HILLHEAD FALL AGONISINGLY SHORT IN MOTHERWELL RUN CHASE
Motherwell 268 all out in 49.3 overs ( 25 pts ) Hillhead 260 all out in 49.3 overs ( 9 pts)
This was a long day for the amateur cricketers of Motherwell and Hillhead on the sunbaked grounds at the Dalziel Club.
Given the afternoon heat, winning the toss confirmed a huge advantage on the home side who batted with huge confidence throughout their innings, although they played and missed innumerable times at Gavin Lynch, Hillhead’s strike bowler. Pichaimuthu with an expansive 74 and captain, Khurram Fawad, with a hard hitting 42 were the principal batting stars for the hosts. Gavin Lynch, belying his perceived fitness problems, ran in hard unchanged for his 10 overs with the new pink ball to take 2 for 37 and with a little luck would have had more victims. Apart from Captain Jack Holland , who again bowled his 10 overs unchanged and tidily, with his 4 for 47, the other Hillhead spinners, had an afternoon with the ball they will quickly wish to forget.
The Motherwell target, even with the fast running outfield, seemed a long way off for the visitors, and it moved even further away with the first 3 of the Hillhead batters back in the hutch for only 40. But then resilience kicked in : Ganesh Ardarkar contributed a fine 36, until he was needlessly run out; Rahul Sharma, with a classy 52, almost had to be dragged from the crease, after steering David Bill’s leg break direct to 1st slip when well set ; Lucas Farndale contributed a quick 26, while the professorial looking, Romir More, on his debut added a well constructed 47.
The outcome of all of that, along with Motherwell’s profligacy with wides – 36 in total – found the visitors at the start of the 42nd over on 240 with 2 wickets left and 29 runs to score for victory. The last few overs were attritional with Gavin Lynch shepherding Ayub Khan towards the finishing line. Of the last 20 runs scored 14 were in singles, along with 3 2’s. But the “Logger” eventually went for the big hit and was well taken on the long on boundary for a patient 14.
The chase ended with the classic overview of “so near but so far” with the only consolation of the 9 bonus points on offer. Hillhead now drop to 3rd in the WDCU Championship Table, behind Titwood and Partick, and will want to resume their winning ways against the fast improving Milngavie side at Hughenden on Saturday June 17th, Start is 12.00.