Dumfries Sports Club

Prior to the first game of the season this weekend, Elliot Graham, of Newbie company APD Ltd, visited Nunholm, the home of Dumfries Cricket Club to hand over a cheque as sponsor of the Club and of the first eleven, APD Dumfries.

Dumfries Chairman, Rory Fergusson, said that “the support for the club from APD is now into its sixth year. This sustained support is very much appreciated and provides a base for the range of club activities, from juniors, ground improvements, through to success on the field which APD Dumfries amply demonstrated last year”.

Elliott Graham noted, “we were delighted that our support, since Dumfries were promoted to the National Leagues, helped the side claim the Division 2 title last year, especially after coming so close in previous seasons”.

The photograph at Nunholm shows Club Treasurer, Bob Murray, accepting a cheque from APD’s Elliott Graham with Trefor Williams (Junior Manager) left and Rory Fergusson (Chairman) right.

The season opener takes place this Saturday at Nunholm with APD Dumfries playing fellow Scottish Championship side Ferguslie in a competitive friendly. The visitors from Paisley upset a clean sweep by Dumfries in the league last year by causing their only defeat and then finished second behind the Nunholm side.

On Sunday, APD Dumfries will become reintroduced to the A74 again by travelling to play Premier League outfit Uddingston.

The club welcomes new players for the season ahead. For more information on the midweek, friendly and league cricket at Nunholm see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, contact Trefor Williams 01387 256455, email dumfriescricketclub@ gmail.com or just call in at the senior training sessions on Tuesday and Friday evenings.

Dumfries Cricket Club are starting their senior training sessions for the 2011 season this Saturday (the 12th Feb). The sessions are in the morning at the Dumfries Sports Club, Nunholm, from 10am to 12. Any new players interested in playing this season are very welcome and are invited to attend this Saturday or any future session. Weekday evening sessions will start in April.

This year it is all change in the Scottish and West leagues. Dumfries were crowned champions of National League Division 2 last year. However this season the top three leagues in Scotland have been reorganised into a 16 team Premiership and a 16 team Championship. Dumfries play their first game in the Championship, at Falkland, on April the 30th.

Title winning skipper Stuart Corbett-Byers is back to have a tilt at the Championship, “The team had a massive season last year and we are looking to train hard pre-season to put us in contention again at the top of the new Scottish Championship”.

The Dumfries 2nd XI, Nunholm, will be playing in a newly formed West SNCL Reserve League. This comprises the 2nd XI’s of the National League Clubs in the West. Nunholm’s first game is at home against Langloan on the 23rd April.

The club runs two Saturday teams, a Sunday XI, and two Midweek teams in the local evening league. Please contact Trefor Williams on 01387 256455 for more information on the club or visit www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk .

Stuart Corbett-Byers was re-appointed as the Captain of the Dumfries 1st XI for season 2011 at the recent Dumfries Cricket Club AGM. He is continuing as skipper after he successfully led his side to the National League Division 2 title this summer.

He and Vice-Captain, Jim Patterson, face the challenge of a reorganised league next year. The three ten team divisions of this year have been restructured into two National divisions of sixteen, the SNCL Premiership and the Championship. This means that Dumfries will be facing the likes of Poloc and Stenhousemuir in the Championship next season.

Also continuing as 2nd XI Captain and Vice-Captain are Stuart Alexander and Davie Davidson with the side again playing in Western Union Division 2 after the Nunholm side finished fourth.

Chairman Rory Fergusson said “The club are fortunate to have such a wealth of experience leading both league sides. We are hopeful that the firsts can maintain their form next season and mount a challenge for the first Scottish Championship title and that the seconds continue the development of the club’s younger players”.

The presentation of the season’s Club Awards takes place this Saturday at Nunholm after the Annual Dinner with guest speaker Sandy Strang on hand to mark the club’s most successful year ever. More information on playing for the club can be found at www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk.

On the last home Saturday of the season Site Electrical Dumfries beat Windyedge, the visitors from Glasgow Accies, by 34 runs in a friendly match thoroughly enjoyed by both sides to round off the senior season at Nunholm.

However it was youth to the fore as the younger members of the side were set the task of winning the game. The Dumfries side were put in and eleven year old Chris McBride and Adam Elliott opened the innings.

With Elliott hitting the loose deliveries for four and McBride looking entirely comfortable the pair passed a fifty opening partnership and had reached 68 when Elliott was unlucky to be bowled for forty, in just under fifty balls, by a distinctly high full toss.

Todd Rafferty partnered McBride in a forty run partnership before falling to a close run out decision for an assured fifteen with the side just past a hundred. Read the rest of this entry »

A century at Nunholm by Drew Dawson capped the APD Dumfries league season by ensuring a final match win and their fifteenth win of the season. Already declared champions of National League Division 2, a possible anti-climax to the season was avoided when the side posted a first innings total of 253 for 4. In reply SMRH were all out for 168 with wickets shared amongst the Dumfries bowlers.

Immediately after that 85 run win the league trophy was presented by Cricket Scotland to Captain Stuart Corbett-Byers which in turn was followed by the rest of the team wasting yet more champagne, or a cheaper Spanish equivalent, over the captain in celebrating a winning climax to the season.

Dumfries opted to bat first at home and with a new opening partnership of Tom McBride and Drew Dawson. The opening bowlers Coyle and C Bissett tested the batsmen on a wicket which offering some movement and the opening was steady rather than spectacular and after ten overs the Nunholm side had reached 26.

More attention grabbing at the time was the musical accompaniment for the occasional boundary. In the spirit of celebrating the last day of a successful season a musical fanfare from the house DJ greeted boundaries and wickets during the match and caused a few to metaphorically fall off their chairs. SMRH took the music in good spirits but must have been intrigued when “Bad Boys” heralded the arrival of the openers.

Meanwhile back at the cricket the openers were intent in providing the solid platform with the fifty coming up in the 17th over and the hundred in the 31st. It was at that point that McBride, looking to boost the scoring rate, came down the wicket and was comprehensively bowled by the other Bissett (G) for 43. Read the rest of this entry »