Dumfries Sports Club

APD Dumfries maintained top spot in the Western Premier League in a dramatic finish at Stirling on Saturday.

Chasing a big total of 265, Dumfries got the winning run off the last ball with one wicket left. Captain Stuart Corbett-Byers hit a match winning 72 not out and opener Chris Bellwood contributed another fifty in a successful run chase, just.

Stirling, at 25 overs, were just under a hundred for the loss of three wickets but a 150 partnership between Reddy (74) and Farrar (53) set up a challenging total of 265 for 5. Spinners Beveridge and Bellwood each took two wickets.

Similarly Dumfries were just past a hundred at half-way, for 2 wickets, but at 6 wickets down for 157 and just 12 overs left it required a crucial sixty run partnership between Corbett-Byers and Robert McBride to keep the side in the chase. At the last over the scoreboard showed 13 runs to win. Byers hit two fours, then a leg-bye and a well placed edged four by last-man Goodin off the second last ball saw that target reached.

However the electronic runs countdown had been one short. So the stumps were replaced, celebrations cut short, and for a second time Goodin hit the winning runs taking a single off the last ball with the John Henderson & Sons Dumfries Man of the Match Corbett-Byers undefeated on 72 after one of his best innings for the club.

The result leaves the side just ahead of West of Scotland on run rate with both sides played three, won three. This Saturday in the league Dumfries play away at Ayr.

CWE Nunholm were unable to post a large enough total at Benfield Park Nunholm against Stirling 2nds. Youngster Todd Rafferty top scored for Nunholm with 35 to get his side back into the game from a position of 59 for 5 to end up 177 all out.

Despite being 47 for 4 the visitors reached their target for the loss of just one more wicket. The club’s junior sessions continue to run on Mondays from 6:15-8 at Nunholm, see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk.

APD Dumfries registered their second comprehensive win in the new Western Premier Division on Saturday to stay top after week two of the league.

They beat Clydesdale, one of the pre-season favourites, by 98 runs at Benfield Park Nunholm thanks to a batting performance in bowler friendly conditions by opener Chris Bellwood that earned him the Manson Associates Man of the Match award.

Dumfries were put in and after twenty overs needed to recover from 61 for 4 with the top order gone. Drew Dawson importantly shared a near fifty run partnership with Bellwood to bolster the innings as did Stuart Corbett-Byers to take the score past 150.

However it was Bellwood that gave the side a total of 168 for 7 to defend by dominating the Dumfries run scoring. He was unlucky to be stumped off the last ball for 99 after needing nine runs off the last over for a deserved century.

Skipper Byers said “It was as if Chris was playing on a different wicket to everyone else. He timed his innings perfectly in really testing conditions and it’s a shame he didn’t reach three figures.”

With that target Clydesdale were in pole position but they were rapidly in trouble losing two wickets in the first two overs, one to Pat Druce in the first and one to Alan Davidson in the second. Druce then claimed two lbws, including Scotland all-rounder Haq, to leave Clydesdale four down for 17 after 5 overs.

Awais played freely but was the fourth Druce victim caught for 21. Five down rapidly become more down as the left-arm spin of Scott Beveridge picked up the next four wickets and the last wicket fell with Clydesdale on just 70, two runs shy of a hundred run win for the league newcomers.

In the league this Saturday Dumfries are away at Stirling. The Nunholm club’s junior coaching sessions run on Mondays from 6:15 to 8 at Dumfries Sports Club. These are open to non-members, boys and girls. For more details on junior, senior, and women’s cricket contact Trefor Williams (01387 256455), dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk.

APD Dumfries started out in the new look Western Premier League on Saturday with a decisive 111 run win at Greenock.

From a precarious position of 4 for 2, Dumfries rallied with a seventy run partnership between Scott Beveridge and Josh Geary. Geary had just reached his fifty when he was bowled sweeping with the total just past the hundred and it required another partnership between Joe Clarke and Pat Druce to restore fortunes again from seven down for 143. With only a handful of overs left Clarke was run out for an important 54, as was Druce for 20, and the final wicket fell on 199.

Then opening bowlers Pat Druce and Alan Davidson combined dramatically to decide the run chase. Each took four wickets with Greenock unable to recover from 28 for 4. Keeper Stuart Corbett-Byers took a great catch off the Lochmaben Accounting Man of the Match Pat Druce to remove danger man Scotland’s Berrington, He then got South African pro Sekhoto lbw and Greenock were bundled out for just 88.

On Saturday at Nunholm (from 12) the side face a tough test in their first home league encounter against one of the league favourites, Clydesdale.

CWE Nunholm completed the double with their 101 run win over Glenpark, Greenock seconds, at Benfield Park Nunholm.

The Johnstone and Clark Man of the Match, Jim Patterson, led the way with the season’s first century scoring 110 not out in the Nunholm total of 269 for 5.

He shared a match winning fifth wicket partnership of 184 with Chris McCutcheon who was caught on 86, in the penultimate over, trying for his sixth six and a century.

Greenock totalled 168 in reply with Patterson again to the fore with three wickets in three overs. Davidson and Kyle took two each.

The Nunholm club’s junior coaching sessions run on Monday evenings from 6:15 to 8 at Dumfries Sports Club. These are also open to non-members, boys and girls. For more details on these and senior, junior and women’s cricket contact Trefor Williams (01387 256455), email dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or visit http://www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk.

APD Dumfries had a comprehensive victory at Penicuik in the Scottish Cup on Saturday winning by nine wickets. Dumfries’s Scott Beveridge spun his way to five wickets to dismiss Penicuik for just 78.

Pat Druce and Alan Davidson each set the ball rolling with a wicket in their first over. Then from 44 for 2 Beveridge ran through the middle order to earn his Lakeland Fluid Power Man of the Match award taking 5 for 25. Goodin and Geary each took a wicket with the latter conceding just seven runs in his eight overs.

Dumfries skipper Stuart Corbett-Byers made short work of the target hitting 38 off 24 balls before he was the only wicket to fall stumped. The winning boundary was hit by Bellwood in just the twelfth over. The side sit second to Watsonians with two wins out of three with the three remaining Cup group games played in July.

APD Dumfries start their campaign in a new look league structure on Saturday away at Greenock in an eight team Western Premier Division where Clydesdale and Uddingston who featured in last season’s top ten Scottsh sides, will start as favourites.

Meanwhile CWE Nunholm beat Galloway in the Western Cup by 127 runs at home. Nunholm totalled 209 for 4 in their forty overs with Farries top scoring with 87 not out and Chris McCutcheon hitting a rapid 47 not out to push the score past two hundred. Niall Alexander and Allan Maskrey each took three wickets, and James Cox two, to bowl Galloway out for 82. CWE Nunholm play Glenpark at home in the West Premier Reserve league on Saturday.

The Nunholm club’s junior coaching sessions run on Monday evenings from 6:15 to 8 at the Dumfries Sports Club. These are also open to non-members, boys and girls. For more details on these and senior, junior and women’s cricket contact Trefor Williams (01387 256455), email dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, or visit www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk.