Tommy playing for Scotland U17s

Previous matches have included a win over Cumbria and a defeat to Northumberland and this week he has been captaining the side in their game against Shropshire where he led from the front top scoring with 41 in the second innings.

The two match tour concludes with a game against Hertfordshire before the side move on to compete in the European Championships in Northern Ireland at the end of the month.

Congratulation from the club!

Half Century to Dumfries's Alan Davidson

APD Dumfries consolidated their third place in National League Division 2 with a 91 run win over SMRH at Nunholm on Saturday.

The crucial partnership of the match was between opener Alan Davidson and Josh Geary who shared a ninety run partnership taking the score from 58 for 2 to 148 when Davidson was run out for 59.

Two further thirty run partnerships raised the total to 212 for 5. Davidson and Geary pressed on and boosted the final total to 241 for 6. The Dumfries innings was controlled by Geary who finished not out with an excellent 73. 

Robert McBride and Jim Patterson then did their job by removing the opposition top three. At 100 for 4 the visitors still looked in contention but the spinners made inroads with four wickets for just twenty more runs. Beveridge took three wickets and Goodin two and SMRH were all out for 150.

In the Western Union Division 2 match at Whitehaugh Chris McCutcheon top scored with 39 runs until he fell to one of several good catches. It took a 64 run seventh wicket partnership between Williams and Cox to revive the innings to an improved total of 174.

Whitehaugh opener McLeod then played the match defining innings. McCutcheon eventually bowled him round his legs for a hard hitting 80 runs out of an opening century stand. Thereafter runs became harder to come by but, despite three wickets falling to Cox, Whitehaugh won by four wickets.

NUNHOLM SQUASH CLUB

WANT TO HELP?

Following our re affiliation to SCOTTISH SQUASH we are hoping to run a UKCC Level One Coaching Course at the Club later in the year.

Can you give your time to help develop our junior players?

It is hoped the course will be subsidised in part but possibly in full!

PLACES WILL BE LIMITED

INTERESTED? – THEN PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME AND NUMBER TO THE LIST ON THE CLUB NOTICEBOARD.

FURTHER INFO CONTACT RAYMOND CURRIE 07515994172 OR 01387 257036

An indication of the wide variety of races undertaken by Dumfries Running Club members was shown last weekend by Jo Zakrzewski who undertook her first-ever Saunders Mountain marathon along with partner Russ Ladkin.

This massive two-day event involves hundreds of teams in eight different categories with navigation as well as running ability tested to the limit in the Lake District.

Each team had to carry all their own equipment, tent and food and were strictly monitored under the safety requirements of the Fell Runners’ Association.

Each team set off at five-minute intervals early on Saturday morning with no chance to preview the course map with any kind of sat nav system banned as they covered over 15 miles of hilly ground attempting to get the orienteering style controls within the time constraints.

Jo and Russ were in the Bowfell class for serious mountain navigation experts and quickly showed their ability to cover the ground rapidly.

At the end of day one they were third place overall in five hours 19 minutes and settled into the giant midway campsite where sunburnt and tired runners were fortified by milk and beer, the only refreshments to supplement their own meagre rations.

On Sunday, Jo and Russ really pushed on and completed the second part of the race in four hours 40, the second fastest overall with Jo’s running strength complemented by Russ’ navigation and the two of them won the prize as the first mixed team in a magnificent nine hours 59 over half an hour in front of the next team.

Former club member Rachel Metcalfe, running with her sister Ruth, who are both very experienced at this event, won the prize as the first female team in the same event but were fully two hours behind Russ and Jo.

Also on Sunday morning, Bob Quin crossed the Firth of Clyde to take part in the picturesque Isle of Arran Half marathon.

As Bob has only completed the distance twice before and was faced by a very hilly route on a hot and sunny morning, he wisely decided to conserve his energy and was delighted to finish in one hour 53.

The club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nunholm at 6.30pm with the beginners group on a Monday at the same time. Further details can be found on www.dumfriesrunningclub.org.uk .

Dumfries and Galloway Standard

Primary cricket teams raring to go at Nunholm

Local primary schools have not quite been hearing the smack of leather on willow this summer – more the thump of plastic on plastic.

Along with a team from Galloway and another from Lockerbie, pupils from Collin, Duncow, Georgetown and Noblehill Primary Schools came to Nunholm for a series of Kwik cricket matches between ten teams.

For four Friday evenings in June the teams bowled fast, threw hard and hit big as five games took place simultaneously on the ground. In all there were over sixty young participants who enjoyed their time with bat and ball.

Primary teams in action at Nunholm

Kwik Cricket action at Nunholm

The Collin “A-Team” proved to be the champions – being undefeated in their 8 matches.

There was plenty of enthusiasm and no little skill on show and hopefully some of the primary pupils will have been enthused enough to return to Nunholm for some of the Dumfries Cricket Club weekly junior coaching sessions – which carry on through the summer holidays – on Mondays from 6.15-8pm.

Thanks go to the volunteers who umpired and organised the matches and the teachers and team managers for marshalling their sides.

Nunholm's Rennie and Johnston batting record

It was a day for records at Nunholm on Saturday as Russell Johnston and Richard Rennie took JMS Nunholm to an astonishing score of 346 for the loss of no wickets in 50 overs against Albert Park in Western Union Division 2. Johnston scored 191 not out, his second century of the season and his highest score, and Rennie scored 125 not out, his maiden century for the club.

