Forfarshire Cricket Club

Welcome to Season 2010
from Rae McLelland, President.

It gives me much pleasure to welcome you to another cricket season at Forthill. Last September, on that gloriously sunny day in Arbroath, Forfarshire beat Heriot’s to gain promotion to the premier division of the Scottish National Cricket League. So this season, we welcome premier cricket back to Forthill and I hope you will be able to come down to Forthill to see cricket being played at the highest level in Scotland.

Our playing schedule for this season embraces three senior XI’s and junior cricket at five different levels, which means that on most Saturdays and Sundays and on most evenings during the week there will be some form of cricket being played.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention the improvements to the practice facilities being installed at Forthill. These much needed improvements will certainly benefit all our players, both senior and junior. Information about the new facilities can be found in the article below this. These improvements do however come at considerable cost and throughout the year we will be holding a variety of fundraising events. 

I hope that you will support these activities and the others which will take place throughout the summer. The money raised will go to the cost of the improvements which in turn should aid our performances on the field and help to develop the players of the future.

So it should be a very busy 2010 and I look forward to seeing you at Forthill during the summer.

Weekend Results - 28th & 29th August

The 2010 league season came to an end with all three teams losing their final games.

At Forthill on Saturday, Forfarshire were bowled out for 96 by Grange, and the visitors wasted little time in knocking off the required runs to secure victory and collect a well deserved SNCL premier division title.

Forthill travelled to Dyce to take on Stoneywood-Dyce. A convincing win would have seen Forthill escape relegation but despite restricting the home side to 155, Forthill could only muster 100 in reply, so Division 1 cricket looms for next season.

Forthill XI lost a close game to Dalnacraig. Clark top-scored with 58 as Forthill XI posted an under-par 151 but the visiting batsmen were made to work hard for their runs, and it took until the last over for the winning runs to be scored, with just two wickets remaining.
match report
  

Weekend Results - 21st/22nd August

Forfarshire won against Clydesdale at Titwood on Saturday while back home, Forthill lost in the last over against Meigle. Forthill XI’s match against Cupar was conceded by Cupar as they were unable to raise a team.

Clydesdale asked Forfarshire to bat first on a wicket that favoured the bowlers. Ryan (54) and Craig (10) made a comfortable start to the innings but in the 9th over Craig skied a delivery from Sajid to mid-wicket with the total on 31. Tony, Umair and Aman all fell quickly to leave Forfarshire in trouble at 49 for 4 in 17 overs, but Richie (16) added 38 for the 5th wicket with Ryan before an over ambitious quick single saw him run having covered the length of the pitch and back again. An unbeaten last wicket partnership of 35 between Andy (19 not out) and Quinno (13 not out) gave the Forfarshire total some respectability as they closed on 170 for 9 after 50 overs.

Aman again gave Forfarshire the perfect start with the ball with a wicket in each of his first two overs. The hard hitting Williamson lofted a drive some yards wide of Tony at mid-off but he made good ground to his left to pluck the ball from the air. The pairing of Sheikh (49 from 81 balls) and Hussain (31 from 38 balls) looked to be guiding the home side to victory until the introduction of Richie into the attack saw Hussain caught behind in his first over. Richie ripped through the Clydesdale middle order to return figures of 5 for 26 from 9 overs.

Forthill batted first against Meigle, and their innings never gained much momentum as a number of players made starts but didn’t go on to make the score that was needed. Dean hit 27 not out in the latter stages of the innings to top score, with Robert making 25. Dean made an early breakthrough when he removed Christie, but Drummy (82 not out) along with 32 from Laing put Meigle well on their way towards victory. With 30 needed from the last 10 overs and 8 wickets in hand, the visitors suddenly found runs hard to come by and six runs were needed from the last over. Boundaries from the first two balls of the last over were enough to complete the win.

Weekend Results - 14th/15th August

Forfarshire lost on the last ball of their SNCL match against Greenock on Saturday, but fortunes were different at Doo'cot Park where Forthill overcame Strathearn. On Sunday, Forthill XI lost to a strong Kinross side.

