1st XI slip into relegation zone after East Kilbride defeat

Greenock 1st XI v East Kilbride
Western Premiership Two
Saturday 18th July 2026

Greenock 1st XI 176   A McGuirk 62, TA Matthews 52; M Afzaal 3 for 21, A Sidhu 3 for 32
East Kilbride 180 for 3   S Abbasi 58*, S Kakar 30

Greenock 1st XI (1 pt) lost to East Kilbride (25 pts) by 7 wickets

Scorecard

As the warm sunny summer weather continued, the 1st XI fell to another disappointing defeat, losing to East Kilbride by 7 wickets. The importance of this result can be seen as East Kilbride have now moved up to 6th place in the league table on 37.77% while Greenock have slipped to the 9th place on 32% with just Hillhead beneath them on 22.40%. The 7th and 8th positions are occupied by Helensburgh on 34.54% and Mearns on 32.72%.

With each team having six games still to play, the likelihood is that these positions will change several times before the season ends. The 1st XI still have to play three of these teams, fixtures which will, in all likelihood, determine the club’s fate.

As to the game itself, captain Toby Matthews won the toss and elected to bat first. Usman Mansoor and Cammy Calder opened the batting but Mansoor was quickly dismissed, lbw to Afzaal for just 2. Shailesh Prabhu came in next but his innings was brought to an early close when he was run out for 8 in the 9th over. When Calder gave a catch to Sidhu in the next over, the team were struggling at 31 for 3.

The Club's two overseas amateurs, Adam McGuirk and Toby Matthews, now set about rectifying the situation. They took their time, moving the score forward slowly but surely. At the halfway point, it stood at 91 for 3, with McGuirk on 31 and Matthews 19. The next over saw a shift in the momentum with Matthews taking 18 off Mahmood, hitting one 6 and three 4s.

McGuirk was the first to reach his half-century in the 32nd over and Matthews did likewise in the next over. Hopes of a really substantial total were slightly dashed when Matthews fell at the start of the 35th over, bowled by Sidhu for a well-compiled 52. The score was now 149 for 4 and the pair had added 118 together.

Pandher fell for just 4 but at the end of the 40th over, the total had reached 167 for 5 and a total of over 200 was feasible. But McGuirk's dismissal for 62 put paid to that idea and the remaining wickets only added 7 runs as the side were bowled out for 176, a total that was likely to be below par. Afzaal with 3 for 21 and Sidhu with 3 for 32 were the main wicket-takers for East Kilbride.

East Kilbride began their reply facing the left-arm pace bowling of Dinarkheil and Mahmood Ahmadzai and made steady progress reaching 41 for 0 in the 11th over. The bowles made the breakthrough in the next over, Calder bowling Osman for 8, having replaced Ahamdzai in the attack. Muhibullah Ahmadzai then replaced Dinarkheil who had bowled 7 overs for just 14 runs before in the 16th over, Calder claimed a second victim, having Kakar caught by Thapa for 30.

Matthews came on in the 20th over but the bowlers could not separate Abbasi and Kampman. After 27 overs, the total had reached 98 for 2. Matthews tried other options but McDougall and Pandher both conceded double figures in their only over and the momentum was now completely with East Kilbride. However a third wicket was captured in the 34th over when Matthews bowled Kampman for 24 but the target was now down to 37 with plenty of overs in hand.

Abbasi and Mughal quickly knocked off the runs, being severe on Dinarkheil on his return to the attack and the winning runs were scored in the 39th over. Abbasi finished unbeaten on 58, an innings which contained 11 boundaries, and Mughal on 21. Calder with 2 for 21 and Matthews 1 for 34 in his 10 overs were the team's wicket-takers.

A disappointing result for the team with the lack of support for the Australian amateurs and the inability of the attack to put East Kilbride under any real pressure being contributing factors.

Next week, the team are away to second-placed Uddingston in what will be a very tough fixture at a ground where they have struggled in recent years.