Cricket: Uddingston return to action and grasp the glory

Jul 18 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

TUNNOCK Uddingston Cricket Club hauled themselves up to fourth place in the Scottish National Cricket League Premier Division with a seven-wicket win over Ayr at Bothwell Castle Policies.

Having had matches cancelled for three successive weeks, the Lanarkshire side will just have been pleased to finish the game. However, the victory was a major bonus for the Villagers.

Overseas professional Ed Cowan was back on form for the Lanarkshire side, taking three important wickets for the loss of just 30 runs.

Ayr were all out on 151, before Cowan hit 68 not out in Uddingston’s 152-3 total in reply to the visitors score.

Uddingston captain Ricky Bawa won the toss and sent Ayr in to bat on a wicket that looked surprisingly dry after heavy overnight rain had fell on the pitch.

Horne and Andy McElnea opened for the visitors against the bowling of Bawa and Paul Hoffmann.

Runs proved hard to come by for the Ayr openers and they managed only to put 14 on the board after 10 overs, at which point a very effective Hoffmann made way for Gavin Bradley.

No wickets had fallen at this particular time, and both batsmen took the score to 51 by the 20th over when Amir Gul stepped in for Bawa and almost immediately clean-bowled Horne for 35, just as he was showing signs of cutting loose.

With the loss of their talisman Ayr’s scoring rate slowed and Gul took another valuable wicket in the 30th over, trapping Mark Renny LBW for 15, with the score at 80-2.

From then on the Ayr wickets fell regularly, as Bawa rotated his bowlers to great effect to put the Villagers in a great position as they approached their innings.

In the absence of injured Mark Townson, Ed Cowan bowled 10 overs of his innocuous-looking but highly effective seamers, taking three wickets for 30, including two ‘stumpings’ by Brian Clark.

Ayr were all out in the 49th over, for just 151 and victory was well within the grasp of the local cricket side.

Cowan and Scott Dalgleish got Uddingston’s reply off to a brisk start and had put 78 on the board before the latter was caught behind for 38 in the 22nd over.

Brett Webber joined Cowan at the wicket and when he was out for 10 in the 30th over, going for another big hit, the score had advanced to 132 for 2.

Man of the match Ed Cowan equalled his efforts with the ball, and returned to form with the bat, hitting 68-not-out as the Villagers waltzed to a resounding win with 15 overs to spare.

On Sunday Uddingston progressed to the West League Cup semi-finals after beating Clydesdale in a thrilling 30-overs-a-side match which was played at Bothwell Castle Policies.

Captain Ricky Bawa won the toss for Uddingston and sent the visitors in to bat first.

Clydesdale made steady progress at the start in the face of Uddingston’s attack, but Gavin Bradley took four wickets, including a superb direct-hit run-out.

David Bill also produced an awesome catch-and-bowl for the home side, diving full length to clutch the ball in his left hand inches above the ground.

Clydesdale were all out for 132, and a few eyebrows were raised when Bawa chose to open with Brett Webber and Scott Dalgleish, meaning that Ed Cowan could bat no higher than number six in the order under West Cup rules.

Webber and Dalgleish began at a brisk pace until the 14th over, when the former was caught for 35, with the score on 59.

Uddingston were reduced to 82-4 in the 21st before Cowan came to the wicket.

When Dalgleish perished in the next over, Uddingston needed 46 runs from Cowan and the remaining four lower-order batsmen to win in the seven overs which were left remaining.

The on-form Cowan delivered for the Uddingston side, levelling the scores at 132 before being caught and bowled going for the coup-de-grace.

The second ball of the last over was a wide, and Uddingston squeezed home with two wickets and four balls to spare to claim their place in the next round of the competition.

On Saturday, Uddingston will be on their travels when they head to Edinburgh to meet Watsonians in a Premier League match, and host Heriots in a Scottish Cup quarter-final the following day.