Gala suffered a heartbreaking East Premier League play off defeat on Saturday.

The Meigle Park club lost by 23 runs to Strathmore and Perthshire Union champions Falkland at Freuchie CC to end a fantastic league winning season with a narrow defeat.

Batting first, Falkland were soon in some trouble at 32 for 3 but an excellent 88 run partnership between Sri Lankan professional Harsha Cooray (47) and Scotland under 19 cap Lyle Robertson (50) put Falkland in charge.

But Gala fought back well, with Jack Halls crucially taking both batsmen, and Falkland eventually all out for 175. 

Halls finished with his best ever figures of 5 for 32, with Gala’s own Sri Lankan professional Upul Indrasiri (2 for 15) and Dinesh Tharanga (2 for 20) taking the remaining wickets.

In reply, Gala got off to a steady start before Falkland’s Alan Hamilton took an incredible hat-trick to leave Gala 23 for 4 and seemingly out of the game.

But back came Gala again as Sid Ponneri (21) and Ash Rhode (22) supported an outstanding knock by captain Josh Irvine (71) to leave the Borders side needing 39 from the last 10 overs to win promotion to the highest level in Scottish club cricket.

However, when Irvine was caught on the boundary, sparking wild celebrations amongst the Falkland side, it was game over for Gala who eventually finished 152 all out.

Hamilton finished with a superb 6 for 38, with Gala wishing Falkland the best of luck in the Premier League next season,

Despite the loss, Gala still enjoyed a fantastic season which saw the team win both the East of Scotland Championship and Border T20 Cup, while also making the Scottish T20 finals day for first time ever.

Falkland

G. Watson run out 22

E. Sloan ct & b D. Tharanga 8

S. Meikle ct & b U. Indrasiri 0

H. Cooray ct U. Indrasiri b J. Halls 47

L. Robertson ct J. Irvine b J. Halls 50

A. Ferguson st D. Millar b J. Halls 7

C. Neillies b J. Halls 2

B. Ditchmen ct. R Irvine b U. Indrasiri 6

L. Briggs not out 13

R. Hepburn lbw J. Halls 0

A. Hamilton b D. Tharanga 0

Extras – 20

Total – 175 for ten wickets

R. Irvine 7-1-35-0; D. Tharanga 8-3-20-2; U. Indrasiri 10-4-15-2; S. Paterson 5-1-33-0; A. Rhode 10-0-39-0; J. Halls 10-0-32-5.

Gala

S. Ponneri lbw b L. Robertson 21

F. Rutherford ct H. Cooray b A. Hamilton 10

J. Halls lbw b A. Hamilton 0

U. Indrasiri ct A. Ferguson b A. Hamilton 0

D. Millar lbw b A. Hamilton 0

J. Irvine ct S. Meikle b A. Hamilton 71

J. Crooks run out 3

A. Rhode b L. Robertson 22

D. Tharanga run out 7

R. Irvine not out 5

S. Paterson ct. L. Robertson b A. Hamilton 2

Extras – 6

Total – 152 for ten wickets

R. Hepburn 9-2-24-0; L. Robertson 10-2-26-2; A. Hamilton 9.3-2-38-6; L. Briggs 3-0-16-0; B. Ditchmen 10-1-31-0; H. Cooray 6-0-16-0.

A fine knock of 81 by Seb Loumeau helped set up a good Gala 2nds win against Watsonians 4ths at Craiglockhart.

Loumeau’s score, coupled with support from John Imray (37), Max Hastings (30) and Jamie Bell (28) set the platform for an excellent Gala score of 196 for six from their 40 overs. Best bowler for Watsonians was Matthew Burgess with 2 for 33.

In reply, Nick Murton took the wickets of both Watsonians openers Dickinson and Burgess and while the capital side kept battling, regular wickets meant they fell short on 144 for 8 as Gala ran out comfortable winners by 52 runs.

