A brilliant first 5 wicket haul for the club from Liam Skeldon proved to be in vain as Gala 2nds lost out to Edinburgh South 3rds at Meigle Park on Saturday. An excellent partnership of over 70 runs for the 7^th wicket from the visitors Singh and Suriyapperuma was enough to see the capital side to victory.

Gala batted first on what was an excellent day for cricket. The home side made a positive start opening up with skipper for the day Max Hastings and Jamie Bell. However, South opener Singh made the first breakthrough as he bowled bell for 9 leaving Gala 26 for 1 from the opening 8 overs. John Imray arrived at the crease and he and Hastings then put on a superb partnership worth 80 runs. Both batsman playing cool headed and measured innings while keeping the scoring rate ticking along. As Gala passed the 100 mark in the 28^th over, they looked comfortable thanks to the 2^nd wicket partnership.

However the visitors came back into the game as they removed Hastings (47) following his excellent innings and Imray (54) who continued his fine form with the bat registering his 2^nd half century of the season. After being 110 for 3 from 30, Gala managed to score 45 from the last 10 overs with Sam McAneny (7), Stuart Anderson (7) and Robbie Paterson (6) all chipping in.

Gala got off to a flying start with the ball. Liam Skeldon was once again taking early wickets as he picked up Souths opening bat and their number 3 to leave them 17 for 2. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as Skeldon went onto claim his first 5 wicket haul for the club after taking the opening 5 wickets of the innings. After Robbie Paterson then picked up another wicket to leave the visitors 70 for 6, Gala looked to be in real control.

However an excellent partnership then ensued from the city sides J.Singh and A.Suriyapperuma which took the game away from the hosts. The pair scored quickly and put Gala’s bowlers under pressure. Despite Stuart Anderson picking up his first wicket, eventually removing the latter for a well made 26, the damage had been done and Edinburgh South won by 7 wickets in the 36^th over, with Singh (35*) and Blood (13*) seeing the visitors home.

A good win for the away side but Gala will be frustrated at not being able to finish off the game. Next week, the 2nds host Dunfermline and Carnegie 2nds at Meigle Park.

Gala Innings

M.Hastings ct K.Bhatnagar b J.Singh 47

J.Bell b J.Singh 9

J.Imray ct Brookes b O.Henderson 54

S.McAneny run out 7

S.Anderson ct M.Llangovan b K.Bhatnagar 7

R.Paterson not out 6

J.Boyle LBW S.Reddy 3

M.Maceira LBW S.Reddy 0

C.Ormiston not out 0

Extras – 22

Total: Gala 2nds 155 for 6 from 40 overs.

Edinburgh South Bowling

J.Singh 8-0-25-2

J.Blood 5-0-16-0

F.Shafiq 4-0-26-0

S.Reddy 8-4-13-2

M.Llangovan 3-0-12-0

A.Suriyapperuma 1-0-11-0

K.Bhatnagar 7-0-25-1

O.Henderson 3-0-16-1

Edinburgh South Innings

I.Ross c+b L.Skeldon 20

M.Llangovan b L.Skeldon 9

B.Brookes b L.Skeldon 0

F.Shafiq ct M.Hastings b L.Skeldon 15

S.Reddy b R.Paterson 6

O.Henderson b L.Skeldon 0

J.Singh not out 35

A.Suriyapperuma LBW S.Anderson 26

J.Blood not out 13

Extras – 33

Total: Edinburgh South 3rds 157 for 7 from 36.1 overs.

Gala Bowling

J.Bell 8-0-26-0

L.Skeldon 8-0-30-5

R.Paterson 5-0-29-1

C.Ormiston 4-0-16-0

S.McAneny 5.1-0-22-0

S.Anderson 3-0-12-1

M.Maceira 3-0-11-0

Impressive displays from Upul Indrasiri and Jamie Crooks led the way as Gala claimed victory over Melrose by 69 runs in the Border T20 Cup on Thursday night at Meigle Park.

The win means Gala maintain their 100 percent record in this years competition, winning 4 games from 4 with only one more group stage game to play.