Forfarshire chose to bat first in ideal batting conditions, and after the early loss of Craig, Ryan (129 from 127 balls) and Tony (52 from 87 balls) added 152 for the second wicket. Ryan hit powerfully throughout his innings and anything loose was dispatched to be boundary with ease as a struck eighteen 4s and three 6s, while Tony hit eight 4s in a composed innings. Umair again provided an excellent finish to the innings with 39 not out from 35 balls and was ably assisted by Finbar who hit 21 from 24 balls to see Forfarshire record 267 for 6 in 50 overs.

The Greenock openers gave the visitors an ideal start to their run chase with an opening partnership of 85 in 20 overs that was ended when Begley was caught behind for 41 while Rowan went on to hit 74 until he picked out Finbar at long-off. When Ryan trapped McLaren LBW first ball, Forfarshire looked to be taking control of the game and with boundaries drying up mid-innings, the target looked just out of reach for Greenock. However, Hislop (46 from 35 balls) and Bellwood (35) took Greenock to within sight of victory with a 75 run fifth wicket partnership, but with 26 needed from the final 12 deliveries Forfarshire looked to be in command. The penultimate over conceded eleven, and the equation came down to three needed from the last ball which new man in Kelso flicked through mid-wicket for four to secure victory.

In Perth, a tight display of bowling and fielding saw table-toppers Strathearn restricted to 170 for 7. LJ made a welcome return to the team and his opening six over spell gave Forthill a good start by conceding only 19 runs in what was his first bowl in over a year. Tight spells mid-innings from Howie (2 for 19) and Elliot (1 for 19) along with 2 for 32 from Ted towards the end of the innings saw the home team finish on an under par 170. Overseas amateur Blomfield accounted from Mike early in the run chase which brought Robert to the crease, for his first bat in three months following a summer in New York. Picking up where he left off in May, Bobby soon found his touch to dispatch the Strathearn attack to the boundary with a number of classy shots. Neil dug in at the other end once Robert departed for 63 and his gutsy 32 not out along with 24 not out from LJ saw Forthill secure victory with five overs remaining.
match report


A talented Kinross batting line-up made good use of the favourable conditions at Forthill and racked up 263 for 3 in 45 overs, J Ross batting through the innings for 141 not out and R Weir finishing on 64 not out. Adam took two wickets in as many balls to return figures of 2 for 23 while Glenn restricted the run scoring with nine economical overs that gave away just 32 runs.

Forthill’s reply never got going, with only Kevin making any impact. He was last man out for 48 but not before lofting the visiting spinner over long-on for six. match report


 

Weekend Results - 7th & 8th August

Forfarshire visited Carlton for the first time in recent years and emerged as comfortable winners while at Forthill, the second team lost to DHSFP by 8 wickets. On Sunday, Forthill XI hosted Coupar Angus but went down by 3 wickets.

At Grangeloan, Ryan showed aggressive intent from ball one and hit consecutive boundaries to open the scoring on his way to 52 from 48 deliveries that included seven 4s and two 6s in an opening partnership of 86 with Craig (38 from 66 balls). Umair continued his fine run of form with 55 from 74 balls and batted well with the youthful tail to see Forfarshire finish on 221. Aman gave Forfarshire another good start with two wickets in his opening spell, but at 112 for 4, the experienced pairing of English (62) and Kerr (24) looked well set before Blackie turned the game with two wickets in two balls. Kerr fell first, lofting a high catch to Ryan at mid-on before English chipped a ball to Quinno at backward square to see Carlton 112 for 6 in the 28th over. Umair cleaned up the tail with no fuss to claim 3 for 24, while Blackie returned another economical spell to finish with 3 for 16 from eight overs.

Forthill posted 173 thanks to 46 from Tony and 21 from Kev but a number of dropped catches throughout the second innings gave the High batsmen several let-offs and as a result had little difficulty overcoming the home total, D Kyles finishing on 81 not out and R Rennie 48 not out.

