Scorecard

Match Report In a complete change from last weeks wet and cloudy conditions at the Grazings in Doune Clackmannan County 1st team played Stewarts Melville Royal High 2nd XI. SMRH took forst knock and their openers had 48 on the board before the first wicket fell, Alli Knight caught behind by Greig Taylor of Zahid Hussain in the fifteenth over. Hussain picked up the next wicket too, Matthew Innes (35) again caught by Taylor with the score on 62. Struan Samson made 8 before being bowled by Graham Bayes with the score on 77 at the half way point of the innings. Stuart Foubister was joined by Steve Kerr and this pair took the score on to 107 before Foubister fell LBW to Sultan for a valuable 35 runs. Matthew Booth much improved in his second spell removed Malcolm McColl, LBW for 5 and Rick Barclay bowled of zero in short order. The SMRH score stood at 139 for 6 wickets with 42 overs gone, a reasonable position for Clackmannan against a good batting side. Colin Grahamslaw joined his captain and set about the bowling. When Kerr was LBW to Ahmed for 32 in the 45th over the score was 145. By the time the innings closed 5 overs later the SMRH score was 201 for eight wickets. Brown had smashed 20 before being bowled by Booth and Bond (9) and Grahamslaw (32) had carried their bats. Good to see Zahid Hussain get some wickets at last, his final 2 for 24 in 6 overs shows the potential that is still to be fully exploited. Tipo Sultan bowled economically his 15 overs costing 35 runs for one wicket. Matthew Booth eventually doing his main job of taking wickets in his final spell (3 for 40 in 6 overs) but with overall figures of 13 overs 65 runs for three wickets not one of his red letter days.

The Clackmannan openers Richard Passe and captain Scott Malcolmson put on a reasonable 41 runs before Passe was caught by Brown off Bond for 10. Replaced by another left hander, Alan Oliver, the partnership failed to materialise as Malcomson fell to an estute bowling change next over caught in the gully off Knight for 28. Tipu Sultan sored a quickfire 16 before being bowled by Knight while at the other end Oliver(6) and Graham Bayes both fell to Knight in short order. Clackmannan 4 wickets down for 64 in 21 overs and again too many misfires in the top order to close on the target set. Mark McAlpine showed his abiltiy but fell to Barsch, bowled for 13, before he could turn a good start into a good innings. Muktar Ahmed came and went next ball to the same bowler, giving Knight the coveted five wicket haul. Zahid Hussain scored a useful 38 to complimert his last weeks score of 31 and Greig Taylor carried his bat for 9. However, with neither Kash Ali or Matthew Booth troubling the scorer the innings was over before 40 overs were bowled, Clackmannan all out for 140. A disappointing batting performance on a good batting wicket, too many illjudged shots confirming a dearth of experience in the batting line up. Next weeks game is against Marchmont in Edinburgh on Saturday 18th June.