Photo – Before the rain 

Stewart’s Melville CC 121-4 (20 overs), RH Corstorphine 25-0 (4.4 overs).   No Result.     Ball Sponsor – Ian Forsyth

The league rules allow games with a scheduled 12 noon start to be played 20 overs a side beginning at 4.50pm and on Saturday that is just what happened after much inspection and faffing about around the run offs at each end of the square. There was not really any doubt that the prepared pitch was playable.

RHC won the long delayed toss and chose to field. For Stew Mel Shaylen Pillay was promoted to top of the order opening with Mikey Miller with Ben Wilkinson coming in at no 3. Both openers started with the admirable intent of putting early runs on the board although the soft outfield made run scoring difficult.   After Mikey was out for 9 with the score on 24 Shaylen who eventually made 52 (3 sixes) continued to show aggression and was well supported by Ben who made 40 (3 fours and 2 sixes). Together they took the score to 107 (16.5 overs) before Shaylen fell to another attempted boundary hit. RHC’s tactic of holding back Majid Haq for the last overs captured the wicket of a Hayden Sweet for 3 and after Ben was out in the next over Greg Ruthven and Kris Steel contrived ways of pushing the score onto 121 without a boundary between them. In the circumstances 121 seemed a very competitive score if slightly less than seemed achievable when Shaylen and Ben were together.

Stew Mel saw the key to a first win of the season against RHC being the wicket of pro Mohammed Saad who has been a particular thorn in the flesh this season. In the event as so often this season the weather won again.  in the fifth over with RHC on 24-0 mostly due to Saad  and just as the sun broke through the cloud cover and was still shining down a monumental rain storm descended from the clouds which appeared to have passed by and comprehensively ended proceedings for the day. With the necessity of 20 overs being possible before 7.40pm no longer an option that was that – another no result.

As a consequence of no play being possible in the match between Aberdeenshire and Stoneywood Dyce, Aberdeenshire’s bottom place and relegation for next season was confirmed.  Our opponents of next week Forfarshire won the league with a comprehensive win over Carlton.

The match with Forfarshire has a 1pm start.