Dumfries Sports Club

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

Davidsons were to the fore at the recent Dumfries Cricket Club Awards night for the 2015 season.

Alan Davidson claimed the McKerrow Trophy for the 1st XI Player of the Year as well as the Player’s Player of the Year, as voted for by his teammates during the season. Davie Davidson was the 2nd XI Player of the Year and took the Jimmy Steele Bowling award.

Alan Davidson earned the plaudits after his all-round performances in the Western Premier League.

He was the top wicket taker for Stafforce Dumfries with twenty seven wickets, including one match winning performance of 7 wickets for 40 against Ayr.

Opening the batting the left-hander was also the side’s second top run taker in a productive season as his side finished fifth.

Davie Davidson was the batting stalwart for the 2nd XI as Nunholm’s top run scorer in Western Premier Reserve League as they finished sixth. He achieved a batting average of just under fifty, and was also the second top scorer in the league as a whole.

That contribution was added to by his bowling efforts, which included figures of 8 wickets for 20 at Bothwell.

That day’s performance won him the Club’s bowling award, on the same day as two Dumfries league centuries, one from Scott Beveridge at home against Uddingston and one by Russell Johnston in the Bothwell match.

The Women’s Player of the Year was Sue Strachan, and the award for Most Improved Female Player, The Strachan Cup, went to one of the Club’s juniors, Katy Anderson.

Ronan Dunbar was the Young Player of the Year after he appeared regularly for the firsts and finished as one of the Western Premier’s top fielders with five run-outs. That plus his catches meant he helped to take the vital wickets of several professionals over the course of the season.

He, along with other youth players from the Dumfries Colts, Callum Reynolds-Lewis, Rory Thornely-Kyle, Cammy Walker, William Black, Chris McBride and Jack, Matthew and Tom Currie, were awarded Runners-Up medals for their efforts in reaching the Midweek Cup Final, as was Josh Forsyth for setting the example for his fellow Colts.

The AGM for Dumfries Cricket Club takes place this Friday, the 13th November, at Nunholm, commencing at 6:30pm.

For more information about Dumfries Cricket Club, see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, Facebook(/dumfriescricketclub), Twitter(@dumfriescricket) or contact the Club on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com, 07799 856094.