Too little, too late for Greenock
Greenock 1st XI vs Drumpellier
Drumpellier 184 (0 pts) (HGJM Kulatunga 58, G McLaren 37, AW Rawlinson 35; LR Butterworth 4 for 29)
Greenock 188 for 1 (10 pts) (LR Butterworth 81*, C Bellwood 70*)
After the pain of Saturday, came the feeling of 'why' for Greenock as the team gained their most emphatic win of the season with a nine wicket hammering of Drumpellier, only for the victory to be a rather hollow one as it failed to lift the Glenparkers out of the relegation zone, as would have been the case if Stirling County had been beaten on Saturday.
Drumpellier lost the toss and batted first knowing that if they could beat Greenock then they could have the chance to climb above Stirling and avoid relegation. So there was still much to play for in this final SNCL Premiership match.
Greenock’s bowlers dominated for much of the Drumpellier innings however, with Luke Butterworth showing the class which has taken him into the reckoning with the Australian test selectors. He picked up four wickets for 29 with two victims clean bowled and another two trapped LBW.
The Drumps professional Kulatunga scored a fine 58 runs before being bowled by Hislop and, along with McLaren (37)and Rawlinson (35), got the Langloan side to a respectable 184 before the team was all out in 44.2 overs.
In reply, Greenock were never in trouble. Only one wicket was lost, that of Prabhu, LBW with the score on 33, as the runs were piled on at a swift rate. Chris Bellwood and Aussie Luke Butterworth put together a partnership of 155 with a display of fine batting which brought victory in just 36 overs. Butterworth was unbeaten on 81 with Bellwood also not out on 70 as Drumpellier fell through the trap-door into the Championship along with their conquerors.
What would Greenock have given for an innings such as this in either of their two previous play off matches. But that now is history, and relegation to the SNCL Championship the reality, as a season of rained off matches and missed chances has caused Greenock to drop out of the Premiership.
