Scotland Men A opened their two-game 50-over series with Durham University with a four-wicket win at the Racecourse Ground, Durham.
Set 168 to win, Scotland chased the target down inside 32 overs, with Taimoor Ahmad (52*) and Lyle Robertson (30*) sharing an unbroken 82 for the seventh wicket to see their side across the line.
Hamza Tahir was the star with the ball for the Scots, taking 5-32 to help restrict their opponents after Safyaan Sharif had won the toss and inserted Durham.
Sharif would get his side off to the perfect start, removing Anosh Malik, caught behind by Owen Gould, with his fifth ball.
The hosts were soon reduced to 22-4, Hamza Tahir striking twice to dismiss Josh Kelly and Andrew Whaits, before Brandon McMullen got in on the act, getting P Khera caught by Finn McCreath.
Richard Bell (68) and Bill Meacock (18) then set about rebuilding the students’ innings, adding 53 for the fifth wicket, but Meacock’s dismissal at the hands of Tahir with the score on 75 sparked another flurry of wickets.
Durham would lose four wickets for 29 as they fell to 104-8, Kess Sajjad joining Sharif, Tahir and McMullen in the wickets column.
Bell continued his impressive knock, passing 50 before he was the ninth man out with the score on 136, Tahir’s fifth victim of the afternoon.
The hosts’ resistance would continue as the final wicket partnership took the total to 168 before Sajjad brought the innings to an end, striking for a second time.
In reply, Scotland’s top three all made starts, but failed to kick-on, with Finn McCreath (23), Rory Johnston (10) and Jack Jarvis (20) leaving the Scots 60-3.
Jamie Crawley and McMullen both then fell cheaply, and when Sharif was dismissed for 11, the score was 89-6 with Durham sensing a real opportunity to record an impressive victory.
However, Lyle Roberston joined Taimoor Ahmad, unbeaten on seven at the time, at the crease, and the pair calmly went about the run-chase, Ahmad striking three fours and three sixes in his 52, with Roberston hitting two fours and one six in his 30.
The second game will take place on Wednesday 3rd May, starting at 11am.
