Two triumphs for teenage tourists

Jul 10 2009 by Our Correspondent, Dumfries Standard Friday

On Sunday, there was an excellent game of cricket at the Gatehouse Cricket ground between a touring team of 16-year-old school boys and a composite team of adults from Galloway and St Michaels.

The boys, led by Charlie Steel from Dalton, Lockerbie, were due to be playing a Dumfries and Galloway youth team but this game was cancelled by Dumfries Cricket Club. Fortunately, Galloway offered to put up a team.

On the Saturday the boys, from various English Public Schools, played – and humiliated – Kinmount near Annan.

It was a 10-wicket win, as Kinmount only scored 75, which the boys passed easily.

Ed Oram top scored for the boys with 58. For Kinmount Kevin Bellis and Duncan Grieve achieved 23 and 25 respectively.

At Gatehouse on Sunday, the boys batted first. The opening bowlers, Druce and Brockwell, both picked up an early wicket: Hector Berry for seven and Ed Oram for five.

Harry Warburton was the next to fall for 10 but skipper Charlie Steel steadied the ship before he was finally bowled by Gorman for 44.

Jack Warburton (Harry’s twin) then played a masterful innings scoring 55, helped by Patrick Faulkner with 20 and Thornton-Berry with 16. A total of 179 was the result in just under the 40 overs allocated. Gorman took three wickets.

The home team replied with Mukherieg (from Galloway) and Kishore (from St Michaels) but some fiery bowling from Kabir Ali and Patrick Faulkner pinned them down.

After a couple of close calls Bali, who was bowling beautifully to the left hander, had Mukherieg caught for six.

Jack Warburton then came on to clean bowl Faruq for eight with a near perfect ball. Score 24 for 2.

Brockwell and Kishore then put together an excellent partnership. When they passed 100 the hosts seemed to be cruising but Kishore finally fell to some lovely spin bowling by Matthew Sarre, having scored 42.

Chris Brockwell, who had made 56, was bowled soon after by Duncan Grieve and the game was very even again.

Matthew Sarre’s excellent spin bowling tipped the balance back to the boys, accounting for Dave Berry (caught and bowled) for four and Chambers LBW for 0.

Pat Druce, on the other hand, was scoring well and the target at 180 was still in sight (just 40 runs away).

Robbie Carson held an end up for a while before Charlie Steel bowled him for two.

Score now 145 for seven ...target 180.

Penrose was bowled by Bali for one but Druce had scored nine more so it was 155 for eight and Gorman and Bradley were still to bat.

Twenty-five runs seemed very possible but Duncan Grieve got Pat Druce to edge one to the wicket keeper (Oram) and Druce was heading home for 22 with the score still at 155.

Now the boys were favourites again.

Howard Bradley, though, had other ideas, and contrived to hit 18 off the next two overs.

Suddenly the hosts only needed five runs with an over to go.

But just as defeat stared the boys in their faces, Gorman gave a caught and bowled chance to (man of the match) Jack Warburton who didn’t refuse it. The boys had won by a slender five runs.