Dumfries Sports Club

On Saturday, Stafforce Dumfries lost their away Western Premier League fixture at Prestwick by five wickets. Dumfries posted a below par total of 125 after a difficult start for the side resulted in early wickets. A valiant partnership between Niall Alexander and Davie Davidson and then with Chris McCutcheon took the score past the hundred. The Building Tec Dumfries Man of the Match Davidson scored 39 and Alexander 34 not out.

However an adventurous innings of 73 not out by Prestwick opener Rafiq then wrested the game away from Dumfries. That was despite a spirited effort by Chris McCutcheon which brought him three wickets in a disciplined bowling spell.

At home at the Galloway Industrial Nunholm ground, Dumfries seconds, Nunholm, won their home fixture against Prestwick seconds by 139 runs In the Western Premier Reserve League. Nunholm reached 200 thanks to scores of exactly fifty from Connor Jones and skipper Cammie Telfer, and 34 by opener Adam Elliott.

Opening bowlers Stuart Alexander and Jones, the Solway Insulation Man of the Match, then inflicted early damage with two wickets each. Spinner Jerry Goodin followed that with three wickets for not very many, and Telfer added a direct hit run out, as the visitors were finally dismissed for a total of 61 for a home side victory.

On Sunday, at home in the Scottish Cup, the Dumfries batting woes lingered as a six wicket Man of the Match performance by Glenrothes opening quick bowler Akbar skittled the side for just fifty. From there it was a straightforward victory for the visitors from the Eastern Premiership.

Junior Cricket: Junior cricket coaching, for boy and girls of P4-S1 ages, takes place on Mondays at 6:15-8pm at Dumfries Sports Club, Nunholm Road, with new starters welcome to attend a free taster session. Just come along. The Club can be contacted about Senior, Women’s, and Junior cricket on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or 07799 856094. See www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, or find the Club on social media, Facebook(/dumfriescricketclub), or Twitter(@dumfriescricket).

This Saturday, Dumfries play Kelburne at home in the Western Premier League, and Nunholm play away at Whitehaugh in the Reserve League.

In the Western Premier league, Stafforce Dumfries beat last year’s champion side, Clydesdale, by 8 runs in a thrilling finish at the Galloway Industrial Nunholm ground on Saturday.

Dumfries set a total of 178 thanks to another excellent fifty from the Walker & Sharpe Dumfries Man of the Match, Chris Bellwood, batting at three. He was aided by a bustling innings of 22 from Stuart Corbett-Byers. However reaching a possible total to defend required a ninth wicket partnership of nearly forty from Marcus Richardson and Niall Alexander after spinner Con De Lange tied Dumfries down with three wickets.

In reply Clydesdale were favourites at 113 for 2 and then 141 for 3. However a great catch by Alexander removed Scotland bat Berrington for 32 and then a Dumfries team effort in the field saw the visitors dramatically slump to 170 all out.

The mainstay of the innings, fellow Scotland player De Lange, was the last man out caught at mid-off by Davidson off Josh Geary after a classy innings of 89. Alan Davidson for the second week took a five wicket haul and Chris McCutcheon was instrumental in getting Dumfries back into the game with a tight spell and two further wickets.

Dumfries 2nds, Nunholm, had a tough day in the field in a defeat at last year’s title winners Titwood in the Reserve League. A journey breakdown reduced the side to nine and Titwood took advantage with a huge score of 345 all out. However after a starting blitz the Nunholm bowlers still did well in the second half to take all ten wickets with four to the RS Byers Engineering Nunholm Man of the Match, Trevor Newport. Then Nunholm fell short of the hundred in a lost cause with Ronan Dunbar top scoring with 22.

On Sunday there was another good finish at Nunholm as Dumfries beat Stenhousemuir by 16 runs in the Western Union 40 Over Cup. Dumfries posted a total of 189 for 8 with sixteen year-old Chris McBride, back from playing for the Durham Academy side, easing to a score of 82 for the ETP Electrical Man of the Match award. Brother Tom McBride popped up to race to 28.

Stenhousemuir looked in the hunt with Amir Shazhad batting well but run pressure started to tell and the number three was bowled for 62 by Josh Geary. There were visions of a possible IPL finish but the visitors fell short by 16 runs and eight down. McCutcheon and Geary each took three wickets.

This Saturday, Dumfries play at Prestwick in the Western Premier, and Nunholm play Prestwick 2nds at home. On Sunday, at home, Dumfries play Glenrothes in the Scottish Cup.

Junior Cricket: Junior cricket coaching, for boy and girls of P4-S1 ages, take place on Mondays at 6:15-8pm at Dumfries Sports Club, Nunholm Road, with new starters welcome to attend a free taster session. The Club can be contacted about Senior, Women’s, and Junior cricket on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or 07799 856094. See www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, or find the Club on social media, Facebook(/dumfriescricketclub), or Twitter(@dumfriescricket).

Stafforce Dumfries started their league season with a resounding win at Uddingston in the Western Premier League on Saturday.

Batting first the Dumfries side posted a big score of 277 for 4. Scott Beveridge and Chris Bellwood set up the total with a match defining 163 run second wicket partnership. Both fell just short of a century with Beveridge scoring 98 and Bellwood 94 when chasing late innings runs, and Stuart Corbett-Byers contributed 35 not out.

Alan Davidson then demolished the Uddingston batting line-up when he came on to bowl. He took 6 wickets for 16 in an ‘unplayable’ spell of seam bowling. Josh Geary and Scott Beveridge each also took two wickets as Uddingston ended on 127 all out for a convincing 150 run Dumfries win.

