CRICKET — Century For Berrington As League Leaders Prove Too Strong For Greenock

12 July, 2021 | Sport

Clydesdale (25): 269 for 5 in 47 overs.
R Berrington 107, C Young 83, G Chambers 3/47
D/L par score 289 in 47 overs.

Greenock (0) : 168 for 9 in 47 overs.
H Briggs 64, J Khan 3/18

Clydesdale beat Greenock by 121 runs (D/L)

A SIGNIFICANTLY under strength Greenock side was outplayed by Premier Division leaders, Clydesdale, at Glenpark.

The visitors returned to Glasgow with a win, 25 points and their unbeaten run intact. Nevertheless, throughout the match, the Glenpark team never gave up and showed grit and determination against a much more experienced side which included Scotland’s most capped international, and former Greenock player, Richie Berrington.

Berrington, who still lives close to Glenpark, played an entertaining innings for the spectators to enjoy as he showed his class with a fine century on his ‘old’ home ground.

Clydesdale won the toss and elected to bat. But once play was under way, it was Greenock who got off to the best of starts with both openers removed within the first four overs.

Gregor Chambers’s pace proved too much for Paddy Barbour who was first to go, leg before wicket (LBW) for just one run in the second over. Then in the fourth over, Chambers struck again by having Gould caught by Greenock team captain Greg McDougall to leave Clydesdale with just ten runs on the scoreboard and with both of their opening batsmen gone.

However these two early wickets were to prove the only successes for Greenock for a very long period in the Clydesdale innings. Craig Young and Berrington came together and the two experienced players were soon building a fine partnership.

Fifty runs were noted on the scoreboard in the 12th over, and just nine overs later, the visitors had passed 100 with both Young and Berrington completely at ease with the Greenock bowling, especially once the opening pace bowlers Sean Fischer-Keogh and Gregor Chambers were rested.

The Clydesdale pair built a magnificent partnership of 197 runs before Young was removed LBW for 83 by Greenock’s teenage pace bowling prospect Usman Mansoor in the 36th over. The wicket came in Mansoor’s own very first over and after play had been suspended in mid-over for a short period because of a rain interruption.

The break in play meant the visitors’ innings was reduced to 47 overs instead of 50 and so slightly more than ten overs remained to be played by the Clydesdale batsmen when Fawad joined Berrington out in the middle.

Runs continued to flow as Clydesdale set their sights on a massive total. However, the re-introduction of Sean Fischer-Keogh for a third spell of bowling paid immediate dividend when he clean bowled Fawad for 14 with the very first ball of his new spell with the score on 238.

Berrington reached his century to the applause of his team-mates and spectators but just a short time later was bowled by Chambers in the 43rd over for 107 runs with the score on 249.

Mughal and Kasim Farid added a further 20 runs before the visitors’ innings closed on 269 for the loss of 5 wickets after 47 overs. Gregor Chambers with 3 wickets for 47 runs from his 10 overs was Greenock’s most successful bowler.

Greenock were without their normal opening pairing of Neil Flack and Jamie Nowell, so Shailesh Prabhu and Gregor Chambers were asked to take on the task by Glenpark captain Greg McDougall.

However, the new partnership failed to fire and, with just 16 runs on the scoreboard, Prabhu (10) was caught by Berrington off the bowling of Khan in the fifth over. And worse was to follow, as Chambers (7) was bowled by Khan in the seventh over and then new batsman Chris Hempsey had his stumps hit by Cairns in the eighth over to leave Greenock on 17 for 3.

Number three batsman Harry Briggs stood firm as a further three home batsmen departed before 50 runs were on the board. Sean Fischer-Keogh and Usman Mansoor were both caught by Berrington while Lukas Fischer-Keogh was caught by Barbour.

An innings-best partnership of 67 runs between Briggs and Ewan Stewart put Greenock on to a better footing before Stewart (12) was LBW to Farid. He had provided a gritty support to Briggs for more than 20 overs. The score was 110 for 7

With the target of 289 never a possibility, Greenock continued to gain a degree of respectability in their innings as Sam Sanghera and Briggs took the score to 135 before Sanghera (11) was LBW to Jawad.

Briggs was next to go, with the score on 160, having batted for 43 overs for his 64 runs, holding the Greenock innings together. Greg McDougall was not-out 17 as Greenock closed on 169 for 9 after 47 overs.

Although never going to overhaul the massive Clydesdale total, Greenock showed some fighting spirit by batting through their innings and denying the league leaders taking all ten wickets.

Khan was top wicket-taker for Clydesdale with 3 for 18. Krishna 2 for 23, Farid 2 for 37, Cairns 1 for 20 and Jawad 1 for 21 were the other wicket-takers for the visitors.

Greenock 2nd XI (Glenpark XI) were well beaten in the local derby match at Gourock Park on Saturday afternoon. The Glenpark XI scored 172 for 8 from their 40 overs (Cammy Calder 61, Eddie Ahmad 29) with Paul Singh for Inverclyde taking 3 for 50. Inverclyde replied with 176 for 3 (Cammy Gunn 61 and Dave Cooke 55) to win the match.

Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U

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