Scorecard

Match Report The Clackmannan County 1st XI game against Falkland 2nd XI did not get off to a good start when less than an hour before the scheduled start the home side were three players short. After some hurried phonecalls replacements were obtained for two of the absent players, the third was tracked down and his availability, albeit a bit late, established. The captain Ash Rasul won the toss and since the playing situation was in a state of flux, decided to bat. The Clackmannan innings was opened by Tom King, back from injury, and last weeks undeafeated opening batsman Gordon Oliver. This pair batted out the first ten overs before King was caught behind by Roberson off Morris for 18. First wicket down for 25, which brought last weeks 2nd eleven high scorer Graham Bayes to the crease. Bayes obviously felt at home in the batting conditions, since, when he left the crease he had scored 69 and the Clackmannan total was now 169 for 2 in thirty seven overs. Captain Rasul joined a confident Oliver who had been hitting the ball well throughout the innings. However some 10 runs later Oliver was adjudged LBW to Watson for 83, another fine score for player who works so hard for the club. Rasul stayed in the middle while partners Tipu Sultan and Mahindra Patel came and went, then he was caught behind off Woods for 17. By this time the Alloa side had passed the 200 mark but the tempo of the innings had faltered and by the close of innings Clackmannan were 212 for 8 wickets. A reasonable score but not a high score on a good wicket and fairly quick outfield. The Falklland innings opened to a Clackmannan attack of Michael Booth and Mahindra Patel. Mahindra pulled into the side at 12.30 to replace a missing player and it bears witness to the regard with which he is held by the club that even after a spell of more than a year away fron playing he was asked to open the bowling. That that confidence was justified is visible in Patels figures for his first six overs, bowled six, of which five were maidens and producing one run, for one wicket. With Booth also getting in on the economy act, the first 12 overs gave away only 11 runs. Patel finished with 9 overs for 10 runs with five maidens and one wicket. He was replaced by Bayes who carried on the economical bowling routine, by over 18 Falkland had scored 30 only half of the Clackmannan rate at the same stage. However Mellies(35) and Manson(26) played out the overs and gradually began to pick away at the Clackmannan attack. By the time these two batsmen had been removed by Bayes, the score was sitting on 81. Tipo Sultan replaced Booth but by this time the Falkland batting was beginning to find holes in the Clackmannan defence. May and Morriss continued the good work done by Mellies and Manson, both fell victim to Sultan, but not before taking the score onto 187 for six. The over rate was beginning to have an effect on the game and thoughts of another tie began to look a possibility with five overs to go. It was not to be, Watson and Robertson played confidently in the face of some rather average Clackmannan fielding to take the win in the 49th over at 213 for 6 wickets. Again, so near, but yet so far, one or two key players missing, some good scores, some good bowling, but, at the end of the day, not enough. Next Saturdays game is away to Haddington.