Scorecard

Stirling County 4ths v Edinburgh South Cricket Club 3rd XI on Sat 20 Aug 2011 at 1300
Edinburgh South Cricket Club Won by 16 runs

Match report The Thirds ended their season on a high with an excellent performance to clinch a thriller against Stirling County 4ths.

The 3rd XI's debut in 2011 has been a season of two halves: beginning imperiously with six consecutive victories, only to be pegged back by rain and a series of indifferent batting performances. Their wobble left them without a win since June, and needing to defeat Stirling to secure third spot in Division 9.

At the idyllic New Williamfield ground, overlooked by the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle, Kingsley won the toss and elected to bat on a firm, good pitch. Throughout the day defence proved easier than domination, as the large, damp outfield meant only twelve boundaries were scored in 75 overs of cricket. Kingsley was the first to go, well caught at mid-off by Sutcliffe, but Fyfe (11) and Paul (17) cautiously rebuilt. Paul - with his new league best score - put on 39 for the third wicket with top-scorer Sakti (31). Sakti, in his debut for the 3rds, batted with an judicious blend of defence and controlled aggression. Although Stirling continued to take wickets regularly, South did enough to keep the remote-controlled electronic scoreboard silently ticking over, particularly as Calum (14) intelligently marshalled the tail. 133/9 represented an competitive, if hardly imposing total.

After an excellent tea, the Stirling openers played superbly to lay a solid foundation for their reply. Good spells from Russian and Vishnu, and then Satki, went unrewarded.

By the time Tanny finally parted the openers in the 23rd over, Stirling were three-fifths of the way to their target, and as they added a further 17 before he struck again, the home side appeared to be home and dry. But a dramatic collapse, in which 9 wickets fell for 23 runs saw South pull off an improbable victory. With his boyish good looks off-set by dignified salt-and-pepper badger streaks, housewives' favourite Tanny is comfortable playing the role of the romantic lead. But with a swashbuckling 4/27, he was instead cast in role of an action hero. His first wicket was caught at fly-slip by Sakti, and the other three were clean-bowled as he removed the top four batsmen.

From there, panic set in. Sakti's tight, aggressive bowling accounted for the 5th and 6th wickets to fall, also clean bowled. Then came two excellent one-handed catches - first by 'keeper Ian, as Kingsley found an inside edge, and then by Calum at short midwicket. A yorker to win an LBW from Kingsley (2/6), and another good catch from Ian, this time low to his right from Russian (2/18), completed the win. The only disappointment was that the win had to come at the expense of Stirling - who in both fixtures were good-natured, skilful and gracious opponents. Particularly appreciated were their umpires who unhesitatingly gave thin edges and LBWs in the kind of tight match situations in which less sporting umpires might waver.

And so the 3rds earned a satisfying end to their 2011. Their debut season has seen them exceed expectations by finishing 3rd in the Division, even if a promotion slot which once seemed within their grasp proved elusive. It was fitting that the win demonstrated many of the qualities behind their seven victories: contributions throughout the side rather than reliance on a few individuals, welcoming new players to club, good fielding, the resolve to recover from difficult situations, and disciplined bowlers who support one another. Whatever the restructuring of the league structure brings, the 3rd XI can be proud of their achievements this year, and look forward to 2012 with confidence.

Edinburgh South Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
133		        
Pete Kingsley ct Sutcliffe, b. M. Ross 2
Peter Fyfe b Cordiner 11
Paul Murphy b McLaughlin 17
Sakti Manikandan b M. Ross 31 1
Chris Griggs Run out  2
Vishnu Vardhan Reddy Vanam lbw Hopper 3
Ian Ross ct McGann, b. Hopper 5 2
Calum Raine ct C. Ross, b. M. Ross 14 1
Aravind Karimuthu b Cordiner 6
Tanny Gill Not Out  7
Peter Russian Not Out  6

Stirling County 4ths Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
M. Ross8.0035311.674.38
C. Ross8.022200.002.75
N. McKay5.001200.002.40
H. Cordiner8.0026213.003.25
C. McLaughlin3.0012112.004.00
S. Hopper8.0025212.503.12

Stirling County 4ths Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
117 (0.0 overs)		     
N. MacKay ct Manikadan, b. Gill 41
S. Sutcliffe b Gill 35
A. Morton b Gill 9
S. Nolan b Gill 6
H. Cordiner b Manikadan 3
C. Finlay ct Ross, b. Kingsley 2
C. McLaughlin b Manikadan 0
S. Hopper lbw b. Kingsley 1
S. McGann *† ct Raine, b. Russian 0
M. Ross Not Out  0
C. Ross ct Ross, b. Russian 3

Edinburgh South Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Vishnu Vardhan Reddy Vanam8.031500.001.88
Peter Russian5.201829.003.38
Sakti Manikandan8.021326.501.62
Tanny Gill8.012746.753.38
Calum Raine4.003100.007.75
Pete Kingsley2.00623.003.00

  • Umpire :
  • Scorer :
    W.M. Polson