Caitlin Ormiston took 3 for 26 and Murton 2 for 17 while Liam Skeldon (1 for 15) put in another economical spell as did Bell (1 for 13).

It leaves Gala third in Division Seven, with two games remaining and keeps alive their promotion hopes.

Innings of Gala 2

+	M Hastings	Caught A Dickinson	b H Teall	30
	J Imray	Caught E Walker	b M Burgess	37
	S Anderson	Ct. & Bld.	b H Teall	0
	R Paterson	Bowled	b M Burgess	0
	S Loumeau	LBW	b T Tucker	81
	J Bell	Run Out		28
*	R Patterson	Not Out		0
	J Boyle	Not Out		0
	C Ormiston	DNB
	N Murton	DNB
	L Skeldon	DNB
	Extras	6b 3lb 9w 2nb	20
	TOTAL	for 6 wkts (40 ovs)	196

Bowler O M R W     E Walker 8.0 0 34 0     T Tucker 7.0 1 31 1     H Teall 7.0 0 35 2     M Burgess 6.0 0 33 2     E Tucker 8.0 0 25 0     A Dickinson 2.0 0 17 0     H Tucker 2.0 0 12 0

Innings of Watsonians 4

*	A Dickinson	LBW	b N Murton	10
	M Burgess	Bowled	b N Murton	34
	D Evans	Ct. & Bld.	b L Skeldon	1
+	R Millar	Bowled	b C Ormiston	2
	E Tucker	Bowled	b J Bell	1
	H Teall	Caught L Skeldon	b C Ormiston	16
	E Walker	Caught S Anderson	b C Ormiston	15
	S Counsell	LBW	b R Paterson	29
	T Tucker	Not Out		8
	H Tucker	Not Out		8
	A Sinclair	DNB
	Extras	4lb 13w 3nb	20
	TOTAL	for 8 wkts (40 ovs)	144

Bowler O M R W     L Skeldon 7.0 2 15 1     N Murton 7.0 1 17 2     C Ormiston 8.0 0 26 3     J Bell 5.0 1 13 1     R Paterson 8.0 1 36 1     J Boyle 5.0 0 33 0

A gutsy Gala performance including a fine fielding display secured a 60 run win to keep alive their Championship title hopes.

Gala made a competitive 188 for 8 but in reply tight bowling and some brilliant catches ensured a youthful Grange 2nds were bowled out for 128.

In a rain affected match which reduced the overs to 40, Gala got off to the worst possible start as Sid Ponneri and Jack Halls were both dismissed in the first over without a run being scored.

Finlay Rutherford (28) and Duncan Millar (24) put together an excellent partnership of 59 to pull Gala back into the game but another collapse saw Gala reduced to 72 for 5.

Once again Gala fought back as Upul Indrasiri (33) and Dinesh Tharanga put on another 59 run partnership and when Indrasiri departed Tharanga batted onto the end of the innings with support from Ash Rhode (13) and a nine-ball knock of 18 by Jamie Crooks.

Tharanga finished 40 not out, while Freddie Peet took three for 32 for Grange.

In reply, Grange lost Jonathan Brock for seven but Gala struggled to pick up many more wickets, while still keeping their opponents from scoring runs with some high tempo fielding.

Grange reached 72 for 2 off 22 overs to keep themselves in the game, but then lost three quickfire wickets including top scorer Scott Blain (38) to a sharp caught and bowled by Jack Halls.

Rhode then produced a brilliant catch to help dismiss Haris Ali, quickly followed by Ponneri running out Raman Sanghera with a fantastic direct hit.

Finlay Rutherford also took an excellent high catch in the deep as Grange were eventually well short of Gala’s target.

Halls finished with a fine 3 for 18 from his six overs but it was Tharanga who won the Kinalba man of the match award on Gala’s sponsors day. The club thanks all sponsors and supporters for backing Gala CC this season.

Gala (20) beat Gen!us Grange 2 (6) by 60 runs

Umpires : D. Smith and S. Sheikh

Scorers : B. Robertson (Gala) and Grange scorer

Gala won the toss and chose to bat first.

