Chandra Mouli helps Gordonians back to winning ways

Arrowdawn Gordonians Cricket club completed their successful return to the Strathmore & Perthshire Cricket Union (SPCU) after an eight-year absence by winning the Second Division title at Arbroath on Sunday.

Gordonians have had a 100% record all season and went into the final match knowing that 4 points would secure them the Championship.

Gordonians captain Blair Thomson lost the toss and Arbroath elected to bat. It was Thomson who made the early breakthrough, removing Calvin Burnett, caught and bowled for 4. It was the young Scotland international Ross McLean who led the batting attack to the team from Aberdeen with 71, although he was dropped several times before expertly stumped by Tariq Butt off Kyle Humphrys.

The Arbroath batting then struggled to make any impact against the Gordonian bowlers, and it was only Cameron that offered any resistance, Arbroath finally dismissed for 140, with Blair Thomson picking up three of the top five.

In reply, Kyle Humphrys - in his final game - went early to a ball around his legs and it was the partnership of Kapil Laghate and Gordonians' overseas amateur Chandra Mouli that took the game away from the useful Arbroath attack.

Mouli showed the class he has had all season with yet another match-winning innings. His 62* included eleven boundaries and one maximum. He was ably supported by Kapil Laghate, who scored 61 in a great partnership to close the match out at 141 for 1.

This completed a fantastic season for the team based at the Robert Gordon’s College Countesswells playing field in Aberdeen. Top performances came from players such as Kyle Humphrys, Barry Watt and the hard-hitting Chandra Mouli, who produced a vital 105 vs Mayfield earlier in the season to secure a win over their main rivals and finished with 434 at an average of 72.3.

The bowling this year, led by Thomson, has been tight and effective, Rahul Narula being the shining light with 24 wickets at a miserly average of 6.

This is but step one of this ambitious club’s plans to reach the higher levels of SNCL and bring the standard of cricket deserved by such a fantastic cricket facility.

Club captain Blair Thomson, pictured right with Chandra Mouli, said: “We’ve gone from a one-team club back in 2007, when we narrowly avoided folding altogether, to a four-team club in 2010. It was natural that we looked to get back into regional cricket, with our ambitions set further afield towards national cricket in the future.

"The addition of Chandra Mouli for the future is a major boost to the club. He has been awesome in most of our matches and we have every faith in him leading the club forward. We know it’s going to be hard work as we progress up the leagues again, but believe we have the product to improve and progress Aberdeen cricket, and to establish Gordonians as a third power in the north-east playing in the SNCL.”

Club president Andrew Lowden added: “This season has been quite an adventure. SPCU Division 2 posed the new challenges of organising our own fixtures, and significant travel time and cost. Having said that, we enjoyed visiting some interesting cricket venues around Dundee and Perth, and the generally refreshing spirit in which our games were played.

"Our team morale has been a joy to witness and bodes well for further success in our overdue SPCU return. I would personally be very proud if one day our current crop of cricketers can recapture the Union title last won in 1994 by a Gordonian squad I was part of.”