Buckie Vs Ross County
07/05/11
Ross County were the visitors to a sunny and warm Linzee Gordon Park on Saturday for the third round of Macallan league matches. The home team were at full strength except for Joe Hough whose promising start to the season was curtailed by a wee muscle strain and Eadie Walls who was doing his duty at Victoria Park. The visitors were missing a number of regulars and could only muster 10 in total.
Before the match, local councillor Anne McKay kindly drew the first winning number in the club's new monthly 200+ draw. Congratulations to Fiona Stronach from Grantown-on-Spey on being £50 richer.
Both captains were keen to bat but the coin favoured Chris Blake – thus Toby Hardwick and the experienced Dave Smart had first use of another decent looking pitch. Smart was unlucky – after an opening maiden from Anthony Wilson at the 'Tesco' end, Barry Newlands bowled Smart with a bowl that kept low. Hardwick was then dropped by the home captain Corsie at slip off Newlands, a missed chance that looked like it could prove expensive when the batsman proceeded to open his shoulders and start hitting boundaries. Corsie replaced Newlands at the 'Town' end and although managing to bowl Hardwick for 24, proved expensive. A mixture of full tosses and long hops were easy pickings for new batsman Raconzier who hit one out of the park and a couple more over the boundary. Corsie also managed to drop a fairly straightforward return catch from this batsman which again looked as though it would come back to haunt the home side.
Wilson was still bowling well without much luck, beating the bat on several occasions but not finding the edge. It was probably unlikely that the slip fielder would have actually caught the ball in this match, the slip fielder in question being the home captain who, having already dropped two chances, was praying that no more would come his way.
All this time Bishop was batting steadily, punishing the odd bad ball and working ones and twos into gaps in the field. Raconzier was the more aggressive of the pair looking to score off almost every ball. A double bowling change to Calum Hart and Adam Wood eventually did the trick for the home side. A few tight overs had put the batsmen under a bit of pressure until with the score on 77 Raconzier tried to pull a shorter ball from Hart but only managed to lob it gently back to the bowler for a return catch. The batsman had scored 20.
Barry Newlands returned to the bowling attack and immediately removed the obdurate Bishop for 25, thanks to a great catch by David Chappell at mid-off (were you watching skipper?). The remainder of the Ross County batting failed to add much to the score, only captain Blake managing three boundaries in his 13. The last wicket fell in the 38th over with the score at 103.
Newlands showed a return to his bowling form of last season and ended with a well deserved 5 for 24 return. Calum Hart with 2 for 19 and Anthony Wilson with 1 for 20 backed him up well. Good fielding from in particular Duane Creamer and Calum Hart helped restrict the runs to a minimum. Mention is due also of the good low catch taken by Daniel Walls behind the stumps to give Anthony Wilson some reward for his bowling efforts.
Those of you who know Eadie Walls will understand the sacrifice he made by foregoing his cricket tea. The decision to miss out on those trays of sandwiches and cakes would not have been taken lightly. I imagine with the score being as it was at half-time at Victoria Park he would be feeling less hungry than usual - but probably still managed to force down a pie or two!
Buckie were chasing 104 to win. Openers Calum Hart and Daniel Walls looked to develop a partnership but were split early when Hart played round a full toss from Zeeshan with the score on only four. There was some debate after the match about whether the ball swung or not, but there was general agreement that it was a poor shot. Next week Calum! Anthony Wilson joined Walls at the crease and his good form from last week looked set to continue. They were scoring well at four an over and making it look relatively comfortable.
The thoughts of the spectators had turned to the dramatic climax at Victoria Park. Just as the great news was confirmed – Buckie Thistle had scored the second with only seconds to go – shock at Linzee Gordon as Wilson missed a straight one from Hardwick and given out lbw for 12. The score now 30 for 2 in the 8th over.
John Corsie was the new batsman and having advised Daniel Walls of the final score, proceeded to try and get himself in. The lack of depth to the Ross County bowling attack was apparent when after reasonable spells from Zeeshan and Hardwick (Zeeshan in particular bowling several balls that beat the bat by a long way) the change bowlers were taken to the cleaners. Corsie managed to dominate scoring by facing the majority of the bowling and by punishing the bad balls quickly passed 50, in doing so managing to repay his team for his poor bowling spell. Daniel Walls won the game for Buckie in style by hitting a boundary for the winning runs in only the 18th over and finishing on 26 not out to continue his good start to the season with the bat.
So three wins out of three so far for Buckie – a terrific start to the season.
Many thanks to our match sponsor on this occasion – Louis Fish & Chips.
Next week the team is away to Highland in the Macallan League Cup - a match sponsored by Buckie Inshore Fishselling. This will be a tough test for us against last year's league winners.
Finally congratulations to Buckie Thistle on their league title win – after missing out for so long its now becoming a habit and long may it continue.
Ross County 103 all out
J Bishop 25, T Hardwick 24, D Raconzier 20.