Innings of Gala

	S Ponneri	Caught M Chohan	b F Peet	0
	F Rutherford	Caught A Aniruddhan	b Ala Docherty	28
	J Halls	Ct. & Bld.	b F Peet	0
+	D Millar	Caught R Sanghera	b F Huddleston	24
	U Indrasiri	Caught M Chohan	b F Huddleston	33
*	J Irvine	Caught Cal Swanson	b Ala Docherty	0
	D Tharanga	Not Out		40
	A Rhode	Caught A Aniruddhan	b F Peet	13
	J Crooks	Caught R Sanghera	b H Ali	18
	R Irvine	DNB
	S Paterson	DNB
	Extras	6b 2lb 20w 4nb	32
	TOTAL	for 8 wkts (40 ovs)	188

Bowler O M R W     F Peet 8.0 1 32 3     H Ali 8.0 0 36 1     M Chohan 3.0 0 10 0     Ala Docherty 8.0 0 33 2     F Huddleston 8.0 0 47 2     A Aniruddhan 5.0 0 22 0

Fall of Wickets 1 – 0 S Ponneri 2 – 0 J Halls 3 – 59 F Rutherford 4 – 72 D Millar 5 – 72 J Irvine 6 – 131 U Indrasiri 7 – 162 A Rhode 8 – 188 J Crooks

Innings of Gen!us Grange 2

	J Brock	Caught D Millar	b D Tharanga	7
	S Blain	Ct. & Bld.	b J Halls	38
	J Donaldson	Caught R Irvine	b U Indrasiri	9
	F Huddleston	LBW	b S Paterson	16
	Ala Docherty	Caught J Halls	b A Rhode	3
	H Ali	Caught A Rhode	b U Indrasiri	5
*	M Chohan	Caught F Rutherford	b J Halls	9
	R Sanghera	Run Out (S Ponneri)	0
	A Aniruddhan	Caught J Irvine	b D Tharanga	9
	F Peet	Bowled	b J Halls	3
+	Cal Swanson	Not Out		7
	Extras	6b 3lb 13w	22
	TOTAL	All Out (37.1 ovs)	128

Bowler O M R W     R Irvine 5.0 1 11 0     D Tharanga 6.1 1 23 2     S Paterson 8.0 0 31 1     U Indrasiri 8.0 1 16 2     A Rhode 4.0 0 20 1     J Halls 6.0 1 18 3

Fall of Wickets 1 – 16 J Brock 2 – 40 J Donaldson 3 – 73 F Huddleston 4 – 84 Ala Docherty 5 – 87 S Blain 6 – 102 H Ali 7 – 102 R Sanghera 8 – 102 M Chohan 9 – 110 F Peet 10 – 128 A Aniruddhan

An unbeaten half century by Scotland international Michael Leask did the damage as Gala lost out at the semi final stage at the Scottish T20 Finals day. Leask smashed 50 off just 23 balls to lead defending champions Forfarshire to a seven wicket win on Sunday.

But Gala did themselves proud after making their first ever national T20 finals day and competing against one of the best sides in the country. On the day, the Forfarshire XI featured 5 players selected in Scotlands training squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup so Gala can be happy they held their own at times during the match.

Gala captain Josh Irvine won the toss and decided to bat first at Arbroath, who were brilliant hosts for the finals day.

In front of a sizeable Gala support, the Braw Lads got off to a decent start before losing Upul Indrasiri for 13 who was bowled by Leask.

An unfortunate mix up between Sid Ponneri and Josh Irvine saw the former run out for 5. A shame for Ponneri who looked comfortable in the early stages of the game. Irvine and Duncan Millar then came together and put on a decent partnership of 31 only for Irvine to be adjudged lbw to Graeme Black looking to sweep to the boundary.

Duncan Millar however continued and looked totally unphased by the occasion, reverse sweeping the Premiership sides spinners to the boundary. After a good knock of 24, he was eventually caught looking to increase Gala’s run rate. Ash Rhode was then stumped also looking to push on.

