Carlton win Murgitroyd T20 Cup again

Carlton defeated Forfarshire by 31 runs in the national final of the Murgitroyd Twenty20 Cup after both sides had crushed their semi-final opposition by more than 100 runs. Fraser Watts (pictured above with Cricket Scotland President Bob McFarlane) collected the trophy for Carlton for the second time in three years of the competition.

The day dawned cloudy but dry, and there were some minor drizzly periods during the morning, but by mid-afternoon the sun came out to provide perfect conditions for the Scottish showpiece of the shorter club game.

Hosts Poloc Cricket Club had prepared a superb arena, the usually lush outfield cut down to a short and pacey height, with the entire surrounding environment as pin-neat as anyone could wish. A mobile catering van called Pakora Junction was even on hand to offer exotic fare for starving stomachs.

On the field, the first semi-final featured Carlton and Greaves Clydesdale, winners of the Masterton Trophy and Rowan Cup in their respective regional competitions. Carlton got off to a good start and never really looked back as, led by Preston Mommsen's 71, they headed for a total of around 160-170. But an amazing final over yielded 28 runs, with Ross Lyons hitting three sixes and a four before getting out, and the final-ball six took the target to 196. This demanded a quick getaway for the Clydesdale batters, but at 13-5 after three overs, the game was already finished, though the Titwood team scraped their way to 66 before being all out.

The second semi-final was scarcely less one-sided as APD Dumfries failed to cope with the challenging total of 160, thanks to Umair Mohammed's 63* and Craig Wallace's 40. The Doonhamers slumped to 55 all out.

And so the stage was set for the Big Game between Carlton and Forfarshire. Ryan Watson called incorrectly, and Fraser Watts opted again to bat first.

Leading the charge for Carlton were Blake Deans (52 from 45 balls) and, later on, Scotland skipper Gordon Drummond (37 from 35), but there were fewer big hits as Carlton accumulated their final total of 152 for the loss of eight wickets.

The question was: could Forfarshire raise their game to meet the challenge? The answer came quickly, as Ryan Watson squirted an innocent-looking delivery from Drummond straight to Ali Evans at point, caught for a duck. And, although Wallace, Matty Parker and Mohammed (undefeated again) all made 30+, none dominated the bowling - particularly the steady left-arm spin of Ross Lyons, who accounted for the first two as he logged a match-winning 3-15 from his four overs - as well as a stunning, running throw for Drummond to execute a perfect run-out. Forfarshire made a brave effort to reach the target, but ended 23 runs short.

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