Greenock overwhelmed by Watsonians
Watsonians vs Greenock 1st XI
Greenock 1st XI (0 pts) 59 (SJ Chalmers 5 for 26)
Watsonians (10 pts) 60 for 1 (R Flannigan 32*)
Where to begin (Part I of II)? Greenock duly lost by 9 wickets against high-flying Watsonians on Saturday but it was the manner of the defeat which left Club President David Campbell in a state of shock and awe with what he witnessed at Myreside.
Greenock won the toss and rather surprisingly batted on a sporting track but perhaps skipper McLaren was worried about inserting the home team and then being forced to watch them bat Greenock out of the game especially as opening bowler Rowan was injured.
Anyway long story short. At 2 for 2 after 7 balls it was already, as the character Hudson exclaimed in the movie Aliens, “game over, man.” Hislop (18) took the score to 30 for 2 after 9.3 overs before the visitors decided that enough was enough and embarked upon a catastrophic collapse which would have made both Enron and Lehman Brothers seem like solid, dependable well run companies. In the next 56 balls Greenock contrived to lose their remaining 8 wickets for the addition of just 29 runs to reach the giddy heights of 59 all out including 12 extras in an innings which lasted, if one could say that, 18.5 overs in 91 minutes. Stuart Chalmers was the star with the ball with 5 for 26 off 6 overs.
Tea was dispensed with as the home team set about chasing down the required 60 runs for victory. In the end they consumed a mere 8.3 of the available 50 overs to complete the task as they smoked no fewer than 11 boundaries for the loss of the unfortunate Easton (10) who saw his pull shot caught by Wylie on the boundary which prevented the ball going for a maximum. Flannigan pummelled 32* and Kiwi professional, Tim Weston, helped himself to 15 not out to seal the rout.
Watsons now sit proudly at the top of the table ahead of Grange by virtue of a better net run rate whilst Greenock continue at the bottom with their impersonation of Charles Atlas holding up the rest of the division. Ah well things could only get better on Sunday when the locals hosted the National Academy. If only that were true.
to be continued .....
