Dumfries Sports Club

In the last league game in the Western Premiership on Saturday, Stafforce Dumfries lost out to Ayr who claimed the west’s top title when they secured the points they required at Nunholm.

In the first innings Dumfries had Ayr on the back foot, aided by three wickets from Alan Davidson, at 91 for 4 and then 172 for 6 with five overs left.

However a crucial run blitz of over seventy runs in those last five overs ultimately set up their title win when they managed to reach 246 for 7.

Then once more Dumfries were well placed in the second innings when they were 100 for 2 at the half way stage. The Solarae Dumfries Man of the Match, Alan Davidson, again figured with the opener having scoring 34. 

However wickets fell after the drinks break and when a seventh went down that ensured Ayr the necessary points for the title.

Scott Beveridge kept Dumfries in the hunt for a while with a belligerent score of 47. However, when he was caught in the deep the remaining wickets fell with Dumfries 185 all out and meant the Nunholm side took fifth place in the league.

On Saturday Dumfries play the rearranged Murgitroyd T20 semi-final against Clydesdale in Glasgow and this week opening bowler Niall Alexander made his debut Scotland ‘A’ away against Lancashire 2^nd XI in a three day encounter.

In the Western Premier Reserve league Nunholm finished in the league’s fourth spot after a loss at Cambusdoon. Nunholm set a target of 107, with Andy Reed the top scorer with 28, but home side Cambusdoon successfully chased that for the loss of four wickets with the Bryce Walker Man of the Match Stuart Alexander taking three of the wickets to fall.

The Dumfries Sunday XI won a high scoring encounter at Dalton after the home side posted 177 for 7 with Robert McBride the top scorer with 48 and Mark Irwin taking three wickets. Lakeland Fluid Power Man of the Match Peter Lojszczyk then delivered a match winning innings of 55 not out, assisted by 37 from Chris McBride, for a five wicket win.

In the Western Premier League on Saturday Stafforce Dumfries won through in a tight finish at Renfrew for a one wicket victory. The Dupont Teijin Films Man of the Match, Scott Beveridge, took four wickets in a Renfrew total of 162 all out and then was instrumental in steering the side to the win with a score of 41 not out aided by 33 from Captain Stuart Corbett-Byers.

This Saturday, fourth placed Dumfries will play table toppers Ayr at home at Nunholm in the last league game of the season, in a match which will decide whether the Cambusdoon side can clinch the Premiership title.

Also last Saturday, Dumfries 2nds, Nunholm, recorded a Club record score with a mammoth total of 405 for 5 in fifty overs against Deanpark at home in the Western Premier Reserve league.

The match was proceeding unexceptionally with Nunholm at 73 for 3 after 13 overs. Number three, Marcus Richardson, and Cammy Telfer then put together a 117 run partnership and when Telfer was bowled for 51 the score had progressed to 190 for 4 after 32 overs.

Campbell Potts joined Richardson and the pair batted with freedom as the ball was sent all around the ground and over the boundary.

Their partnership yielded 180 runs in just 15 overs until the J&E Shepherd Man of the Match, Richardson, was out caught for a scintillating 173. Potts reached his century with a four off the second last ball and then hit the last for a big six to pass the four hundred.

Stuart Alexander and Mark Irwin each took two Deanpark wickets and Jerry Goodin then took five wickets for four runs, including the final wicket, to complete a 300 run win, and for fourth spot in the league, as the visitors were all out for 105.

The Dumfries Sunday XI travelled to Kinmount for a win in a friendly against Annan. Saint & Co. Man of the Match Chris McBride top scored with 43 in a total of 141 for 8. Mark Irwin and Dave Strachan then each took three wickets to restrict Annan to 108 for 7. Todd Rafferty produced an all-round performance for Annan with 39 and two wickets.

In the Western Premier League on Saturday, Stafforce Dumfries recorded a comprehensive nine wicket win over last season’s title winners Uddingston in their home match at Nunholm.

Uddingston were put in to bat and struggled facing the top wicket taking opening bowling partnership in the league in the form of Pat Druce and Niall Alexander.

Druce in particular found conditions to his liking and struck bowling the Uddingston skipper, Clarke, in his first over.

Alexander removed Rai cheaply lbw and Druce then cut a swathe through the opposition line-up. The dangerous Gul was removed lbw to make it 10 for 3, and then Robert McBride held on to a catch at cover from professional McEwan.

Another Druce lbw made it 48 for 5 and Alan Davidson contributed two wickets, to two good catches by Chris Bellwood at slip and Alexander at point. The Ryedale Remedials Man of the Match Druce completed his five wicket spell with a catch to the keeper and Peter Lojszczyk finished off the innings with the last two wickets for an innings total of just 72.

Drew Dawson set the tone for the reply hitting the first two balls for four and he and Alan Davidson batted positively in the face of an unfavourable forecast until Dawson was bowled by the New Zealand quick McEwan for 20 at 42 for 1.

Davidson and Chris Brockwell coped with some hostile bowling from McEwan and steered Dumfries home in the sixteenth over with Davidson not out with 36 for the loss of the one wicket.

The Dumfries Sunday XI had a losing tussle at Nunholm with a West of Scotland side who scored 188 all out. Thirteen-year-old Matthew Currie was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 for 27 from 7 accurate overs and youngster Fraser Strachan went rewarded with only one wicket for his good seven over spell.

