Henry stars as 1st XI reach the final of the Challenge Cup

Greenock 1st XI v Strathmore
CS Challenge Cup
Sunday 3rd August 2025

Strathmore 163 for 9   M Ali 38, LF Spyer 35, RC Tweedy 32; CS Calder 3 for 28
Greenock 1st XI 167 for 6   CJ Henry 84*

Greenock 1st XI defeated Strathmore by 4 wickets

Scorecard

The 1st XI reached the final of the CS Challenge Cup when Callum Henry's fine unbeaten 84 saw them to a four-wicket victory over Strathmore.

The visitors elected to bat first but lost two early wickets when Ahmed and Kiyani were dismissed within the first six overs with only 24 runs on the scoreboard.

The key wicket of South African batsman Rhys Tweedy was gained when Chirag Pandher had him caught at point by Mubi Ahmadzai for 32 in the seventeenth over.

Thereafter the bowlers continued to regularly disrupt the Strathmore innings with wickets while the visitors made steady progress to post 163 for 9 in their 40 overs.

Cammy Calder with 3 for 28 was the most successful bowler while Fahimgul Dinarkheil took 2 for 35. There was also one wicket apiece for Greg McDougall, Chirag Pandher and Sehmat Pandher.

The 1st XI's reply got off to a fine start with Callum Henry and Aryan Sanghera putting together another half-century opening partnership. The pair had taken the score to 74 before Sanghera was bowled for 24 by Saeed at the start of the sixteenth over.

A couple of overs later and Greenock were two wickets down when Harry Briggs was adjudged caught behind the wicket down the leg side by wicketkeeper/captain Uthman Ahmed.

However, Will Jenkins continued the good start, and he and Henry put on 52 runs in a third wicket partnership which ended when Lorenzo Spyer trapped Jenkins LBW for 26 at the very end of the 28th over.

Jenkins' dismissal with the score on 130 heralded a run of wickets which brought Strathmore back into the game. But Callum Henry continued to dominate play and partnered by Chirag Pandher, his innings took the team to a fine win.

Henry scored 84 runs from 100 balls faced during his chanceless innings. This, allied to three catches behind the stumps during the Strathmore innings catches plus his part in a run out, easily made him the Man of the Match.

Greenock now play Edinburgh CC in the final of the Cup on Sunday 17th August, the game to be played at Stenhousemuir Cricket Club's ground, The Tryst, in Larbert.