In a match of notable performances, Scott Beveridge edged the Carlisle Refrigeration Man of the Match award but the Dumfries Tool Room Champagne Moment was Alan Davidson’s sixth and final wicket, caught one handed by Beveridge, to cap a good bowling and fielding performance.

In the Western Premier Reserve League, Dumfries 2nds, Nunholm, lost to Bothwell at home. The visitors scored 217 all out with Connor Jones taking four of the wickets to fall. Then, despite the Farries,Kirk & McVean Man of the Match, Jones, being the last man out for 56, Nunholm fell short with 150 in reply with James Cox also scoring 25.

Sixteen year-old Chris McBride made his debut appearance at the Durham County ground, Emirates Durham, when playing for Durham Academy on Saturday. For the second week he top scored for the side, this time opening with 28, in an unsuccessful run chase after having taken a wicket in the first innings.

The Club’s outdoor junior cricket sessions, for boy and girls of P4-S1 ages, take place on Mondays at 6:15-8pm at Dumfries Sports Club, Nunholm Road, with new starters welcome to attend a free taster session. The Club can be contacted about Senior, Women’s, and Junior cricket on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or 07799 856094. See www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, or find the Club on social media, Facebook(/dumfriescricketclub), or Twitter(@dumfriescricket).

This Saturday Dumfries play last year’s league winners Clydesdale in a tough match at home in the Western Premier, starting at 12, and Nunholm play at Titwood. On Sunday at Nunholm Road, Dumfries play Stenhousemuir in a rescheduled Western Union Cup match.

In their final pre-league friendly on Saturday, Stafforce Dumfries convincingly beat Edinburgh side Royal High Corstorphine at home at Nunholm Road.

Dumfries set a total of 217 for 9 thanks to exactly 50 from Josh Geary and 32 by Stuart Corbett-Byers. It also required a rapid 47 by Drew Dawson to push the score past 200 in the closing overs.

An early direct hit run-out by Dawson set RHC back in their innings and then they were unable to cope with the spin of the Park Gate Dumfries Man of the Match, Scott Beveridge, who went on to take five wickets for just eleven runs.

Chris McCutcheon also took three as the away side slumped to 79 all out. The JKC Engineering Champagne Moment for Dumfries was an excellent nonchalant catch by Geary at midwicket to a full bloodied pull shot by an incredulous batsman.

However the RHC weekend tour continued on the Sunday with a win over Nunholm, Dumfries 2nds. This time RHC hit 199 for 9 in 40 overs with two wickets each to Aidan Collingwood and Jerry Goodin, who also took the Hole in the Wa’ Champagne Moment for his first ball wicket.

Nunholm lost wickets early and were adrift of the run rate as the Jardine`s Funeral Directors Dumfries Man of the Match, Andy Reed, scored 37 and Campbell Potts hit 24 to reach a final total of 126 all out.

Elsewhere Dumfries sixteen year old Chris McBride started well for the Durham County Academy in the North East Premier league hitting their top score of 62 albeit in a defeat for a young Academy side. On Saturday the Academy play at the county ground, Emirates Durham.

This Saturday Dumfries are away at Uddingston in their first Western Premier league match and Nunholm are at home against Bothwell in the Reserve league. On Sunday, at Nunholm Road, Dumfries play Stenhousemuir in the Western Union Cup.

 

Stafforce Dumfries played Ferguslie at home on Saturday in their second pre-league friendly fixture and were on the wrong end of the first century of the season at Nunholm Road.

Ferguslie batted first and their openers found their feet unlike the Dumfries bowlers. Together openers English and Ahmad set the tone for the encounter by putting on 148 for the first wicket at a healthy scoring rate.

The bowlers were unable to exert the necessary pressure apart from one catch which wasn’t taken. However Connor Jones found a much needed run-out in his first over thanks to the Thomson & Jardine Champagne Moment for Dumfries, Ahmad run out from the deep by Chris Bellwood for 55.

Dumfries had a better last twenty overs. The Anderson Kilts Dumfries Man of the Match Jones took three wickets, including that of the Scotland A batsman Michael English hitting out after an excellent century, and Geary one.  However the total was still a formidable 253 for 5 after the 50 overs.

Dumfries took their score into the thirties without loss but a play-on and then the bowling of spinners Hamza Tahir and then Haroon Tahir resulted in wickets. Andrew Dawson and Geary took the score past the hundred for four wickets but when both were spin victims, Geary for the top score of 36, any hopes of getting near the target disappeared.  Thereafter the innings subsided to 121 all out with Hamza Tahir taking four wickets and Haroon Tahir five for a Ferguslie win.

This weekend Nunholm Road hosts RH Corstorphine on a weekend tour in the last of the pre-league  friendly fixtures with the firsts playing them on Saturday and the 2nds, Nunholm, on Sunday.

Nunholm Junior Cricket: The Club’s summer junior sessions started this week and continue on Mondays (6:15-8pm) at Dumfries Sports Club, Nunholm Road.  These are suitable for beginners, boys and girls, ages P4-S1. The Club very much welcomes newcomers and there is a free first taster session.  All equipment is provided.

The Club can be contacted about these sessions and about Senior, Women’s, and Junior cricket over  the summer by email on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or 07799 856094. See www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, or find the Club on social media, Facebook(/dumfriescricketclub), or Twitter(@dumfriescricket).

Come along and lend a hand; plenty of jobs to be done around the ground; Sat 2nd Apr; 10am-3pm; tea, coffee, and snacks on offer.

We are assembling a team of volunteers to come together to work on jobs necessary to improve the club’s facilities for everyone – juniors, seniors, and supporters.

There are plenty of jobs to be done. And everyone will be able to help out – Cricket Force 2016 is not just for those with specific DIY skills. So come along, join in, and get involved.

For more information contact Hugh on 07799 856094, Email:dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com