1st XI
Every week this season our first eleven’s proud, undefeated record has been on the line. Gordonians opening batsman, Himanshu Saraswat certainly did his very best to upset the odds, with a magnificent undefeated 112 runs. Regrettably for our visitors, his team-mates failed to back him up and their total of 160 runs did not look enough. The Gordonians wickets were shared round by our bowlers; it was especially encouraging to see the consistent, accurate James Robb back after his holiday. His return of 2 wickets for 13 runs in 9 overs was a testament to his probing, well-directed deliveries! Manu Saraswat and Calum Howard likewise, each picked up a couple of wickets in a decent performance by our side in the field.

Rain delays were to follow, testing the patience and skill of our early order batsmen. We did loose early wickets; at one stage, we stood at 45 for 3. A productive partnership was needed! Up stepped our match-winners of the day: Harsha Vithana and Clark Cameron.
A contrasting pair of batsmen, they put on an undefeated partnership of 117 runs to see Aberdeenshire over the line with comfort in the end.

The Doocot in Perth awaits next Saturday. Last season we came up short at this venue and Saturday’s fixture seems likely to be one of the most challenging in the season to date. We will have opening bat, Pranav Saravanan, back from holiday to strengthen our line-up. This will be a tricky fixture to negotiate, but our lads have passed every other test so far this season.

Good luck, lads!

2nd XI
Our seconds’ match at Countesswells turned out to be an exciting game of cricket. Sadly for us, Gordonians were just good enough to edge it. Batting first, we were indebted to a 96 runs partnership between Rizwan Tahir 52 and Rutwik Hegde 43. Together the seconds managed 191 for 9. Gordonians early batsmen, Dev Bhalani and Mohit Khosla, made good, initial progress. Andrew Hastie then stepped up to put pressure on the home side. He delivered eight overs to great effect, claiming five wickets for 36. The game then accelerated to a close, exciting finish as Gordonians eventually triumphed by two wickets.

All defeats hurt to a degree, but speaking to our second team players, they did seem satisfied that they had taken part in a worthwhile contest.

Next week, Rahul’s side faces the challenge of title-chasing Bon Accord at Mannofield. I fancy our seconds to win this one!

3rd XI
Our third eleven returned victorious from the scenic Burnett Park in Banchory. Our bowlers were just too good for the home side; Aayush Sinha, Marcus Vila and Ranga Bandara were all among the wickets as Banchory were bowled out for 65 runs. Steady batting by Henry Hamilton and Muteeb Furdous saw Mannofield through in just over 14 overs. The positive result puts our third eleven in the top half of the table. This is another example of the progress the club is making in every cricket competition this season.

Keep it up, lads!