Greenock Telegraph | Sport | A must-win match

Friday, 9th January, 2009

Published: Friday, 16th May, 2008 12:00

A must-win match

By Roger Graham

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Top bowling: Dougie Wylie has shown good form with the ball in two successive Saturdays.

GREENOCK suffered a double blow to their hopes of retaining their championship last weekend, losing to both Grange and Scotland Under-19s.

Having suffered a no-result on the first day of the season, it effectively amounts to three defeats in four games. Put simply, it would take a peculiar set of circumstances, even this early in the season, to turn the situation round.

Neverthless, on the premise of where there life’s, there’s hope, Greenock will travel to Edinburgh tomorrow aiming to beat Heriot’s and keep some sort of realistic ambition alive.

The Glenpark men will be at full strength again, though skipper Craig Wright has been suffering from back spasms which may preclude him from bowling. In that event, the opening attack will comprise Dewal Nel and ex-Herioter Sean Weeraratna, with Tim McIntosh, Richie Berrington and Dougie Wylie to follow.

Defeat by Grange last Saturday was, in the event, comprehensive. In both batting and bowling, Greenock were outplayed on the day. The crucial opening stages of each innings went the Edinburgh club’s way and it was a disappointing performance by the champions.

Such is the brevity of the cricket season, compounded by the new rules which penalise clubs for being unable to play, that there are no margins for error in a league campaign. To win a league takes early momentum and some good fortune.

If there were silver linings to the dark cloud which overhung Glenpark last Saturday against Grange, they were to be found in the bowling performance of Dougie Wylie and the batting displays of Dewald Nel, in particular, and Ryan Begley.

Wylie’s 10-over stint halted a threatened runaway Grange batting display, while Nel and Begley showed a resilience with the bat the early order could not summon. Nel’s 43 was just 10 less than the front six batsmen managed to accumulate among them. He will be considered a genuine all-rounder in Scottish terms, rather than a bowler who can bat a bit, if he maintains that sort of form.

With two successive home games coming up after tomorrow, against Clydesdale and pace-setters Carlton, this is a make-or-break spell for Greenock’s league season.

In the words of skipper Craig Wright, Greenock “have to get back on the horse” tomorrow. And the nag has to gallop boldly across the finish line, leaving the Heriot’s chariot trailing in its wake.

Greenock v Heriot’s at Goldenacre, 1pm start: C.M. Wright (captain), K. Begley, R.G. Begley, R.D. Berrington, J.P.C. Hempsey, H. Howe, J.D. Nel, S. Prabhu, S.D. Weeraratna, R.D.G. Wylie and T.G. McIntosh.

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