1st XI humbled by Ferguslie
Ferguslie vs Greenock 1st XI
WDCU CSL First Division
Saturday 31st May 2014
| Ferguslie | 386 for 2 | K Dabengwa 184, MM English 101*, G Preston-Jones 66 |
| Greenock 1st XI | 108 | ND Flack 44*; H Tahir 4 for 24 |
Saturday’s league match against Ferguslie had been eagerly anticipated but sadly Greenock failed to match the Paisley side from more or less the first ball of the game.
Gregor Preston-Jones and Zimbabwean professional Keith Dabengwa set up a massive total for their team with a magnificent 171 run opening partnership which was achieved in just under thirty overs. It ended when Preston-Jones was bowled by Greg McDougall for 66 runs.
Dabengwa then joined up with incoming batsman Michael English and continued what was a run fest for Ferguslie. The Zimbabwean was in stunning form as he stroked boundary after boundary as well as smashing six maximums (6s) in his innings of 184. His time at the crease lasted almost three and a half hours during which he compiled his mammoth score from just 137 balls. His innings ended in the last of the fifty overs available to Ferguslie when he was clean bowled by Ben Peterson.
Throughout the carnage being wreaked by Dabengwa, Scotland Under-19 international Michael English (101 not out) was steadily accumulating his own high scoring innings and gained a very fine century by hitting the last two balls of the innings over the boundary rope for sixes.
A long afternoon in the field is on many occasions a precursor for a poor batting performance, and so it turned out on Saturday for Greenock. After the tea interval, three wickets were down before thirty runs had been posted with Shailesh Prabhu (14), Jonathan Hempsey and St Lucian, Dwight Thomas all returned to the clubhouse.
Only Under-17 internationalist Neil Flack provided any resistance to the Ferguslie firepower as batting partners came and went and the Glenparkers crashed to 74 for 9 at the end of the 28th over. Last man Ben Peterson then came out into the middle to join Flack and the two compiled Greenock’s highest partnership of the innings. Thirty four runs were added for the last wicket as Peterson, in particular, took the Ferguslie bowling belatedly to task. He whacked three boundaries and one six in a brief, but entertaining fourteen minute spell during which he took his personal tally to 21 runs.
Peterson was caught by Alister Preston-Jones with the Greenock total on 108 and so ended an afternoon to forget for the Glenpark side. The only glimpse of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy performance was provided by Neil Flack who batted throughout the entire Greenock innings for 44 not out.
Ferguslie’s Hamza Tahir returned bowling figures of 4 wickets for 24 runs from nine overs with Alistair Preston-Jones 2 for 27, Matt Kruger 2 for 24, Jamie Carruthers 1 for 15 and Greg Cameron 1 for 11 the other wicket-takers.
