Monday 1 August 2016

Grampian 2nd XI v Turriff CC match report...

Turriff recorded their second win of the season on Saturday at the tricky Sheddocksley venue in Aberdeen, beating Grampian by 38 runs.  Winning the toss in overcast, humid conditions Turriff skipper Steve Lings opted to bat first on damp, muddy pitch.  Turra had turned up with 10 men, including Ian Smart and Barry Donald both playing their first game of 2016.  Smart opened the batting with Lings, and both players made a strong start against the new ball, taking the total to 31 without loss after 10 overs.  Lings went on the offensive, driving two big straight sixes down the ground before bottom edging a short ball off Agidh onto his stumps for 27 in the 13th over to make the score 45-1.

The in-form Frazer Smart joined his Father at the crease and played positive cricket from the off, finding the fence twice and striking a quick fire 11.  Like Lings, he also fell attempting to pull a short of a length Agidh delivery.  This one just clipped his bail, reducing his 2016 batting average from 125 to a more realistic, but still exceptional 68.  Smart senior pressed on in partnership with Donald before being caught for 29.  He became the third batsman to get out attempting a pull shot, top edging Vinod to the keeper.  With the score at 71-3 off 19 overs, Michael Soper made a welcome return, batting in the pivotal number 5 position.

Donald was next to go, adjudged lbw for 9, having helped bring the 100 up.  Blair Balment joined Soper in the middle and looked to press the total onto the team target of one hundred and fifty.  Both batsmen played fluently, Soper scoring 28 and Balment 24.  Craig Peters made runs and supported Balment in a vital partnership of 28 after Soper departed.  Phil Wrigglesworth played aggressively in the lower order, recording his first double figure score of 11 not out to see his side to 153 all out off 43 overs.  With less than 4 an over needed Turra would be looking for wickets with the new ball.

Blair Balment opened the bowling with Lings, looking to make us of what swing would be available before the ball inevitably became wet.  Lings struck in his first over when Mridul fell to an ambitious pull shot, skying a catch that was snaffled by Donald running from behind the stumps to backward square leg.  Balment stuck again in his second over, knocking over Vinod's middle stump.  Lings removed opener Naji for 12, bowing the dumbfounded batsman around his legs with a big out swinger.  Balment made it two each and reduced the home side to 21-4 off 8 overs when he bowled Grampian number 5 Ashin for a duck.

Turriff were now racing against the impending rain to take 6 more wickets, while Grampian still saw a glimmer of hope as the ball got wet and there was no more swing for Turriff's bowlers to exploit.  Sajan and Sachin dug in for the home side.  They rotated the strike and struck the occasional boundary.  Noah Balment and Michael Soper came on in the 13th and 14th over and Turriff were reduced to 9 men as one player had to make an early departure.  Balment junior nearly made the breakthrough when his skipper shelled a difficult chance running back from extra cover.

By over 26, when Ian Smart came onto bowl the total had crept to 82-4, despite 6 tight overs each by Balment junior and Soper.  With 20 overs to go, the home team needed 72 for victory, at just 3.6 runs an over.  But Smart delivered on his fifth delivery, having Sachin caught and bowled for 30.  Victory looked on again and the skipper brought himself back into the attack.  The field came right up in an attempt to stop any singles and leave the batsmen no choice but to lash out.  Lings and Smart bowled tight lines and lengths, aiming for the blockhole and trying their best to restrict any runs whatsoever.

The plan worked as the barrage of well-aimed yorkers saw the pressure for runs get too much for the batsmen.  The final four wickets fell in close succession leaving Lings with 4-30 and Smart with 3-22.  Soper bowled 7 overs for only 9 runs.  Balment senior took 2-27 off 7 overs and Balment junior - who the batsmen targeted the most - bowled exceptionally well, his 6 overs going for only 23 runs.  A direct hit run out by Lings throwing from a short midwicket made the 10th wicket.

Next Saturday sees a local derby when Turra travel down the road to take on Methlick 2nd team in what is probably the most pleasant fixture of the season, at the idillic Lairds cricket ground.

No comments:

Post a Comment