GREENOCK bounced back after the disappointing loss to Stenhousemuir with a fine eight-wicket win over Drumpellier at a sunny Glenpark on Saturday afternoon.

The result puts Greenock very much back into contention for one of the two promotion spots but dents Drumpellier’s aspirations.

The Coatbridge side won the pre-match toss and opted to bat. It was a call that Greg McDougall, the home captain, may well have opted for himself with conditions perfect for run-scoring.

Greenock’s regular opening bowling attack of Gregor Chambers and Sam Sanghera was altered due to the unavailability of Sanghera. Former captain Jonathan Hempsey - making his first league appearance of the season - came into the side as his replacement.

Drumpellier began quite confidently and had scored three boundaries in the opening three overs.

But Greenock pace bowler Chambers then delivered a superb ball which viciously nipped back into opening batsman Chris Keltie and crashed into the top of his stumps. He was returned to the clubhouse having scored just four runs.

The second wicket partnership between Gordon Shaw and Nic Austin put the visitors very much back into the game as they dealt comfortably with the home bowling attack.

Shaw had taken his own score to 32 and the team’s total had moved along to 77 in the 21st over when Ryan Walker was brought into the Greenock attack. With just his fourth delivery, Walker trapped Shaw LBW.

Supeshala Jayathilake joined Austin and the visitors run scoring continued much as before. Twenty-three more runs were scored in the next six overs before Jayathilake became Walker’s second victim of the afternoon caught by wicketkeeper Lukas Fischer-Keogh.

This third wicket heralded a collapse in the Drumpellier batting. From 99 for the loss of three wickets the visitors slumped to 126 all out in the space of just 11 overs.

Austin was Drumps' top scorer with 46 runs. When he came the fifth wicket to fall with the score on 115, there was no other batsman in the visitors' line-up who offered any resistance.

Walker was the bowler who caused most of the damage. The Aussie amateur, who is already at the top of the wicket-taking stats for the First Division, picked up seven wickets for just 24 runs from nine overs bowled.

Tom Nicholson also picked up a couple of wickets as Drumpellier’s batting imploded.

In reply, after the tea interval, Greenock set about their run chase determined not to stumble like the previous Saturday.

Nicholson and the experienced Shailesh Prabhu opened the batting for Greenock. The pair put on 33 runs from the first nine overs. But then Prabhu got a leading edge to a delivery from Dale Pryde and was easily caught by Austin at mid on having scored 17 runs.

Harry Briggs became the second Greenock wicket to fall when he was smartly caught at backward point in the 16th over with the score on 92.

However, that was to be Drumpellier’s last wicket-taking success as Nicholson and Walker batted with an assuredness for the next 18 overs. The Australian pair picked off any loose deliveries from the visitors' bowlers and gradually the runs needed for victory were accumulated.

Nicholson, who had opened the batting for Greenock, was unbeaten on 54 at the close.

It was fitting that man of the match Walker was the batsman to score the winning runs. He did so in emphatic style by hitting pace bowler Jordan Pryde back over his dead to the Bedford Street boundary. Walker scored an unbeaten 38 runs to add to his seven wickets.

Saturday’s win puts Greenock into third top position behind Stenhousemuir and Kilmarnock who are both unbeaten after the first six rounds of the league programme.

l Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U.