Hillend XI lose out to Ferguslie in low-scoring encounter

Hillend XI 95 (W Jamal 58; G Preston-Jones 5 for 16)

Ferguslie 96 for 6 (T Preston-Jones 39; W Jamal 3 for 20)

The Hillend XI travelled up the M8 to Meikleriggs on Sunday for a WDCU Sunday League fixture with Renfrewshire rivals Ferguslie but were unable to return with a win after what was a fairly low scoring encounter.

The team was the usual mixture of young (under 15 players) and more experienced (some very much so!) with the Ferguslie side mainly in the 18 – 25 age group (plus Tim Preston-Jones).

Greenock batted first and featured one outstanding contribution which came from Waleed Jamal who came in at number four. Waleed hit seven fours, and one huge six into the trees, in an exciting innings of 58, which ended when he failed to connect properly with an effort to add to his number of boundaries and was well caught at mid on as the ball descended from a great height.

As has unfortunately become the norm for Greenock sides this season, the team failed to bat out the full number of overs available and the innings ended after just 29 of the allotted 40 overs with the total on 95.

Gregor Preston-Jones returned the excellent bowling figures of 5 wickets for just 16 runs from his spell of eight overs.

Ferguslie made a slow start to their innings and also lost a couple of quick wickets as the pace of Waleed Jamal proved too great for some of the Paisley side’s top order batsmen. However Tim Preston-Jones anchored the innings and as some of the younger Greenock players were given an opportunity to bowl the score began to develop.

The eventual result was soon in little doubt as Greenock’s quite low total was quickly being reeled in. However Tim Preston-Jones did not last until the conclusion of the innings as with the home score on 63 he was LBW for 39 to young Euan Stewart who bowled extremely well and returned fine figures of 2 overs, 1 wicket for just 4 runs. James Cook with 23 steered Ferguslie almost to the finishing line before he was well caught by Waleed Jamal.

The Hillend XI used nine bowlers with Kieran Wylie picking up one wicket from a good spell of four overs for 17 runs and Alan “Beefy” Currie rolling back the years with one wicket for 7 runs from his 1.3 overs. Waleed Jamal returned for a second spell of bowling after his opening burst and eventually ended with three wickets for 20 runs from 8 overs.

Jamal, with runs, wickets and a catch was clearly the Hillend XI’s “Man of the Match”.