1st XI
On Saturday our first team players faced a very testing fixture at a crucial point in the season. It is fair to say that all did not go at all well at the outset and the team had to dig deep to get over the line to claim a just reward for the season’s efforts!

I congratulate every player who has represented us in the Strathmore Union this season; it has been a fabulous effort all round. Likewise, I congratulate our “noisy neighbours”, who remained in close contention for week after week. However, this season 2024 does rightly belong to David Gamblen’s lads, who have relished the role of front-runners and who have seldom faltered!

Yet, at around 1.00pm last Saturday, even the greatest Mannofield die-hard was shell-shocked! Having opted to bat on a green pitch, we sat at one stage at 19 for 5! Huntly seamer, Lewis Myron-Petrie had removed four of our front-line batsmen in the blink of an eye, leaving us facing the toughest challenge imaginable, with the game hardly begun. Bear in mind, this awful start directly followed on from our limp collapse against Stoneywood-Dyce the previous week.

The challenges facing batsmen setting out on a partnership are often complex. High-scoring, modern-day cricket virtually demands constant, rapid scoring from the outset. At Huntly on Saturday, what we needed was occupation of the crease! Enter the heroes of the hour: Lewis Munro and Clark Cameron. These players set about the task with a clear determination that was admirable; Lewis did survive one dropped catch, but both players were cautious in the bid to accumulate runs. Slowly but steadily the match began to turn and frustration began to emerge in the Huntly ranks. Lewis and Cameron got us up to ninety-six runs before Lewis fell for 48 runs. We all admire Lewis’ batting abilities and this has been a very successful season for our stroke-playing number four but, in my mind, there is no doubt whatsoever that this was his best knock of the season! Clarkie then dug in for as long a stay at the crease as he could manage. Finally, he did succumb only after facing 101 deliveries for a score of 36.

This was the most important innings Clark has played for the club. He has played the anchor role in a crisis before; this time the stakes were very high and I remind you that we had been at 19 for 5 when our hero entered the fray. A truly fantastic effort Clark!
I endeavoured to say as much to him fully twenty-four hours later, but his response was totally incoherent for some reason?

A late smattering of lusty blows from James Robb saw us reach 151, a very gratifying total given our dreadful, opening half-hour.

We suffered an early set-back, as it became apparent that Lewis had back problems and was bowling at reduced pace. Gamblen then rested his strike bowler and crucially allowed Cameron Brown to change ends and bowl with the wind. Cammy, one of the five early “sinners” of this game, then found it within himself to bowl his best spell for several weeks; quite simply he became unplayable! Yet he had no luck at all to begin with. In one over to Huntly opener, Michael Myron-Petrie, our young South-African comprehensively beat the bat with five successive deliveries and still that partnership remained intact. At the other end, there remained menacing presence of Jack Mitchell; the Huntly skipper was scoring as freely as any in the match; as ever against us he was going to be the major threat.

Just then, Cameron finally gained a reward for his efforts as he clean-bowled Myron-Petrie, with the score on 54. David Gamblen took the important decision to turn to his fledgling off-break bowler, Manu Saraswat, another of the earlier batsmen yet to make their mark in this match. Manu responded by bowling quite beautifully. He exhibited complete control of flight and he varied his pace astutely. His initial reward was the vital wicket of Mitchell, safely pouched by Harsha Vithara for 37 runs.

To several of the faithful followers, this match had swung our way at that point and to the ecstatic delight of the fielders, Cameron removed Jaco Beneke’s stumps for a Golden Duck. Thereafter, there were pockets of resistance from Huntly but we did enough to retain control of the outcome, thanks in many ways to the bowling of Manu, Isira Bandara and Cameron.

However, very aptly on the day, it was left to Clarkie to apply the coup de gras, as he swept athletically in from the boundary to triumphantly catch the last Huntly batsman. Our opponents were out for 127. We had won an intriguing game of cricket in a victory bravely crafted, following the worst, possible start.

Matches like that, important and thrilling as they are, stir the emotions of the spectators immensely and numerous opinions are aired. One is left to imagine how you stay focused and lead a team to victory, after such a calamitous beginning. In doing so, David is deserving of very high praise for his leadership both on Saturday and throughout the season.

Huge congratulations, So far, Gambo!

One final away match awaits as we travel to Dalnacraig to face the vastly improved Dundee High School. We will be trying hard to hold on to the winning habit as, on the following week, we travel to Falkland to take on Edinburgh South in the crucial play-off match which gives us the chance to be playing back in the Eastern Premier League next season.

The club will be running a coach for this vital match with places for our fans.
Please do your best to be on that bus to support the lads!

2nd XI
In a much higher-scoring match, our seconds emerged victors over Inverurie at headquarters.

Garioch skipper, Jordan Thom, elected to field and thereafter, his side struggled to contain the opening partnership of Rizwan Tahir and Marcus Vila. When Rizwan fell for 44 there were 81 runs on the board. Soon after Marcus departed for another well-crafted innings of 49 runs.

Upon noting the personnel bowling for Inverurie, I wondered about one statistical query; sorry J.J.! Would the age difference between the magnificent pair of cricketers, John Jessiman and Marcus Vila be the greatest between bowler and opening batsman in Grade 1 history? Just a thought!

With our openers gone and a healthy platform established in our innings, the stage was set for the ever-prolific Rutwik Hegde to score a lovely century. He did so rapidly, off a mere 78 balls, and managed 12 boundaries and a maximum. The others in the side mustered a total of 259, significant but not in itself impregnable!

Bowling on a good track requires discipline and our lads stuck to the task well enough that no one in the Inverurie side made a big, match-winning score. Mark Strachan and Stuart Murison, experienced, talented batsmen both, managed to stage a late rally but Inverurie were unable to mount a sustained challenge and they fell for 174 runs.

Aarush Sharma, Ali Gohar and Arnav Saraswat each picked up a couple of wickets and young Arnav emulated his big brother by running out Inverurie bat, Liam Maxfield.

In the end this was a comfortable win for Rahul Chandu’s side. Next week they play their penultimate match against Crescent on home turf. Victory in this tie would guarantee our lads a place in the top half of Grade 1, a hugely impressive achievement by a side determined to offer so many playing opportunities to our talented youth. Rahul has been very principled in this approach and undoubtedly the club must stand to benefit immeasurably from the wisdom and foresight of his approach.

Wonderful job, Chandu!