Batting first, Gala got off to a blistering start with Indrasiri sending the ball to all parts of the boundary. He was well supported by Crooks who also looked in fine form as he too played some aggressive shots to the fence. Gala brought up their 100 in just the 10^th over thanks to both openers innings. The pairs excellent performance was capped by a fantastic 136 run partnership. A stand that will undoubtedly be the highest made by an opening Gala pair in a long time. Melrose eventually claimed their first wicket at this stage however in the 15^th over as Indrasiri (87) was caught at slip looking to inflict further damage to the visitors bowling attack.

Melrose managed to claw their way back into the game at this point as the home sides run rate began to slow. Duncan Millar (3) and Josh Irvine (7) both fell cheaply looking to keep the Gala scoring rate high. Jamie Crooks was then bowled by Compton just 5 short of a half century after a fantastically managed innings.

Scott Paterson (2*) and Siddhanth Ponneri (15*) both came together to see Gala through to the end of their innings with Ponneri playing a late flurry of shots to take Gala to 179 for 4 from their 20 overs.

The visitors made a reasonable start in reply, putting on 24 from the first 5 overs for no wicket. The first breakthrough was then made by Indrasiri who claimed the wicket of opener Scott, a player who many of the Gala players found a familiar face as the batsman played against Gala earlier in the season for Grange, top scoring in that match with 73. The second wicket fell soon after with some sharp work from Duncan Millar behind the stumps giving Indrasiri his second wicket and leaving the visitors 30 for 2.

Melrose wickets began to fall at regular intervals thanks to some good bowling from Dinesh Tharanga (2 wickets), Janie Crooks (2 wickets) and Scott Paterson (1 wicket) and the visitors found themselves well below the run rate and struggling on 81 for 7 from 17 overs. Some late striking from Melrose’s Williams carried his team beyond the 100 mark and the away side ended on 110 for 7.

Another good win for Gala with plenty of positives to take moving forward. The 1^st XI travel to Kelso on Saturday while the 2^nd XI host Edinburgh South and Meigle Park.

Thanks to Melrose for the game and good luck for the rest of the season.

Gala Innings

J.Crooks b E.Compton 45

U.Indrasiri ct M.Rogerson b G.Lindsay 87

D.Millar ct C.Scott b A Davenport 3

J.Irvine ct C.Scott b D.Mason 7

S.Paterson not out 2

S.Ponneri not out 15

Extras – 20

Total: Gala 179 for 4 from 20 overs.

Melrose Bowling:

S.Hosny 4-0-31-0

O.Phillips 4-0-38-0

G.Lindsay 4-0-42-1

A.Davenport 4-0-32-1

E.Compton 2-0-10-1

D.Mason 2-0-22-1

Melrose Innings

C.Scott ct S.Paterson b U.Indrasiri 5

G.Lindsay b D.Tharanga 36

A.Davenport st D.Millar b U.Indrasiri 2

O.Phillips ct D.Millar b S.Paterson 19

M.Rogerson ct R.Irvine b D.Tharanga 0

E.Lindsay c+b J.Crooks 5

S.Hosny ct D.Millar b J.Crooks 5

R.Williams not out 24

D.Mason not out 7

Extras – 7

Total: Melrose 110 for 7 from 20 overs.

Gala Bowling:

U.Indrasiri 4-1-14-2

R.Irvine 4-0-23-0

D.Tharanga 4-0-18-2

S.Paterson 3-0-15-1

J.Crooks 3-0-20-2

S.Ponneri 2-0-18-0

A heavy rain shower and poor afternoon forecast meant that Gala Sunday XI’s friendly match away to Musselburgh was sadly brought to a halt after just 12 overs of play on Sunday.

Before the match stopped, Gala captain Finlay Rutherford elected to bat first and he and Graeme Ormiston opened the batting. The pair looked in good touch and ran well between the wickets. With both looking comfortable, Ormiston looked to rotate the strike while Rutherford began to accelerate the scoring. Their 50 partnership was brought up just before the rain came.

The Sunday XI will host Grange 4s this Sunday at Meigle Park.

Gala Innings

F.Rutherford not out 36

G.Ormiston not out 16

Extras – 2

Total: Gala 54 for 0 from 13 overs.

Gala Team – Finlay Rutherford, Graeme Ormiston, Jamie Crooks, Jack Halls, Stuart Anderson, Nick Murton, John Purves, Kieran Toor, Ruaridh Anderson, Liam Skeldon, Seb Loumeau, 12^th man – Sam McAneny

A clinical Gala performance continued the clubs strong start to the season as we beat Clackmannanshire by 10 wickets on Saturday.

