1st XI face Mearns knowing a win secures league safety

The 1st XI will travel through to Stirling on Saturday to play Mearns CC in a match which will decide whether they will remain in the Western Premiership Two for season 2027 or face relegation.

Last Saturday's seven wicket victory over Helensburgh elevated them to eighth position and just above the two relegation positions. A win against Mearns will ensure survival.

It has been a long and frustrating season for the team's supporters with numerous disappointing results which have led to this very nervy ending, as the final match of the season approaches.

While the team has been well-beaten in many matches, there have been a number of games where they could, and perhaps should, have gained full points. None more so than the match against Hillhead just a couple of weeks ago, when an astonishing batting collapse saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Earlier in the season, the team had an emphatic win when they met Mearns at Glenpark. Batting first, the Glasgow side were bowled out for just 92 runs and then the team lost just two wickets as they easily overtook the visitors' target inside just 18 overs. A repeat of this win would be just the ticket.

Mearns began the league season with five straight defeats and seemed destined for relegation. But wins on weeks six and seven of the league programme against East Kilbride and Helensburgh breathed life into their season.

A third win came on week eleven against top four side Langside who batted first and scored 230 for 9 from 50 overs. But Mearns then scored 233 for the loss of 7 wickets in 49.1 overs to gain an impressive win.

A fourth win was gained against Hillhead on the first Saturday in August and looked to have taken Mearns out of the relegation battle. But successive defeats against East Kilbride, Helensburgh and a thumping loss to Uddingston last Saturday has plunged Mearns back to the very foot of the Western Premiership Two table.

However, the wins which Mearns have achieved should be a warning to the 1st XI not to take the match on Saturday lightly.

Stand-in captain for the second half of the season, Toby Matthews, has a strong side available for Saturday's fixture. Back into the team come Cammy Calder and Jamie Nowell, both of whom were unavailable last weekend.

Nowell will return to open the batting along with Chirag Pandher. Their opening partnership two weeks ago against Hillhead produced sixty runs and another such start to the innings would be a perfect platform for the team to go on to make a big score.

Pandher has grown into the opening batting position in recent weeks and worked hard at his game. Two innings in the high 30s in the most recent matches have helped to give his team good starts to the innings.

Calder is a fine all-rounder, and he will add an extra dimension to the bowling attack. He is also a player capable of scoring important runs for then team and where he bats will almost certainly depend on the match situation on Saturday.

But key players, as always, will be the team's two Australian amateurs Adam McGuirk and Toby Matthews. Both are off spin bowlers who have had regular success in picking up wickets during the league campaign. And both are key batters for the team.

McGuirk has been showing good form in recent weeks and scored 55 last Saturday against Helensburgh before being caught in the deep looking to finish the match with a maximum six hit.

Matthews too can spend time at the crease and has regularly made important runs batting at number four in the batting order.

If both of the Aussies can stay out in the middle for a lengthy spell, then they will accumulate runs and help build a total which will either prove challenging for the opposition or take their team to the win which is so important on Saturday.

The team's opening bowling attack in recent weeks has been provided by Chirag Pandher and Adam McGuirk, and the pair have had significant success against Hillhead and Helensburgh in the last two matches.

The early wickets which were gained in these matches put the team on top at the start of these matches. Against Helensburgh it led to the Argyllshire team only managing to reach 102 before being all out.

However, against Hillhead, the good start was not maintained and lower order batters for the opposition enabled the Glasgow side to go on to score 175. The bowlers must ensure that a tight grip is kept on the opposition batting especially if another good start can be made by the opening bowling spell.

This match is now the team's most important match of the season, after last week's game was classed as such. Only a win will do if they are to maintain a place in the Western Premiership Two.

The Glenpark XI are at Glenpark on Saturday for their final game of the season when they take on Hamilton Crescent, who are the third eleven of West of Scotland. The team will be full of confidence after last week's fine win over Anniesland, the first league win of their season. Hopefully that confidence will lead to a further win and provide some momentum for next year's campaign in Western Championship Three. The selected team certainly looks good enough to record another victory.

The Sunday XI were due to be playing Mearns Master on Sunday at Glenpark but the game has had to be cancelled due to vital end of season work that needs to be done on the ground.

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