Yet another busy weekend for the 1st XI
Greenock have another busy weekend with both a Premier Division match and also a Scottish Cup second round tie to play. On Saturday the team will make the long journey down to Dumfries and on Sunday travel to Coatbridge to play Drumpellier.
The Glenpark side is on a spell of good form at present. Of the nine competitive matches played throughout the month of May, they have won seven and lost only two, and of the last eight only Ferguslie have been able to beat the locals.
The journey south to Dumfries will match Greenock against a Nunholm side which has had a similar start to the season and so it is important that the Glenparkers play to their best and return with a win. Doing so will improve the local side's league placing and provide further encouragement to the team in their first season back in the Premier Division.
The recent good form will have built confidence within the team, with the win over Ayr at Glenpark last Saturday a particularly satisfying and encouraging one. The full fifty over innings was completed and a decent total accumulated which set Ayr a reasonably challenging target.
Seventeen year old opening bat Harry Briggs held the innings together and the value of his 58 runs scored in around 46 overs cannot be underestimated. He anchored Greenock's innings and others contributed around him.
In what turned out to be a very absorbing afternoon of cricket, it was in truth a real team effort from Greenock which earned the local side their win. Apart from Briggs' batting effort, Kyle Scrimegour with 3 wickets for 18 runs, Louis Ware with 3 wickets for 15 runs, and Chris Hempsey with 31 runs, three catches plus a very sharp stumping were others in the side whose performances were hugely important in bringing about the win.
Saturday's opponents Dumfries began this season's Premier Division with two consecutive defeats away to both Ayr and Prestwick. Since then, home wins against Clydesdale and Kelburne have given the Nunholm team much needed points and they sit side by side with Greenock in the league table.
Former Greenock player Chris Bellwood has been a key player for them in the two recent wins, scoring a very fine and match-winning 88 runs against Clydesdale and 45 not out last week against Kelburne.
In both of these wins, Bellwood has had significant partnerships with Josh Forsyth. These two players provide Dumfries with a strong middle order which Greenock must break through in order to contain any major run-scoring on Saturday. Forsyth has scored around 150 runs in the four Premier Division matches and has made over forty runs in each of the two most recent games.
A number of others in the Dumfries side have shown ability to score runs this season. David Carlton, Niall Alexander, Rob and Tom McBride have all had at least one decent innings, but these players apart no other player has any batting impact.
The Nunholm bowling attack has relied heavily on the performances of Scott Beveridge. Usually second change bowler, Beveridge has taken thirteen wickets to date on league business with 5 for 42 last week against Kelburne and 4 for 35 against Prestwick demonstrating his potency.
The Nunholm ground is one of the most attractive in the country and the wicket is normally a good one. So all is set for a very interesting encounter between two teams whose current league form is almost identical, but which by the end of play on Saturday will have raised one significantly over the other in the league standings. Greenock will be keen to ensure that it is them who emerge with the 25 points.
Greenock have chosen a squad of twelve for the match with Sehmat Pandher added to the team that beat Ayr last Saturday. The match will start at the usual time of 12 noon.
On Sunday, Greenock will make a second attempt to play their second round match in this season's Citylets Scottish Cup competition against Drumpellier at their Langloan ground in Coatbridge after last Sunday's game was washed out. Drumpellier were relegated from the Premier Division last season and have made a disappointing start to their First Division league programme losing both of the games which they have played. However, in the first round, the Coatbridge side overcame Weirs, who are unbeaten in the First Division.
Greenock will need to ensure that they do not approach this game lightly, as their First Division opponents have the ability in their side to provide a challenging afternoon for the Glenparkers.
The prize for the winners of this second round match is a home quarter final tie on 25th June against top Edinburgh side, Grange who overcame Prestwick last Sunday.
Greenock have chosen a squad of twelve, which is the same side that defeated Edinburgh in the previous round plus skipper Jonathan Hempsey, for this match which will start at 12 noon.
The Glenpark XI entertain Deanpark (Renfrew's 2nd XI) at Glenpark on Saturday in the Reserve League First Division. The Glenparkers will be buoyed by their hard-fought victory last Saturday at Kingholm and will be looking to build upon this with another win. However, it won't be easy as Deanpark themselves recorded a fine win over The Tryst last Saturday. The game will start at 12 noon.
Greenock's junior section have a number of matches this weekend. On Friday evening, the Under-11s team play Ferguslie Under-11s at Meikleriggs in Paisley while the Under-15s, who play with Helensburgh, play a joint Ferguslie/Kelburne Under-15s side at Glenpark. On Monday evening the Under-18 side, who are also combined with Helensburgh play a joint Drumpellier/Victoria side at Glenpark.
Glenpark is the venue on Sunday for the Junior inter-district Under-15 match between Western Warriors and Eastern Knights, this match starting at 12 noon.
Also on Sunday afternoon at Glenpark, friends of the late Helen Lawrie will be 'unveiling' a bench seat at the ground in her memory. Local teacher Helen was for many years a stalwart of the Ladies' Hockey Section and her friends will be meeting from 3pm on Sunday at Glenpark.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored this season by Cleaning Supplies 4U.