Gala bowled first and made an immediate impact as Upul Indrasiri removed Clacks opener Hearnshaw for a duck in the first over. Graeme Ormiston taking the catch at leg slip. Visitors skipper Hefer was then joined by number 3 Band and the pair looked to take the game to Gala’s bowlers. Both played some fine attacking shots but Band ended up caught behind off Dinesh Tharanga.

The returning Kris Mein, making his first Gala appearance in over 4 years, made his mark instantly. He bowled former Gala player Alan Oliver for a duck with a dipping slower ball before taking a brilliant one handed caught and bowled to remove the dangerous Hefer (21). At this point Clacks were struggling on 30 for 4 off 11 overs and over the next 9 overs, the visitors only managed 8 runs while 2 more wickets fell as Gala bowled and fielded tightly.

With the visitors 38 for 6 off 20, Gala were very much in the ascendancy. Despite some encouraging late hitting from Hutchinson (11), Indrasiri, who bowled excellently throughout the day, ripped through the Clacks tail to claim his first 5 wicket haul for Gala. Meanwhile, Mein went onto claim another 2 wickets as he claimed 4 in total to mark a very promising return to action. Clackmannanshire were bowled out for 58 in the 28^th over.

Gala got off to a fast start in response with Sid Ponneri and Finlay Rutherford looking to finish the game quickly. There was a moment in the 3^rd over where Ponneri was given out LBW much to his bemusement. However, the square leg umpire intervened and informed the umpire that Ponneri had hit the ball. Then, in an act of fantastic sportsmanship, Clacks skipper Hefer removed the visitors appeal and Ponneri was allowed back in.

Some good running between the wickets from Gala’s openers as well as both finding the boundary regularly meant Gala chased down the total in the 10^th over having lost no wickets. Ponneri ended up 29 not out from 33 balls while Rutherford finished over a run a ball on 24 from 23 balls.

Another good win for Gala who have now won 5 from their opening 6 league games. We visit Kelso this Saturday following a home Border T20 match against Melrose on Thursday night.

Thanks to Clackmannanshire for the game and all the best for the rest of the season.

Clackmannanshire Innings

K.Hefer c + b K.Mein 21

A.Hearnshaw ct G.Ormiston b U.Indrasiri 0

A.Band ct D.Millar b D.Tharanga 6

A.Oliver b K.Mein 0

A.Arshad ct F.Rutherford b K.Mein 1

R.Ashraf ct K.Mein b U.Indrasiri 5

D.McConchie ct G.Ormiston b U.Indrasiri 1

L.Hartnoll st D.Millar b U.Indrasiri 5

T.Hutchison ct D.Millar b K.Mein 11

A.Deakin not out 2

G.Fraser LBW U.Indrasiri 0

Extras – 6

Total: Clackmannanshire 58 all out from 27.4 overs.

Gala Bowling

U.Indrasiri 9.4-2-20-5

D.Tharanga 7-3-14-1

K.Mein 8-3-17-4

H.Rutherford 3-0-6-0

Gala Innings

S.Ponneri not out 29

F.Rutherford not out 24

Extras – 8

Total: Gala 61 for 0 from 10 overs.

Clackmannanshire Bowling

R.Ashraf 4-0-23-0

K.Hefer 4-0-16-0

A.Arshad 1-0-7-0

A.Oliver 1-0-13-0

A fantastic knock of 45 from just 18 balls from Gala captain Josh Irvine and some tight bowling led by Gala’s youngsters laid the foundations for a Gala victory away at Philiphaugh against Selkirk last night.

The win ensured Gala continued their 100 percent record in this years Border T20 Cup competition and ensured Gala retained the Rae Nichol Memorial Trophy, which is competed for annually between the two clubs.

