Hillhead 1st X1 78 all out ( after 29.1 overs ) Morton 1st X1 79 for 3 ( after 35.2 overs )
This was the quarter final of the CS ( Cricket Scotland ) Challenge Cup, a 40 over knock out competition. In the 2021 final of this competition , Hillhead just lost against the same opposition by 2 runs. Fast forward some 11 months, and the margin of defeat was much wider with Hillhead’s batting frailties again being cruelly exposed in a 7 wicket defeat.
Batting first, Hillhead had no consistent answer to the battery of slow bowlers the visitors paraded. Hasan Azhar, batting 3 for Hillhead, walked to the crease after 6 overs had been bowled, and departed some 21 overs later, having scored 30 but with 17 of those in singles. The Morton attack virtually strangulated the life out of Hillhead with their trickeries of leg break and orthodox left arm spin. Captain Shehroz Mehmood made 14 and “ extras ” were helpful with 12, but 78 was a paltry effort.
Morton took their time to make the target , but they were made to work hard for it with Jack Holland delivering a miserly spell of 8 overs of spin for just 8 runs, and Shehroz Mehmood’s spell of 8 overs going for only 14. There were other Hillhead highlights in the field. Ross Jones, fielding at mid wicket, produced a fine run out hitting the stumps directly, while Keshav Soni took a catch at the second attempt at long on off the promising leg spin of Jared Bartlett.
This defeat now allows Hillhead’s 1st X1 squad to concentrate fully on beginning to climb up the WDCU Division 1 table to a more secure position.