Ardrossan Cricket Club pick up first win since re-formation

For around a decade the town was without a local cricket team, until their rebirth this season.

And they reached another milestone this weekend with their first victory of the campaign - a convincing 65-run victory over Galloway Cricket Club at the Memorial Field.

Asked to bat first Ardrossan got off to a solid, pleasantly uneventful, start. Tasked with seeing off the new ball, Sachin Sood and Gareth Walsh were watchful until Sood was hit on the pads in front of all three stumps; a quick shuffle back to square leg was in vain and he had to go. 

Ryan Rogers joined Walsh, and the two added 41 before Rogers was bowled for 13 by the impressive Galloway swing bowler Mia.

Indi Singh came to the crease and took his time to get in before punishing the bad ball. When Walsh fell for 16, George Dees (23) didn’t hang about, rotating the strike with Singh, and the scoreboard ticked over nicely. 

A good catch in the deep removed Singh (26); Mullan (0) didn’t trouble the scorers during his brief stay and Craig Thomas batted well for his 15 before suffering the same fate as Sood earlier.

Not often do you see a batsman walk for an LBW, but even the batsman knew this was missing leg and off.

The tail hung around, and while Sunny Singh (4), John McNair (1) and Andy Neil (4) may not have scored many off the bat, the time spent at the crease allowed for plenty of extras to be added.

​Credit: Iain McLaggan

Simon Roberts (0*) remained stranded at the end for the fourth time this season.

Ardrossan were eventually bowled out for 154 in the 44th over - a vast improvement on previous weeks, although there was definitely a feeling at the halfway stage that plenty of runs had been missed out on after five of the top seven reached double figures but couldn’t go on, each getting themselves out when it looked like they would kick on.

With a slow outfield and a bowling attack raring to go, 154 always looked like a defendable total, and so it proved to be.

Indi Singh had the batsmen hopping with his pace and bounce, and had plenty of near misses before a sharp chance taken by a diving Dees at first slip saw the start of a tumbling of wickets.

Singh bowled his 10 overs straight through, finishing with figures of three for 13, and on another day it could have been seven or eight.

At the other end, Roberts showed fantastic control of the swinging ball, causing all kinds of trouble to the batsmen. 

Thomas chipped in with a wicket but it was Dees (3-26) who ripped the heart out of the middle order, taking three wickets in an over, stumps cartwheeling all over the place, with a sensational display of fast bowling.

The remaining Galloway batsmen tried in vain to stick around, with only Akil Sudhi (26) and Mackenzie Sharples offering serious resistance; Sudhi hit three sublime sixes back over the bowlers' heads, and young Sharples came out at number nine and showed some of the older players, on both teams, how to play yourself in with a solid defensive technique, suggesting a move much higher up the order in the weeks to come is a must. 

Credit: Iain McLaggan

It was left to Roberts to take the final wicket, to finish with figures of three for 20 in the 28th over of the Galloway innings, handing Ardrossan the win by 65 runs in a game that was played the right way by both teams.

Man of match went to George Dees, who hit 23 with the bat at a strike rate of 70, took three for 23 with the ball and made a diving catch at first slip in a true all rounders performance. 

Huge thanks go to match the match sponsor, The Jaipur Indian Restaurant at 51 Glasgow St Ardrossan. The support is massively appreciated. 

Next week sees Ardrossan travel to St Michaels in what no doubt will be a tough challenge.

For more information on the cricket club, including how to get involved, visit their Facebook page.

(Report by club captain Gareth Walsh)