B Newlands 5 for 24, C Hart 2 for 19
Buckie 104 for 2
J Corsie 55 not out, D Walls 26 not out
Buckie Vs Fochabers
21/05/11
A dominant performance from a powerful Fochabers side saw Buckie's Macallan league title aspirations put into perspective as the home team romped to a comprehensive eight wicket win. Both captains were keen to bat first on a decent looking Castle Park wicket. The fall of the coin favoured the visitors and the Buckie openers Calum Hart and Daniel Walls were first to the crease shortly after the agreed 12 noon start time. Somewhat surprisingly, last year's top wicket taker Adam Stockwell did not take the new ball – that responsibility was trusted instead to youngsters Adi Mehta and Stuart Dalgarno who certainly repaid their captain's faith. As Mehta kept one end secure (conceding only 12 runs off his 6 overs), Dalgarno struck three quick telling blows to send both openers and the Buckie skipper back to the pavilion in next to no time. Of the three, only Walls managed a couple of pleasing shots in reaching 13. Anthony Wilson now had new Buckie signing Andy Ballantyne for company. With thoughts of his evening stag do probably uppermost in his mind, Andy didn't trouble the scorers but did stay long enough at the crease to allow Wilson to punish the few loose balls on offer from Dalgarno – before falling caught behind off home captain Andy Yates. The same bowler then bowled Wilson for 24, on this occasion rather fortuitously; a ball that was missing the stumps caught an inside edge as Anthony tried to leave it and it cannoned onto the stumps. With the score still under 50 and half the team out Barry Newlands decided the that it was time to counter attack. He launched several blistering boundaries to add a little respectability to the score – one straight drive towards the village end was particularly memorable. Unfortunately Barry was getting little support as new bowler Adam Stockwell and Yates ripped through the Buckie lower order, and when he too fell for 24, the fat lady was warming her tonsils. Joe Hough's was the last wicket to fall with the score on a meagre 81 in only the 25 over. Mention is due to the first runs scored for Buckie by Nathaniel Winkler who finished on 2 not out. He backed that up by fielding well later in the match, one to watch out for in the future. All the Fochabers bowlers caused the Buckie batsmen problems and were backed up by some good fielding. Top figures went to Stockwell 4 for 13, backed up by Yates 3 for 18 and Dalgarno 3 for 28. Buckie took the field knowing that they would need to take early wickets to have any chance to get back into the game. Barry Newlands had read the script and bowled opener Richard Constable with the score on only 2. Anthony Wilson was also bowling well and had the other opener Yates playing and missing several times. He even bowled one ball that hit the bail without removing it allowing the batsman to continue. Finally luck evened out and Yates nicked a good ball from Wilson and the catch was taken at slip. Yates scored 12, score was 28 for 2 That was as good as it got for Buckie who were unable to remove either father or son, Milind or Adi Mehta, as they knocked off the runs required to secure an emphatic win before the end of the twentieth over. Newlands did manage to trouble Milind, managing to beat the bat on several occasions with no reward. Several other bowlers were tried without success. These two batsmen gave the Buckie players a master class is building a partnership, respecting the good balls, hitting the bad ones and running well between the wickets Milind Mehta finished on 46 not out, Adi Mehta on 22 not out. Highlight of the day for most of the Buckie players was the Fochabers tea – taken after the match as so few overs had been used up by our batting efforts. The beautiful spread of cakes and sandwiches did put a smile back on a few glum faces. So a first defeat of the season for Buckie, who on this occasion were outclassed by the home side. Indeed as one was observed drily – we were lucky to finish only second in this game so poor was our display. Thanks are due to match sponsor – P Much – Post Office. Next week Buckie play Nairn County at Linzee Gordon park. The home team will seek to get back on the winning track. Our match sponsor will be the Star 'A' Darts Team. Match starts at 1pm. Buckie 81 all out (24.1 overs)
A Wilson 24,
B Newlands 24
A Stockwell 4 for 13,
A Yates 3 for 18,
S Dalgarno 3 for 28
Fochabers 84 for 2 (19.3 overs)
Buckie Vs Keith
04/07/11
Buckie travelled to Keith last Saturday for their latest Macallan League match, and left victorious as a fine team performance saw off the home side's chances. Having struggled in the last few weeks to even raise a side, it was good to see Keith being able to field the full eleven players. It certainly meant the result of this Wilson Leisure sponsored match was no foregone conclusion.
Having won the toss and decided to bat first on a warm and sunny afternoon, the Buckie innings got off to a disastrous start. Tight bowling from home captain Neil Stables and Kenny McWilliam built the pressure, and resulted in the early prize wicket of Daniel Walls, who left a ball that was straighter than he thought and was bowled by Stables for a duck. Calum Hart and Anthony Wilson dug in and ground out a 36 run partnership before Hart was out caught for 25. When Wilson was bowled shortly after for 15, the Buckie innings was teetering at 44 for 3 after 18 overs, and Keith tails were up.
Barry Newlands is a good man for a mini-crisis though and just tries to hit the ball – and when he hits the ball, it tends to go a long way. Together with the Buckie skipper Corsie, who was making batting look difficult at one end, Newlands added 65 in the next 11 overs. The Keith change bowlers Mark Webster and Graham Dey were offering a little more width to the batsmen now and Newlands in particular made them pay, hitting Webster for two fours and a six in quick succession. Webster did gain his revenge however getting both batsmen out in quick succession – Newlands for 37 and Corsie for 27. This was followed by three more quick dismissals and another Buckie mini-crisis – the score now stood at 130 for 8 with more than 10 overs still available. Duane Creamer was just settling in on 10 not out but looked likely to be left stranded. Keith were back in the box seats.
Eadie Walls is a good man for a mini-crisis though and just gives 100% every time he bats. As Duane initially took the responsibility of keeping the score ticking over, Eadie ran hard and kept one end secure. The partnership blossomed and both batsmen started to look in really good nick. Duane hit a couple of lovely shots for 4, one to the long-on boundary being the shot of the innings, and has rarely batted so well. By the time he was eventually out for 32, the score was up past 170 and a match winning partnership of 41 had been made in good time. The innings closed shortly after at 177 for 9 with Eadie 20 not out and having rediscovered his crunching square cut!
Credit to the Keith bowling and fielding effort. They all but had Buckie down and out for about 130 but had no answer to the Creamer-Walls alliance. Top bowling figures to Neil Stables (3 for 33) and Mark Webster (3 for 57) but the pick of the bowlers was Kenny McWilliam who bowled better than both but finished with only 1 for 32.
After a lengthy tea interval, Buckie were keen to make early inroads into a strong looking Keith batting line-up. Anthony Wilson answered the call – the last ball of his first over found some extra bounce to catch the glove of veteran Graham Dey and the chance was taken at slip. New batsman Carney started slowly and was beaten by a beauty from Newlands that keeper and slip thought was edged and out – but batsman and bowler and most importantly umpire, thought hit the pad only. Following the scare Carney cut loose with three boundaries of the same over but lost partner Stables, again to Wilson, this time caught behind – a great take by Daniel Walls. Keith now 28 for 2. The next ten overs were dominated by Carney, who single handedly was keeping Keith in the game. His straight driving was most impressive and only the lack of support seemed to unnerve this talented young player. Carney had watched Thomson and McWilliam exiting the middle without adding many to the tally, and despite passing 50 (out of the team score of 66), seemed to be thinking that he might have to get all of the remaining runs himself. He played a loose shot, finally, and had his stumps knocked over by Wilson. A deserving third wicket to Anthony who bowled an unchanged 12 over spell and finished with 3 for 33. Match winning stuff. Good to see the practice paying off!
In truth the game was over with the dismissal of Carney. Keith were 68 for 5 after 21 overs still needing over a hundred runs to win. Credit due here to Mark Webster who ensured the tail wagged a little – he punished some loose deliveries and scored 25. Credit too to Buckie's Calum Hart who, replacing Wilson, made the personal discovery that if you bowl straight and the batsman misses the ball, you'll get him out. Calum fairly ripped through the lower order and ended up with fine figures of 5 for 5 – all bowled. Keith were all out for 117 in the 33rd over.
So in the end a comfortable margin of victory for Buckie after the scares of the first half. It was certainly encouraging to see so many batsmen contributing to the total – its not often we have 5 scores of 20 or more – and also to have the last three wickets adding more than 50 runs. Man of the match for Buckie would be difficult call – Newlands and Creamer made important runs, Wilson and Hart took the wickets. Maybe easiest to say the best batsman on the day was Graham Carney.
Special mention to Stuart Wood for stepping into the breach when his club needed him as a substitute fielder – thanks Stuart – you're now firmly on the radar and can expect a call for next week.
Thanks again to our match sponsor Wilson Leisure for providing Anthony for the afternoon. The first team have a free day next Saturday but on Sunday host Gordonions in the Small Clubs Cup. This will be a good test against a team we haven't played before. Match sponsor for the game is J Robertson – Pozzi's.
Finally congratulations to Nicola Barron from Darrahill, Ellon who is the June winner of the club's 200 Plus Club. £50 is on its way south.
Buckie 177 for 9
B Newlands 37, D Creamer 32
N Stables 3 for 33, M Webster 3 for 57
Keith 117 all out
G Carney 52, M Webster 25
C Hart 5 for 5, A Wilson 3 for 33
Buckie came second best to a strong Gordonians eleven last Sunday at Linzee Gordon Park. The Small Clubs Cup game was sponsored by J Robertson, Pozzi's.
The Aberdeen team field several teams in different leagues on a Saturday and it would appear that the rules of this competition allow them to pick from players from any of those teams, including their top team, who play in the Strathmore Union second division. One batsman in particular stood head and shoulders above the others on display and his contribution was pretty much the difference between the sides on the day.
The visitors won the toss and opted to bat first on a decent looking pitch. Early success for Buckie as Newlands bowled Tremlett for 1 in the second over, but this brought Mouli to the crease, who fairly smote the ball to all parts in the next few overs. To those watching from the side it must have been a very attractive innings – those on the park were scratching their heads and left wondering how to stop him. Mouli reached his 50 from only 26 balls out of a team total of 59, and it was huge relief to the Buckie bowlers when he was dismissed, again bowled by Newlands. He was unlucky to see a short ball bounce down off his body on the stumps. The scoring rate now started to fall dramatically and the home team started to make inroads into the Gordonians batting line up. Ten overs of tight bowling from Corsie and Shakeel, backed by a couple of good catches by Anthony Wilson and Daniel Walls and a run out, took the score to 101 for 5 after 22 overs.
As often happens the drinks break changed the pattern of the game. Corsie's next over was a poor one, going for 18, as Stark hit a couple of drives for boundaries and worked a couple of leg side balls for 3's. From the town end, Shakeel was in the middle of a great spell. None of the batsmen seemed comfortable facing him and he was beating the bat regularly while also keeping the runs down. The next three overs saw three wickets falling, two to new bowler Calum Hart, and the other to the deserving Shakeel who clean bowled Thomson with his last ball, to finish with the outstanding figures of 9 overs 2 wickets for 13 runs. Gordonians now on 127 for 8 in the 28th over.
At this point a more ruthless home side would have polished off the tail and be chasing 140 in the second innings. Disappointingly for Buckie the concentration seemed to waver and the last two wickets added 56 runs taking the final total to 183. Credit the Gordonians batsmen for punishing some bad bowling and loose fielding, especially number 9 Narula who made a valuable 25 and number 11 Jones with 16 not out, but the feeling at half time was very that Buckie had let the visitors off the hook.
To mirror the first innings, the Buckie reply started badly with a wicket falling early. Indeed off the first ball Calum Hart got a fine nick and was caught behind. Anthony Wilson and Daniel Walls then set about building some sort of partnership to gt their side into the match. Slowly at first but with increasing authority, the two put on 48 with Wilson being the main contributor. It was a surprise when he left one and was bowled for 29 in the 19th over. Anthony had hit 4 boundaries, the pick of which was a straight drive which fairly fizzed past the bowler and accelerated to the line. Corsie joined Walls but never really got going. Barry Newlands too was out early, bringing Shakeel to the crease. The score had reached 85 for 4 in the 30th over.
Daniel was now batting well against a decent bowling line-up. Taheer is never one to die waiting and early in his innings he unleashed a huge hit that seemed to go higher than it did further – even so it cleared the boundary by some distance. This pair added 25 in good time before Walls played a tired looking shot to be caught at extra cover for a fine 43. Daniel has been blessed with good hands and great timing – and allied with a decent technique this makes him a lovely player to watch when he's batting well. Two shots he played for boundaries stood apart, a clip to fine leg and a drive through midwicket – both looked effortless but raced to the line.
The rest of the Buckie innings rather fell away after this. Bravely Shakeel kept attacking as wickets fell around him, managing another six in the process, but when he too fell for 23 the game was pretty much up. Last wicket to fall was Joe Hough leaving Buckie all out 129.
Three wickets each to Thomson and Bode but all five Gordonians bowlers bowled tightly and offered few loose deliveries.
In the end then a convincing win for Gordonians. One aspect that did sour the match was the persistent appealing by the visiting players. Virtually every time the ball hit the pad the cry went up, often most loudly from players side on to the action who could have no real idea if the ball was close to hitting the stumps or not. This type of practice is designed only to pressurise umpires and has no place in the spirit of the game.
Many thanks once again to our match sponsor J Robertson, Pozzi's. Next week the first eleven are away to Fort William for the Macallan League – this one sponsored by George C McKenzie.
Gordonians 183 all out
C Mouli 50, P Narula 25
T Shakeel 2 for 14
Buckie 129 all out
D Walls 43, A Wilson 29
Buckie Vs Fort Willam
18/07/11
Buckie made the long trip to Fort William for Saturday's Macallan League match and returned home damp and bedraggled but also convincing winners in a one-sided encounter.
The match was kindly sponsored by George C McKenzie who hopefully made the sensible choice not to travel to watch the game. The weather forecast was not good, promising a lot of rain – possibly not a surprise for one of the wettest places in the UK! - and for once was spot on. Virtually all of the game was played in persistent drizzle and it is to the dubious credit of both teams that the match reached a conclusion. The wet conditions certainly made the basics of bowling and fielding very difficult, and even the batsmen struggled at times to keep their feet or even to hold on to their bats.
Buckie welcomed back an old friend to the playing ranks in the shape of Terry Curran , our Fort William based smoked salmon selling, umpiring and wicket-keeping consultant. Terry last played two seasons ago, and so for those of you who follow these things, the Curran moustache is still 'off' but in every other way Terry seemed very much as before, maybe even a shade under his previous fighting weight.
The toss of the coin favoured the visitors and Buckie captain Corsie opted to bat first. Opening batsmen Calum Hart, having suffered a first ball dismissal in the previous game, was relieved to see a loud shout for lbw turned down off the first ball of this match, and also to be dropped early on at point – a first indication that the ball was already getting very wet. Thereafter though Hart and his partner Daniel Walls made batting look pretty easy – taking advantage of anything loose from the bowlers and running sharply to take every run on offer. In good time the two openers had put on their maiden century opening stand together and not surprisingly were keen to continue despite the rainy overhead and underfoot conditions. By this time I should point out the weather conditions had forced the scorers to take evasive action in an effort to keep their papers dry – one had retreated to the safety of his car and left the other to a position under a hedge – nothing like teamwork! Credit to Fort William who left the decision of whether to continue or not entirely up the batsman. Apologies to umpire Curran who by this point was slightly less enthusiastic about resuming his playing career and was starting to evolve gills.
It was a disappointment then when Calum Hart played a loose shot and was caught at midwicket for a well made 35. His partner Daniel Walls had just passed his fifty – the start of another fine knock from this stylish young player – and the score stood at 111 for 1 in the 24th over.
Enter new batsman Barry Newlands who promoted himself up the order to avoid standing about in the rain. Exit Barry shortly after, bowled off an outside edge, back to the sanctuary of the changing room for a sleep by the hot boiler. New batsman Corsie then joined Walls and this partnership took the game beyond Fort William's reach with a brisk stand of 87 in 12 overs. With 'The Wall' solid and secure at one end, Corsie took a few more risks and had reached 56 before being bowled by the deserving Duncan. The less said about the shot played here the better, it would be an insult to our bovine friends to call it a howk to cow shot corner. The score by now was 209 for 3 in the 40th over.
The last few overs saw brief innings from Michael Widdrington (3), Joe Hough (2) and Adam Wood (1 not out). Standing serene above this relative carnage was Daniel Walls on 85 not out, a patient and controlling innings that laid the foundations of the Buckie effort. The team total finished on 221 for 5 after the allocated 45 overs. For Fort William the most succesful bowler was the skipper Farrell with 3 for 42 but openers Duncan (1 for 32) and Morley (1 for 44) also returned excellent figures given the wet ball.
Back to the changing room for a quick towel dry, the secret of the Walls style was uncovered. Emerging from his hypothermia induced coma, Terry Curran spotted something amiss amongst Daniel's kit bag – another smaller bag labelled 'Ted Baker' containing all sorts of smells and sprays for the young man about town - and in his best Edith Evans announced – “A Man Bag!” And then after reflection and in his own tones, “Seriously guys, what has happened to this team?”.
Rarely has a half time cup of tea been more welcome. If you managed to elbow past the ducks and seals taking shelter inside, you could also grab a seat by the heater.
Buckie took to the field with the rain still coming down and the intention to take early wickets. Regular wicket keeper Daniel Walls reported a slight back strain so Terry Curran took over the gloves – probably to ensure that at least his hands would be warm.
Opening bowlers Barry Newlands and Calum Hart quickly made a mess of the Fort William top order. Despite slippy underfoot conditions and the wet ball, both managed to bowl a good line and length and got their reward. By the end of the 12th over the score stood at 19 for 5 – two wickets for Hart – both clean bowled – and three for Newlands – including catches from Joe Hough and Michael Widdrington. Buckie thoughts were now of getting back into the warmth and out of the rain. The Jewsons store opposite had by now put up the 'out of stock' sign – some guy called Noah had placed an online order for all of their acacia wood.
Fort William had other ideas though. MacLean and Duncan showed some real resistance in the next 12 overs, putting on 46 runs but also seeing off both the opening bowlers and the change bowlers Adam Wood and Joe Hough. Both change bowlers bowled good spells but did not manage to make a breakthrough. The score had risen to 60 for 5 after 27 overs. The rain continued.
A change of tactic paid quick dividends though. The Buckie skipper turned to his two slow bowlers – Eadie Walls and Michael Widdrington. Neither could really hope to spin the wet ball but sometimes a change of pace can unsettle a batsman. It worked – The pair took the remaining four wickets in 7 rapid overs – Widdrington finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 5 and Walls 1 for 3. Fort William finished on 65 all out.
So a good win for Buckie on a miserable day in Fort William. Many thanks to our hosts for their hospitality and sportsmanship – they may struggle to win matches at the moment but they do try and play the game in the right way.
Thanks again to our match sponsor George C McKenzie.
Next week Buckie are at home against Huntly – a match sponsored by James Jappy, Painter.
Hope to see you there and I hope its not raining!
Buckie 221 for 5
D Walls 85 not out, J Corsie 56, C Hart 35
P Farrell 3 for 42
Fort William 65 all out
D J Duncan 27, R MacLean 20
M Widdrington 3 for 5, B Newlands 3 for 16, C Hart 2 for 9
Buckie Vs Huntly
25/06/11
A decent team performance on Saturday helped Buckie defeat a youthful Huntly side to maintain their position near the top of the Macallan League table.
The home team were without recently discovered spin sensation Michael Widdrington and fellow slow bowler Adam Wood - who called in lame at the eleventh hour. Anthony Wilson and David Chappell took their places for this match sponsored by James Jappy, Painter. The Huntly side was packed with youngsters, several of whom showed a lot of potential and will go on to have big futures in the game. Also adding to the occasion was the return to Linzee Gordon Park of Mark Tait in opposition colours, having played previously for Buckie as a schoolboy.
Despite the green looking pitch, the home captain had no hesitation in opting to bat first, giving the in-form partnership of Calum Hart and Daniel Walls the chance to carry on from their century plus stand of the week before. A cautious start meant a slow scoring rate however, with bowlers Tait and Patterson offering few scoring opportunities and the batsmen finding the wicket a bit slower and harder to bat on than expected. Into the ninth over and Hart's worst fears were realised when he was out off his friend and rival Tait's bowling, caught for 14. Mark made sure the batsman knew who got him out – first blood to Tait.
The next over from Patterson left Buckie in disarray. First Daniel Walls called Anthony Wilson through for a quick single that Usain Bolt would have struggled to make safely. Anthony, being a shade slower than the famous chicken nugget guzzler over 22 yards, was out by a distance. Then skipper Corsie played a lazy shot to a leg side ball that he could have left alone, got a leading edge and was easily caught at midwicket. A big scalp for the young Patterson, against whom none of the home batsman looked comfortable. Buckie now teetering at 27 for 3 in the tenth over, Huntly had their tails up.
New batsman Barry Newlands and Walls set about repairing the damage, and giving their bowlers some sort of total to defend. Batting sensibly over the next dozen overs, the pair added 51 runs before Newlands was caught at point just when it looked like he was set for a really big score. Last year in this fixture, Barry scored a century and hit several balls into the next postcode. Remembering that day, I think the Huntly lads were relieved to see him out for only 27 on this occasion. Eadie Walls joined his nephew and continued the good work. He and Daniel took the score up past the hundred before Daniel got a good ball from Kevin Rough that caught the edge of the bat and was taken at slip. Not a fluent innings from Daniel but a gritty 36 that proved vital in a relatively low scoring match.
It was now a question of how many extra runs Eadie and the Buckie tailenders could add to the score of 106 for 5. Lack of runs at this stage has been a weakness in the team in recent seasons but today they came up trumps. With Eadie doing most of the scoring, a further 37 runs were added before the fall of the last wicket, leaving Buckie 143 all out. Joe Hough and Matthew McIntosh both scored 5, and contributed in partnerships of 13 and 23 respectively. Eadie was the last wicket to fall, caught for a valuable 24.
Best bowling figures for Huntly were Mark Tait (3 for 25 from his 10 overs), flattered a little with the last 2 wickets. Patterson (2 for 33) and Kevin Rough (2 for 19) also got their rewards and in truth none of the visitors bowled badly. The catching and fielding was also good, only one hard chance went to ground at gully. The only blot on the scorecard for Huntly were the number of extras conceded – 14 wides and 5 no balls.
To mirror the first innings, the Huntly opening batsmen found scoring difficult against tight bowling from Anthony Wilson and Barry Newlands. A double bowling change with the score on 9 after 8 overs provided the breakthroughs – Squire bowled by Corsie for 2 and Whyte caught by David Chappell off the bowling of Joe Hough for 2. Having slipped as the ball was in the air, David did well to manage to grab the ball in his hands before it hit him on the head.
Nicol and Rough had the task of consolidating the Huntly innings. Kevin Rough's natural instinct though is to attack and he smacked a couple of over-pitched balls through the covers for boundaries. A third one he launched towards Mattie McIntosh at extra cover. The ball was really travelling, but Mattie was undaunted, and showing that his unorthodox fielding technique was the equal of the shot, stopped the ball with his backside – no run! If we can ever get him to start using his hands
what a fielder he could be...
The game was in the balance at this stage. Buckie needed wickets to swing the match back in their favour. Tight bowling from the recalled Newlands and Corsie brought its reward – Nicol, having played patiently for 17 was caught by Wilson. New batsman Mark MacKay was bowled by one that kept low, and M Rough was bowled round his legs by a beauty from Newlands – reward at last for the deserving bowler. Barry got a second wicket soon after when Huntly captain Stuart Muir was caught in the deep. The score was now standing on 70 for 6 but as long as Kevin Rough was at the crease, Huntly were still in with a chance.
Time for a change of pace. Eadie Walls is never particularly keen to bowl when there is a big hitting batsman at the crease, but he does possess one of the deadliest balls in North cricket. Indeed he unleashed the ultra-slow ball or 'straight-spinner' first ball of his spell, quite bamboozling the facing batsman Mark Tait. This one was not on target however and the batsman survived. A few balls later though and a Walls wobbler did for Kevin Rough – caught at cover by Calum Hart for 25. The game was pretty much up now for Huntly and all that was left was the opportunity for a little personal revenge for Calum against his friend Mark Tait.
Having faced four balls without any problems, Mark was hit on the pads by the fifth, and given the circumstances it was no surprise that the whole Buckie team appealed. What was surprising was that the umpire raised his finger and gave him out. Calum passed on his regards as the batsman left the crease – honours even between the two. The next ball saw King run out by a good throw from Mattie McIntosh and Huntly all out for 84 in the 29th over.
In the end then a comfortable win for Buckie who did well to recover from early setbacks to post a decent score. Generous hosts that they are, the home side gave back almost as many extras as they were gifted in the first half – fortunately on this occasion it did not prove vital. Next week, against top of the table RAF Lossie, the home side will need to be on top of their game. It should be a good test for our young team.
Thanks once again to our match sponsor James Jappy, Painter.
Buckie 143 all out
D Walls 36, B Newlands 27, A E Walls 24
M Tait 3 for 25, K Rough 2 for 19, L Patterson 2 for 33
Huntly 84 all out
K Rough 25
J Corsie 3 for 21, C Hart 2 for 6, B Newlands 2 for 31
Buckie Vs RAF Lossiemouth
2/07/11
RAF Lossie were the visitors to Linzee Gordon Park on Saturday and went home having secured a resounding victory in double quick time. On paper this was a match up between the top two teams in the Macallan league but on the day it was evident that there was a big gulf between the sides in terms of ability, and in Rory Harris the RAF team had the player of the match.
Buckie won the toss and opted to bat first and a bright and sunny day. The needless run out of Calum Hart with the score at just 5 set the tone for what was to follow. Daniel Walls was bowled off an inside edge, then Anthony Wilson was also technically bowled, and Barry Newlands once again bowled to leave Buckie reeling at 12 for 4 with only 9 overs gone. Anthony was unfortunate – he tried to pull a short ball form Rory Harris but the ball hit his body and rolled slowly against the stumps with just enough oomph to remove a bail. This was bowler Harris' first wicket and the only one of the 7 that he would go on to take that involved an element of good fortune.
The hits kept on coming as the Lossie bowlers and fielders were intent on keeping control of the match and giving nothing away. Duane Creamer was given leg before to a straight ball from Harris, Mike Widdrington bowled by Harris, and Eadie Walls leg before to change bowler Langholm - who continued the good work for Lossie. Nobody from the home had been able to get settled and play any sort of innings – score by now 32 for 7.
The next over from Harris resulted in the end of the innings. He clean bowled Joe Hough, Stuart Plant and Nathaniel Winkler in the space of 5 balls to leave Buckie with a meagre 32 all out. Harris finished with the tremendous figures of 7 for 14 off 10.5 overs.
An embarrassing effort from the home side who seemed unable to cope with the movement Harris in particular was getting off the pitch. He certainly bowled well and it was heartening to see him back to full fitness after a couple of years carrying niggling injuries, but seven batsmen clean bowled and six ducks on the scorecard are indications of how poor a batting performance it was. Another indication was that the innings lasted less than 21 overs. Much to work on then for the Buckie players and coaches in the coming weeks and months.
The visitors knocked off the runs required for victory in good time. The only positive note of the day for Buckie came from Calum Hart who managed to remove two of the top North batsmen, Dave Wolton and Steve Laidler, in successive balls, both leg before wicket. RAF Lossie 33 for 2 after 12.1 overs.
Twenty points then to the RAF team who were barely required to get out of first gear to deliver an almighty thumping to the home side.
The next test for Buckie is at home against Highland, last year's champions, on the 16th of July.
Tosh and Carole are kindly sponsoring this match. Hopefully the home side can put on a better show on this occasion.
Finally congratulations to David Campbell from Buckie, on winning the £50 prize in the club 200+ draw for July.
Buckie 32 all out
R Harris 7 for 14
RAF Lossie 33 for 2
C Hart 2 for 6
Buckie Vs Highland
16/07/11
Reigning Macallan League champions, Highland, were the visitors to Linzee Gordon Park on Saturday for the match sponsored by Tosh and Carole. The home team were looking to bounce back after a trouncing from RAF Lossie, but were missing Mike Widdrington due to work commitments. Tom Walls, 'The Diplomat', stepped in to ensure the team was at fighting strength.
Bad weather was the forecast, but as the teams arrived for combat, it was a warm and pleasant afternoon.
Home captain Corsie won the toss and chose to bat first – not an easy option after seeing the side dismissed for 32 in the last game. Calum Hart and Daniel Walls started hesitantly against some quality bowling from two of the best in the league – Rob Nixon and Jonathon Crabtree. Hart in particular looked ill at ease, struggling to get bat on ball, and it was no surprise when he was first out, deemed caught behind with the score on only 11. New batsman Anthony Wilson was sporting an injured ankle and was thus understandably a little ginger on his feet. At the other end Daniel 'Test Match' Walls was looking secure without setting the heather on fire. He did manage a couple of boundaries, a nicely controlled pull when Nixon dropped short, and a sweetly timed extra cover drive off a rare loose delivery from Crabtree, but didn't look quite on top of his form. His stay at the crease was ended by a leading edge, safely caught by the bowler Nixon. Buckie total now 32 for 2.
Corsie joined Wilson and again struggled to get any momentum against the tight bowling. Runs were eeked out painfully over the next 10 or so overs, most the result of edges or an odd single placed to one side of a fielder. Corsie was dropped by bowler Nixon, and then had some good fortune in seeing a leading edge fall safely between two fielders and the same bowler. It was a mercy when he was finally put out of his misery – bowled by change bowler Paul for a scratchy 11.
Barry 'Clubber' Newlands was the new batsman, and his partnership with Anthony over the next 15 overs added meat to the bones of the Buckie innings. With Nixon now also finished his bowling spell, there was slightly more to hit, and both these batsman like to hit the ball. Highland will be disappointed with their fielding effort at this stage – at least three routine catches were offered by Barry and all three were put down. Like good players do though, Barry and Anthony took advantage of these lapses and punished them by piling on the runs. In total they added 81 runs in 15 overs before Ant was bowled for a fine 49. Good to see him back in the runs after a run of bad luck and low scores in recent weeks. As so often happens, after a long partnership is broken, the other batsman was out almost immediately – Barry had made a blistering 52 off only 42 balls before being caught. He managed 6 fours and 1 six during his stay at the crease and on this form is surely a bowlers nightmare. Probably a good job too that he mishit the last one straight up in the air, as from the almighty swing of the bat it looked like he was aiming for Fochabers.
With the score up to 139 for 5 all that remained was for a final flourish. Thanks largely to an attractive cameo innings from Duane Creamer, who finished on 21 not out, this was achieved and the score finished on a healthy 170 for 8. A special mention for Andy Ballantyne here who notched his first runs for the club towards the end of the innings - there will be lots more to come so watch this space.
The Highland reply started fairly briskly. With some dark clouds looming in the south, it looked like their game plan was to get the runs as soon as possible. Opener Crabtree took advantage of some width from Calum Hart to notch four boundaries in the first six overs. As the rain promised finally started to fall, he continued the assault with mixed results against Barry Newlands and Anthony Wilson. Playing almost a shot a ball, inevitably he eventually mishit one and the ball skied up in the air – but was dropped. Thankfully for the home team he did miss another ball shortly after and was bowled for 41 out of a team score of 54 after 11 overs.
The rain continued steadily as Rob Nixon came to the crease, Nixon is probably the most destructive hitter of the cricket ball in the league – he's got more firepower than even our own Bazooka Barry Newlands on his day – and it was imperative that Buckie got him out. And they did, or at least, they thought they did. Before he got settled in, Nixon hung his bat out to a good ball from Barry that took the edge, deflected, and was safely caught by keeper Dan Walls. The noise of ball hitting bat was heard from the boundary but was not heard by the standing umpire. Nixon added insult to injury by opening his shoulders and despatching the next ball out of the park and
into the surrounding field.
With the rain making the ball wet and harder for the bowlers to grip, runs continued to come quickly for the visitors. Opener Francis looked to nudge and nurdle the ball either side of square, while Nixon was still looking to clear the rope at every opportunity. He offered a couple of catches in the deep that were put down, and Buckie heads were down as they sensed the game slipping away and out of their control. Highland score up to 110 for 1 after 20 overs.
Finally a break for Buckie as Corsie got a ball to stay a little low and pinned Nixon leg before wicket for a rapid 39. Calum Hart, back in the attack, immediately removed the new batsman Catto and momentum was just starting to swing towards the home side. Opener Francis had batted doggedly to reach 33 not out, but if he were also to get out now...
And that's where it all ended folks. With the score on 129 for 3 the umpires decided that the weather conditions were unfit and the teams left the pitch. As it continued to rain for the rest of the evening, no further play was possible and so the points split out fairly evenly – Highland 12 points, Buckie 11 points.
It was the correct call from the umpires with hindsight although at the time it did appear that playing conditions were acceptable until a couple of wickets fell and changed the state of the game. If nothing else, from his reaction to the controversial umpiring decision, we did learn that Tom Walls need not apply for work as a UN peacekeeper.
Thanks once again to our sponsors for this weather curtailed match – Tosh and Carole.
Our next match at Elgin on Saturday is the final league match before the league splits into a top 6 and a bottom 6. This one is sponsored by Jim Currie and Murray Smith. Thanks for your support.
Buckie 170 for 8
B Newlands 52, A Wilson 49, D Creamer 21 not out
J Crabtree 2 for 26, R Nixon 2 for 29
Highland 129 for 3 (score at which match was abandoned)
J Crabtree 41, R Nixon 39, R Francis 33 not out
Buckie Vs Elgin
23/07/11
Buckie made the short trip to Elgin last Saturday to play the last Macallan League match of the first half of the season. Elgin have been struggling with results this season so the visitors started as favourites and indeed were made to work hard for victory. Sponsors for this match were Jim Currie and Murray Smith.
The home side won the toss and chose to bat first. Openers Alan Duncan and Rick Wimble looked comfortable against the Buckie opening attack of Anthony Wilson and Barry Newlands but were not allowed to score freely. Indeed of the 34 run opening partnership, virtually all were scored on the leg side, with both batsman waiting for a misdirected ball before looking to play an attacking shot. Duncan was first out for 11, caught by Eadie Walls, who was much relieved to see the ball stick after a couple of recent dropped chances. His partner Wimble followed soon after for a dogged 21, caught this time by Anthony Wilson, having mistimed an attempted pull shot from change bowler Calum Hart. The bowling of Hart also accounted for Mark Patten caught behind, a rare instance of this bowler out-thinking a batsman with a slower ball. Patten has a distinct style of batting – he stands pretty much square to the bowler rather than in the classical side on fashion, and tries to launch each ball he faces to, or over, the boundary line. Not a stylish batsman then, but certainly one opponents want to get out before the scoreboard starts to run out of numbers. Elgin at this point had reached 51 for 3 after 20 overs.
The next batting partnership of veteran Andrew Botley and youngster Andrew Hastie shifted the momentum back towards the home team. With Botley looking rock solid at one end, Hastie looked to play his shots and put some pressure back on to the bowlers. A loose over from Hart went for 16 with Hastie adding two fours and a six to his personal tally. This forced a bowling change and Hart was replaced by Michael Widdrington. The score was now up past 100 and with some 15 overs still to be played, a total in excess of 200 was looking on the cards.
Buckie needed a break and got it in the most unfortunate manner for the home side. Stretching to make his ground when taking a quick single, Andrew Botley felt a hamstring twinge and was unable to continue batting – even with a runner – and was forced to retire hurt. Bad luck this as he had looked in no trouble at the crease – and his wise counsel had kept his younger batting partner focussed on the job in hand.
With Hastie continuing to attack, 11 runs were taken off the next over from John Corsie, including a sweetly timed flick to long on for 6. Exit Corsie from the Cathedral End and re-enter Newlands, and finally Buckie had the ideal bowling partnership – spin from Michael Widdrington and seam from Barry. A run out saw the end of new batsman Andrew Hindes and then Barry found the edge of Hastie's bat and the catch was safely taken by Eadie Walls, albeit on the second attempt! A fine attacking 45 from the young Hastie who showed a lot of potential here – one to keep an eye out for in the future.
At 119 for 5 , Elgin still power to add to their score. In the event, they managed only a further 6 runs as spin and seam combined to quickly end the innings. Barry ended up with 3 wickets for 20, Michael 2 for 12 – good reward for their efforts. Final score 125 all out.
Buckie were fairly happy to be chasing only 126 for victory given that at one stage it looked likely that the target could be significantly higher. The bowling from Wilson, Newlands and Widdrington was excellent, that of Hart and Corsie less so, both conceding too many runs. Only one catch was dropped and even then the fielder Andrew Brown had the presence of mind to run the batsman out. Eadie taking two catches was a highlight. Barry taking a tumble in the outfield trying to stop a single was probably the funniest thing that happened all day.
Calum Hart and Daniel Walls also found scoring difficult against the Elgin opening bowlers Patten and Hastie. As the clouds started to gather and the temperature dropped, the scoreboard was moving at only 2 runs per over, and had reached only 25 when a mix up resulted in Hart being run out for 11. Walls was next out soon afterwards for only 8, having never really shown any of his usual fluency. Young Joe Hough was the new batsman, getting a rare opportunity up the order, and joined Anthony Wilson at the crease. Runs were still pretty hard to come by at this stage, but the batsmen did the hard work of seeing off more overs from Elgin's best bowlers, knowing that those to follow would offer easier scoring chances. Having added 18 together, Joe was bowled by change bowler
McNeil – score 44 for 3 after 23 overs – new batsman Barry Newlands. Anthony and Barry now continued their good batting form of last week and fashioned a match winning partnership of 79. I hope the younger lads in the Buckie team were watching this partnership and noted how it was put together – gradually at first as the batsmen looked to get themselves in, and then becoming more aggressive in their shot playing and running between the wickets as the target score came closer. It was a pity that Barry got out just before the end, caught on the boundary for 43, but Anthony and Duane Creamer knocked off the few runs required for victory. Anthony carried his bat for a hard fought 39 not out and Buckie had reached 126 in the 39th over.
In the end then a convincing victory for Buckie with fine all-round performances from Newlands and Wilson seeing them home. For Elgin a case of what might have been if Botley had not been injured, but buoyed by a terrific innings from Hastie and a good spell of bowling from Patten who finished wicketless from his 12 overs but conceded only 17 runs. He probably bowled too short overall but deserved better reward for his efforts in the wickets column. Thanks once again to our match sponsors Jim Currie and Murray Smith.
In the next phase of the Macallan League the top six teams and bottom six teams play in separate mini leagues to determine the league champions and the best of the worst. Buckie will take their place in the top six and await for the fixtures to be confirmed. Before that though is the 20 over competition with Buckie being drawn in a group with Highland and Fort William next Saturday – with Inverness hosting the three games. Thanks to club stalwart Neil Duthie who is our match sponsor on this occasion (hope the whites haven't been packed away for good quite yet!).
Elgin 125 all out
A Hastie 45, R Wimble 21
B Newlands 3 for 20, M Widdrington 2 for 12, C Hart 2 for 43
Buckie 126 for 4
B Newlands 43, A Wilson 39 not out
Twenty20 30/07/11
Buckie were drawn with the top and tail teams of last year's Macallan League in the 20 over competition last Saturday. Reigning champions Highland hosted the event on a warm and sunny afternoon in Inverness and as expected had already beaten Fort William in the early kick-off. Buckie welcomed Neil Duthie back into the playing ranks on the day chosen for his own match sponsorship – thanks on both counts Neil.
Fort William skipper Dave 'Elvis' Farrell won the toss and chose to bat first. Perhaps not his finest decision as his ten man team were shot out in only 13.2 overs for the meagre tally of 56. No batsman got settled at the crease, the highest score being only 5 from Derek Spencer, and only one boundary 4 was hit in the entire innings. Not surprising then that the Buckie bowlers returned some impressive figures – Barry Newlands 3 wickets for 9 runs and Joe Hough 3 wickets for 11 runs being the pick of the bunch. A special mention for Andrew Brown who also bowled and took his first wicket in the first team – could be the first of many.
The bowling was backed up by some good grabs in the outfield – two catches each for wicketkeeper Daniel Walls and Matthew McIntosh – and few runs were conceded in the field. The only negative were the 30 wides conceded in such a short innings (wides were recorded as 2 extra runs each for this competition) and an expensive over from spin king Michael Widdrington – who did have the excuse that it was the first time he had bowled on a grass wicket. Nope I'm not sure what difference that made either.
Michael quickly made amends with his batting though as he and Calum Hart put on 46 for the first wicket of Buckie's reply, pretty much securing the victory. After Hart was out, there was time for Barry Newlands and Neil Duthie to have a look at the wicket without adding wasting much ink in the scorebook before Widdrington finished the cricket match with a big six into the adjacent bowling green – luckily on this occasion not catching anyone a misfortune. Michael finished on 17 not out and Buckie were 60 for 3 in 9.3 overs.
After a quick refreshment break – I must admit that the Highland hospitality was top notch, and brought a wistful smile to Eadie's face - Buckie again lost the toss and were again asked to bowl first. Good early breakthroughs saw the removal of big hitting Jonathon Crabtree and Rob Nixon without too much damage to the scoreboard and a few more tight overs meant Buckie were just on top at the half way point – Highland at 54 for 4. The Inverness team showed their mettle in the next ten overs though as Francis with 20, John Paul with a big hitting 52 and Kenny Cameron with a rapid 23 took the tally to 136 all out in the last over.
Skipper Corsie finished with three wickets but at a high cost as Cameron and Paul in particular took a liking to his bowling. Widdrington further redeemed himself by taking 2 wickets for 10 at the end of the innings, Newlands, Hart and Brown all finished with one wicket apiece. Pick of the bowlers was Hart who only conceded 14 runs in his four overs and bagged the prize scalp of Rob Nixon, a batsman capable of almost any score even in this shortened version of the game. Barry Newlands distinguished himself in the field with two terrific catches and also a run out from a direct hit. We'll be expecting him to keep up these same standards every week from now on...!