Jamie Crooks also looked to take the game to the Forfs as he joint top scored with 24. He played some strong attacking shots before being run out looking to push for a second run.

Jack Halls (10*) and Robbie Irvine (2*) saw Gala through to the close of innings, taking Gala up to a final score of 104 for six, a total that was always going to be difficult to defend.

Forfarshire got off to a blistering start with 13 off the first over, but Robbie Irvine then produced an excellent delivery to bowl Scotland cap Craig Wallace for 13.

Rory Johnston and Leask put on further runs before Johnston – another member of Scotlands training squad – was dismissed by a Dinesh Tharanga slower ball thanks to an excellent catch at short third man by Josh Irvine.

And when Callum Garden fell for two thanks to another good catch by wicketkeeper Millar off the bowling off Ash Rhode, Forfarshire were 60 for 3, still 45 short of their target giving Gala a glimmer of hope. Rhode went agonisingly close to claiming the scalp of Leask after he almost dragged on to his stumps.

But the Scotland man, accompanied by Aman Bailwal (23*) took the game out of sight with powerful hitting and excellent running, as the Broughty Ferry side hit their 105 target in the 11^th over.

A comfortable win in the end for the Forfs, who would go on to lose the final later in the day against a strong Carlton side.

All in all Gala can take heart from their performance on the day and be proud of getting to this stage. Many thanks to Arbroath United CC for their hospitality, the Gala CC supporters for coming up to watch the team and to Billy Easson for driving the players and supporters bus on the day.

GALA SCORECARD

S.Ponneri run out (M.Leask) 5

U.Indrasiri b M.Leask 13

J.Irvine LBW G.Black 10

D.Millar ct G.Black b F.Duncan 24

J.Crooks run out (M.Leask) 24

A.Rhode st C.Garden b G.Black 5

J.Halls not out 10

R.Irvine not out 2

Extras – 11

Total: Gala 104 for 6 from 20 overs.

ION8 FORFARSHIRE BOWLING

S.Cameron 3-0-12-0

A.Bailwal 4-0-20-0

M.Leask 3-0-15-1

J.Hogarth 3-0-20-0

G.Carnegie 1-0-10-0

G.Black 4-0-15-2

F.Duncan 2-0-6-1

ION8 FORFARSHIRE SCORECARD

C.Wallace b R.Irvine 13

R.Johnston ct J.Irvine b D.Tharanga 16

M.Leask not out 50

C.Garden ct D.Millar b A.Rhode 2

A.Bailwal not out 23

Extras – 1

Total: Forfarshire 105 for 3 from 10.4 overs.

GALA BOWLING

R.Irvine 3-0-36-1

D.Tharanga 3.4-0-31-1

A.Rhode 2-0-14-1

U.Indrasiri 2-0-23-0

A convincing win for Edinburgh South 2nds pegged back Gala 2nds hopes of promotion on Saturday as the visitors eased to a 7 wicket victory at Meigle Park.

Batting first, Gala made a positive start with openers Max Hastings and John Imray, both in good form from previous weeks. However South made the breakthrough after Dey took a fine catch at extra cover off the bowling of Singh to dismiss Imray for 8. Hastings followed soon after as he was bowled by the visitors key bowler Madduri for 12 and Gala were 20 for 2.

Stuart Anderson and Robbie Paterson both arrived at the crease and looked comfortable, adding 20 to the total before the former was bowled by Reddy. Gala captain Patterson followed soon after, being unlucky to be caught and bowled again by Reddy.

Craig Thomson then joined Robbie Paterson and both went about their business, playing some good shots reaching the boundary. Paterson in particular – in good form after his highest score of 48 not out for Gala the previous week – looked comfortable at the crease. He was eventually bowled however by Dey after a well made 29. Thomson was bowled by Barnard soon after.

