THE unseasonal, wet and windy weather was the winner over cricket at Glenpark on Saturday, as Greenock’s league match with Dumfries side St Michael’s was cancelled, thus denying the local side the opportunity of climbing higher than their current fourth top spot.

Indeed, cricket across the west of Scotland was washed out by the miserable conditions.

Just two weeks short of midsummer, most people in this part of the UK are still looking for even the slightest glimmer of the summer season.

Greenock’s 2nd XI did, however, get their match played when they made the 100-mile journey to Dumfries to play St Michael’s second string at the Kingholm ground.

Batting first, Greenock’s Glenpark XI made 149 all out in a match reduced by a small number of weather interruptions to 43 overs per side. Mainstay of the Glenpark side was Chirag Pandher who batted through much of the innings for a very fine 88 runs. Unfortunately, he was not able to be supported by his team colleagues and his innings was the highlight of the team batting performance.

In reply, St Michael’s were always in control and made relatively easy work of compiling the runs to overtake the Glenpark total. Experienced batsmen David Fallas, with 72 runs, and Derek Heron, 50 not out, gave few chances as they steadily built their team’s total. Fallas was bowled by young leg-spinner Will Goan, with the home total on 120, which brought Graeme McKirdle to the middle. He made short work of the remaining runs required by scoring five boundaries in a quick-fire innings of 21 not out. So a match, which few in the Glenpark side could have imagined would have been played as they left Greenock in monsoon-like conditions early on Saturday morning, ended with a relatively easy win for the Dumfries team with almost 20 overs still available.

TOMORROW evening Greenock travel to Coatbridge to meet Drumpellier in the quarter-final of the Western Cup and on Wednesday evening Greenock are once again on their travels, this time just up the M8 to Paisley to play Kelburne in a Player Reg West League Cup sectional match.