Greenock 159 all out in 43 overs (3 points)
Dumfries 160 for 5 wickets in 37.3 overs (25 points)
GREENOCK lost by five wickets to league leaders Dumfries at Glenpark.
After 25 overs, Greenock had scored 102 for the loss of just three wickets and were in a good position to set up a high score. Instead, the Glenpark side lost its way and added just another 56 runs before being all out with seven overs of the 50-over innings still available.
Dumfries displayed a disciplined approach and showed that they are worthy of their top-of-the table position. And that position was strengthened further with the news that recent table-toppers Kelburne, who had gone unbeaten in the opening nine rounds of the Western Premiership Two, had lost for the second Saturday in succession.
Greenock opted to bat first and Connor Nowlan and Aryan Sanghera made a confident start. Nowlan, in particular, was quick to seize on any loose deliveries and, in the fifth over, smashed three boundaries from opening bowler Hobman to take the home score to 25.
However, Dumfries got a breakthrough in the ninth over when Sanghera attempted to hit Hobman for a second boundary in consecutive balls only to have the bails removed from his off-stump.
And just four overs later it was Hobman who gained the prized wicket of Nowlan who is the league’s top-scoring batsman. The young Australian had moved on to 24 when he got a leading edge to a ball just short of a length on the leg stump and McGrath took a simple catch.
Just 15 more runs had been added when Harry Briggs was judged to have been caught behind on the leg side by South African wicket-keeper Van Zyl who was standing up at the stumps to medium pace bowler Alan Davidson. He had scored 18 runs.
Cammy Calder joined Angus Tolhurst, who scored a century last weekend at Hillhead, and the pair settled into a useful partnership. In just eight overs they added 39 runs, Tolhurst hitting one six and two boundaries and Calder hitting three boundaries.
But the partnership ended with the second ball of the 28th over when Tolhurst attempted to repeat a shot earlier when he dispatched Staples over the Fox Street wall for six only to fall, on this occasion, to a good catch by Jabarkhil on the boundary. He had scored 30 and Greenock were on 116 for the loss of four wickets in the 28th over.
Staples and Jabarkhil combined for a second time to dismiss Calder in the 30th over. The Greenock batsman, who scored 18 runs in his partnership with Tolhurst, failed to add any further runs to his own score before being caught by Jabarkhil who made good ground round towards ‘cow corner’ to take a good catch.
Sam Sanghera and Ewan Stewart dug in for the next eight overs adding 25 runs giving Greenock some hope of reaching near to 200 by the end of the innings. But, when Sanghera hoisted a good length delivery from Tom McGrath and was comfortably caught by Adam Malik at mid-off for 18 runs, that hope was soon to be dispelled.
In the space of just 20 minutes, and the next five overs, Greenock collapsed from 143 for 6 wickets to being all out for 159 at the end of the 43rd over and, crucially, leaving seven overs unused. It was a hugely disappointing end to the home innings which earlier had provided the hope of setting a very challenging target for the league leaders.
In post-match analysis, Greenock will recognise seven wickets fell to catches, a number of which could have been avoided had shots been more considered and skilfully played. And, of course, seven overs were unused.
The ten Greenock wickets were evenly spread across five Dumfries bowlers, but fielder Wahid Jabarkhil is worth picking out for three fine catches, all of which were taken out near the Fox Street boundary.
Dumfries got off to the perfect start when skipper Bellwood dispatched the first ball of the innings from Nowlan to the boundary. But with only 15 runs on the scoreboard in the fifth over, Nowlan gained a breakthrough for Greenock when Malik edged his delivery to wicket-keeper Harry Briggs, who took a good catch low behind the stumps.
Bellwood and Fergus Bainbridge then settled into a second-wicket partnership which added 39 runs in the next ten overs with neither batsmen seeming in any danger against the Greenock bowling attack.
However, a change in the bowling line-up at the start of the 16th over, made an immediate impact. Chirag Pandher came on to bowl his slow right arm off-breaks, and with his very first ball got the second wicket when Bainbridge got a fine edge attempting a cut shot and was caught by wicket-keeper Harry Briggs standing up to the stumps.
But the wicket only brought to the middle Johnathan Van Zyl the Dumfries club’s South African amateur who is having a fine season with the bat. Van Zyl and Bellwood, second and third in the league’s batting stats, proceeded to take the game away from Greenock.
With just 24 runs needed and with slightly more than eighteen overs remaining, Van Zyl attempted to hit Pandher for a six over the bottom wall, but did not get enough power into his shot and was well caught by Connor Nowlan for 38.
Then with just three runs needed for victory, Bellwood, who had batted with great composure throughout the innings, mis-timed a shot to the leg side and was easily caught by Angus Tolhurst at mid-wicket. The Dumfries captain had scored 60.
Greenock were still not done and a fifth wicket was gained three balls later when Ewan Stewart picked up his second wicket as Jabarkhil attempted to finish the match with a big hit only to find the safe hands of Aryan Sanghera at extra cover.
But the end did come in the very next over when Jay Maritz scored the three runs which gave the visitors their 10th win from eleven matches.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U
