1st XI v Glenrothes

A seeming lack of 1st XI match reports amidst my intermittent availability prompts me to concoct something to share some details from yesterdays game. Very grim reading, not enjoyable to write and I'll try to avoid the inclusion of anything the censors might want redacted.

You would think that being asked to captain in the league would be something to look forward to. You would think that giving myself a bowl and getting the best batsman in the league out would be a high point of the season or maybe even my bowling 'career'. You would think that 1st v 5th in the league might be a reasonable contest with some sort of doubt over the outcome. You would think that when up against the best team in the league, we'd pick our best available XI. You would be wrong on every count.

Glenrothes completely annihilated HX1's as we visited Gilvenbank Park for the first time.

Unfortunately, this match can be filed away as another perfect example of the stupidity of the 'professional' rules in Scottish cricket. Any good that comes from a player (or players) playing miles below the level they should be is undone when club games are turned into such monumental mismatches.

Quite frankly I have better things to do with my time than provide cannon fodder to much better players than myself. This is not how I or I'm sure, any of the other 10 who had to suffer this indignity, want to spend Saturday afternoons.

But lets be clear, The eleven men of Glenrothes were completely and utterly deserving of their win. Indeed, an argument could be made HX did well to restrict them to just 350 as former pro's Greaves and Reddy were dismissed for just 3 between them while Beghin succumbed to one of the worst balls he'll ever face in my first and only league over in a decade. Unfortunately he had made 181 by this point.

We used 8 bowlers with only 2 first team bowlers 'available' (missing S McO, Raja, Robin, Bimbo, Vik, Marsh, Newman, Trewartha etc...). Ellis emerged from the carnage with 4-51 from 10. If I tell you our 2nd and 3rd best bowlers/only other wicket takers were Robertson with 2-57 and me with 1-10 (did I mention I got Beghin out?), maybe we can pick our best available bowlers next week?

Glen's - big favourites for the Championship this season - won the toss and elected to bat. With the forecast promising rain from mid-afternoon followed by thunderstorms, this appeared to simply mean a bit of batting practice for the hosts. The visitors missing the usual myriad of players including their first 4 choices as skipper (Si McO, Michelle, JMcO, Raja,), rolled out a throwback Cross line-up including names like Ellis, Pickering, Bonfield, Fraser, Quinn, Russell and also found slots for leg-ends El Presidente (aka Reg Pending) and Lord Admin himself. With PVB in the scorehut/burger van at least we'd take our pasting with good Cross grace.

Some good running got Glens off to a quick start before Davies tweaked something, handing the impetus to Beghin who made his way to 181 with few mishaps. Beghin just survived Bonfields 1st ball and he nearly nicked Dan's 1st ball. That aside, a couple in the air fell tantalisingly close to fielders, but these were scant crumbs of encouragement in a comprehensive dismantling of the makeshift Cross attack. Any chinks of light, barely registered. I.e. Getting Greaves for 2 meant they were 159-2 and Beghin was still going like a train at the other end. The next wicket fell with the total on 308.

After a turbo tea break we were quickly threatening our lowest ever total. I'll commend Dan, batting at 10 who top scored with 10, but for the rest of the 'batting' report, read this:

1-4
2-4
3-8
4-13
5-17
6-19
7-19
8-22
9-39
10-44

I am available next week, but only for our under 8 girls XI.