`Scorecard

Match Report With only three changes to last weeks winning team the Clackmannan County 1st team travelled to Falkland. Clackmannan batted first and Gordon Oliver and young Tom Hine started in businesslike fashion to take the score along to 22 before Hine received a real Jaffa from Saddi Chauhdry, caught for 14. Oliver was joined by Mark Cunningham with eight overs gone and the two batsmen proceeded to put together a partnership which was only broken in the thirty fourth over when Oliver was bowled by Lindsay for 55. Cunningham was joined by Jack Allen and yet another worthwhile partnership developed. Cunningham was by this time playing his best innings in a Clackmannan shirt, he showed his true ability, crafting a score, using his talent to control the flow of the game. He reached his well deserved century in 33 overs and fulfilled the promise he has shown for the last few years. Young Allen, newly back into the Clackmannan team, showed a good awareness of what was required in the partnership, scoring a well defined 33, before being caught by May off Chauhdry with the score on 222. With three overs remaining Cunningham fell to Saddi Chauhdry, bowled for 120, in the heat and humidity, an excellent effort by Mark. Mahendra Patel and Zahid Hussain had the difficult task of playing themselves in and scoring runs quickly in the last few overs. This pair took the score to 247 by the 50th over before Patel was run out for 4. Hussain and Alan Oliver were both removed in the last over for three and two respectively, and no doubt Falkland would be please to be gifted the extra bowling point from the three wicket haul in the last over. A good innings from the Clackmannan viewpoint, with the top order batsmen producing the goods and giving the bowlers a target to bowl at. The Falkland innings began with M May and B Collier facing the Clackmannan opening attack of Zahid Hussain and Matthew Booth. Booth, revelling in his role as strike bowler, knocked over the stumps in his second over, to return May to the pavilion for 6. Falkland one wicket down for eight runs. Roberson joined Collier and this pairing saw off the Clackmannan opening bowlers. Booth was replaced by Jack Allen and in his fifth over he had Collier caught by David Henderson for 38. The previous over Robertson had succumbed to Mark Cunningham in the bowler's second over of the day, bowled for 11. The score had moved on to 69, sixteen overs had gone and Farrell and Lawson looked to be settling in to a partnership. A shrewed bowling change by captain Oliver saw David Henderson outthink Farrell to have him well stumped by Tom Hine for 4. Mahindra Patel joined Henderson in the attack and with his second ball had Lindsay caught and bowled for no score. This bowling partnership proved profitable for Clackmannan with both bowlers pressurizing the batsmen into making mistakes. Henderson took the wicket of Falklands second top scorer Watson, this time, caught by wicketkeeper Tom Hine for 21. Patel was busy at the other end producing an excellent spell, which saw him take three wickets in three overs. Chauhdry(10) bowled, Lawson(19) caught by Cunningham and Donnely(5) caught by Hussain to leave Falkland at 133 for 9 in the 37th over. A last wicket partnership between Richardson and young G Lawson could only delay the inevitable. Patel struck again having Richardson caught by Cunningham for six. Mahendra Patel complete the game with figures of 8 overs 5 wickets for 23 runs and put the icing on the Clackmannan cake. The Falkland final score was 139 all out in 40 overs and a much needed 25 points for Clackmannan in their struggle to avoid relegation. Two wins in two weeks, the team spirit of the Clackmannan side has improved dramatically of late and the side are beginning to play for one another and to their capabilities. Next week sees the first team at home to Haddington, the game starting at 1 pm.