Perhaps his exertions in the field led to his undoing however as Barry was the first Buckie batsman out, lacking his usual puff to clear the long on boundary and safely caught. Corsie and Widdrington added a few more runs to the total but were then both out quickly leaving the score on 45 for 3 after 9 overs. Daniel Walls now showed a return to something like his best form with a well made 35 as others around him also looked to attack the bowling. Wickets fell at regular intervals though, and when Daniel was also caught on the boundary going for another 6 and that was pretty much it for Buckie' chances. Daniel had scored a quickfire 35 including three 4s and a 6. The final total of 99 all out was less than had been hoped for but Highland were good value for their win on the day.
The Inverness side thus qualified for a semi-final against Elgin the next day (which they won) and a final against RAF Lossie (which they won in a game that saw the most amazing batting collapse. Lossie had both hands firmly on the cup before losing seven wickets for three runs and contriving somehow to fashion a defeat from the jaws of victory).
Thanks again to Neil Duthie for his generous match sponsorship. Next week will see the last home match of the season at Linzee Gordon Park with Fochabers being the opponents. Fochabers, like
Buckie, have a good young side and it should be a close match. Many thanks to the match sponsor for the game - James Newlands.
20/20 Competition
Match 1 - Highland beat Fort William
Match 2 – Buckie 60 for 3 beat Fort William 56 all out
Match 3 – Highland 136 all out beat Buckie 99 all out
Buckie Vs RAF Lossiemouth
Buckie made the short trip to RAF Lossiemouth for their latest Macallan League match, the game kindly sponsored by George Jappy. Lossie are at the top of the table having won all of their league matches this so far this season and had thrashed Buckie at home a few weeks ago, so the visitors travelled with hope rather than expectation of a win.
After a lengthy wait to get signed into the RAF camp (a basic pyschological ploy perhaps?), the players were directed to their tent to get changed. Another unsettling surprise this, the pavilion had been ruled off limits due to an outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease. The next setback was seeing the cricket pitch itself, an artificial wicket in the middle of a very big outfield with boggy patches after the rains of the last fortnight, and a lengthy grass covering. Runs were going to be hard earned today and during the match lasting more than 85 overs not one boundary was hit – not one for the purists then.
Buckie captain Corsie won the toss and chose to bat first. The Lossie opening bowlers Walton and Boardman kept things tight from the off – Walton probably causing more problems for the batsmen with his extra pace and bounce and Boardman relying on relentless accuracy to prevent scoring opportunities. First wicket to fall was Calum Hart, caught behind for a duck. Anthony Wilson fared a little better, reaching 7 before trying to force a straightish Boardman delivery to leg, missing, and being bowled. The score had reached 17 for 2 after 12 overs.
John Corsie joined Daniel Walls at the crease and the intention now was to try and ensure that the team batted the full 45 overs and not worry about the score. Daniel fell to a good ball from change bowler Langham, a leg cutter that straightened and took the outside edge – caught at the second attempt by the wicketkeeper. Duane Creamer helped his captain add another few runs before being bowled by another decent Langham delivery. This bowler in particular was finding some life in the artificial wicket, getting a lot of seam and bounce, and beating the bat on many occasions. The score had progressed grudgingly to 38 for 4 after 26 overs.
Barry Newlands tried to play in his usual aggressive and managed 11 before another beauty from Langham beat his defence. This brought Eadie Walls to the cease and runs finally started to come more freely. By the time Eadie sacrificed his wicket, run out going for a quick single, the score had surged upwards to 90 for 5 with four overs to go. The final four overs saw the total reach 105 for 7 – Corsie being run out in the last over for a dogged 51.
For Lossie, Boardman bowled very tightly from the start – his 12 overs costing only 14 runs and 1 wicket. Wolton ended with 2 wickets for 21 runs off his 11 overs but Langham was the pick on the day with 3 for 34 from 12 overs, which could easily have been 5 for 20 with a little more luck. On a day when bowlers were on top, only Corsie and Newlands reached double figures for Buckie but the total could be a winning one if the bowling and fielding was top notch.
Wilson and Newlands opened the bowling attack for Buckie and bowled well. The Lossie batsman also played well though and by running aggressively were able to keep the score ticking over. With no early breakthrough, Duane Creamer replaced Newlands at the beach end but struggled to reproduce his net practice form, the dampish wicket meant he was slipping in his delivery stride. The breakthrough for Buckie eventually came in bizarre circumstances. A quick single saw a wild return from Anthony Wilson sail wide of Daniel Walls, tempting the batsmen into thoughts of a second run. Stuart Plant kept his cool and lobbed the ball gently back to Walls who removed the bails with both batsman stranded at the bowler's end. The score had already reached 39 for 1 at the end of the 13th over.
More hope for Buckie shortly after when Wolton got a fine edge to a leg side ball and was caught behind by Daniel Walls for 23. A great example here – one of the top North batsman walking off without waiting for the umpire to give him out to an edge that the bowler and umpire did not hear – if everyone in our league did the same thing it would make umpiring much easier. The two new batsman Fisher and Crabtree kept their heads though and put together a match winning partnership of 43, priceless runs in the context of this game. Crabtree was the more aggressive of the two, looking to clear the infield whenever possible. Both batsmen had a bit of luck on their side, playing and missing and on a couple of occasions lobbing the ball in the air to gaps in the field but it was that kind of day and Buckie had certainly benefited from similar good fortune at the crease in the
first innings. Crabtree was also called back to the crease early in his innings by Duane Creamer who wasn't sure that he had caught the ball cleanly – the batsman was already walking back to the tent at this time. Cricket should be self policing this way and well done Duane – just catch the ball next time! By now the electronic scorebox (state of the art this – just between the changing tents) was showing 83 for 2 in the 31st over.
There would be a final twist though and a bit of squeaky bum time for the home team. Barry Newlands and Joe Hough both took two quick wickets to reduce Lossie to 95 for 6. Barry struck first to remove Fisher caught by Creamer who did catch the ball next time – well done Duane! Joe then clean bowled Crabtree for 25, Barry had Organ caught by Plant at point and Joe bowled Langham. Good signs for future seasons then if young Joe Hough can continue to bowl like this.
Just as thoughts of an unlikely victory were entering Buckies' minds, Bundock and Boardman restored some sanity and saw them across the line in the 41st over. Lossie finished on 106 for 6.
A decent performance then from Buckie who pushed a strong Lossie team all the way. The difference between the teams on the day was marginal but the better side did prevail.
Thanks once again to our match sponsor George Jappy. Next Saturday the match is away against Nairn – this one sponsored by Peter Cowie. Here's hoping the outfield is a little faster and drier at Nairn.
Buckie 105 for 8
J Corsie 51
N Langham 3 for 34, D Wolton 2 for 21
RAF Lossie 106 for 6
S Crabtree 25, D Wolton 23
J Hough 2 for 10, B Newlands 2 for 32
