Stonehaven vs Methlick 2nd X1 22.07.2023
Smith stuns Stonehaven
Once again Saturday’s first XI fixture at Lairds was cancelled due to the relentless heavy rain during
the week and so attention was focused on Mineralwell Park where the 2nds were bolstered by the addition of four first team players for the trip to Stonehaven. And how these were needed at the end of the day.
Stonehaven decided to bat first and apart from Macaulay-Dicks playing his shots on anything loose from the Methlick openers Crutchfield and Grant, it became a pedestrian innings once he fell to first change Graeme Fowlie for 25. Even the introduction of last week’s centurion, Gouws, came unstuck when he was also removed caught Cordiner off Fowlie for 9.
In fact, Methlick bowled and fielded extremely well with only one difficult catch put down and only four of the Stonehaven batters could make it into double figures with the speedy dynamos Low, Reeve and Fowlie patrolling the outfield and making any singles very difficult.
Dod Duncan kept the scoring low as Reeve scooped up the last two wickets and Stonehaven finished on a disappointing 122 for 9 off their 40 overs. Methlick’s depth in batting would surely be too good for the Stonehaven attack.
How different it turned out to be. With only Fowlie batting with any circumspection, Methlick attempted Hara-Kiri. Sarafimoski, Reeve, Grant and Duncan flashed at everything, regardless of what was bowled at them. The Aussie ,Sarafimsoki, was dropped twice before holing out with another swipe for 6. Reeve was a duck as was Grant and Duncan only managed 2. When captain Crutchfield came in at 6, he too could only manage one run and Methlick suddenly found themselves at 6 for 13, with the target of 123 a long way away.
Threatening to be Methlick’s lowest ever total Steve Murphy came to the middle, surely to restore order to the innings, but he too was bowled for 3 by the veteran Hinchcliffe. It was then up to regular first team openers Smith and Woodhouse to build any semblance of an innings. They managed to put on 30 more and both looked comfortable until Woodhouse, not hitting a full-blooded cut to point was caught. Cordiner came in and Smith now started to find the middle of his bat and struck out with confidence.
As the total loomed ever nearer Cordiner was given out to a spurious LBW, putting Methlick 20 runs short with only David Low there to help Smith steer the visitors home. The last five overs were excruciating, culminating with Smith passing the strike over to youngster Low with only three to get. With all on the edges of seats Low steered a single to give Smith the opportunity to score the winning runs. He duly obliged with a late cut past gulley for two to bring his half-century and an unlikely victory for Methlick with only 3 balls to go.
Next week sees both teams away from home and hopefully an improvement in the weather to get Lairds dried out.
By Mark Woodhouse