Jamie Bell was the only other Gala batsman to add any big contribution, as he did well to pick the gaps and play some good shots on his way to 16. Edinburgh South did well to work through Gala’s tailend as Sujan (6), Boyle (2) and Maceira (0) all fell in quick succession.

Gala got off to a dream start with the ball as some excellent bowling from Craig Thomson and Liam Skeldon restricted the visitors to 11 for 3 from the first 10 overs. Thomson claimed all 3 wickets bowling a very tight line while Skeldon did very well at the other end to keep the scoring rate low. Both were unlucky not to take another wicket in particular Skeldon who was so close to an excellent caught and bowled chance.

These would be the last Edinburgh South wickets Gala would take though. A superb partnership of 86 from 16 overs from Singh (39*) and Ross (41*) ensured the visitors eased to victory with 13 overs to spare.

Gala 2nds face Watsonians 4s this Saturday looking to bounce back in Division 7.

GALA SCORECARD

M.Hastings b K.Madduri 12

J.Imray ct D.Dey b P.Singh 8

S.Anderson b S.Reddy 4

R.Paterson b D.Dey 29

R.Patterson ct + b S.Reddy 1

C.Thomson b R.Barnard 11

J.Bell ct M.Llangovan b D.Dey 16

A.Sujan ct M.Llangovan b A.Mundin 6

J.Boyle b K.Madduri 2

L.Skeldon not out 2

M.Maceira b K.Madduri 0

Extras – 5

Total: Gala 96 all out from 34.5 overs.

EDINBURGH SOUTH BOWLING

K.Madduri 5.4-3-13-3

P.Singh 8-0-25-1

S.Reddy 5-2-11-2

R.Barnard 6-1-19-1

D.Dey 7-0-19-2

A.Mundin 3-1-7-1

EDINBURGH SOUTH SCORECARD

K.Singh not out 39

M.Llangovan b C.Thomson 2

P.Griffiths b C.Thomson 0

S.Reddy ct R.Patterson b C.Thomson 2

I.Ross not out 41

Extras – 13

Total: Edinburgh South 97 for 3 from 26.5 overs.

GALA BOWLING

L.Skeldon 8-4-13-0

C.Thomson 8-3-24-3

J.Bell 5-0-21-0

M.Maceira 2-0-9-0

R.Paterson 2-0-14-0

A.Sujan 1-0-10-0

Gala 2nds secured an excellent victory over Carlton 5ths to move into second in Division Seven.

Gala scored an excellent 196 for five from their 40 overs, thanks to a superb opening stand of 93 by Max Hastings and John Imray.

Hastings finished on 78 while Imray made 35 and Seb Loumeau a quickfire 36 not out.

In reply, Carlton were always behind the asking rate and were eventually all out for 108.

Loumeau took 4 for 9 to complete a fine day, while Jamie Bell (2 for 28), Maisie Maceira (1 for 7), Liam Skeldon (1 for 19) and Caitlin Ormiston (1 for 23) also were amongst the wickets.

Gala 2

+
M Hastings Bowled b K Burgess 78

J Imray Bowled b E Murray 35

S Anderson Bowled b E Murray 10

R Paterson Bowled b Z Dancu 14

S Loumeau Not Out 36

D Moir LBW b Z Dancu 0
*
R Patterson Not Out 10

L Skeldon DNB

J Bell DNB

C Ormiston DNB

M Maciera DNB
Extras 4b 1lb 3w 5nb 13
TOTAL for 5 wkts (40 ovs) 196

 Bowler  O   M   R   W    
 K Burgess   8.0 1   21  1    
 H Charman   4.0 1   14  0    
 J Ward  4.0 0   21  0    
 Z Dancu 8.0 1   37  2    
 E Murray    8.0 1   42  2    
 O Stones    8.0 2   50  0    

Fall of Wickets
1 – 93 J Imray
2 – 120 S Anderson
3 – 138 M Hastings
4 – 165 R Paterson
5 – 165 D Moir

