On Sunday 16th August the Galloway ladies travelled to Edinburgh for what turned out to be the toughest game they’ve faced yet against George Watsons. It was the second round of the Scottish Cup and the team were happy to get a game played on a sunny afternoon after numerous games have been rained off this season.
On winning the toss, Galloway chose to field first, as in previous matches this has been their strong suit. This unleashed some incredibly strong and experienced batsmen from George Watsons. Right from the start the batsmen were able to judge the bowling well and hit almost every ball – wicket keeper Ginger Ramsay (sponsored by Rancher, Castle Douglas) said it was one of the easier games for her as she had less work to do behind the stumps than usual. Ginger was probably the only member of the team who had this opinion however as the batsmen had every fielder on the pitch sprinting, diving and generally throwing themselves all over. Skipper, Natalie Hamblin, was extremely proud of the efforts of each and every fielder as they showed commitment throughout in what was a very testing innings.
George Watsons posted an impressive 284 for 2 off their 30 overs with Bryce and Thompson both scoring centuries. Kate Maxwell was the wicket taker for Galloway – one bowled and one LBW – both early on in the game. Pony Ramsay’s (sponsored by Irvings Bakery, Castle Douglas) efforts in the field must also be mentioned as she set a great example and pushed herself to new limits while tumbling around in all corners of the field stopping boundaries and keeping pressure on the confident batsmen.
After tea Galloway set about chasing the dizzy heights of 285 to win! The girls did well and managed to post a respectable 85 for 4 off their 30 overs. Kate Maxwell again was the saviour top-scoring for Galloway as a result of her decisive calling and cleverly place shots. The Galloway ladies used this game as a learning curve and took lots out of what could have been a soul-destroying defeat. It was amazing to see some young players from George Watsons who will hopefully one day progress to play for the Scottish international squad. Sarah Bryce already represents Scotland at an international level, having first been called up for the under 17s at the age of just 11.
The ladies team are next in action against Stirling Ladies on Sunday 30th August in a league fixture at Stirling County Cricket Club. Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Natalie on 0787 909 010.
