GREENOCK need a positive result against Renfrew on Saturday at Glenpark to maintain the push for promotion.
The delight at defeating league leaders Stenhousemuir two weeks ago to go top of the table was quickly replaced last weekend by the disappointment of losing to Drumpellier.
Not only did the defeat mean Greenock slipped back to second-top spot, it also once again threw open the race for the two promotion places.
Stenhousemuir returned to the top having lost just once this season while Greenock and Kilmarnock have both beaten twice.
But the Glenparkers are just marginally ahead of Kilmarnock on percentage thanks to a greater number of bonus points. The Greenock team know that the last three matches of the season must be won.
Sixth-placed Renfrew have won just four matches in the league this season, all of which have been against teams occupying positions lower than their own.
Against the top four sides, Renfrew have fared less well. Twice they have lost heavily to league leaders Stenhousemuir and also twice to Kilmarnock and Drumpellier. In their home matches against Kilmarnock and Drumpellier the matches were quite well contested but on each occasion the visitors still came out on top.
Greenock’s match against Renfrew at the King George V Playing Fields in round seven of the league fixtures in June was cancelled because of rain so Saturday’s match will be their first league meeting of the season.
Israr Hussain heads the run-scoring for the team with a total of 334 runs at an average of 24. His highest score, 93, came against GHK at their Old Anniesland ground in Glasgow.
Paid coach Farhan Khan averages 29 having scored 320 runs from just 13 appearances. He is an attacking batsman and his wicket will be an important one for Greenock to capture. His top score of 80 came against Drumpellier at the end of May.
Hussanain Haider is the top wicket-taker with 21 wickets, including five taken against Hillhead on the first Saturday in May. However, he is normally a second or third change bowler with Himanshu Sharma (14 wickets) regularly leading the Renfrew attack.
Greenock’s team will show at least three changes from last week — Harry Briggs, Jamie Nowell and Tom Forrest are all unavailable. However, Greenock have announced a squad of 13 players for the match and should have sufficient strength to provide a winning performance.
Australian amateurs Tom Nicholson and Ryan Walker had a quiet game by their standards last Saturday. Neither was able to make much of an impression against the Drumpellier top order batsmen and, when batting themselves, both got in but then were not able to push on to a big innings.
The Aussies have had a fine season for Greenock and should not be expected to be the main players every match. They are both in the top-four for runs and wickets in the First Division statistics and will be looking to get back amongst the wickets and big runs at Glenpark this Saturday when conditions with hot sunshine should make them feel at home.
It was arguably Greenock’s poorest performance of the season against Drumpellier at Langloan. Few of the Glenpark side were able to find the sort of performances which would have been required to overcome the Lanarkshire team.
Confidence, concentration and a will to win must be at the forefront when they take to the field at Glenpark on Saturday. With 11 wins from 13 matches completed this is a good Greenock side.
Team captain, Greg McDougall, said: “After last week’s disappointing result, the players are eager to get back on to the field and back to winning ways. The Renfrew side is an experienced one but we are confident we have the players in our side to gain the win we need to retain our promotion position.”
Greenock’s team will be from: GJ McDougall, M Ahmad, PJ Bryceland, C Calder, GM Chambers, LC Fischer-Keogh, CJK Hempsey, U Mansoor, TJ Nicholson, SS Prabhu, A Sanghera, EA Stewart, RA Walker. Scorer: R McGregor. The match will start at noon.
Greenock’s 2nd XI, Glenpark, had a fine win over Clydesdale’s Bees’ XI at Glenpark last Saturday. Clydesdale scored 161 and the Glenpark XI, batting second, scored 162 for the loss of just five wickets. The side has no match this weekend
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U
