CRICKET — Greenock Face League Leaders At GlenparkTHE Premier Division moves into its last quarter this Saturday and teams at the top and bottom of the league table are entering the crunch period of the season.
For Greenock and their opponents, Uddingston, the priorities couldn’t be more different. Uddingston are looking to win their first top league title since 1934 — under the old Western District Cricket Union — while Greenock are seeking to ensure that they retain their Premier Division status.
Both clubs were among the original members of the Union. Greenock were joint champions along with Clydesdale in its first season in 1893 and have won the title on 18 occasions while Uddingston were very strong in the first part of last century winning the title 15 times up to and including 1934.
This Saturday, another title win will not be in the Greenock team’s thoughts, but rather the focus will be on gaining their fourth Premier Division win of the season, and adding some further distance between themselves and Drumpellier and East Kilbride who occupy the two relegation positions.
2019 Premier Division
The Glenpark side will be without some of its most experienced players in this final phase. Neil Flack is out for the remainder of the season because of a knee injury sustained against West of Scotland three weeks ago. Also out for the remaining matches is Jonathan Hempsey. Work commitments are likely to cause some further absences including Chris Hempsey this weekend and some others in the last few weeks.
But the local side is fortunate in being able to call upon some of its up and coming young players as well as some of its more experienced players who regularly turn out for the 2nd XI, to fill the spaces which will be vacant in these last few weeks.
Key for Greenock in these final matches will be Indian professional Saurabh Bandekar. He has had an outstanding season for the team and currently is the leading run scorer in the Premier Division with 583, which is 200 runs more than Fazal Jawad of Prestwick in second place. Bandekar is also the second top wicket-taker with 27 wickets to his credit.
Sean Fischer-Keogh, Greenock’s latest young Scotland internationalist, who is in his second season as a regular 1st XI player, will likely play an important part in the bowling attack. He has developed well in the last year and is now a very pacey bowler who has troubled a number of sides this season. He could join Bandekar as his opening bowling partner.
Chirag Pandher has shown that he can fill the bowling gap left by Neil Flack’s injury absence, while Sam Sanghera, Greg McDougall and young Cammy Calder from the 2nd XI could be others to make up the attack this Saturday.
Run-scoring has been Greenock’s Achilles’ heel in a number of games and having a stable, regular opening pairing to get the innings under way has been all but absent throughout the season. It may be an issue once again this weekend depending on availability of certain players whose work commitments are still to be confirmed.
Aussie amateur Zac Barranechea has been opening bat in every league match but has had five different partners in the 11 matches played to date. Greenock are hoping to have Shailesh Prabhu available to join Barranechea for a fourth time this season, and if the experienced former 1st XI captain and the Aussie amateur can get the innings off to a solid start, then the others can build on it. And if Saurabh Bandekar can continue his excellent form then Greenock will very definitely be in the game against the league leaders.
Greenock’s form has shown significant improvement in the second half of the season, and reflects the positive influence on the team’s performances by former 1st XI player Phil McIntosh who has stepped up as team coach. His experience has been of great value as the team has fought its way out of the relegation positions and will continue to be a major influence in the last few weeks of the season.
Uddingston have been at the top of the Premier Division from day one of the 2019 season and have lost only one match, which was against West of Scotland in early June, when they went down by just four runs after scoring were adjusted because of a weather interruption.
Uddingston have had their side strengthened by the arrival of a number of new players this season. Anwar Hafeez, formerly at Ayr, Niall Alexander, ex-Dumfries, and Abdul Sabri from Glenrothes, have all made an impact within the Lanarkshire team. Alexander and Sabri have teamed up as Uddingston’s regular opening bowling partnership. A
nother key player in their side is former Greenockian Ross Lyons. A left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Lyons made his debut for the Scottish senior international team in 2005 and played 61 times for Scotland in all formats. Others in the Uddingston side who Greenock will need to keep in check include team captain Bryan Clarke, Amir Gul, Mo Awais and Harmanjit ‘Harry’ Singh.
Saturday’s match is a big deal for both teams but, for Greenock, a win will give them the opportunity to move some distance away from the two bottom relegation placings, and possibly also a move up the Premier Division league table, depending on the results gained by Poloc and Stirling County.
Greenock’s team for the match, which will start at noon, is likely to be: S Bandekar, Z Barrenechea, C Calder, S Fischer-Keogh, GJ McDougall, RP Mountford, CS Pandher, SS Pandher, SS Prabhu, SS Sanghera, E Stewart. Scorer: R McGregor
Greenock’s 2nd XI (Glenpark) have no game this Saturday as their intended opponents, Bute County, have been withdrawn from the league. Greenock’s Indian professional
Saurabh Bandekar, whose form has been outstanding in the Premier Division this season, has been called up to play for the Western Warriors against the Eastern Knights at Rhe Grange in Edinburgh on Monday.
Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U
