Scorecard

Match Report Clackmannan County 1st XI played Leith Franklin Beige at the Grazings in Doune in their second last home game of the season. With the drop to division three already a forgone conclusion there was little to play for. Captain Scott Malcolmson won the toss and decided to bat, opening with himself and Graham Bayes. By the sixth over Malcolmson was back on the sidelines for two runs, bowled by Watt, with 13 runs on the board. He was replaced by thirteen year old Ross Murray who batted with some maturity, as usual, finding the middle of the bat both with defensive and scoring shots. Murray partnered Bayes until the 19th over when he was caught by Woods off Middleton for 15, having helped to push the score along to 48 for 2. Gordon Kidd in his first game for the club showed himself no stranger to batting, his first three scoring shots hit over the boundary. Kidd was caught by Middleton off Mathur for 15 with the total on 73. Neil Ramsay joined Bayes but some four overs late Ramsay was bowled by Middleton for 7. Ramsay was soon joined back in the pavilion by Alan Oliver(0) who was also bowled, this time by Mathur. Bayes was still milking the bowling but showing signs of an injury this necessitated Alan Oliver's return to the crease to run for Bayes. James Couper showed his ability with the bat in partnership with his injured partner as between them they took the score on to 131. A solid innings by Couper, eventually caught at deep mid off for 20 off the bowling of Middleton. Richard Passe accompanied Bayes to the end of the 50 overs. Passe scoring 5 and Graham Bayes a well deserved 85, which, had he not been injure,d would have been well over the century mark. The Leith innings opened to a Clackmannan bowling attack of Neil Ramsay and Matthew Booth. While Ramsay bowled economically, with only six scoring shots of his seven overs, both Booth, and Ramsay's replacement, Graham Bayes suffered at the hands of A Mathur, who hit the boundary regularly. The captain tried several combinations of bowling but it was not until young Graham Oliver had spun his way through his third over, and the sides twenty eighth over, that the first wicket fell. G McCord stumped Ross Murray bowled Graham Oliver for 32. A triumph of youth over experience since the Clackmannan pair's combined ages only just covers 25 years. Young Murray was soon back in action again, catching A MacKenzie of the bowling of Booth for 5 runs, he then repeated the trick three balls later to return Middleton to the sidelines for 2 runs. Two wickets in the over for Booth but the writing was on the wall. By this time the innings was in its 31st over, Leith were 148 for 3 and N Dicks, the incoming batsman, only had to stay with the free scoring Mathur for one more over until the Clackmannan score was overcome. A win for Leith, the bulk of the work being done by Mathur with 2 wickets for 34 runs in 15 overs with the ball and 109, including 21 fours and a six, in his not out total with the bat. Yet another century score against the young Clackmannan side and another defeat, although by now the points tally for the season is inconsequential. The average age of this Clackmannan side is just over 19, by far the youngest team in the division, they lack experience, not talent, and time will help them return back up the divisions over the next few years. Next weeks game is against Stewart's Melville Royal High in Edinburgh.