1st XI end season with home fixture with Renfrew

The 1st XI are at home this Saturday for their final fixture of the Western Premiership Two league programme for the 2024 season. Opponents are Renfrew, who currently sit in third top position just less than one full percentage point above them sitting fourth position. So there is still something to play for in this final match.

A further factor which will add some extra interest for the match will be the follow on from the meeting of the two sides at the end of June.

On that occasion, the neutral umpire allocated for the match called off and so the two teams agreed to umpire the match using their own players.

The 1st XI batted first and had scored 108 for the loss of just 3 wickets after only 17 overs had been bowled in the 50 over innings, with Connor Nowlan unbeaten on 76. At that point in the match there was a disputed run out decision following which the Renfrew side walked off the pitch, refused to continue and so the match ended.

The Western District Cricket Union (WDCU) awarded the match and points to Greenock. Renfrew appealed the decision, but this was recently dismissed when a national appeal panel unanimously agreed with the original WDCU decision and awarded the match and points in Greenock's favour.

The top two positions in the league table are now unassailable and Dumfries and Kelburne will gain promotion to the Western Premiership One league for season 2025.

The third top position will be determined at Glenpark on Saturday, should the ground manage to overcome the lengthy spell of wet weather which has soaked the area over the last couple of weeks.

Both teams have had an inconsistent season with neither side managing to string a good run of wins together at any point over the summer.

Renfrew have completed fourteen matches during the league season and won eight of these games. In each of their meetings with the top two teams, Dumfries and Kelburne, they were very heavily defeated but the team gained their best win of the season against fifth placed Kilmarnock, winning by twenty one runs in a very high scoring match.

Renfrew's top player has been their Bangladeshi professional Myshukur Rahman. He has scored over 500 runs and taken 23 wickets during the league season. Also useful for Renfrew are Farhan Khan and Hussanain Haider who have contributed well with both bat and ball.

The 1st XI, of course. will be keen to finish the season with a win to gain third top spot in the league table.

With conditions likely to favour the bowlers, skipper Connor Nowlan will hope to win the toss of the coin, insert Renfrew and bowl them out for as low a score as possible. If however, it is the Renfrew captain who wins the toss and asks the 1st XI to bat, then the home batters will need to work very hard to ensure that a competitive total can achieved from their innings.

Much may depend on the two young Aussie players who have been a mainstay of the side during the season. Connor Nowlan and Angus Tolhurst have both scored centuries over the summer and feature in the top ten batters in the Western Premiership Two stats. A final flourish of runs from them both on Saturday would be a fine way for them to end their stay at Greenock.

Chirag Pandher played an important innings in the recent win over second top Kelburne. He was unbeaten on 30 and provided vital support to Angus Tolhurst as the pair reeled in the Paisley side's total to gain a fine win. Pandher has been a fine all-rounder for the team, particularly in the second half of the season, and his contributions against Renfrew will be important on Saturday.

The evergreen Sam Sanghera has overcome a number of injuries and is in the side. He will be keen to contribute a number of overs and also some runs and see the team finish the season with a home win.

The 2024 season has brought a number of the Club's younger players to the fore - Aryan Sanghera, Inam Khan, Cammy Calder, Ewan Stewart, Usman Mansoor, Mo Ahmadzai, PJ Bryceland. The experience they have gained augurs well for the future.

On Saturday, they feature in the selected side and will have the opportunity to end the season by beating 'The Ferrymen' and lifting the side into third top position in the league.

Of course, the weather might just yet prove to be the factor which prevents Greenock from having that opportunity.

The Glenpark XI also play their final match of the season on Saturday, travelling to Garscube in north-west Glasgow to take on Milngavie 2nd XI. The ageless Peter Robertson is in charge this week and will hope to end the season on a high note. He leads a strong-lookng team which should be good enough to achieve the double over their opponents.

Both games are scheduled to start at 12 noon.

The Club is grateful for the continued sponsorship from Cleaning Supplies 4U.