B.W.
|
|
Geordie
|
1
|
Bowled
|
|
Henry
|
0
|
L.B.W.
|
|
Extras
|
18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overs
|
Maidens
|
Wides
|
NBs
|
Runs
|
Wkts
|
|
Fred
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
7
|
0
|
|
George
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
|
Henry
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
10
|
0
|
|
Dougal
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
Caspar
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Douglas
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
Craigclowan: 30 for 5 (21 overs).
Total: 111 all out (34 overs)
Result
Match drawn.
Man of the match: Ollie. Well done.
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