Match report - Single Wicket 2015...

With no fixture on Saturday, due to the withdrawal of Stonehaven second eleven from grade four, Turriff took the opportunity to catch up with their in house 'single wicket' competition.  This is a knock out tournament, where pairs of players drawn at random, play against one another in innings of a maximum of four overs.  Nine club members turned out, meaning each bowler would have the benefit of a wicket keeper and just five fielders.  The boundary was brought in about fifteen yards to make things a little more interesting.  

The draw resulted in all the stronger players ending up in the same half.  First up was, Turriffs first choice opening batsmen, David Chalmers and Ian Smart has to play an 'extra' round to decide who would play Phil Wrigglesworth.  As expected, Smart's more experienced bowling ending up coming up trumps when Lings held onto an easy catch at midwicket.  The Turra skipper then brushed aside 2015 newcomer Wrigglesworth for a place in the semi finals.  Next up, Turra's two opening bowlers, David Laing and Steven Lings went head to head.  Winning the toss, Laing opted to bat first and batted sensibly but fluently, making a largely circumspect 23, including a four and six, before missing a yorker to be bowled out in his last over.  This proved to be more than enough as Lings attacked Laing's second ball well outside his off stump and edged to Fraser Smart, keeping wicket, for a duck.

Junior William Weschler took on Craig Peters and made the first upset when he won an lbw shout in his first over.  This proved to be controversial as the batsman was convinced he had got a small nick on the ball before it hit his pad.  But without the benefit of review system the rulebook meant the umpires decision stood and Weschler took a place in the semis.  The other junior player in attendance, Finlay Gowan took on Fraser Smart and Lings volunteered for a spell with the gloves.  Finlay staged the second upset of the competition, removing Smart early in his innings to set up a semi final with Weschler.

In the first of the semis, Ian Smart bowled first and saw off David Laing, with his second 'caught midwicket' dismissal of the day early on in the swing bowlers innings, and booked his place in the final, chasing a small total.  Probably the best game of the day, Weschler verus Gowan, was they did battle to be the first junior finalist in the history of the competition.  Gowan bowled first, and struggled to find a good line at first, allowing Weschler to build up a total of 14, including a fair few wides.  Undeterred, Gowan set about chasing down the runs, just getting over the line in the last over, in the face of some accurate bowling from Weschler, setting up a final against the club skipper.

Smart batted first in the final, expecting to score easy runs against the gentle pace of the young teenage bowler.  But having made just one, off a gloved ball into the vacant slip region, Gowan found the perfect spot.  Presenting a straight seam, and with the ball pitched up on just the right length, the delivery nibbled back just enough to beat the Turriff skipper, scraping the top of middle and removing his bails.  Gowan went out to bat, found his composure, and after refusing a couple of risky singles to midwicket tucked a loose, full, leg side delivery off his pads for four through backward square leg.  Well done Finlay Gowan, the first ever Turriff junior cricketer to win the 'single wicket' tournament.  Turriff's next game is at home against Aberdeen Grammar School Former Pupils third team on Saturday 25th July.