Innings of Carlton 5

*
K Murray Caught J Bell b L Skeldon 12

L King Caught L Skeldon b C Ormiston 12

M Robertson Bowled b M Maciera 4

J Beattie Caught M Hastings b J Bell 0
+
M Kennedy Caught M Maciera b J Bell 41

H Charman Ct. & Bld. b S Loumeau 8

O Stones Caught M Hastings b S Loumeau 0

J Ward LBW b S Loumeau 11

Z Dancu Run Out (C Ormiston) 6

E Murray Caught R Paterson b S Loumeau 1

K Burgess Not Out 1
Extras 6lb 1w 5nb 12
TOTAL All Out (32.5 ovs) 108

 Bowler  O   M   R   W    
 L Skeldon   7.0 0   19  1    
 D Moir  3.0 0   6   0    
 M Maciera   5.0 2   7   1    
 C Ormiston  5.0 1   23  1    
 S Loumeau   4.5 0   9   4    
 R Paterson  3.0 0   9   0    

Gala have made their first ever Scottish T20 Finals Day after a 39 run win over Dumfries on Sunday.

The Braw Lads will face top Premiership side Forfarshire at Arbroath CC this Sunday in the semi finals, with the winners playing either Carlton or Ferguslie in the final later on the same day.

Gala got off to a great start against Dumfries as Jamie Crooks (23) and professional Upul Indrasiri (53) put on 64 for the first wicket.

Josh Irvine (12) and Jack Halls (18) supported Indrasiri who scored eight 4s in his 38 ball half century as Gala ended on 144 for five wickets from their 20 overs, with Brockwell (2 for 15) pick of the Dumfries bowlers.

Dumfries also got off to a flying start, knocking 22 off their first two overs. But the first wicket fell with the score on 24, and wickets continued to tumble with Dumfries ending up 105 for eight wickets from their 20 overs.

Top bowlers for Gala were Halls (2 for 9), Seb Loumeau (2 for 11) and Robbie Irvine (2 for 21), while stand-in wicketkeeper Crooks taking four catches.

Gala

J. Crooks b Armstrong 23

U. Indrasiri ct A. Dawson b C. Brockwell 53

J. Irvine lbw b C. Brockwell 12

J. Halls ct D. Armstrong b Davidson 18

A. Rhode not out 6

S. Paterson ct Davidson b Hobman 1

D. Tharanga not out 7

Extras – 24

Total – 144 for five wickets

A. Davidson 4-0-18-1; S. Thornely 3-0-24-0; V. Staples 2-0-24-0; D. Armstrong 1-0-10-1; T. McGrath 4-0-32-0; C. Brockwell 4-0-15-2; J. Hobman 2-0-19-1.

Dumfries

S. Beveridge ct S. Loumeau b R. Irvine 18

C. Brockwell ct J. Crooks b D. Tharanga 5

T. McGrath ct J. Crooks b J. Halls 14

A. Davidson ct U. Indrasiri b R. Irvine 4

M. Byers ct J. Crooks b S. Loumeau 16

D. Armstrong ct J. Crooks b J. Halls 1

A. Dawson ct J. Irvine b S. Loumeau 2

J. Hobman ct A. Rhode b L. Skeldon 8

S. Thornely not out 18

V. Staples not out 2

Extras – 13

Total – 105 for eight wickets

R. Irvine 4-0-21-2; D. Tharanga 3-1-12-1; U. Indrasiri 4-0-3-0; S. Paterson 1-0-9-0; J. Halls 3-0-9-2; S. Loumeau 2-0-11-2; A. Rhode 2-0-21-0; L. Skeldon 1-0-4-1.

Gala moved to the top of the Championship on Saturday with a tense win over previous league leaders Carlton 2nds.

Gala made a competitive total of 202 for 7 thanks to Sid Ponneri (45), Dinesh Tharanga (38 not out), Upul Indrasiri (33) and Graeme Ormiston (22 not out).

