Our Grades season continued with a home game at Duthie Park against 2nd Knightriders with the aim to get our season back on track after last week's setback.
The captain managed to win an important toss again and chose to bowl first. Hoodie and the captain opened and both kept things tight. The captain took the first wicket with a slow but straight half tracker that the batsman swiped at and missed and then Hoodie took a wicket courtesy of a good catch by Fraser. Ray and Adrian then bowled long spells while the score gradually mounted. Adrian bowled Knightriders top scorer before Fraser picked up 3 wickets with David Lamb taking 2 catches in the deep and Hoodie taking one at point. A flurry of swishes, good running and some generous wides saw Knightriders finish on 191-7 the final wicket falling to a run out. A good fielding performance but perhaps a few runs too many in the last few overs.
Jawad and Jordan opens and kept the score ticking along with good running and putting the bad ball away. They took the score to 65 before Jordan was bowled for 29. David and Jawad kept the scoreboard moving in the face of some enthusiastic/optimistic appealing before David was bowled with the score on 101.
Adrian and Jawad then put together a third good partnership before Jawad departed for a very well made 68 - his highest score for the club. We started that over on 140-2 and finished it on 144-5 which put the game back in the balance. We were still up with the run rate and both Ray and Adrian played some powerful shots and ran well to keep us on track. Adrian edged behind for 33 but Ray, assisted by Hamish and Fraser took us to victory by 3 wickets with 8 balls to spare.
A very good team performance against a team we traditionally have problems beating.
Top marks go to Jawad for his 68 but Adrian and Ray, for their batting and bowling deserve an honourable mention.
2nd Knightriders CC MoM: V Punia for his 54 and 3-44.
SDCC MoM: Jawad with his 68.
2nd Knightriders CC: 191-7 (V Punia 54, R Rizvi 37no; F McLean 3-48)
SDCC: 192-7 (J Akhtar 68, A Merry 33, J Squire 29; V Punia 3-44)