With Selkirk skipper Greg Fenton winning the toss, Gala were asked to bat and the visiting side got off to a cautious but steady start with Jamie Crooks and Upul Indrasiri opening. Crooks was positive in the early stages of Gala’s innings and played a flurry of impressive shots which reached the boundary. However, looking for another, he was bowled by Rory Banks for 15. Siddhanth Ponneri then joined Indrasiri and the pair built a steady partnership despite finding life difficult on the Philiphaugh surface. Both players worked well to put on a 50 partnership but were seeking to increase Gala’s run rate. In doing so, Ponneri (21) was caught off the bowling of Gardiner. Indrasiri followed soon after also looking to up the scoring, this time being bowled by Gardiner and Gala found themselves 75 for 3 after 16 overs.

However, the partnership of Josh Irvine (45*) Dinesh Tharanga (14*) changed the game. The pair put on an excellent partnership of 64 from just the last 4 overs. A brilliant display of boundary hitting from Josh Irvine, in an innings that included four 4’s and four 6’s was the Gala catalyst as Tharanga looked to rotate the strike to Irvine.

Gala finished their innings on 139 for 3 from 20 overs following the fantastic finish.

In reply, Selkirk lost their key batsmen Fenton and Banks to Indrasiri and Jack Halls early on. The home sides run chase never really got going thanks to some tight bowling and fielding from the Gala side. Dinesh Tharanga and Liam Skeldon did well to pick up the wickets of Selkirk’s number 3 and 4, Murphy and Henderson which left Selkirk 20 for 4 at the halfway stage of the innings.

It was then the turn of the youngsters, Robbie Paterson and Jamie Bell who both bowled excellent 4 over spells. Paterson junior bowled brilliantly picking up 2 wickets for just 19 runs  as he dismissed the home sides Gardiner and Beverage. Meanwhile, Bell only conceded 10 runs in his 4 overs. A very economical spell that thoroughly deserved a wicket.

The home side finished on 62 for 7 from their 20 overs , 78 runs short of the target.

Gala can take plenty of positives from the game moving forward. Thanks to Selkirk for the game. Our players enjoyed sticking around after the match. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Gala Innings

J.Crooks b R.Banks 15

U.Indrasiri b I.Gardiner 33

S.Ponneri ct H.Murphy b I.Gardiner 21

J.Irvine not out 45

D.Tharanga not out 14

Extras – 11

Total: Gala 139 for 3 from 20 overs.

Selkirk Bowling

G.Fenton 4-0-14-0

R.Banks 4-0-30-1

K.Paterson 4-0-22-0

D.Heard 4-0-33-0

I.Gardiner 4-1-37-2

Selkirk Innings

G.Fenton LBW U.Indrasiri 5

R.Banks ct S.Ponneri b J.Halls 6

H.Murphy b D.Tharanga 0

J.Henderson b L.Skeldon 2

I.Gardiner ct U.Indrasiri b R.Paterson 13

J.Hughes run out (G.Ormiston) 7

K.Paterson not out 8

A.Beverage b R.Paterson 0

D.Heard not out 7

Extras – 14

Total: Selkirk 62 for 7 from 20 overs.

Gala Bowling

U.Indrasiri 3-2-2-1

D.Tharanga 2-0-8-1

L.Skeldon 3-0-10-1

S.Paterson 2-1-1-0

J.Halls 2-0-9-1

R.Paterson 4-0-19-2

J.Bell 4-0-10-0

Gala Sunday XI continued their positive start to the season after a nail biting win away to Stewarts Melville Development Team at Inverleith on Sunday.

Winning the toss, Finlay Rutherford elected to bat but Gala got off to a poor start losing John Imray (7) and Jack Halls (3) early to some good bowling from the home sides youngsters. However a fantastic partnership from Jamie Crooks and Jamie Bell began to put Gala into a strong position. The lair were running well between the wickets and putting good pressure on the home sides bowling. Bell (29), was eventually dismissed after being caught but will be pleased to continue his fine form with the bat. Crooks continued playing a flurry of shots and found the boundary regularly. He ended up retiring after completing a well made half century. The Gala innings was then finished off by Seb Loumeau (16*) and Kieran Toor (6*) who took the Gala score up to 124 for 5 from their 25 overs.

In reply, Stew Mel also got off to a slow start as Liam Skeldon removed opener Thomas early. An excellent partnership then took place however between the home side’s Cain (50*) and Murray (46). The pair played very calm and controlled innings’ that looked to be taking the game away from Gala. However, it was the introduction of John Imray into the bowling attack that changed the game for Gala. The youngster ended up taking the next 3 wickets for the loss of only 7 runs in 3 overs, including that of Murray. After Cain retired following an excellent half century, Gala bowled tightly and Liam Skeldon held his nerve bowling the final over to ensure Gala got home by 10 runs.

