Dumfries Sports Club

Saturday saw the start of the season’s Cup matches for Dumfries 1st XI, Stafforce Dumfries, when they defeated East Kilbride by four wickets at Nunholm in their CricHQ40 Cup group fixture.

East Kilbride opted to bat and after a solid start Dumfries pegged the visitors back when Niall Alexander bowled Kampman and Chris McCutcheon dismissed Meikle for 38.

Wickets by Scott Beveridge brought East Kilbride to 112 for 6. However Johnstone then scored a rapid 28 and over forty runs were plundered in the final four overs for a final tally of 170 for 9. Beveridge and McCutcheon finished with four and three wickets respectively.

It was the John Henderson Solicitors Man of the Match, Chris Bellwood, who then steered the Stafforce Dumfries side to a win. He and Alan Davison shared a near fifty run opening stand. Partnerships with Drew Dawson, Scott Beveridge and Robert McBride kept the rate at four an over. Then Bellwood completed a fine innings of 83 not out when he clipped the winning boundary over midwicket with three balls left of the forty overs for the four wicket victory.

Stafforce Dumfries travel to Ayr on Saturday for their next group match and Dumfries 2nds, Eco-Genics Nunholm, are at home to Cambusdoon in the Western Cup.

On Saturday, Dumfries 2nd XI, Eco-Genics Nunholm, won their friendly against Galloway at a sunny Nunholm prior to their competitive matches starting this weekend.

Nunholm batted first and lost three early wickets to the bowling of Conn and Flack. However Chris McBride took the side past fifty with his score of 23.

Meanwhile Davie Davidson provided an important backbone for the innings in further partnerships with Potts, Rafferty and Kyle.

Davidson accelerated the scoring in the latter overs to finish as the side’s top scorer on 78 not out and the Anderson Kilts Dumfries Man of the Match. Nunholm finished on 176 for 9 after the 40 overs.

Galloway looked on course to challenge that total as guest opener Chris Brockwell produced a succession of boundaries. The losses of Bradley and Conn dented that hope but a rate of four an over had been maintained at the twenty over mark.

However Brockwell had already passed sixty when was out to an excellent running catch in the deep at long-off. That altered the complexion of the game as Davie Davidson followed his efforts with the bat with four wickets and Stuart Alexander took two for Galloway to be all out someway short of the target.

This Saturday, Nunholm play at Torrance House in the Western Cup and Dumfries firsts, Stafforce Dumfries, play at home at 1pm against East Kilbride in the CricHQ40 Cup.

On Sunday Dumfries’s Kirsty Strachan and Rosy Ryan have been selected for Scotland Women and the Scotland Development XI respectively against Durham at Stirling.

New players are very welcome and the club can be contacted for details on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com or 07799 856094, or come along to training at the Dumfries Sports Club at Nunholm on Tuesdays from 6pm, or see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk .

JUNIOR CRICKET: junior coaching commences at Nunholm for the summer on Monday the 28th April, 6:15-8, for boys and girls, suitable for ages 8 to S2. For details contact Trefor Williams on 01387 256455, or the club as above, or just come down on the night.

Dumfries Cricket Club started their 2014 season with a friendly against Penrith at Nunholm on Saturday. A strong Penrith side, preparing to enter the Northern Premier League, batted first.

Opening the bowling Peter Lojszczyk and Pat Druce gave a studied start to the visitor’s innings. However the Penrith Minor County players showed their worth as first opener Bansal reached 73 retired and Atkinson, batting at three, finished on 88 not out.

The match, of necessity, was played on an artificial wicket and the bowlers found little early season assistance.

However Robert McBride took two wickets after being on a hat-trick, as Penrith reached 257 for 3 in 45 overs.

The Stafforce Dumfries side were then four down before they had reached fifty with Carruthers taking three of those wickets.  Stuart Corbett-Byers, returning after injury blighted last season, played in characteristic fashion and hit four sixes before perishing caught on the boundary. His 53 earned the Carlisle Refrigeration Dumfries Man of the Match award and was the only batsman to go on as the side were all out for 139.

On Sunday, Eco-Genics Nunholm beat Penrith 2nds away by three wickets. Alan Davidson and Chris Brockwell took three and two wickets respectively and Chris McBride, with 31, and Hole in the Wha Man of the Match, Campbell Potts hit 48 to successfully chase the home side total of 152 for 7.

On Saturday the side host Gatehouse at home before cup matches start the following weekend.

New players are very welcome for the forthcoming season and the club can be contacted on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com or 07799 856094 for details, or at training at the Dumfries Sports Club at Nunholm on Tuesday evenings from 6pm or see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk .

Junior cricket coaching commences there for the summer on Monday the 28th April, 6:15-8, for boys and girls, suitable for ages 8 to S2. For details contact Trefor Williams on 01387 256455, or the club as above.

The first senior outdoor training is this Saturday, 29th March, at 1pm.

Evening training starts next week.

Main Senior Training – Tuesday evenings from 6pm (Starting Tue 1st April).

Friday evening training also from 6pm.

Thursday evenings in March
Thu 6/13/20/27 March
6-7:30 pm
Dumfries Academy Sports Hall

Senior training. For those looking to play adult cricket this season – 1sts, 2nds, Sunday XI, and Midweek

Newcomers very welcome to come along for a free session.

Contact the club on dumfriescricketclub@gmail.com or 07799 856094
or contact Trefor Williams on 01387 256455.

The 2013 Dumfries Cricket Club AGM will be held at Nunholm on Friday the 22nd November at 7pm.

For those who have not made an appearance at this meeting before but have views or want to influence how our Club operates or take a role on the Committee then please make the effort to attend, this is your opportunity to contribute to the Club’s operation.

It was a final Saturday run-fest at Nunholm when a Dumfries U23 side hosted the Southern Steelers. With the sides contending with intermittent showers it was an amazing innings by Dumfries’s Marcus Richardson that lit up the second innings and the match.

The Steelers set the ball rolling by amassing 234 for 5 from the allotted thirty overs in their high scoring first innings. Captain and opener Charlie Steel hit 44 at a run a ball. He was backed up by Noble with 39 and, in the later overs, by Faulkner with a rapid 43 and an even more rapid top score of 60 not out from Horn. Chris Brockwell was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets for just 26 on a day when everyone’s figures suffered.

Dumfries set off on an unlikely run chase and it was number three Richardson that settled into the task. Along with youngster Chris McBride, who merely scored at a run a ball, the pair went past the two hundred by adding 192 for the second wicket when McBride was run out attempting an ambitious run for a fine innings of 46.

However Richardson had sent the bowling to all parts as he hit 17 fours and 7 sixes. His century took just 57 balls as he hit a series of majestic shots. He had reached 135 in 79 deliveries when he followed McBride with the score still on 204, finally bowled by Jones.

With six overs to go thirty runs were still needed but further wickets affected the run rate and it came down to ten to win off the last over. The Steelers held their nerve and won a great game of cricket by one just run. Dumfries finished on 233 for 7 and the Good Man Home Improvements Man of the Match for the Nunholm side was, unsurprisingly, Marcus Richardson.

In a tense finish on Saturday APD Dumfries lost their last Western Premier League match of the season by just two wickets at Uddingston.

That result meant that Uddingston became league champions ahead of their challengers Clydesdale, and then only on run rate, and claimed this year’s title from holders Dumfries who finished in third spot.

APD Dumfries were put in and made a good start with openers Griffiths and Druce taking the side to 74 without loss. However the introduction of Calum MacLeod, with three wickets, set Dumfries back to 86 for 4, including Griffiths lbw for 41.

Tom McBride and Drew Dawson responded with a fifty partnership, but McBride was out for the top score of 42 with the score just past 150. Then a resilient unbeaten stand between Scott Beveridge, with 38 not out, and Peter Lojszczyk (18no) took Dumfries past two hundred to 209 for 7.

