1st XI face keen encounter with Kelburne

The 1st XI are at home to Paisley side Kelburne at Glenpark on Saturday in a vital match for both sides.

The Paisley side looked favourites for the league title in the first half of the season. Between the beginning of May and the season's mid-point at the end of June, they seemed invincible as the team steamrollered its way through the first nine fixtures including an emphatic win over Dumfries, the current league leaders.

Now, with just three rounds of fixtures left in the league season, it is Dumfries who look certain to take the title and gain promotion back to the Western Premiership One, as Kelburne have had a disappointing second half of the season.

Since a surprising loss to Langside in round ten of the league programme, the Paisley side has faltered in a further two fixtures leaving the door just slightly ajar for others to take the second promotion position.

However, a win this Saturday would almost certainly seal Kelburne's promotion to the Western Premiership One along with Dumfries.

The 1st XI, of course, will be out to defeat the Kelburne side in order to improve their own league position and also to avenge the loss earlier in the season after the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) system handed victory to Kelburne when rain brought an early end to the match.

When on form, the Paisley side has a strong line-up headed by their two South African amateurs, Sheldon Van Wyk and Juan Steyn. But the team has shown a significant inconsistency in its play since its run of nine wins in a row came to an end mid-way through the season.

In the five matches completed in the second half of the season, the team has lost three times and been bowled out for under 90 runs on each occasion - 59 v Langside, 68 v Irvine and 85 v Dumfries.

And in the two matches which have been won, the team has only needed to score to score 100 runs on one occasion - 100 for 1 against bottom club Hillhead.

So, if the homw bowlers can achieve some early breakthroughs in the Kelburne innings and not allow their top order batters to get established, there is every chance that their lower order will fold with little resistance.

Steyn is the Paisley side's main strike bowler. He has taken 34 wickets this season which is almost twice as many as their next most potent wicket-taker. But the team does have a selection of good quality bowlers including the experienced former Greenock player Dougie Wylie, and so the home batters will have to work hard and bat with care to score runs and build their own innings score.

A squad has been named which does not include club captain Greg McDougall who has yet to recover fully from his back injury and so the team will once again be led by Connor Nowlan.

On paper, it is a good strong group of players who, if they bring their best form and abilities to the game on Saturday, will very definitely challenge Kelburne and perhaps delay their promotion hopes for another week.

Last weekend's Western Premiership Two league match against East Renfrewshire was cancelled due to a lengthy period of wet weather in the period prior to the match which made the ground at Giffnock unplayable.

Despite the match being called off, Greenock maintained their fifth top position, but only just. Kilmarnock, who are in sixth top spot, got their game on and won convincingly against Langside, but were still unable to overtake the 1st XI who now hold a slender 1.38% lead over the Ayrshire side.

And with Irvine in fourth top position losing heavily to league leaders Dumfries, only one percentage point now separates them from the 1st XI. So it is all to play for in these upper mid-table positions.

The Glenpark XI face the long journey to Gatehouse on Fleet on Saturday to play Galloway 2nd XI, a team that they defeated with some ease earlier in the season and which has yet to win a league game. Skipper Eddie Ahmad has assembled a strong-looking team which should be good enough to return with the spoils of victory.

Both games are scheduled to start at 12 noon.

The Club is grateful for the continued sponsorship from Cleaning Supplies 4U.