Saturday, 17th
June 2006
The wheel of
cricketing fortune turned and smiled
benignly on Crieff during their league game
against Montrose on Saturday. Bowlers
started finding their rhythm, batsmen their
form and only three clear chances were
dropped in the field. For many in the Crieff
squad this was the first time these good
things have happened this season.
Crieff won
the toss and opted to field first. Keith
Keldie and Andrew Brown opened the bowling
for Crieff. The artificial surface had
surprisingly erratic bounce especially for
Keith Keldie. He made the early inrounds dismissing
the opening Montrose batsman with a ball
that lifted, glanced off the forehead,
removed the batsmans cap which landed on the
stumps, before reaching the fielder at deep
fine leg. A fortuitous breakthrough and one
that did nothing to improve the mood of the
home team captain, who came off cursing his
luck, wounded pride and sore head. The
pressure continued to build up; at
twenty-two for three off six overs Montrose
were in a bit of trouble. The middle order
for the home team then regained control and
with the help of a stand of one hundred and
seventeen ammassed the bulk of their
eventual total of two hundred and nineteen.
The Montrose lower order batsmen all made
meaningful contributions and thirty extras
were conceded.
Keldies good
work for the day ended with his impressive
bowling figures. He chipped the third
delivery of the Crieff innings to extra
cover and claimed the only duck of the game.
Andrew Brown joined Neil Watters at the
crease and these two enjoyed a big century
partnership, both scoring their best totals
so far this season with forty-four and
sixty-one respectively. Alan Harvey joined
the party with his best for 2006, a stylish
and chanceless forty-eight. Leon De Lange
and A Perry were both bowled for single
figure scores. Crieff needed the thirty-one
not out from new boy Rowan Priestley and an
unbeaten single [the winning run!] from
Billy Sinclair together with twenty six
extras to win the game halfway through the
eighty-eighth over.
A close game
and a good win. Thanks are recorded to
Shafiek Searl, Rowan Priestly and Kurt
Joshua; these three made their debut and
ensured a full side turned out for Crieff.
