By Steve Jelfs

Clackmannan County third eleven played their first home match of the season, slipping to a narrow two wicket defeat against Montrose Cricket Club.

After losing the toss, Clackmannan were put into bat with openers Gordon Oliver and Greig Taylor getting off to a slow start. Runs were hard to come by due to some accurate bowling and tight fielding from an athletic Montrose side and the visitors struck quickly when Taylor was bowled by Hutchison for 5. Hutchinson then quickly claimed his second wicket dismissing young  Ralph Watson for a duck. This galvanized Clackmannan into action with Oliver and Graham Anderson starting to up the run rate, with Oliver hitting a couple of fine boundary shots. However, this mini- revival soon floundered when Anderson was caught behind for 5. With Clackmannan stuttering along, new batsman Alamgir was quickly dispatched by Thorogood while attempting a sweep shot, again for 5 runs. With the score standing at 38 for 4, Oliver was joined at the crease by Clackmannan ‘man of the match’ Riswan Ashraf. Both batsmen started to place some fine shots to increase the run rate with Ashraf hitting six fours in a great innings of 30 before being stumped off the bowling of Thorogood. Opener Oliver was playing a fine steady innings and runs started to pile on the scoreboard as the play opened out. Unfortunately his fine innings was not to last and he was caught behind finishing on a very respectable 42 with the score at 124 for 7. The tail-end batsmen only managed to put on a further eleven runs before Clackmannan finished the innings on 135 all out with Steve Jelfs the not out batsman on 9.

With a very catchable total, Montrose was out of the blocks quickly with Hutchison and Christie putting on a partnership of 44. Opening bowlers, Ralph Watson and Callum Ross, were unable to make any breakthrough despite some fine accurate bowling. Some very accurate fast bowling from Rishwan Ashraf brought an immediate result with the quick dismal of the early order, moving the Montrose score from 44 for 1 to 58 for 5 in just eight overs. The Montrose middle order were then able to consolidate the innings and a further 28 runs were added to their total before the next wicket fell. Two wickets then fell in quick succession and it looked like Clackmannan were tightening their grip on the game, however a solid innings by Montrose number nine, Thorogood, led the visitors to victory with just one over remaining.

Although defeated, this was a solid performance by the Clackmannan thirds who are playing in a division higher this year after gaining promotion during the 2009 season.