1st XI looking to bounce back when they take on Stirling

The 1st XI return to league cricket on Saturday after the elation following their Cricket Scotland Challenge Cup semi-final win over Strathmore last Sunday. Third top Stirling County are their opponents at Glenpark and will provide a real test for them.

Last Saturday, the team performed poorly against East Kilbride and missed an opportunity to overtake Kilmarnock in fourth top spot. A much improved performance against County just might make a move up the table a possibility for the side.

The fixture between the two clubs earlier in the season was abandoned towards the end of the Stirling innings due to an unrelenting heavy downpour of rain which made further play impossible. At that stage Stirling had scored 170 for the loss of 5 wickets and had another ten overs available to bat.

Saturday's team shows a couple of changes from the one which lost to East Kilbride. In come Harry Briggs and Sehmat Pandher, which should bolster the batting line-up, and Pandher will also offer another bowling option for the team. Bryceland and Leema drop down to the Glenpark XI.

The loss to East Kilbride was a big disappointment for the players and the Club supporters. The players know that their individual performances were not good enough and they will be keen to show that lessons have been learned. Too many wickets were needlessly given away and opening bat Callum Henry was not given the support that his innings deserved.

Only twenty five overs were used out of the fifty available when the team were bowled out for just 117, and had wickets not fallen in the manner that they did, the team could have been on course to challenge the East Kilbride total.

One positive from the match was the opening partnership between Callum Henry and Aryan Sanghera. For the fifth time in a league match this season, the opening pair put on a fifty plus run partnership at the top of the batting order. And they did it again on Sunday against Strathmore with a 74 run partnership.

Good batting partnerships are a feature of big innings which players must try and create more frequently further down the order, and, if they can, then more high scores can be achieved.

Another positive from recent matches has been the impact of the opening bowling partnership of Fahimgul Dinarkheil and Cammy Calder. The pair have been consistently picking up early wickets in recent matches putting pressure on the opposition.

Stirling County come to Glenpark in a clear third top position in the Western Premiership Two table. There are just eight percentage points separating them from Renfrew in second top position. So there remains an opportunity for the county side to gain promotion back to the top division.

Three key players in their batting line-up are team captain Manav Malik, former Arbroath United player Bryce Carnegie and Eliot Bunn who joined them from North Yorkshire side Rawton.

Malik, who bats in a top middle order position, is County's top scorer with over 350 league runs. Carnegie has scored over 330 runs this season, while opening bat Bunn has scored a century against West of Scotland at Hamilton Crescent.

Ali Mubarak will almost certainly open the bowling for County. He has been a consistent wicket-taker for the team this season with 27 wickets to his credit. Bunn is also a useful bowler and has taken 17 wickets at an average of 10.53.

The team received a confidence boost last Sunday with the win over Strathmore to reach the CS Challenge Cup final. Once again it was a fine innings, this time of 84 not out, from Callum Henry which was the key to the victory. If he can once again be in top batting form, and be supported by others in the side, then the team will certainly provide third top County with a match which will be hard fought.

The Glenpark XI travel overseas to the Isle of Bute to play Bute County & Cowal on Saturday. With just four matches of the league season remaining, the side are at the top of the Western Championship Three league table and are six percentage points clear of second top Clydesdale Bees.

Bute County & Cowal are at the opposite end of the table with just two wins from eight matches completed. But the Rothesay team can be a very dangerous opponent depending on the side which is able to turn out. They have had a very inconsistent season due to availability of players. But if former Greenock 1st XI player Louis Ware and former Greenock 2nd XI players Mark and Guy Crichton are available, then the Glenpark XI will need to be at their best to gain the 25 points and maintain their top of the table position.

Skipper Eddie Ahmad looks to have a strong-looking team at his command which certainly has the capability of winning the game provided they do not become complacent.

The Hillend XI play their final Sunday League fixture of the seaon on Sunday when they welcome Ferguslie to Glenpark. Last Tuesday, they turned in a most disappointing performance against Woodhall East Kilbride, being bowled out for just 54 runs and losing by 50 runs. A much improved performance will be needed on Sunday for the game which will start at 1pm.

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