Gary Heatly rounds up all the action from the last two weekends
The last two Sundays (May 9 and May 16) have seen a number of pathways matches taking place.
On May 9, the Western Warriors under-18 girls took on their Eastern Knights counterparts at Uddingston looking to build on a positive start to the season from the previous week.
In the first of two T20 matches, the home side batted first and posted 125-3 from their allotted overs.
Nayma Sheikh (East Kilbride CC/West of Scotland CC) made 26 not out and was well supported by 18 not out from Niamh Muir (Dumfries CC/St Michaels CC), but the Knights bowlers will have been unhappy about conceding 45 extras which allowed the Warriors to get way up past 100.
Opener Emily Tucker (George Watson’s College) batted very well for 34 in reply for the Knights before she was run out.
Emma Walsingham made 25 not out and her Stewart’s Melville CC team mate Catherine Holland 16, but they fell short in the run chase, posting 116-5.
In the second match, the Knights bowling was much better and they restricted the home side to 74.
Holland took 3-12 in that one and then, in the reply, 22 not out from Walsingham saw them home by eight wickets.
On the same day, the Knights and the Warriors under-15 boy’s teams met at Linlithgow.
In a 29-overs-a-side match, the Warriors batted first and made 136-9.
Bahadar Esakhiel (Clydesdale CC) top scored with 35 while Carlton CC’s Max D’Ulisse led the way with three wickets for the Knights, his club team mate Isaac Foley taking two scalps along with Grange CC’s Rhett Hussey.
Calum Burnet of Grange CC made 34 with the bat for the Knights and was well backed up by 29 from Carlton CC’s Rory Ledingham.
However, some good Warriors bowling kept the pressure up throughout the innings and the Knights fell short, posting 123-9 with Ollie Jones (Stirling County CC) leading the charge with 2-18.
Fast forward seven days and, in Livingston, the Knights under-18 girls were on top form in game one of two T20s against the Caledonian Highlanders.
They restricted their visitors to 80-7 from their 20 overs with four bowlers amongst the wickets. Emma Halliwell (Falkland CC) battled for 37 not out.
In reply, Holland (31 not out) and Walsingham (29 not out) saw their team home by nine wickets.
Walsingham’s brilliant start to the season continued in match two when she scored 45 not out with the Knights batting first.
Tucker scored 61 not out as they notched up 129-1 and, despite 43 from Zoe Rennie (Forfarshire CC) and 24 from Halliwell, the Highlanders fell short as they made 114-7 in their reply.
At Lochside Park in Forfar on the same day, the Highlanders boy’s under-15s hosted their Knights counterparts.
Batting first, the team from the East made 184 all out in 43 overs, Harry Armstrong (Stewart’s Melville CC) with 37 and William Hodgson (Murrayfield DAFS CC) 34 having set the team up nicely early on with a partnership of 80. Rory Grant (Grange CC) also made 30.
The Highlanders bowled well as a unit though and Alistair Banks (Doune CC) led the way with 4-36.
James Dunk, who plays his club cricket down south, was the main man in reply for the Highlanders with 59 before he was one of two victims for Foley.
Farhan Khan (Watsonians) took 4-29 and D’Ulisse three wickets as the Knights bowlers kept the pressure on and eventually the home side were bowled out for 166 to give the visitors a hard fought victory.
With senior club leagues starting this coming weekend we may see some of the young stars mentioned in this report playing for their clubs soon too.