Tharanga and Ormiston put on a vital partnership of 60 to take the home side past 200 after they threatened to undo all their early good work.

Allardice (3 for 31) was top bowler for Carlton.

Rain fell between innings, meaning Carlton faced a revised target of 191 from 45 overs.Carlton were up with the run rate throughout but continued to lose wickets at regularly intervals with Scott Paterson (4 for 45) and Indrasiri (3 for 35) leading the way.

However, with over six overs left, Carlton only needed 17 runs to win, until captain Josh Irvine took an excellent catch from Paterson’s bowling to seal victory.

Innings of Gala

S Ponneri Ct. & Bld. b R Allardice 45

F Rutherford Bowled b R McIntyre 1

J Halls Bowled b Ca Everett 16

U Indrasiri Run Out 33
*
J Irvine Ct. & Bld. b H Simpson 18
+
D Millar Caught H Simpson b R Allardice 2

J Crooks Caught H Simpson b R Allardice 0

D Tharanga Not Out 38

G Ormiston Not Out 22

S Paterson DNB

H Rutherford DNB
Extras 27
TOTAL for 7 wkts (50 ovs) 202

 Bowler  O   M   R   W    
 R McIntyre  10.0    0   54  1    
 C Stronach  10.0    0   35  0    
 Ca Everett  10.0    0   46  1    
 R Allardice 10.0    1   31  3    
 H Simpson   10.0    3   30  1    

Innings of Carlton 2

M Whitaker Caught J Irvine b S Paterson 20

G Murray Caught S Paterson b H Rutherford 7

H Laing Caught U Indrasiri b H Rutherford 27

W Hardie LBW b U Indrasiri 1
*
P Deakin Caught S Paterson b U Indrasiri 7
+
B D’ulisse Not Out 44

R Allardice LBW b D Tharanga 22

H Simpson Caught D Millar b S Paterson 11

R McIntyre LBW b U Indrasiri 1

Ca Everett Caught S Ponneri b S Paterson 4

C Stronach Caught J Irvine b S Paterson 8
Extras 4b 4lb 14w 22
TOTAL All Out (38.4 ovs) 174

 Bowler  O   M   R   W    
 S Paterson  7.4 0   45  4    
 D Tharanga  9.0 0   29  1    
 H Rutherford    9.0 0   31  2    
 U Indrasiri 9.0 1   35  3    
 J Halls 3.0 0   21  0    
 J Irvine    1.0 0   5   0    

A nail biting finish swung in favour of Grange 4ths as they won by 8 runs in a fantastic encounter against the Sunday XI at Meigle Park on Sunday.

The visitors batted first and posted a well made total of 167 for 6 from their 30 overs. Liam Skeldon started the game off well, continuing where he left off on Saturday, taking the early wicket of Grant for 3. The visitors Metcalfe and Hodgson came together however and batted excellently with both scoring well made half centuries before the former was bowled by John Imray for 52 and the latter retired after passing the 50 mark.

The Grange scoring did not stop however with batsman lower down the order in Hodgen and Grant chipping in to take the visitors up to an imposing total. Kieran Toor also chipped in well with the ball for Gala, taking the two wickets of Grant and May both bowled.

The Gala reply started well with Stuart Anderson and Jamie Bell opening up. Bell was trapped LBW to Kidd for 10 for the first wicket. Graeme Ormiston joined Anderson and the pair put on a good partnership before the former was bowled by Gore for 17. The home sides most substantial partnership came through Sunday captain Rutherford and Anderson. Rutherford ended retiring following a brilliant 50, while Anderson was unlucky to he dismissed for 36 after a good innings.

At this point Grange began to turn the screw despite Gala staying up with the run rate. However, it was the visitors who prevailed by 8 runs after the bowlers held there nerve at the end of the innings despite late efforts from Imray (8) and Toor (7*).

Well played to the visitors and good luck for the rest of the season.

