`Scorecard

Match Report The Clackmannan County 1st XI played Penicuik 2 at the Arns on Saturday on a hot and humid day The Clackmannan County side batted first, openers Gordon Oliver and Zahid Hussain facing the bowling of Ben Barnes and Peter Kingbury. Starting cautiously the Clackmannan pair took the score to 20 in the 14th over before Hussain was bowled by Kingbury for 10. Mark Cunningham joined Oliver at the crease and soon began to score freely. The two batsmen put on 55 runs in 10 overs before Cunningham was caught by Matthew Barnes off Kingbury for 31, Mark's 31 included seven fours. Mahendra Patel was next to enter the fray and he and Oliver, who by now was looking extremely well settled continued the work of the previous partnership. by the 36th over the score had risen to 128 when Patel was caught by Paul Sewell off Jonny Bentley for 32. Alan Oliver stayed with his dad for a couple of overs before his father was bowled by Young Shaun Taylor for 56. Again Gordon Oliver had provided the stability at the start of the innings on which the Clackmannan team could build. In previous weeks however the middle order had not been up to the task. James Couper joined young Oliver but the two teenagers were separated when Bentley bowled Oliver for 1 in the next over. Shazad Azhad and Couper then created a successful partnership which took the score on to 189 before Couper returned to the pavilion, bowled by Bentley for 16. In the same over Muktar Ahmed was quickly dispatched back to the dressing room, LBW to Bentley for 0. Kash Ali joined Azhar and they kept up the pressure for the final four overs, both finishing not out, Ali for 6 and Azhar for a well engineered 46. Clackmannan 220 for 7 in their 50 overs and a good target to bowl at. The Penicuik innings began with Matthew Booth and Zahid Nussain opening the bowling for Clackmannan. In the third over of the game Booth had Jim Fraser LBW for 1, with the score on ten. In his next over Booth struck again, catching Jonny Bentley(7) off his own bowling with the total on ten. Hussain got into the act during the next over, bowling Peter How for nought. Six overs gone, three wickets down, ten on the board, and Clackmannan's tails were up. In the ninth over, Booth was replaced by Mark Cunningham and immediately Cunningham struck, bowling Paul Sewell for 4. Bowling accurately and with the support of Hussain and Mahendra Patel, Cunningham was on song. In the space of his next four overs Cunningham had, Lister LBW for 0, Kingbury LBW for 4 and Ben Barnes bowled for 2. To complete an excellent five wicket haul he finished by taking the wicket of Matthew Barnes(9) caught behind by Jeff Thomas. The youngster having done well to try and anchored the innings while all around him wickets were dropping. From this point only a miracle could save Penicuik, but it was not to be. Clackmannan kept up the pressure and the final two wickets fell to the experience of Patel who had Shaun Taylor caught by James Couper for 1 and Muktar Ahmed who bowled young Stephen Sewell for 0. Stephens brother Danny remained not out at the end. The final Penicuik total 32 all out in 26 overs. Cunningham's final figures, nine overs four maidens five wickets for six runs. With six under sixteen players in the side it was always going to be difficult for Penicuik, but they, like Clackmannan, are in a rebuilding phase and are suffering the same lack of experience and player availability as Clackmannan. For both clubs success will be evident when the clubs junior policy matures. A win for Clackmannan, with a big improvement in the middle order batting and some tight bowling and fielding. The side must draw strength from the win and, despite the holiday enforced changes already signaled for next week, look forward to the challenge of the next few weeks. Next weeks game is against Falkland 2 at Scroggie Park, Falkland.