Carlton's cricketers go top in the third week of Scotland's Premiership
Week 3: Saturday 14 May 2011
Carlton stayed at the top of the fledgling Premiership table with their third win in as many weeks. This time, they won a high-scoring game at Grange Loan by five wickets, with five balls to spare. Visitors Local Life Ayr had set the pace with an imposing total of 251 for the loss of six wickets after another century from New Zealand pro Michael Papps, well supported by Neil Smith (43) and Andi McElnea (33). But it was not enough. Carlton turned on the style as Preston Mommsen staked his claim for a place in the Saltires line-up against Surrey and Durham with a fine 83. Fraser Watts also signalled his readiness to return to face County opposition with a well-crafted 49, and Stevie Gilmour (41) and Cedric English (33) helped the home side reach their target after a well-paced chase.
Barclays Wealth Grange also retained their perfect start to the season, but only just fended off Dunfermline Knights in the closest game of the day. Gregor Maiden (pictured left) shrugged off his indifferent performances against the Counties with a fantastic innings of 104, and pro Warren McSkimming followed up with 75 of his own towards the awesome total of 273 for six. Vassu Reddy did well to take 4-43 for the Knights in the midst of the batting carnage. And the Knights made an exceptionally brave response with the bat, as Safyaan Sharif logged 90 and Wynand Schmitt 72, their efforts falling short by just six runs.
Aberdeenshire failed to keep up with the unbeaten top two, losing the north-east derby match against Arbroath United at Mannofield by an uncomfortably easy 57 runs. Arbroath posted 261 for seven from their 50 overs. The Burnett brothers Fraser (114) and Calvin (35) contributed more than half the runs, with Marc Petrie (48) in support. Chris West picked up four wickets for Aberdeenshire, but when his side went in to bat, they lost three wickets each to Calvin Burnett and Greg Peal and, despite Neil MacRae's 67 and Graeme Tomlinson's 33, the Dons fell short, all out with 16 balls unused.
Having been unable to complete their match last week, Forfarshire maintained their 100% record and moved into third place with a fine 36-run victory over Drumpellier. The visitors had to endure an increased target under Duckworth-Lewis and actually came within 17 runs of overtaking the home side's 46-over 263-4 before they were all out in the 44th over, their effort led by just-arrived Sri Lankan pro Jeevantha Kulatunga's magnificent 124.
Watsonians secured fifth place in the table with a comfortable five-wicket win over Stirling County at Myreside. The visitors managed only 166-9 from their 50 overs, and Tim Weston (54) and in-form Saltire Stuart Chalmers (53*) led the Edinburgh side to victory in the 42nd over.
At Titwood, Heriot's won their first Premiership match by 27 runs. But it was more comfortable than that, after they reduced Greaves Clydesdale to 60-5 within 14 overs of the second innings. Half-centuries from Adam Lockhart-Krause and Scotland U19 opener Peter Ross took Heriot's to a challenging 231-8, and the game finished as close as it did only because of some spirited rearguard doggedness from the 'Dale lower order, led by skipper Kasim Farid's 47 (pictured left with Simon Smith behind the stumps).
Stoneywood-Dyce also clocked up their first win, by five wickets over Tunnock's Uddingston at Bothwell Policies. The mercurial Uddingston batters were restricted to 162-7, and Dyce raced to victory with 12 overs to spare thanks to Ed Willemse's unbeaten 55, well supported by 38 from Michael Leask.
And Greenock finally got their season going with what should have been an easy victory over McCrea FS West at Hamilton Crescent. Chris Bellwood's 5-38 and Jon Hempsey's 3-18 did the damage as West crashed to 94 all out in the 39th over. But Greenock lost six wickets of their own in the second half, although Tasmanian pro Luke Butterworth, returning from a toe injury, made 37 ahead of the two CB40 matches in Edinburgh this weekend.
Only 12 more round-robin weeks to go... check the short score details HERE and the latest table HERE
NVT Poloc remain at the top of the Championship table, although Kelburne pushed them all the way in a low-scoring game at Whitehaugh, reduced to 48 overs a side from the start. Despite a half-century from Kelburne's seasoned Guyanan pro David Harper, they home side made only 179, all out off their final ball, with leg-spinner Hassam Akram taking 3-33. Akram pitched in with the bat, too, adding an unbeaten 31 to South African Martinus Huyser's 72 as Poloc won by six wickets with two overs to spare.
The roles were reversed in the other game featuring an unbeaten protagonist, as West Lothian batted first in the match against Falkland, the home side. Reliable pro Kruger van Wyk made 65*, but the posted total of 177-8 seemed underwhelming until Falkland slumped to 83 all out in the 36th over.
The two other pacemakers in the first two weeks of the Championship both lost. Freuchie welcomed East Kilbride to the People's Park, but Junaid Mahsood and Scott Birrell both picked up three cheap wickets as the visitors subsided to 147 all out, despite a half-century from returning prodigal Harmanjit Singh (pictured left), leaving three overs unused. Freuchie reached their target with most of seven overs and three wickets to spare after Mahsood contributed 61. And SMRH crashed to an eight-wicket defeat by Edinburgh Accies.
After the highest-scoring Championship game of the day, RH Corstorphine (220-9) moved up the table following their 56-run victory over visitors Penicuik. But Ferguslie stayed ahead after reaching their slightly-increased D/L target against Stenhousemuir, who were all out for 146 in the 41st over, with eight full overs to spare.
Check the Championship short scores HERE and the latest table HERE.
