1st XI seek a third win on the bounce when they meet Irvine

The 1st XI travel down the Clyde Coast on Saturday to play Irvine in a Western Premiership Two match at the Ayrshire club's Marress ground. And with two consecutive wins from last Sunday against Accies and in midweek against Renfrew, the side will make the journey with confidence.

After a slow start to the season, the side has begun to show its capabilities. Runs have flowed in the most recent three matches and the team has recorded two fine wins as a result.

The Club's two Australian amateurs, Will Jenkins and Callum Henry, have played major roles in the team's fine performances. The blue skies and warm sunshine has perhaps played a part as both have quickly settled in at Glenpark.

Jenkins is an all rounder and scored 43 runs and took 2 wickets against West on Saturday followed by 4 wickets, including a hat-trick, against Accies on Sunday. And in midweek, he scored 84 not out from just 69 balls faced in the cup match against Renfrew.

Henry scored a magnificent 108 not out as Greenock easily overcame Accies at New Anniesland on Sunday and pouched four catches as wicket-keeper during the three games.

But particularly pleasing has been the contributions with both bat and ball made by numerous other players.

Nikhil Kadyan (36), Sam Sanghera (23) and Ewan Stewart (32 not out) all scored valuable runs last Saturday against West. While on Sunday at Accies Aryan Sanghera (26), Sehmat Pandher (21) and Mo Ahmadzai (18 not out) supported Callum Henry as he made his brilliant century.

On Wednesday evening against fellow Premiership Two team Renfrew, Chirag Pandher with 31 runs got Greenock off to the perfect start in a 112 run opening partnership with Will Jenkins. And Cammy Calder (4 wickets for 24 runs) and Pandher (3 for 12) then helped to seal a fine win for the Glenparkers, as the team made it two wins out of two in the McCulloch Cup.

Saturday's opponents Irvine have not had a good start to their Premiership Two league programme. The Ayrshire side have yet to record a win having lost to West of Scotland, Stirling County and East Kilbride. The result of these poor performances is that they are firmly based at the bottom of the table with just one point from these three matches.

So, the 1st XI, with the form that has been displayed over recent matches, will go into Saturday's match at the Marress ground as favourites.

They have been working hard in training, and the work being done with the club coaches is undoubtedly paying dividends. And with a number of wins now under their belts, the players' confidence is growing.

They will be targeting a win against Irvine and also against East Kilbride on Saturday week. Success in both matches is likely to propel the side into the top four in the league table.

The team for Saturday's match, which will start at the usual time of 12 noon, shows a couple of changes from last weekend's selection but should be strong enough to return with the victory points.

The Glenpark XI are at home on Saturday to Mearns Challengers in what will be a top of the table clash as both sides have so far played three matches and won all three.

Skipper Eddie Ahmad will lead a strong-looking team for the match which will be the team's hardest task of the league season so far but like their 1st XI colleagues confidence should be high. This match will also start at 12 noon.

The midweek cup action saw a comprehensive defeat by 9 wickets for the Glenpark XI at the hands of a strong Meikleriggs XI in the Western Cup on Tuesday evening and it already looks as if the team will struggle to make the knock-out stage of the competition. On the following evening, the 1st XI made it two wins out of two in the McCulloch Cup when they overcame Renfrew by 51 runs, as mentioned earlier. Next midweek, the team travels to play Ferguslie in what will be the decider regarding which team wins their group section of the competition.

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