Greenock batting fails to deliver against West

Greenock 1st XI vs West of Scotland
Friendly
Saturday 22nd April 2017

Scorecard       

West of Scotland gained a relatively straightforward win over Greenock at Glenpark on Saturday as the club failed to find form with the bat and therefore could not set a particularly challenging total for the visitors to chase.

Put in to bat, Greenock's innings stuttered from the start. In just the third over, Kyle Scrimegour was beaten by a fast in swinging delivery from West's experienced opening bowler David McNulty and returned to the clubhouse having scored just 6 runs. And in the following over, Shailesh Prabhu was caught by Nick Boller off the bowling of Gavin Smith.

McNulty and Smith picked up two further wickets to put Greenock in a spot of bother on 38 for 4 after just ten overs. Julian Hulbert was adjudged LBW to McNulty for 6 and Chris Hempsey bowled by Smith for 10.

The Glenpark side could not get any form of partnership built and their troubles only got worse when Harry Briggs appeared to hit the ball on to his pads but was given out LBW for 15. The promising young player had seemed well settled and his dismissal was a blow.

Sehmat Pandher scored an entertaining, quickfire 12 runs but then had his stumps 'clattered' by Anthony Hullatt. He was soon followed by Louis Ware, who had been building a useful innings. The youngster failed to pick a slower ball from West's Sri Lankan professional Hashen Ramanayake, having hit the previous two deliveries to the boundary, and lofted his mis-timed shot to Cammy Gibb who took an easy catch to dismiss him for 20.

Greenock captain Jonathan Hempsey, who made a late decision to play despite a foot injury, came to the middle with his side precariously placed on 82 for 7, and along with Sam Sanghera put on the best partnership of the innings, 35 runs, to take the total to 117 before Sanghera was out to a sparkling one handed, low diving catch by McNulty at mid-off.

Hempsey was the last man out for the home side when he became McNulty's third 'victim' of the afternoon, bowled for 38 to leave Greenock all out for 133 in the 36th over of the 40 over per side match.

McNulty took 3 for 18 from 7.1 overs, Smith 3 for 22 from 8 overs, Ramanayake 2 for 39 from 8 overs with Hullatt and Young each picking up one wicket each.

West opened with James Fennah and Greg Watson and made a reasonably sound start to their innings. But in the sixth over, Fennah attempted to drive Julian Hulbert only to find an edge and the ball flew to Jonathan Hempsey in the gully position and the Greenock captain took a smart catch. Score 25 for 1 and Fennah out for 10.

Watson and pro Ramanayake took the score along with little drama and seemed at ease with the Greenock bowling. But in the fourteenth over with the score having moved along to 63, Watson was LBW to Scrimegour for 24.

Ian Young then partnered Ramanayake, and the two batsmen seemed destined to take their side all the way to the target until the Sri Lankan mis-timed a delivery from Greg McDougall and lofted the ball towards fine leg, where youngster Tom Forrest took a very good catch to send him back to the dressing room for 24.

Young and Nick Boller scored the remaining runs and the win was achieved in the 29th over.

The Greenock team will look back on this match and recognise that it was a failure to build any real partnerships during their innings, and a meaningful total which would challenge the opposition, which cost them this game.