Scorecard

Match Report The game on Thursday, a Clackmannan County Select team against Desert Youth Club of India was included as an extra fixture, organized with great effect by Captain Ash Rasul. Ash assembled a team of amateur and professional cricketers from local and not so local clubs to augment our own club players who had been able to gain time off work. The fixture was also used as an opportunity to try some ideas, new to the club if not to televised matches. The first of these was an attempt to ensure that the wicket would be playable despite the weather. A Heath Robinson arrangement of poly sheet, bits of wood and old corrugated sight screen kept the pitch dry for the week before. This, aided by tremendous work from some of the players, a vacuum pump and some plastic buckets proved to be a cornerstone for the success of the fixture. The idea also proved an object lesson in the importance of the role of covers in improving the chances of playing cricket in Scotland. The club also picked up on an idea used by Dunfermline CC in its 125 year celebrations this year by using coloured clothing. The clubs thanks go to Tom Gibson of Dunfermline for supplying us with the clothing, black pads and black sight screen covers. The white ball used in the game proved a big hit with the spectators and players alike being much easier to see than the normal cherry. With the addition of team and man of the match awards, an evening meal and the ubiquitous junior club barbecue, the stage was set for a good days cricket.

After a few phone calls Desert Club made it to the Arns courtesy of the details on How to Find Us on the clackmannanccc web site. The game started just after 2pm, with the tourists batting in blue and the home team in green. Matt Friedlander opened the bowling from the railway end and on the fifth ball of the over cut a ball back to bowl Altaf Mechant for nought. A good start for the Alloa side, a blow to the tourists who had so far been in command of all of their games in Scotland. Aberdeen's South African amateur Jan Standler opened the bowling from the road end and provided an object lesson in quick opening bowling. After 12 overs the two opening bowlers had taken two wickets for 30 runs beating the bat innumerable times. The Desert club then began to rally and Siddharth played an excellent innings of 28 in a partnership with Pankat Joshi(10) before being caught by Stirling Pro Saj Ali off St Modans bowler G Rodgers. A Mini collapse saw the Indian side at 6 for 59 thanks to some well placed bowling from Rodgers and Australian Justin Janeuch (is he quick, or what!) Justin came away wi8th the match figures of 7.3 overs 3 for 28. Clackmannan favourite Graham Grace, now playing for Aberdeen, took up the bowling "attack" with his beguiling off breaks? He was joined by Gordon Oliver, bowling... with a white ball and between them they increased the tempo of the game Jai Kush Hoon hitting a quick fire 43 and K S Rana scoring 18 before being bowled by Gordon Oliver. Gordon's first international wicket! Sunil Gudara helped the score along to give Desert Club a final total of 124 all out in 38 overs. After a break for tea and a small shower of rain. The home side opened the batting with South African Graham Grace and Clackmannan Aussi Greg Jones. This pair conspired to do to the Tourists what they did to many of the national league sides opening attacks last year. They unsettled the fielding side by picking up quick singles and hitting anything loose to the boundary. Gracie showed his usual class in building an innings and Jonesy, quickly in the mood, tonked the ball all over the ground. There was no let up when these two were dismissed, Grace for 36 and Jones for 45. Saj Ali was joined by Kruger Van Wyk(10), the sides South Sfrican wicket keeper, to continue the onslaught. It was almost possible to see the ball turn a paler shade of white at the thought of the treatment Saj had in mind for it. Off one unfortunate bowler he hit a 6, 4 and 6 in three consecutive balls to end up with a total of 36 in less time than it takes to tell. One six bounced once on the road and landed in the Pleasure Grounds a hit of more than 100 yards. The Indian bowlers stuck to their task but their final total was overcome in 22 overs. Clackmannan 127 for 2 wickets. The captains agreed to play a twenty20 overs game to give the visitors who had not had a chance to play a game. See other scorecard.