1st XI chase Cup success on Sunday after meeting Renfrew on Saturday

On Saturday, the 1st XI are at home to second top Renfrew as the Western Premiership Two league programme moves into its final few weeks of the 2025 season. And on Sunday, they travel to Larbert for the Cricket Scotland Challenge Cup Final against Edinburgh CC.

Saturday's visitors Renfrew will be keen to gain a win to maintain their hope of overtaking West of Scotland and winning the league title, while the 1st XI will be keen to defeat their Clydeside rivals and perhaps move up the table into fourth top spot.

As well as the possibility of winning league points, the match is an opportunity for the players to gain valuable match practice prior to Sunday's match.

However, Saturday's team is without a significant number of regular 1st XI players. Unavailable are both Aryan and Sam Sanghera along with Harry Briggs, Chirag Pandher, Shailesh Prabhu, Fahim Dinarkheil and Mubi Ahmadzai.

Much may therefore depend on those who are the experienced 1st XI players. In particular, Callum Henry, who has had an excellent season with the bat, will be needed to have another good innings. And other players such as Cammy Calder and Will Jenkins will be batsmen the team will hope to have extended stays out in the middle.

Making a first appearance for the season will be former 1st XI captain Jonathan Hempsey. He led the team to the First Division Championship in 2016 and his experience will be important on Saturday.

Sehmat Pandher and Greg McDougall will be important bowlers for the team which will be missing a number of players who normally are the mainstay of the attack.

Among a number of Glenpark XI players who are being elevated into the 1st XI is Kurakulasuriya Leema who top scored with an innings of 69 against Bute County last weekend. Leema is also a slow left arm bowler who will be called upon for a spell with the ball.

Visitors Renfrew have completed nine league matches, winning eight and only losing out on DLS to league leaders West of Scotland on the last Saturday in July.

Last Saturday, playing against East Kilbride at King George V Playing Fields in Renfrew, the match was apparently abandoned not long after the tea interval midway through the match. East Kilbride had set a very challenging target having scored 272 for 5 and in reply Renfrew were 28 for the loss of 2 wickets when the game was prematurely halted.

Renfrew possess a number of hard hitting batters whom the 1st XI will do well to contain. Ali Hamza, Hussanain Haider, Nipunada Gamage and Farhan Khan are key players for Renfrew and Haider, Gamage and Himanshu Sharma are their top wicket-takers.

On Sunday, a strong side is available for the CS Challenge Cup final against Edinburgh CC at the neutral venue of Stenhousemuir CC, The Tryst, in Larbert.

Edinburgh CC is a relatively young club, having only been established in 2000. The Club's 1st XI play in the East of Scotland Cricket Association (ESCA) Division One and is currently in second top position having enjoyed a good season winning nine of the eleven league matches completed and is less than three percentage points behind league leaders Penicuik.

Muhammad Khubaib and Daud Ahmed are their two top performers with the bat while Khubaib and Hazrat Bilal lead the way with wicket successes.

All the regular 1st XI players who were unavailable for the league match with Renfrew are in Sunday's team for the final. It is a side which, if the players are fully focussed and play to their potential, has every chance of bringing the CS Challenge Cup back to Glenpark.

The east v west final has the makings of an entertaining match. The Club are taking a good number of supporters through to The Tryst and will give the local team plenty of vocal support during the afternoon.

The Glenpark XI will hope to maintain their top of the table position in the Western Championship Three when they travel across the Clyde to Millburn Park in Alexandria to play Vale of Leven on Saturday.

The selected team shows a number of enforced changes due to the impact of the unavailability of a number of players in the 1st XI.

Team captain, Eddie Ahmad will be keen to ensure that the side which does take to the field at Millburn Park puts in a sound performance which is able to maintain the team’s top of the table position.

On Tuesday evening at Glenpark, the Hillend XI gained a comfortable win over Milngavie 3. Batting first, the Hillend XI scored 112 for 9 and in reply Milngavie 3 were bowled out for 74.

This win hoisted the Hillend XI up to 3rd top spot in the Midweek League Division Three table, having won four out of seven completed matches.

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