Helensburgh 102 all out after 40.1 overs (1 point)
Greenock 104 for 3 after 17.1 overs (25 points)
GREENOCK gained their fourth league win of the season, defeating relegation rivals Helensburgh by seven wickets.
The victory was massive, as it keeps alive Greenock’s hopes of staying in Western Premiership Two.
The 25 points won on Saturday moved Greenock up to eighth in the league table. Survival can be in their own hands if next weekend’s weather allows all of the final round of matches to take place.
For the last match of the league programme, Greenock will travel to Stirling to play Mearns, who are currently bottom position of the league. A win will mean certain survival for the Glenpark team.
At Ardencaple on Saturday, Greenock won the toss and, having had a good look at the wicket, elected to bat. It quickly turned out to be a good decision, as with just 17 runs on the scoreboard, the hosts were four wickets down.
Chirag Pandher and Adam McGuirk were the bowlers who were responsible, with two wickets each.
But then, with two good partnerships, Helensburgh got themselves back into the game. Firstly, Caelan Lang and Cameron White put on 34 runs before Lang was given out leg before wicket (LBW) to Pandher for 24 runs.
When 99 was reached for the loss of five wickets, Helensburgh would have been eyeing up a score of 150-plus runs with 15-plus overs still to be bowled.
For the sixth wicket, White and Gregor Chambers then produced their team’s best partnership of the afternoon by adding exactly 50 runs before Gregor Chambers was clean bowled by Toby Matthews for 18.
Then, a dramatic collapse ensued. Without another run being scored, Cameron White followed Chambers back to the clubhouse. He was caught by Mubi Ahmadzai off the bowling of Fahim Dinarkhiel for 34.
The final three wickets fell in rapid succession and the hosts were all out for 102.
For Greenock, Chirag Pandher picked up three wickets for 31 runs from his allotted 10 overs, and Adam McGuirk and Toby Matthews each collected two wickets.
After the tea Interval, Greenock lost Shailesh Prabhu to an LBW decision in the first over. But a fine partnership between Pandher (26) and McGuirk took Greenock to 60 runs before Pandher was caught.
McGuirk and Toby Matthews built another fine partnership which took the team score to 100 and needing just three runs to win when McGuirk (55) attempted to close the match with a six, only to be caught at deepish mid-off.
Team captain, Toby Matthews (not out 16), finished the match the very next ball with an impressive shot which took the ball over the square leg boundary.
The win propelled Greenock up two places in the league table and enabled them to jump over both Helensburgh and Mearns into eighth place.
Meanwhile Greenock’s 2nd XI Glenpark won by four wickets against Anniesland at Glenpark. Chasing 156 runs to win, the local side reached their target with six overs to spare and with just six wickets down.
Mahmood Ahmadzai top-scored with 44 runs, Rokhan Safi scored 30 and Prabjot ‘Ronnie’ Singh was unbeaten on 14.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by The Ethos Group