Gala Innings

J.Halls ct S.Kerr b F.Percy-Robb 3

J.Imray b F.Percy-Robb 7

J.Bell ct C.Devine b J.Thomas 29

J.Crooks retired not out 51

S.Loumeau not out 16

R.Paterson b C.Wardlaw 2

K.Toor not out 6

Extras – 10

Gala Sunday XI 124 for 4 from 25 overs.

Stewarts Melville Dev Team Bowling

G.Wardlaw 4-0-21-0

F.Percy-Robb 4-0-18-2

J.Cain 4-0-19-0

J.Thomas 6-0-25-1

R.Kapoor 2-0-11-0

C.Wardlaw 3-0-13-1

M.Kerr 2-0-14-0

Stewarts Melville Dev Team Innings

J.Thomas b L.Skeldon 1

J.Cain retired not out 50

H.Murray c+b J.Imray 46

J.Jarvis b J.Imray 0

C.Devine b J.Imray 2

S.Kerr b L.Skeldon 1

C.Wardlaw run out 1

M.Kerr not out 0

G.Wardlaw not out 0

Extras – 9

Stewarts Melville 114 for 6 from 25 overs.

Gala Sunday XI Bowling

L.Skeldon 5-2-8-2

A.Sujan 5-0-25-0

J.Crooks 5-0-18-0

S.Loumeau 4-0-20-0

J.Halls 3-0-23-0

J.Imray 3-0-7-3

Both Gala teams were sadly unable to complete their respective matches last weekend as heavy rain swept through the Borders.

At Shedden Park, where the 1^st XI were playing Morton, Gala had made a positive start to the game having lost the toss. Morton batted first and lost a wicket in the first over, with Scott Paterson removing Morton opener Nair. Morton wickets then began to fall at regular intervals despite the home side making some good looking small partnerships. Upul Indrasiri continued his good form with the ball as he picked up 2 wickets. Scott Paterson also claimed another to take his 2^nd of the day. Aashiq Rhode and the returning Harris Rutherford also picked up 1 wicket each. After a couple of forced rain delays, the match was cancelled with Morton on 99 for 6 in the 30^th over. Gala would be disappointed not to have the opportunity to play out the rest of the game after making a good start.

In the 2^nd XI game at Meigle Park, Gala were also bowling first against Clackmannanshire 2nds. Liam Skeldon picked up the early wicket of opener Arshad but then a good partnership was formed between Hutchison (25) and Shafique (26). However it was Skeldon who again broke the partnership with the wickets of Hutchison. Caitlin Ormiston and Robbie Paterson then chipped in with 1 wicket each to leave the visitors 75 for 4 from 22 overs when the rain came.

Morton Innings

K.Nair ct U.Indrasiri b S.Paterson 4

S.Ramani b U.Indrasiri 20

K.Mahalingam ct U.Indrasiri b S.Paterson 19

R.Anandarao ct J.Halls b U.Indrasiri 5

S.Rajendran ct G.Ormiston b H.Rutherford 0

V.Kumar Roy not out 17

A.Khan LBW A.Rhode 20

A.Daniel not out 0

Extras – 14

Morton 99 for 6 from 29.2 overs.

Gala Bowling

S.Paterson 7-0-26-2

D.Tharanga 6-3-11-0

U.Indrasiri 6-2-9-2

H.Rutherford 2.5-1-11-1

S.Loumeau 4.1-0-14-0

A.Rhode 2.2-0-17-1

S.Ponneri 1-0-5-0

Clackmannanshire 2^nd XI Innings

K.Hutchison ct S.Skeldon b L.Skeldon 25

A.Arshad ct S.McAneny b L.Skeldon 4

Z.Shafique ct C.Thomson b C.Ormiston 26

G.Oliver not out 3

D.McChonchie c+b R.Paterson 5

A.Deacon not out 2

Extras – 10

Clackmannanshire 2^nd XI 75 for 4 from 22 overs.