Andrew Kyle with five wickets and Chris McCutcheon with three avoided the anticlimax of a draw by bowling Albert Park out for 121 in the 34th over to seal an emphatic 225 run win.

Despite the scoreline Weirs bowled steadily however their fielding was fallible and Johnston and Rennie exploited this by running effectively. It was in the last twenty overs that the dam burst and those yielded nearly 200 runs. This opening partnership is surely a candidate for several club, league and Scottish records.

Meanwhile the first XI, APD Dumfries, were missing five experienced regulars away at Weirs in National League Division 2. However a team effort from a young side produced a dramatic last ball win by two wickets chasing 184.

All five Dumfries bowlers stuck to their task and Jerry Goodin was rewarded with three wickets and Robert McBride two. However from a position of 114 for 8 Weirs rattled up 65 in the last eleven overs to wrest the initiative.

Dumfries had a measured reply with Alan Davidson scoring 28 and Drew Dawson 38. Six wickets were left but 65 needed off just 8 overs required a special effort. Tommy McBride with a rapid twenty and stand-in skipper Josh Geary with 36 not out put Dumfries in the frame. Twenty were needed off the last two overs with three wickets remaining. Then it was eight off the last over and then two off the last ball. Robert McBride successfully scored that two for a dramatic win. The third placed side play SMRH at home this Saturday.

On Sunday the Dumfries XI stayed top of Strathclyde Division 3 with a comfortable 49 runs win over Kelburne. Chris Bellwood top scored with 66 and Josh Geary scored 51 as they totalled 251. Kelburne scored 202 all out in reply.

Summer Tennis Camps at Dumfries Sports Club.

3rd-7th August or 10th-14th August, 9am-12pm 5 Days.

For ages 7-14 (as a guide). Cost £35 including prizes.

To book contact Coach Colin Dunbar on 07762624329.

Come dressed as your childhood hero!

Music by
Sugar & Spice
Bar-B-Q

Saturday 25th July 2009.
8 till late.

Tickets £5 (from the bar)

Dumfries Cricket Club

The inaugural 5k womens Race for Health was held on the morning of Sunday June 28th at the Crichton Campus. Organised by Devorgilla rotary club, this event replaced the Race for Life and was not organised as a race as such with having fun, raising money for charity and running with like minded participants the main focus of the event.

A number of the Monday night beginners group from the club took part in the event with Emily Kennedy and Dawn Philip running together in 29.22. However, family bragging rights go to daughter Sophie who was 5th overall and beat her mum by over 5 minutes. Eileen Adamson and her two young daughters ran with Theresa DeFazio in 34 minutes with the two adults glad to use the kids as a reason to ease off in the warm sunshine! Further details on the Monday night club beginners group can be found on www.dumfriesrunningclub.org.uk .

Participants in the Dumfries Academy Sponsored Walk

Dumfries Running Club members are nothing if they are not versatile. Most enjoy races on the flat but there are a substantial minority who enjoy nothing more than the challenge of hill running and they got their place in the sun last Tuesday at the Lotus Hill Race, close to Beeswing.

In all 25 took part on one of the hottest nights of the year, expertly organised by Bob Green, helped by Alan McKean, Paul Hart and Sebastian Pflanz with the latter two glad to rest after their heroics at the West Highland Way race the previous weekend.

The 4 mile route starts innocuously with the preamble of a slight rise on forest tracks followed by a lung bursting climb through the trees on a 1 in 3 slope up to the beautiful view from the summit at 350 metres.

The reward after this is an equally steep narrow descent with many muddy pot holes with tussocky heather and grass ready to trap the unwary. As an extra hazard, squadrons of midgies were out in force ready to feast on the unexpected visitors and irritate everyone in sight.

Retaining the trophy was Marcus Scotney in 26.02 with Dougie Brown in second place in 27.19. Newcomer Alan Baxter ran very well in 29.10 heading off Les Hill by 20 and Craig Malcolmson by 40 seconds respectively. Jo Zakrzewski was first woman in an excellent 29.56 and headed off Simon Mortlock and Sandy Shankland by just over 10 seconds. Dougie Milligan of Solway RC running as a guest was next in 30.46 and headed off Mhairi Duff by 8 seconds.

Adam Dickie found the descent difficult in 33.11 but nudged in front of newcomer Thomas Aitken on the forest track. Maurice Gilligan trains on Lotus Hill regularly but narrowly failed to catch Thomas on the run in. Biggest improvement of all came from Vicky Little whose time of 34.13 was fully three minutes up on last year and beating Gill Pearcey and Stephen Mohan in the final descent marked her full return to form.

Rab Wilson in 36.24, tolerated rather than enjoyed the race even though he headed off Allan Manson and Rachel McDougal by almost 2 minutes. Marian McPhail, at home on more challenging terrain ran strongly in 38.37 in front of Bob Quin and Sandie Donald who both prefer the more predictable running on the level. Jo Needham’s time of 40.34 was faster than last year but when she was asked whether she enjoyed the route, her comments were unprintable. Paula Neill in 44minutes cheerfully admitted she hated the whole event as she was still fatigued from the East Kilbride half two days before. Susan Graham was also up on her time from 2008 but found the warm weather and over active insects a challenge.

Les Hill welcomes the chance to try new races and completed the very hilly Toad Hall 10k on a family visit to the South of England. With a mixture of road and trail, Les’s finishing time of 43.58 was the slowest he had ever managed but under the circumstances ran very well in 17th place out of 342, gaining the prize as first supervet.