Forthill XI chose to bat first at Forthill on Sunday, and found the accurate Coupar Angus attack difficult to score off, and after 18 overs Forthill XI had reached 48 for 3. Glenn and Kev came together and pushed the score along to 84 when Glenn was unfortunate to pick out Sutherland in the deep to fall for a well constructed 25. Scott was plucked from retirement due to an early morning call-off, and his 34 not out along with 58 not out from Kev added 77 for the fifth wicket to see Forthill finish on 169 for 5. Coupar Angus opener Sutherland batted through the second innings for 87 not out and took advantage of any short or wide deliveries offered by the home bowling attack as the visitors reached their target in the 37th over with three wickets remaining, Craig picking up two late wickets in a tidy over and Samir taking 2 for 32.

 

Weekend Results
31st July / 1st August

Forfarshire and Forthill both lost their league matches while Forthill XI’s meeting with St.Modans was abandoned due to rain.

Aman stunned Aberdeenshire with two wickets in the first over of the game and followed that up with two more quick wickets to see the home team reeling at 16 for 4 after seven overs. But a fifth wicket partnership of 42 between pro Parlane (84 not out from 111 balls) and Cross (12 from 34 balls) repaired some of the damage before an 8th wicket partnership did similar to see the Aberdeen tail support the not out pro as they recovered to 177 for 9.

Forfarshire’s runs chase got off to a bad start when Craig was bowled by Cox in the fourth over and after a rain break, a revised D/L target of 140 to win from 30 overs was set. Forfarshire lost wickets regularly throughout the innings and fell behind the required rate. A late charge from Umair (45 not out from 34 balls) gave some hope of victory, but 50 required from the last five overs proved too many, and Forfarshire were all out 16 runs short of target.

Gav (36) and Elliot (30) top-scored for Forthill as they posted 156 for 9 against league leaders Mannofield. The visitors knocked off the required rums in the 40th over for the loss of five wickets.
  

Murgitroyd 20/20 Finals Day

Forfarshire reached the final of the Murgitroyd 20/20 Cup at Shawholm after a semi-final victory over Dumfries but had to settle for the runners-up spot against a strong Carlton line-up.


In the semi-final, Craig’s 40 from 28 balls gave Forfarshire a useful start but at 66 for 3 after 10 overs a good second half to the innings was required. Umair provided the innings that was needed and hit 63 not out from 47 balls and shared a valuable partnerships with Howie and Elliot that saw Forfs finish on a creditable 160 for 6. Dumfries started aggressively with the second delivery of their innings sailing towards mid-wicket, but Matthew soon removed dangermen Dawson and Davidson followed soon after by a wicket for Blackie who had been promoted to open the bowling. Two wickets in Ryan’s first over saw the collapse continue and it only got worse as the total sat on 19 for 6 in the 8th over. Umair claimed 3 for 16 to see Dumfries all out for 55 in the 16th over.

Forfarshire took wickets regularly throughout the Carlton innings, after they chose to bat first, with only overseas amateur Dean getting away from the Forfs bowlers with a hard hit 52 from 35 balls that includes five 4s and three 6s. Gordon Drummond chipped in with 35 not out late in the innings to see Carlton post 152 for 8 which was more than had looked likely as some stages of the innings. Forfarshire’s reply got off to a bad start when Ryan fell in the first over but Craig (35 from 36 balls) and Matthew (33 from 43 balls) put on 73 for the second wicket but with the Carlton attack offering few loose deliveries, the required rate was always increasing as boundaries were scarce. Umair continued his fine weekend with a cameo 33 not out from 25 balls including a trademark scoopshot over the Carlton keepers head for four, but it was not enough to see Forfs overhaul the Carlton total.



Highlights of the final can be found on CricketScotland TV
visit www.cricketscotland.com to watch the video
 
 

Weekend Results - 24th & 25th July
 
Forfarshire lost to Dunfermline at Forthill on Saturday in a well-balanced game while Forthill went down to Arbroath by 32 runs. Sunday saw Forthill XI put in a fighting performance against Breadalbane only to lose out by 24 runs.