Grange Innings

R.Grant ct G.Ormiston b L.Skeldon 3

J.Metcalfe b J.Imray 52

H.Kidd ct G.Ormiston b R.Paterson 17

W.Hodgson retired not out 50

S.Hodgen ct F.Rutherford b L.Skeldon 5

J.Grant b K.Toor 25

F.Tracey run out 1

E.May b K.Toor 0

C.Gore not out 1

A.Kidd not out 1

Extras – 13

Total: Grange 4ths 167 for 6 from 30 overs.

Gala Bowling:

L.Skeldon 6-0-29-2

J.Bell 6-0-28-0

J.Imray 6-0-26-1

R.Paterson 6-0-38-1

K.Toor 3-0-32-2

F.Rutherford 3-0-12-0

Gala Innings

S.Anderson ct R.Grant b E.May 36

J.Bell LBW A.Kidd 10

G.Ormiston b M.Gore 17

F.Rutherford retired not out 53

J.Imray ct W.Hodgson b E.May 8

R.Paterson ct R.Grant b E.May 0

K.Toor not out 7

S.McAneny b M.Gore 0

J.Boyle b M.Gore 0

L.Skeldon ct R.Grant b E.May 0

R.Anderson not out 3

Extras – 22

Total: Gala Sunday XI 159 for 9 from 30 overs.

Grange Bowling:

F.Tracey 5-0-14-0

A.Kidd 5-1-10-1

H.Kidd 5-0-27-0

M.Gore 5-1-21-3

C.Gore 4-0-39-0

E.May 6-1-34-1

A ruthless display with the ball led by Upul Indrasiri helped Gala to victory over youthful border rivals Kelso on Saturday. The result was Gala’s first league win away at Shedden Park since the Border League era.

Kelso batted first on a cracking looking wicket and got off to a solid start taking 18 from the first 4 overs for the loss of no wicket with openers Davidson and Stubbs looking comfortable. However the first wicket fell for the home side when Dinesh Tharanga bowled Stubbs for 5. This sparked an incredible flurry of wickets as in the next 9 overs Kelso were bowled out, putting on only 17 more runs.

Tharanga went onto claim two more wickets as former Gala player Charis Scott was bowled for a three ball duck before Craig Adams – who has scored many runs against Gala in the past – was trapped LBW following one that stayed low.

It was Upul Indrasiri however that was the stand out performer for Gala. The Sri Lankan pro produced an epic spell bowling 5 overs and taking 6 wickets for the loss of only 1 run (which was a wide). He removed Gibson, Robson, Jackson and Kennedy all for ducks after removing Kelso’s in form Callum Davidson for 16 as Kelso were bowled out for 35 after 13 overs.

Gala wasted no time in their response. Siddhanth Ponneri and Finlay Rutherford opened up with the former in particular looking to take the game to the home sides bowlers. Some good running between the wickets plus some aggressive striking from Ponneri ended the game in the 6^th over and secured a second 10 wicket win in two weeks for Gala and the clubs first league win away at Kelso for over 10 years.

We travel to Campbell Park on Saturday to take on Edinburgh CC.

Kelso Innings

C.Davidson LBW U.Indrasiri 16

J.Stubbs bowled D.Tharanga 5

C.Scott b D.Tharanga 0

C.Adams LBW D.Tharanga 0

J.Gibson LBW U.Indrasiri 0

M.Mason b U.Indrasiri 3

G.Ford not out 2

B.Rock LBW U.Indrasiri 0

K.Jackson st J.Crooks b U.Indrasiri 0

K.Kennedy b U.Indrasiri 0

Extras – 10

Total: Kelso 35 all out from 13 overs.

Gala Bowling:

S.Paterson 2-0-12-0

D.Tharanga 6-0-22-3

U.Indrasiri 5-4-1-6

Gala Innings

S.Ponneri not out 25

F.Rutherford not out 13

Extras – 1

Total: Gala 39 for 0 from 5.5 overs.

Kelso Bowling:

C.Adams 3-0-21-0

C.Davidson 2.5-0-17-0