AGSFP 3rd XI v Turriff CC match report...

Turriff went down to Aberdeen Grammar School Former Pupil’s 3^rd XI in a weather affected match played at the Haughs on Saturday.  Taking advantage of new rules allowing a reduction in the length of the game, the game was reduced to a 30 over a side contest.  AGSFP won the toss and elected to bat first on a damp wicket.  Turriff got off to a bad start, when a recurring calf strain pulled skipper Steven Lings out of the attack after one over.  Blair Balment and Immanuel Doss took the new ball, bowling to AGSFP openers Lord and Youles who looked to attack early on.  They survived the new ball, and a double bowling change saw juniors Noah Balment and William Wechsler brought into the attack.  Balment struck in his second over, having Lord caught for five as he attempted an aggressive shot.  Lee came to the crease, meaning Turriff were now bowling at two left handers. 

Lings then replaced Wechsler to try some slow bowling from around the wicket.  His plan half working when a skied catch off Youles was dropped at extra cover.  After two overs Blair Balment was brought back into the attack to try and break the partnership with his extra pace.  But the batsmen got in top of things, ticking he scoreboard along at a respectable rate before retiring out on 53 and 30.  In the final overs Noah Balment and Doss bowled well in tandem, taking a wicket each and restrict the total at 29 overs to 150.  Lings tried to find the blockhole in the last over, but strayed too short and the hard-hitting Garratt plundered 22 runs, including 3 sixes over deep midwicket to leave Turra needing 173 – almost six an over - to win.

In reply, Immanuel Doss and Phil Wrigglesworth opened the run chase.  Doss hit out at some loose stuff from right arm seamer McCaughtrie, keeping the tally on track.  Karmilla bowled a tighter line and length and disaster struck when Wrigglesworth was hit in the chin by a ball that reared up from a length off the damp wicket.  The batsmen had to retire hurt to seek medical attention on one.  Dod Duncan batted and three and immediately upped the run rate.  Next to go was Doss, caught on 28.  Frazer Smart joined Duncan at the crease and continued where he had left off last week.  The partnership was broken when Duncan was caught in double figures.  Lings limped in to bat at number 5, with still more than half the runs needed.

Smart took his tally to 18 before being dismissed for the first time this season, making his batting average exactly 100 after his heroics last week.  Blair Balment joined Lings at the crease , while AGSFP had brough junior leg spinner D’Costa and seamer MacDonald on to bowl.  Both batsmen adopted the tactic of taking on anything short of a length, despite the fielders on the boundary and it paid off for a while.  Lings took 10 off the first five balls of the 19^th over to take the total past 100.  MacDonald then had his revenge, having the Turra skipper caught at square leg attempting a pull shot.

The Turriff tail took the total to 124-7 by the 30^th over.  It was way short of the mark, but on a positive note for the home side, both juniors recorded personal best scores.  Wechsler ended 9 not out including one four and Noah Balment 7 not out.  This week Turriff hope to host Kemnay-Kintore 2^nd XI, who scratched their last visit to the Haughs earlier in the season.