In Saturday’s Western Premiership One fixture at Nunholm, Dumfries 1st XI convincingly defeated Clydesdale by six wickets. The Your Move Player of the Match Chris McBride was instrumental in that win with the top score of 81 not out.
Dumfries successfully chased the visitor’s first innings score of 224 for 6. However, that was not the total Dumfries might have hoped for after reducing Clydesdale to 12 for 3, thanks to two early wickets to Danny Armstrong and one to James Hobman, and then having them 5 wickets down for 65 with additional wickets taken by Brockwell and McBride. However, a big sixth wicket partnership helped take Clydesdale up to that defendable total of 224.
In reply, Adam Malik and Jordan Maritz, with 27, got Dumfries to 60 for 2 which brought the match winning 110 run partnership between Malik and Scotland batter Chris McBride. Malik was eventually out caught and bowled for a crucial score of 64 with a further fifty-five runs needed. Wahid Jabarkhil then contributed a breezy run a ball eighteen with a six and two fours to reduce that deficit and McBride’s final score of 81 not out of just 69 balls eased the Dumfries side home to victory.
In Western Championship One, a Your Move Player of the Match all-round performance by Sean Thornely was not sufficient to avoid a 33 run loss at Albert Park. Albert Park reached 191 all out on a day of monsoon weather conditions. Callum Reynolds-Lewis removed one opener for the first of his three wickets and a wicket from Abdullah Naseri and Mark Abnett made it 76 for 3. Wickets fell gradually with a wicket to youngsters Nairn Cubbon and Billy Morgan and Thornely came back for a great second spell to take a further three wickets as the home side were dissmised for 191. The Dumfries fielding highlight of the day was Abnett running a long way back at mid-off to take an excellent diving one handed catch.
Thornely was also key to the batting reply. He, and Abnett with 38, took Nunholm to 61 for 2 and then 129 for 5 after a forty-run partnership with Morgan. But both were soon out with Thornely scoring an excellent 52 in tricky conditions. James Cox, with 21 not out, and Cubbon shared a further twenty-five run partnership but Nunholm were all out 158 with the side disappointed not to make the remaining runs, still at just four an over, but after more good experience for the junior players.
Congratulations go to Dumfries bowler James Hobman who has been selected in a 14-man Scotland Under-19 squad for their World Cup Qualifier in the Netherlands. Their first match is on Sunday with their final fifth game on Saturday. The nation topping the group at the end of the match cycle will qualify for the 2024 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka next year. At Nunholm, Dumfries firsts next play Ayr at home on Saturday in Western Premiership One.
