1st XI at Hillhead for an important fixture

As the league programme moves towards its mid-point of the season, the 1st XI are away to Hillhead on Saturday for the first of three crucial fixtures. The trip to the west end of Glasgow is an important one for the team as it pitches them against a side which, like them, is placed in the bottom half of the league table, and a win is a must.

A positive for the team is a much improved selection situation from last weekend. Opening bowler Fahim Dinarkhiel is available and returns along with all-rounder Chirag Pandher. Both missed last week's match against Kilmarnock due to work commitments. And also in to the team comes the experienced Harry Briggs for the first time this season and who will likely occupy a position in the top five of the batting order.

However, still missing are three important and experienced players in Cammy Calder, Nikhil Kadyan and Shailesh Prabhu.

Hillhead currently occupy joint seventh spot along with the 1st XI, and, with home advantage, will be keen to gain the win which is important to both sides.

The two wins which the Hillhead side have gained from the six Western Premiership Two matches that they have played, have been against the bottom two teams in the league, East Kilbride and Mearns. Other than these two wins, the team from the west end of Glasgow have lost heavily to Uddingston, Kilmarnock, Stirling County and Helensburgh.

The 1st XI have beaten Stirling County and play Helensburgh next weekend, followed by bottom side Mearns to round off the first half of the league programme. Wins against Hillhead and the bottom two would put them in a comfortable league position to begin the second half of the season.

Henry James and Alex Hawley made a couple of good scores in the early matches for Hillhead but have struggled to find form since. Apart from these two, only vice-captain Kesh Soni and Rayyan Butt have shown any sign of batting form with a single good innings each.

The apparent lack of good batting form will be an area for the 1st XI attack to target on Saturday.

The Hillhead bowling attack is perhaps their stronger suit. But while that may be so, out of the six matches played, none of the opposition teams has been bowled out. Not even bottom side Mearns who rattled up 183 runs against them two weeks ago.

1st XI coach, Tom Black, will be keen to impress on his players the importance of batting through the fifty overs and building partnerships, especially if batting first. And when bowling, he will undoubtedly stress the need to bowl accurately and not give away runs and extra balls through wides, as happened last week.

Black will also wish to see the batsmen make a sound start to their innings. All too often this season, the team has lost wickets early which has given encouragement to the opposition bowlers.

Young Usman Mansoor has shown he has the patience to stay around out in the middle as an opening bat. He just needs to learn to keep the scoreboard ticking over thereby supporting his opening partner. Who that opening partner will be on Saturday, if indeed he is asked to start the innings, is an unknown. Various players have been tried at the top of the batting order without any real success.

Adam McGuirk has been the most consistent run-scorer. He has made a number of useful scores but has yet to convert useful into very substantial. Saturday could be his opportunity to do so.

With Cammy Calder still working south of the border for a few more weeks, it is likely that instead of two pace bowlers opening the attack, Fahim Dinarkhiel will be joined by right arm off spinner Toby Matthews.

The Glenpark XI are at home on Saturday against Hillhead 2 and with a more recognisable selection this week, hopes will be high that they can record their first league win of the season.

Sunday sees the Hillend XI welcome Ayr to Glenpark for a Sunday League fixture. They will look for better fortune in this game than occurred in their first Midweek League fixture of the season on Wednesday when JP Morgan defeated them by 17 runs.

The Club is grateful for the continued sponsorship from Ethos Group.