1st XI come unstuck against Dumfries

Greenock 1st XI v Dumfries
WDCU Premiership Two
Saturday 13th July 2024

 Scorecard       

The 1st XI's hopes of continuing their recent good form were dashed on Saturday afternoon when they lost by 5 wickets to league leaders Dumfries at Glenpark. But the side will reflect that the outcome could have been quite different had they managed to bat much more thoughtfully in the second half of their innings.

After 25 overs of the innings, they had scored 102 for the loss of just 3 wickets and were in a good position to set up a high score which would have challenged the visitors. Instead, the side lost its way and added just another 56 runs before being all out with seven overs of the 50 over innings still available.

Dumfries displayed a disciplined approach to the match and showed that they are worthy of their top of the table position. And that position was strengthened further with the news that recent table toppers Kelburne, who had gone unbeaten in the opening nine rounds of the WDCU Premiership Two league, had lost for the second Saturday in succession.

Prior to the noon start, the team got the benefit of the toss of the coin and team captain Greg McDougall adopted a positive approach by opting to bat first.

The innings started well with Connor Nowlan and Aryan Sanghera making a confident start. Nowlan, in particular, was quick to seize on any loose deliveries and in the fifth over smashed three boundaries from opening bowler Hobman to take the home score to 25.

However, Dumfries got a breakthrough in the ninth over when Sanghera attempted to hit Hobman for a second boundary in consecutive balls only to have the bails removed from his off stump.

And just four overs later it was Hobman who gained the prized wicket of Nowlan who is the league's top scoring batsman. The young Australian had moved on to 24 when he got a leading edge to a ball just short of a length on the leg stump and McGrath took a simple catch. It was 'unlucky 13th over' for Nowlan and his team.

Just fifteen more runs had been added when Harry Briggs was judged to have been caught behind on the leg side by South African wicket-keeper Van Zyl who was standing up at the stumps to medium pace bowler Alan Davidson. He had scored 18 runs.

Cammy Calder joined Angus Tolhurst, who scored a century last weekend at Hillhead, and the pair settled into a useful partnership. In just eight overs they added thirty nine runs during which Tolhurst hit one six and two boundaries and Calder hit three boundaries.

But the partnership ended with the second ball of the 28th over when Tolhurst attempted to repeat a shot earlier in the innings when he dispatched Staples over the Fox Street wall for six only to fall, on this occasion, to a good catch by Jabarkhil on the boundary. He had scored 30 and the team were on 116 for the loss of 4 wickets.

The Staples and Jabarkhil combined for a second time to dismiss Calder in the 30th over. The batsman, who scored 18 runs in his partnership with Tolhurst, failed to add any further runs to his own score before being caught by Jabarkhil who made good ground round towards 'cow corner' to take a fine catch.

Sam Sanghera and Ewan Stewart dug in for the next eight overs adding 25 runs giving the team some hope of reaching near to 200 by the end of the innings. But when Sanghera hoisted a good length delivery from Tom McGrath and was comfortably caught by Adam Malik at mid-off for 18 runs, that hope was soon to be dispelled.

In the space of just 20 minutes, and the next five overs, they collapsed from 148 for 6 wickets to being all out for 159 at the end of the 43rd over and, crucially, leaving seven overs unused. It was a hugely disappointing end to the home innings which earlier had provided the hope of setting a very challenging target for the league leaders.

In post-match analysis, they will recognise seven wickets fell to catches, a number of which could have been avoided had shots been more considered and skilfully played. And, of course, seven overs were unused.

The ten wickets were evenly spread across five Dumfries bowlers, but fielder Wahid Jabarkhil is worth picking out for three fine catches, all of which were taken out near the Fox Street boundary.

Dumfries got off to the perfect start when skipper Bellwood dispatched the first ball of the innings from Nowlan to the boundary.

But with only 15 runs on the scoreboard in the fifth over of the visitors innings, Nowlan gained a breakthrough when Malik edged his delivery to wicket-keeper Harry Briggs, who took a good catch low down behind the stumps.

Bellwood and Fergus Bainbridge then settled into a second wicket partnership which added 39 runs in the next ten overs with neither batsmen seeming in any danger against the bowling attack.

However, a change in the bowling line-up at the start of the sixteenth over made an immediate impact. Chirag Pandher came on to bowl his slow right arm off breaks, and with his very first ball got the visitors' second wicket when Bainbridge got a fine edge attempting a cut shot and was caught by wicket-keeper Harry Briggs standing up to the stumps.

But the wicket only brought to the middle Johnathan Van Zyl the Dumfries club's South African amateur who is having a fine season with the bat.

Van Zyl and Bellwood, second and third in the league's batting stats, proceeded to take the game away from the 1st XI as over by over they took the visitors closer to the winning line.

With just twenty four runs needed and with slightly more than eighteen overs remaining, Van Zyl attempted to hit Pandher for a six over the bottom wall, but did not get enough power into his shot and was well caught by Connor Nowlan for 38.

Then with just three runs needed for victory, Bellwood, who had batted with great composure throughout the innings, mis-timed a shot to the leg side and was easily caught by Angus Tolhurst at mid-wicket. The Dumfries captain had scored 60.

The bowlers were still not done and a fifth wicket was picked up three balls later when Ewan Stewart picked up his second wicket as Jabarkhil attempted to finish the match with a big hit only to find the safe hands of Aryan Sanghera at extra cover.

But the end did come in the very next over when Jay Maritz scored the three runs which gave the visitors their tenth win from eleven matches