Scorecard

Match Report Clackmannan traveled along to Charlestown to play Broomhall on a cloudy, humid day which threatened to break out into sunshine according to the weather forecast. For Clackmannan it was a welcome change not to have to travel into Edinburgh's traffic problems. With the knowledge that the early season game against Broomhall finished in a tie at the Arns, the players anticipated a good tightly fought game. Broomhall won the toss and put Clackmannan in to bat on what looked like an interesting wicket. Clackmannan opened with the right hand, left hand partnership of Neil Ramsay and Richard Passe. With both opening bowlers bowling well and some help in the pitch the Clackmannan lads were not finding scoring easy. Ramsay was the first to go, in the eighth over, caught off Bell for 6, with the total on 9. Graham Bayes replaced Ramsay with Broomhall well aware that in his previous outing against them he had scored 98. Passe and Bayes prodded the score along until Passe was bowled by Bell in the fourteenth over after a tenacious innings for 5 runs. The score had moved on to 27 and a low scoring game looked a possibility. Scott Malcolmson joined Bayes and the two Clackmannan players set about developing a partnership. at the end of his ninth over, Docherty, who had been bowling accurately but with little luck, was replaced by leg spinner Hunt. At the other end Bell was replaced by Stuart Glasgow but it was to be another four overs before Glasgow reaped the reward of the bowling change. The wicket was the one Broomhall were keen to get, Bayes caught off Glasgow for 26. Ian Davies and captain Malcolmson took the score to 55 before Davies was caught by Docherty off Hunt for 7. Alison Ramsay joined her captain and the pair amassed a further 25 runs before Malcolmson was caught behind off Hunt for 17. Alison was joined by her dad, Bob, but their time was short lived as she mistimed a swat at Bell, only to be caught and bowled for 15. Graham Carroll played too early to the next ball and was caught for a duck. Alistair Band came in for the hat-trick ball, showing maturity he survived that and the demise of Ramsay some three overs later. Ramsay, following his daughters swat the ball technique, failed to come to terms with the bowling and just to rub salt into the wound,was pronounced out by his son, Neil, LBW to Hunt for 2. Gordon McNee lasted for two overs, scoring two before being bowled by Hunt for 2. Greig Taylor and Band then proceeded to bat out the rest of the overs, showing their more mature team-mates the way, by playing straight and sensibly, to be, not out for one and 5 respectively. Accurate bowling by Broomhall saw D Bell returning figures of 4 for 24 off 13 overs and D Hunt 4 for 26 off 13 overs. Clackmannan would have to emulate Broomhall's bowling to defend their final score of 96 for 9. The Broomhall innings commenced to the Clackmannan opening attack of Neil Ramsay and Alistair Band. The fourteen year year old was finding it difficult to settle into his rhythm but at the other end young Ramsay was creating all sorts of problems for the openers. In the seventh over Ramsay's thoughtful use of the ball saw Mike Warren, on 5 runs, sky a catch to wicketkeeper Alison Ramsay for the first wicket. Ramsay struck again in his next over, Jones LBW for 4 with the total on 14. This wicket brought together Liam Docherty and Gareth Seith who began to make inroads into the bowling. Band was replaced by Graham Bayes and Bayes put a brake on the run scoring, bowling in his usual economic fashion. It was Neil Ramsay, however, who made the breakthrough having Docherty caught behind by Alison Ramsay for 18. By the twenty third over Broomhall's score had climbed to 65 and Clackmannan were beginning to look for solutions. By the end of the twenty sixth over Broomhall had lost five wickets for a further three runs. Wicketkeeper Garry Seith, who survived a torrid time at young Ramsay's hands, bowled by Bayes for a valuable and hard won 15. Ian Baron, Stuart Glasgow, Michael Goodchild and brother David, all bowled by Bayes, all for naught, in an amazing two over spell by the off-spinner. Broomhall showed their experience in the game by not being rattled by this middle order collapse and Garrett and Bell defended well to see off both Neil Ramsay and Bayes. By now the game was on tenterhooks hooks 80 on the board with eight overs to go, 17 runs to get and the main wicket takers bowled out. The captain turned to the old Ramsay and Alistair Band to bowl out the overs. The pair were keeping the runs down but Broomhall were inexorably drawing towards the final total, when, out of the blue Bob Ramsay bowled Garret with a ball probably both of them would rather forget. Garrett gone for a patiently crafted 10 and only one wicket to fall. Off his next over Ramsay gave away five runs and the Broomhall total stood on 93. The pressure was on fourteen year old Alistair Band, one boundary hit would be enough, but the youngster showed his metal and amid much excitement and celebration, bowled spinner Hunt for 1, with the last ball of his over. A win for Clackmannan, yet another close game between these two sides and a couple of excellent bowling displays for the book. Neil Ramsay 13 overs 6 maidens 3 wickets for 19 runs. Graham Bayes, 13 overs 2 maidens 5 wickets for 13 runs. Again the Clackmannan fielding and the youngsters part in the game was to be commended as was the spirit in which the game was played. An interesting game which neither team deserved to lose. Next week Clackmannan County 2nd XI are at home to Carlton 3, the game starts at 1.30 pm.