Dumfries had another good start as Uddingston were reduced to 44 for 4, after Chris McCutcheon and then Peter Lojszczyk each took two wickets. However Scotland player Calum MacLeod proved to be the match-winner. He and Reddy, caught off Lojszczyk for 28, recovered to 137 for 5 and when the Homer Burgess Dumfries Man of the Match, McCutcheon, trapped MacLeod lbw at 187 he had scored ninety.

Then the loss of two more wickets meant a nail-biting finish for the locals as they scraped home with two wickets left for the win required to take the Premiership title.

In their last league game in the Western Premier Reserve League, Eco-Genics Nunholm demolished Uddingston 2nds, Bothwell, in a 144 run home win. Nunholm scored 190 with Andy Reed the top scorer with 36, adding to runs from Jerry Goodin, Robert McBride and Todd Rafferty.

Bothwell were then bowled out for just 46. Two run-outs helped but Goodin, the A.C Eggleton Man of the Match, took three wickets and Stuart Alexander and Chris Brockwell took two each. The win meant the Nunholm side finished in fourth place.

On Sunday, Good Man Dumfries won a close friendly at Dalton by just 5 runs. Peter Lojszczyk was the Solway Offset Dumfries Man of the Match for his big-hitting 66 in the Dumfries total of 178.

The season’s last friendlies take place this weekend. For more information about Dumfries Cricket Club, contact 07799 856094 or see www.dumfriescricketclub.co.uk, www.twitter.com/dumfriescricket .

Peter Lojszczyk featured for the Border Reivers in their 3-day match against the Highlanders at Stirling at the beginning of last week, a match which ended in a draw.

Seventeen year old Niall Alexander received a late call-up for the Reivers after playing at Nunholm on Sunday and found himself with Scott Beveridge in Aberdeen on Monday playing in their one-day match in the LiveSport.co.uk Pro Series.

There he acquitted himself well taking two wickets and was a factor in a late innings slump that saw the Highlanders only squeeze home by one wicket.

Nevertheless the Reivers claimed the Trophy for their Pro Series victories over the Highlanders side.

Dumfries’s Chris McBride captained the Cumbria U14s side to creditable performances in their five days of cricket at the Scarborough Cricket Festival last week with his best performance in their eight wicket win over Durham where he took three wickets and finished on 38 not out.

In the Western Premier League on Saturday it was a case of ball over bat at Nunholm as APD Dumfries beat West of Scotland to move past them into third spot.

Dumfries could only muster a score of 73 on a day when the bowlers found plenty of swing combined with movement off the seam. However that proved enough, just, when after Niall Alexander took two early wickets, in-swing bowler Alan Davidson replaced him and aptly swung the match and the Roger Lever Photography Man of the Match award. He produced the leagues’ best bowling figures of the season by taking seven West of Scotland wickets for just nine runs in six devastating overs for a remarkable victory by just six runs.

On Saturday the top four play each other in the matches which will decide which of the two sides level on points, Uddingston or Clydesdale, will claim the trophy from holders Dumfries. APD Dumfries play at marginal leaders Uddingston and West of Scotland play at second placed Clydesdale.

It was an even closer win for Eco-Genics Nunholm at West of Scotland 2nds, Partick, at Hamilton Crescent in the CSL Premier Reserve League. With runs also at a premium Nunholm scored 114 all out with Chris Brockwell top scoring with 24. Then the Solarae Man of the Match spinner Jerry Goodin took four wickets and Stuart Alexander and Brockwell two each with the winning catch taken off Brockwell to complete a four run win. On Saturday, Nunholm play Uddingston 2nds at home.

The Sunday XI, Good Man Dumfries, won their friendly at Nunholm against Galloway by six wickets. Galloway amassed 239 for six with Vosloo top scoring with 70 and Conn hitting a fifty. However the RF Angus Man of the Match, Niall Alexander, was there at the finish, the top scorer with 90 not out. Peter Lojszczyk scored 58 opening and Marcus Richardson, with 52, shared the big match winning partnership with Alexander.

For more information about the club at Nunholm, contact 07799 856094 or email dumfriescricketclub:gmail.com.