By Greig Taylor

Clackmannan 1st XI began the second round of matches with a trip to Linlithgow to play West Lothian. After having completed an impressive first half of the season, the county side were looking to continue in the same fashion.

Skipper Craig Black lost the toss and was duly asked to bat by his opposite number. Rich Passe and Graham Oliver opened proceedings for Clackmannan and started in sedate fashion as some tight opening bowling saw only 3 runs come off the first 4 overs. Oliver was first to go, bowled by a full pitched ball. Skipper Black joined Passe at the crease and played some nice shots, unfortunately though, straight to the fielders. The score had progressed to 23 when Passe was bowled in similar fashion to Oliver departing for 6. At this stage, consolidation was the key, but one run later, skipper Black was caught behind by Snedden for 12. Gordon Oliver and David Watkins were now batting together, and put on a small partnership. This was mainly due to three consecutive boundaries off Olivers bat. Watkins succumbed to a slower ball and was bowled for 2. At this point, the president David Henderson turned up, not believing what he was seeing. Neil Ramsay joined Oliver at the crease, and the two built a partnership of 20 before Ramsay spooned an easy catch to extra cover for 6. Greig Taylor joined the party and saw two wickets fall before he faced a ball. Firstly Gordon Oliver was caught behind, after a miscued pull shot for 18, the second highest score of the innings after extras took that place with 29. Playing his first game for the 1st XI this year, James Couper looked in decent touch, caressing the ball through point and over extra cover, before he was trapped in front for 7. Taylor was next to go, bowled for 0 by Raven. Alan Oliver was next in, but was soon out comprehensively bowled by Bennie for 0. Numbers 10 and 11, Matt Booth & Rizwan Ashraf respectively, looked to be able to nudge the score above the 100 mark, however, Booth was run out for 4 going for a suicidal second run. Clackmannan 88 all out.

Clackmannan really needed to make early inroads if they were to make any sort of game of this encounter, but it didn't seem as if the luck was going to be with the county side today. Ken Thomson and thirteen year old Micheal Miller took to the attack to the Clackmannan openers of Neil Ramsay & Rizwan Ashraf. Some loose bowling saw the score rocket to 42-0 in 7 overs, however Ashraf was unlucky not to have the got the breakthrough as he had what looked like two very conclusive LBW decisions turned down. A change of bowling saw Craig Black come on, and having liked the look of the pitch, decided the best way to go was to bowl just back of a length and get the batsmen on the back foot. Ashraf was to get the only wicket for Clackmannan bowling Miller for 37, the young batsman real prospect for the future to say the least. By this stage, West Lothian were just going through the motions, and Clackmannan had commited themselves to defeat and the result was such in the seventeenth over when Kevin Smith clipped one through sqaure leg for 4. Thomson ended up 24* and Smith 18*.

A very poor performance today by Clackmannan in all three departments, but with promotion still available the team will need to put this defeat behind them and look to amend things next week with fellow table toppers Drummond Trinity.