Howie got the Forfs innings off to a confident start by twice dispatching Reddy through the covers for four in the first over and Craig also cashed in on some wayward bowling before a mis-timed drive saw him out caught in the 9th over with the total on 49. Howie eventually fell for 40 from 82 balls to see Forfarshire reach 99 for 3 at the half-way stage. The introduction of Gray into the attack saw two further quick wickets go down, and at 146 for 6 in the 38th over, a competitive total looked some way off but Umair (61 not out from 66 balls) and Tony (14 from 25 balls) added a valuable 53 for the seventh wicket and propelled the total along to 220 for 9 in 50 overs, Umair hitting one 6 and six 4s in his innings.

Three wickets for Matthew (3 for 34) and two for Ryan (2 for 47) including danger man Gray saw the game evenly poised as Dunfermline were reduced to 135 for 5 in the 35th over but a solid 88 run partnership between Sharif (53 not out ) and Shahzad (43 not out) proved to be the difference between the teams as Dunfermline eased to victory with nine balls remaining.

Forthill made the short trip to Lochlands and held Arbroath to 176 for 7 in 45 overs. Adees once again bowled a tidy 9 over spell and gave away only 18 runs while picking up a wicket while Mo's 9 overs gave away only 25 runs with Arbroath's R.Plomer being the mainstay of the innings with 91. Neil top-scored with 42 but lacked the support from the rest of the batting order that would have seen Forthill through to victory, and in the end Forthill were all out for 144.

Breadalbane travelled to Forthill on Sunday, and four wickets for Samir saw the visitors restricted to 210 for 8 having at one point looked like posting a more sizeable total with Lee scoring a hard hit 87 before being bowled by Samir to end a third wicket partnership with Bailey (47) that was approaching three figures. The good start to the run chase that was hoped for failed to materialise and the top order were all back in the pavilion inside of 10 overs with the scoreboard reading a disappointing 28 for 5. However Callum (43) and Kevin (54) continued their recent fine form with the bat to turn around the situation, and an 84 run 6th wicket gave hope of a home win. When four quick wickets left Kev batting with last man Jinglis, 50 was added for the last wicket but the target proved just too many, and Forthill XI fell 24 runs short of victory.
 

Unders 18s on Form in Knockout Cup

Forfarshire u18  156-3
Aberdeenshire u18  121-9

Kev and Andy opened the batting for the young Forfs and after a watchful four overs gradually increased the run rate to add 86 in 13 overs when Andy retired for an excellent 52 and Kev fell soon after for a valuable 31. Goose (28 not out) and Callum (24) smashed 52 from the last four overs of the innings to see Aberdeenshire u18s set a challenging 157 to win.

Two wickets in two balls for Adam (3 for 13) the second from a spectacular one handed catch by Kev at square leg saw Forfarshire take the upper hand in the second innings, but F.Proud and D.Gamblin were not to be outdone and hit half centuries to take Aberdeen past 100. Three wickets in four balls completed a good evenings work for Kev (3 for 7) and saw Forfarshire through to the quarter finals and a trip to Arbroath. scorecard
   

Bagpack Success - £600 Raised
 
The bagpack organised by the junior section of the Club on 19th June turned out to be a very successful one, with £600 being raised for club funds. 
 
Alan reports on how the day went here
  
Thanks to all who gave their time to make this such a successful day.
   

New Net Project

Forfarshire CC have launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds to build a new 3-lane state of the art practice facility. The new nets allow the high quality coaching that the club offers to continue in forthcoming years.

The club has invested many thousands of pounds in recent years to provide high quality coaching for all the senior and junior teams, and recent successes show the benefit of that effort. To continue this, and raise the standard of coaching offered even further, new net facilities are required to replace the ageing concrete nets.

A new net structure has been designed and costed that will comprise three bays to cater for the increased number of senior and junior cricketers that the club has been coaching in recent years. The cost of the project is approximately £45000 and grants have been identified for part of that amount, but the club needs to raise £14000 as soon as possible.

Sponsorship Suggestions:
 
If you have any suggestions of companies or individuals who would be interested in sponsoring the project, then please use the Contact Us page to email Ryan Watson, or our Sponsorship Convenor Gordon Walker. We hope every club member can suggest at least one company that might be willing to help.

 If anyone requires more information on the project or any aspect of the sponsorship, click on Contact Us to email Ryan Watson.

2010 Archive
click here for news and photographs from earlier in the season