Heriots inflict heavy defeat on Greenock
Greenock 1st XI vs Heriot's FP
Greenock 1st XI 114 (0 pts) (C MacKellar 3 for 18, A van Niekerk 3 for 25)
Heriot's FP 115 for 1 (10 pts) (C Kent 69, ST Knox 31*)
Following two successive weekends of cancelled matches due to the miserable May weather, Greenock finally got back into playing mode on Saturday when third placed Heriots were visitors to Glenpark. However, the enforced layoff and lack of match practice was evident as the team went down tamely to the Edinburgh team in a relatively low scoring game.
Heriots won the toss and asked Greenock to bat on the Glenpark wicket which has been waterlogged for weeks and which was only just able to be played on thanks to the arrival of summer on Friday. The day-long sunshine and very warm temperatures helped to dry out the square sufficiently to allow a wicket to be prepared and cricket to be played.
After a promising start by openers Chris Bellwood and Andy Hislop, and with just 17 runs on the board, former Greenock player Sean Weeraratna trapped Bellwood leg before wicket. Then with only a further three runs added Van Niekerk captured the prized wicket of Richie Berrington by having him caught behind without scoring.
These two wickets gave Heriots tremendous encouragement and the Greenock batsmen struggled to get runs. Hislop became van Niekerk’s second victim of the afternoon when he pulled a short ball high and handsome straight to Weeraratna at deep square leg in front of the Clubhouse.
Willie Rowan and Alex Baum then looked to be compiling a decent partnership until Baum was adjudged caught behind by Smith from the bowling of McKellar with the score on 52. Rowan almost immediately followed Baum into the clubhouse when he hoisted a drive straight to McKellar at mid off to give Van Niekerk a third wicket of the afternoon.
Ryan Begley gave a simple chance to wicket keeper Smith to take Greenock to 56 for 6 before a partnership of almost thirty runs from Jonathan Hempsey and David Thomson gave some hope that the local side might after all compile a score which would give the bowlers something to bowl at. However Hempsey was well caught in the slips by Weeraratna for 16 and thereafter it was only Thomson who was able to keep the scoreboard moving along. But when he ran out of partners on 114 the innings ended. Thomson was unbeaten on 25.
Heriots made their intentions known right from the first overs of their innings when their opening pair of Steve Knox and Chris Kent repeatedly hit the Greenock bowlers Rowan, Berrington and Bellwood for boundaries. After twelve overs Heriots had amassed 91 runs without loss. Kent in particular was in free flowing form but one attempted boundary too many ended with him being well caught at deep mid off by Alex Baum for a very entertaining 69 runs.
The remaining 24 runs were compiled without any further loss and Heriots gained a victory which maintained their position in third top place in the Premiership while Greenock slipped back two places at the other end of the table.