Gala 2^nd XI Bowling

L.Skeldon 8-2-26-2

C.Thomson 5-1-16-0

C.Ormiston 6-2-23-1

R.Paterson 3-0-9-1

The club are delighted to share that we will be hosting a summer camp week commencing Monday 12th July to Friday 16th July.

The camp will run each day from 9:30am – 2pm and is available to book for children of any cricketing experience from ages 8 to 16 years old.

The camp will be led by Gala’s overseas professional and ECB level 2 qualified coach, Upul Indrasiri, and will be assisted by other local qualified coaches.

For the 5 days, the cost is £50.

One day of the camp costs £20.

To book or for more information, please contact our social media pages or email galacricketclub@gmail.com

Further information related to the camp will be shared following bookings.

The Sunday XI picked up their first win of the league  campaign at Lewisvale on Sunday against Musselburgh 3rds.

Batting first, Gala opened up with father and son duo of Malcolm and John Imray. Malcolm was sadly run out early on however John continued his fine form with bat on his way to 39. An innings that included a flurry of good shots. Imray produced good partnerships alongside Sunday skipper Finlay Rutherford (17), and other 1^st XI opener, Siddhanth Siddhu, who himself went onto register a well made half century before retiring. It was Robbie Paterson and Seb Loumeau who finished off Gala’s innings, with Paterson unbeaten as the visitors concluded their 30 overs on 135 for 4.

Musselburgh got off to a slow start in reply with Liam Skeldon taking two quick wickets of the home sides openers, Powlett and Rahman. Seb Loumeau then picked up Musselburghs number 3, Boyd. A good partnership from Chowdhury (22) and Chambers (19), offered good resistance for the home side however the introduction of youngster Kieran Singhtoor changed things quickly. The young seamer bowled excellently on his way to his first ever 5 wicket haul, ripping through the Musselburgh tailend. The home side eventually ended on 95 for 9 from their 30 overs with other junior players Sam McAneny and Finlay Skeldon also bowling very well and picking up 1 wicket each.

GALA INNINGS

J.Imray ct M.Powlett b K.Khanuja 39

M.Imray run out (H.Kings) 2

F.Rutherford st N.MacDonald b J.Slaven 17

S.Siddhu retired not out 53

R.Paterson not out 5

S.Loumeau st N.MacDonald b K.Khanuja 4

Extras – 14

Gala 135 for 4 from 30 overs.

Musselburgh 3^rd XI Bowling

F.Chowdhury 6-1-11-0

H.Kings 6-1-12-0

M.Boyd 4-1-20-0

A.Rahman 6-1-19-0

J.Slaven 4-0-37-1

C.Miller 1-0-11-0

K.Khanuja 2-0-11-2

R.Chambers 1-0-13-0

MUSSELBURGH 3^RD XI INNINGS

M.Powlett b L.Skeldon 3

A.Rahman ct J.Imray b L.Skeldon 0

M.Boyd ct J.Imray b S.Loumeau 3

F.Chowdhury ct S.Siddhu b K.Singhtoor 22

H.Kings ct R.Paterson b K.Singhtoor 1

R.Chambers LBW F.Skeldon 19

A.Javed b K.Singhtoor 3

N.MacDonald ct M.Imray b K.Singhtoor 0

C.Miller ct S.Siddhu b K.Singhtoor 2

J.Slaven not out 11

K.Khanuja not out 4

Extras – 27

Musselburgh 3^rd XI 95 for 9 from 30 overs.

Gala Bowling

L.Skeldon 5-2-3-2

S.Loumeau 5-1-5-1

J.Imray 2-0-9-0

R.Paterson 6-2-17-0

K.Singhtoor 6-0-25-5

S.McAneny 4-0-31-1

F.Skeldon 2-0-4-1

A fantastic maiden Gala century from overseas professional Upul Indrasiri and an excellent bowling spell under pressure from Aashiq Rhode proved major factors as Gala pulled off a brilliant win at the home of Scottish cricket against Grange 2nds on Saturday.

The start of the match was delayed to 12:30pm and the match reduced to 35 overs a side due to the Edinburgh weather and the forecast for the rest of the day.

