Scottish Cricket: Ayr scramble to last-ball victory over Ferguslie (2 Jun 1998)

2 June 1998

Ayr scramble to last-ball victory over Ferguslie

By Keith Graham

WITH rain preventing all but one game on the eastern side of the country from starting, Ayr, in Conference C, and Poloc in Conference B, took advantage of a window in the western weather to record victories.

In the only game to take place in the east, West of Scotland further strengthened their place at the top of Conference B with victory at Stoneywood Dyce.

However, non-starters Aberdeenshire and Heriot's remain in pole positions, each with 100 per cent records, at the top of Conferences C and A respectively.

There were some exciting finishes, none more so than the last-ball scramble which gave Ayr maximum points against Ferguslie at Cambusdoon.

Ferguslie constructed a decent score, even if they had to take advantage of the two extra overs to post a challenging total of 180 for six.

Chief architect was Brian Shaw whose solid 61 included eight boundaries. He and Mike Hussey added 46 for the first wicket before the Australian was trapped lbw by the persevering Andy Baird.

Baird's availability makes a big difference to an Ayr side which, on paper, lacks bowling strength although it was skipper Mark Renny who reaped most reward with three for 35.

Ayr's response was positive as Bruce Patterson and Ashley Hopper also added 46 for the first wicket. However, the visiting attack of Jamie Graham, Stuart Kennedy, Alan Burgess and Gary McLauchlan, plugged away unremittingly.

Although Patterson (54) and Kevin Roberts (59) were to reach half centuries they found it difficult to thread the ball through the field. Patterson lofted to wide long on and with five overs left, Roberts was run out with 31 still needed. A further flurry of run outs followed as caution was thrown to the winds until, with the scores level, Neil McCrossan swung and top edged the final ball over the slips to third man for Ayr to dramatically snatch the points.

It was equally tense at Shawholm where runs were at a premium. Poloc seemed to have sealed victory when Ronnie MacGregor captured six RHSM wickets for 27 as the visitors slumped to 62 all out.

Poloc progressed to 49 for four before five wickets fell for the addition of only six runs, leaving the last pair to scramble the eight runs needed for Poloc to claim victory.

West maintained their top placing in Conference B but not without a struggle in the only game completed in the east. Chasing Stoneywood Dyce's 175 for nine, they had Alan Williamson with a brisk unbeaten 45 to thank for a nervous two-wicket win achieved in the penultimate over. Earlier Craig Wright had maintained his current strike rate with four more wickets at a cost of 40 runs.

Although Clydesdale's Amir Hanif recorded his second successive century, achieved with a last over haul of 17, Prestwick's Dominic Rigby (61) led the home team's resistance in forcing the draw with just two wickets standing.

Stirling's woes continued as once again their batting failed. Chasing Arbroath's 150, they crumbled to 85 all out in the face of Neil Burnett's second five-wicket haul in two weeks, only two Stirling batsmen reaching double figures.

In the only completed game in Conference A, Watsonians clung on to a draw at GHK thanks to late resistance from their last two batsmen while Drumpellier climbed to fourth place in Conference B as Alan Stevenson's 51 steered them home by five wickets after Amritash Agrawalla's leg spin had accounted for five of the Falkland batsmen at a cost of just 21 runs.

Steve Crawley, the explosive Grange batsman, has been preferred to Scotland's record run scorer, Iain Philip, in the side to compete for the Costcutter Cup at the Harrogate Festival next week.

SCOTLAND: Salmond (capt), Allingham, Butt, Crawley, Davies, Lockie, Patterson, Stanger, Tennant, Williamson, Wright. 12th man: Watts.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)