In reply, Cammy Telfer was the leading batsman, scoring a fluent 47. The innings highlight was his sixth wicket 42-run partnership with budding all-rounder Matthew Currie, the Molplant Construction Dumfries Man of the Match. However the Nunholm side could only reach 120 in a good encounter for both sides.

The Murgitroyd Scottish T20 Finals Day in Glasgow on Sunday with Dumfries to play Clydesdale in the semi-final was postponed for a second time due to rain. This Saturday in the Western Premier League Dumfries 1sts play at Renfrew and in the parallel Reserve competition Nunholm play Renfrew 2nd XI at home. For information on cricket at Nunholm, see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk .

In the resumption of the Western Premier League on Saturday due to the Commonwealth Games, Stafforce Dumfries lost out to Clydesdale at Nunholm with insufficient Dumfries first innings runs enabling a win for the visitors.

Scotland all-rounder Ritchie Berrington set the home side back when he took a wicket bowled in his first over and then was on a hat-trick in his third to have Dumfries at 15 for 3.

Opener Alan Davidson and Chris Brockwell retrieved the situation but the latter became the first of six wickets for Scotland spinner Majid Haq when he was lbw. Then Davidson was out caught at long-off attempting to hit the spinner over the top for a score of 42 and Dumfries were back in difficulty at 61 for 5.

Scott Beveridge and Stuart Corbett-Byers helped take the score up towards the hundred but Corbett-Byers mistimed a forcing shot off Haq and the later order found Haq a handful as he kept hitting the stumps. The last wicket added twenty as the Carson & Trotter Dumfries Man of the Match Beveridge forced the pace and hit a massive six onto the railway banking to finish with 48 not out but a final total of 145.

Then Clydesdale professional South African Con de Lange ensured there would be no mistakes as the opener hit a rapid 47 including 2 sixes. He was bowled by Niall Alexander but the opening partnership of 81 set up the win.

Chris McCutcheon’s throw from the boundary ran out Haq by a distance but Berrington with 38 and opener Page with 37 saw the visitors home for the loss of no more wickets.

In the Western Premier Reserve League Nunholm were unable to contend with a Titwood first innings total of 279 after they lost opening bowler Singh to a broken thumb in his second over. The System Hydraulics Nunholm Man of the Match Stuart Alexander took four wickets. Nunholm reached 126 all out in reply with Reed, Irwin and Johnstone all scoring in the twenties.

Niall Alexander took two Scotland Probables’ wickets for the Scotland Possibles in the Scottish trial match in Edinburgh and Kirsty Strachan hit a match winning score of 21 not out for a T20 win for the Scotland Women’s Dev XI in Guernsey.

The Murgitroyd Scottish T20 Finals Day on Sunday in Glasgow was postponed due to rain and takes place this Sunday when Dumfries face Clydesdale once more. On Saturday, Dumfries play Uddingston at home and Nunholm play at Bothwell. To contact the Club at Nunholm about junior, senior or women’s cricket call 07799 856094, email dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com or see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk .

Dumfries beat Kelso by 36 runs in the final of the Murgitroyd Borders Twenty20 Cup at Nunholm on Sunday at Nunholm to secure a place in the Scottish finals day in Glasgow this Sunday. There they will play Clydesdale in the semi-final of Scottish Twenty20 competition.

Dumfries batted first and set an imposing total of 173 for 3, with opener, and the Cairndale Hotel Man of the Match, Alan Davidson showing the way with a fine innings of 83 not out. Ben Grindell provided Kelso with a good start taking two wickets caught in his second over.

However, in intermittent rain, Chris Brockwell and Davidson took the score past a hundred, and at a healthy rate, when a communication failure saw an unfortunate Brockwell run out for 38. Scott Beveridge and Davidson then managed to add seventy runs in the last seven overs with Davidson hitting eleven fours and one six in his innings and Beveridge batting aggressively for 39 not out.

Kelso began well until Druce comprehensively bowled Wilson for 20. Keeper Davie Davidson gave Chris Brockwell a stumping, and Gei Singh took a good catch on the boundary, off Robert McBride, to remove the dangerous Tom Grindell for the top score of 36. At that point Kelso were 81 for 3 with seven overs to go and the pressure of runs told with McBride and Drew Dawson finishing with two wickets as Kelso closed on 139 for 7.

That match was followed by a well contested match between the Dumfries Sunday XI and Annan. Annan scored 141 for 5 with Kevin Bellis top scoring with 50 retired injured, and Mark Pagan backing him up with 38. Junior Matthew Currie bowled well to claim his two wickets.

The Nunholm side managed to chase that down as the batsmen successfully supported a match winning innings of 71 not out from Niall Alexander. Fraser Strachan hit a run a ball score of 28. Then, from 80 for 5, Alexander and Matthew Currie shared an unbeaten 65 run partnership for the win and a share of the Star Refrigeration Man of the Match award.

This Saturday, after a pause for the Commonwealth Games, league fixtures resume with Dumfries playing Clydesdale at home in the Western Premier and Nunholm are at Titwood in the Reserve League.

Also this weekend, Dumfries Women’s team player Kirsty Strachan travels with the Scotland Women’s Development side to play in Guernsey.