After winning the toss, Gala captain Josh Irvine elected to bat however the visitors got off to the worst possible start with Sid Siddhu being bowled for a duck from an excellent delivery from Grange opener Peet. Gala’s misery in the opening stages continued with Grange bowling tight lines and making life difficult for our batsmen. Josh Irvine became Peet’s second wicket of the day as he was trapped LBW for 6. This left Gala only 8 for 2. Finlay Rutherford, who looked comfortable early on, was then unlucky to edge a wider Davidson delivery behind, with Grange keeper Hancock taking a fantastic one handed catch to his right.

Gala were now 16 for 3 and in a bleak position. However, the pair of Upul Indrasiri and Duncan Millar came together and looked unphased from the get go. Both batsmen steadied the ship and took Gala up to 61 for 3 from the first 21 overs before the teams had to leave the field for a short rain break.

Upon returning to the field, the pair picked up where they left off and some. They took Gala from 61 for 3 in the 22^nd over to 165 in the 33^rd, scoring 104 in just 12 overs. Indrasiri brought up an excellent century in the process. An innings that included many hard hitting boundaries and patience in the early stages. Duncan Millar was also in great form and found the boundary regularly, including a series of reverse sweeps. He was eventually bowled for a well made 48 when attempting another reverse, bringing to an end his and Indrasiri’s 159 run partnership.

Aashiq Rhode then joined Indrasiri and the pair took Gala u to 180 for 4 from their 35 overs.

Gala then got off to the perfect start in defence of their total. Scott Paterson picked up the wicket of Grange opener Blain thanks to a fine one handed catch in the slips by Graeme Ormiston. Dinesh Tharanga, looking in his usual good form, then bowled other opener Brock who was unfortunate to drag onto his stumps. At this point the home side were 8 for 2. Tharanga then went onto claim his second when he had Cairns caught by Ormiston again in the slips. When Indrasiri then had Chohan out LBW for a duck and Grange sitting on 48 for 4, Gala looked to be in control.

However, the partnership of Donaldson and Scott had other ideas. The pair took Grange up to 87 with both looking confident and putting pressure on Gala’s bowlers. Finlay Rutherford then made a crucial direct hit run out to dismiss Donaldson for 33. Hancock then joined Scott however and put more pressure onto Gala. A fine catch in the covers though from Indrasiri gave Rhode his first wicket. The danger man of Scott however was still at the crease on 73 and with Grange needing 24 from the final 4 overs and Gala needing 4 wickets the home side now looked in control.

Scott then skied the ball up with Duncan Millar taking a good catch off Rhode. An excellent innings that nearly won the game for the home side. Gala then applied the pressure in the next couple of overs and regained control, taking the final 4 wickets in the space of 11 runs. Aashiq Rhode in particular bowled well under pressure taking an excellent 4 for. Sid Siddhu took a fine catch in the deep to claim Gala’s final wicket, giving the visitors a fantastic 12 run win after nail biting finish.

GALA INNINGS

S.Siddhu b F.Peet 0

F.Rutherford ct M.Hancock b D.Davidson 3

J.Irvine LBW F.Peet 6

U.Indrasiri not out 108

D.Millar b J.Cairns 48

A.Rhode not out 4

Extras – 11

Gala 180 for 4 from 35 overs.

Grange 2^nd XI Bowling

F.Peet 7-2-38-2

D.Davidson 7-2-13-1

A.Docherty 7-0-43-0

J.Cairns 7-0-33-1

A.Aniruddhan 5-0-29-0

S.Blain 2-0-20-0

GRANGE 2^ND XI INNINGS

J.Brock b D.Tharanga 6

S.Blain ct G.Ormiston b S.Paterson 1

J.Cairns ct G.Ormiston b D.Tharanga 18

J.Donaldson run out (F.Rutherford) 33

M.Chohan LBW U.Indrasiri 0

C.Scott ct D.Millar b A.Rhode 73

M.Hancock ct U.Indrasiri b A.Rhode 19

A.Docherty st D.Millar b A.Rhode 1

D.Davidson ct S.Siddhu b A.Rhode 7

F.Peet ct D.Millar b S.Paterson 0

A.Aniruddhan not out 4

Extras – 6

Grange 2^nd XI 168 all out from 33.4 overs.

Gala Bowling

S.Paterson 7-0-39-2

D.Tharanga 7-1-31-2

J.Halls 4-0-20-0

U.Indrasiri 7-0-28-1

S.Siddhu 4-0-22-0

A.Rhode 4.4-0-25-4