By Webmaster

For the first time in three weeks Clackmannan County Cricket Clubs 1st team started a game and our first opportunity to thank Azad Tandoori for sponsoring the first team match ball. Saturdays visitors to the Arns were Kismet from Dunfermline.  Kismet batted first and despite an early breakthrough, when Rizwan Ashraf  caught Sajid Saeed off Craig Black’s bowling for naught, Kismet soon had the upper hand.  When rain first interrupted play the Dunfermline side had 107 on the board for the loss of this one wicket. 

After play restarted the visitors continued to score heavily off the bad ball while fending off the better deliveries.  However to the background of thunder and heavy cloud, Kismet captain, Mohammed Sharif  was finally caught by Tippo Sultan off Matthew Booth’s bowling for a grand total of 85.  His dismissal was the sign for the start of the deluge, it then rained heavily for the next half an hour. 

Tea was taken to give the ground time to recover and again the drainage work at the Arns proved its worth as the puddles disappeared over the next hour.  Play was restarted but the effects of the heavy rain were still evident.  This session of the game was to turn the game in Clackmannans favour.  The return of  captain Craig Black and Matthew Booth to the bowling attack saw Kismet lose five more wickets for a paltry 36 runs, Booth finishing the session with 5 for 45 and Black 2 for 38. 

The rain, however, had the final say, another round of rain and the game was no longer a viable proposition.  Game abandoned, with Kismet on 199 for 7.  This week the County 1st XI travel to Edinburgh to play Kirk Brae.