Cricket: Greenock hope to finish league on Langside high

The 2025 season has proven to be up and down for the local side: on the one hand, it's been disappointing in terms of league performance, though on the other you can't shy away from the success of winning of the Cricket Scotland Challenge Cup.

With this Saturday's match the only league game left to be played, Greenock have a record of only four wins from the 10 Premiership Two matches the weather has allowed them to complete.

Greenock have been inconsistent this season (Image: ALEX CRAIG)

But it has been poor weekend weather which has been the winner on seven other weekends.

Having such a high number of fixture casualties due to wet weather has led to the summer of 2025 being a frustrating one for Greenock.

Multiple call-offs have meant the team have failed to get any rhythm going in what has been a stop start league programme.

A win against Langside has the potential of lifting Greenock to a season-ending fifth top spot, while a loss, depending on results elsewhere, could see the Glenpark men finish just above the relegation places.

Despite their league frustrations Greenock have flourished in the Challenge Cup (Image: Supplied)

The final weekend of the campaign is also an opportunity to look at the impact of the two Australian amateurs, Callum Henry and Will Jenkins, who have turned out for Greenock during the 2025 season.

Both have been important players for the first XI: Henry is the team’s top run scorer and also leads the Western Championship batting statistics with more than 500 runs scored so far this season.

In all of Greenock’s matches played over the summer, he has racked up almost 700 runs and scored three centuries, all of them unbeaten - twice against Glasgow Accies (108  and 111) and once against Helensburgh (100).

As wicket-keeper, Henry has taken 24 catches and four stumpings whilst being involved in 11 run-outs.

Jenkins, meanwhile, has scored almost 200 runs in the league alone and more than 400 in all matches, while he has also been a significant part of the Greenock bowling attack.

He achieved every bowler’s aim of a hat-trick when he took three wickets in consecutive balls against Glasgow Accies in a league match at New Anniesland in mid-May.

Both players will be hoping to close their season in Scotland with fine performances on Saturday.

Team captain, Aryan Sanghera, will also hope to finish the league season on a positive note with a win against.

But the team will have to improve on their performance against the Glasgow southside visitors earlier in the season.

Callum Henry (63) has been a standout for the Glenpark side (Image: Alex Craig) At the end of June, Langside came out on top at Albert Park; Greenock were bowled out for a meagre 103 in just 33.5 overs, with Langside reaching and passing their target after 29 overs, for the loss of just four wickets.

Greenock’s failure to bat through their 50 overs has been a problem on several occasions this season and must be considered a key factor in the team's disappointing 2025 league performance - but a win on Saturday would round off an up-and-down season nicely for a team who will nonetheless look back fondly on the year after winning the club's first major trophy in almost two decades.

The Greenock team to play Langside at Glenpark on Saturday is: A. Sanghera (capt), Mu Ahmadzai, P.J. Bryceland, C.S. Calder, F. Dinarkheil, C.J. Henry (wk), W. Jenkins, G.J. McDougall, C.S. Pandher, S.S. Prabhu, S.S. Sanghera.

Greenock Cricket Club is sponsored by Cleaning Supplies 4U