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13/08/22 | Edinburgh Accies CC 2nd’s | MATCH REPORT
Hawick and Wilton made the trip up to Newfields to play league leaders Edinburgh Accies 2s in a top/bottom table clash. Harris "Pencil" Brogan had forgot his whites which set the tone for the Hawick performance.
Upon winning the toss Skipper Phil Mactaggart opted to bat on the artificial wicket, simply because he was wickekeeping for the day and 40 overs first in that heat had no appeal. With no openers available, Declan "Gucci Wall" Solley took the number 1 slot accompanied by skipper Phil Mactaggart. The pair started cautiously, with Accies showing why they are top of the league with the two openers bowling consistent line and length, with Phil and Declan constantly finding the fielders when they looked to play scoring shots. With the openers both seen off, the dangerous Poni entered the Accies attack and continued to tie the Hawick batsmen down. However the 3rd change bowler for Accies went down with a bad side strain in his first over, and Hawick allowed Accies a substitute fielder who comically fielded the entire game with no shoes on. With what looked like the 5th bowler now bowling for Accies, Hawick looked to score off him, however Phil Mactaggart could only find a thick edge to first slip departing in the 17th over with the score 25-1. In form vice captain Evan 'Cycles' Alexander joined his partner in runs from the previous week and the pair looked to ramp up the hawick scoring rate. They progressed the score to 62, with some near comical run outs on numerous occasions, the Gucci Gazelle a bit lame from the previous week. Cycles looked unstoppable again as he smashed a huge 6 into the accies changing room. However Declan was to be undone being clean bowled to leave Hawick 62-2 in the 25th over. Harris 'Pencil' Brogan came to the crease donning Dave Montgomerys whites, and after stealing the strike to take on Accies strike bowler Poni, he found his stumps rattled, as he looked to have forgotten to use the willow stick in his hands, playing no shot. Out of form Stuart 'Bull' Hair came to the crease and on an artificial wicket, the Hawick fans (Colin Campbell) and the players knew that this situation was perfect for him. However playing round a straight one in the same over led to Bull leaving the field untroubling the scorers. With Hawick now teetering on 63-4. Neil 'Crouchy' Storey looked to be in top shape after his visit to the masseuse, and after adding 10 runs with Cycles, he was outdone poking a ball for mid on to take a superb running diving catch to leave Hawick 73-5. Charlie 'Chuck' Welsh looked to be run out on the 2nd ball of facing, as he looked to take a single that definitely wasnt there, only for the keeper to be fumbling the ball as he thrust himself into the stumps. However, advancing down the track head in the air often doesnt yield the greatest results, and disappointment was seen on young Welshs face as he was stumped joining Bull in the duck pond. Cycles began to look concerned with all the wickets falling around him and looked to take the counterattack to the Accies bowlers, but could only hole out in the deep, Hawick now in huge trouble at 76-7 in the 30th over, looking more and more likely not to bat the 40 overs. Dave Montgomery joined Chuck and Bull in the pond as he was clean bowled which left Ryan 'Mulgrew' Johnston and Chris Graham at the crease. The pair looked to build a partnership, Chris delivering some lusty blows and Ryan caressing the ball around the park, before Chris was bowled by the returning opening bowlers from Accies. The score was 96-9, and young Zac Stewart was quick to nick a clever single, before experienced Johnston misjudged the length on the artificial, leaving Hawick all out for a less than par 97.
With no teas available, Harris Brogan ordered in his Mcdonalds from Uber eats, but wasnt in the mood for sharing as the Hawick players looked on hungrily. A team talk was delivered and the Hawick players looked to cause an unlikely upset.
The Hawick bowling attack got off to the perfect start, as Ryan Johnston picked up the dangerous wicket of big hitting Sehgal, Pencil taking a smart catch at fly slip much to his amazement. However, with Phil Mactaggart on wicket keeping duties, plenty byes were on offer and it wasnt long before the accies score began to creep up. With Storey and Johnston not finding much success, Bull was brought on and for what he has lost with the bat he has gained with the ball as his bowling has been oustanding this year, and it wasnt long before he clean bowled the Accies 3 leaving them 40-2 after 10 overs. Bull was unlucky not to have a second wicket, but after being stuck on the boundary to showcase his rocket arm and safe hands, Neil Storey was caught napping on the boundary ( he was watching the Accies 1st team play Carlton on the main pitch) and a chance went begging as it dropped short of the man in the deep. Hawick Lindens newest captain Dave Montgomery entered the attack, pinning the Accies opener dead in front, with standing umpire Pierce Solley raising the finger. With the score 40-3 Hawick were in with a chance, however the two new batsmen at the crease werent going to get bogged down and some huge hitting ensued racing the score to 79. Again Dave Montgomery was unlucky not to pick up a second wicket, a high ball went in the air and Charlie Welsh set off trying to catch the ball running backwards which is almost near impossible, as Neil Storey stuck it into reverse and ran away from the ball which shouldve been his, as Chuck dropped it at extra cover. Cycles showed the exact opposite as a certain 6 was stopped, he has been clearly taking some tips from Ryan Johnston as he put in a cat like dive over the boundary to catch and throw back in the ball. Stuart Hair may have been able to have taken the assisted catch, but he was too busy watching and applauding his teammate. The Accies players were even astounded by the fielding, as they rushed onto the field to applaud Cycles on some astounding fielding, which was nice to see that even on opposing sides, good cricket can be celebrated regardless of the competitive nature of the sport. With the score on 74 in the 15th over Dave struck again, a flying edge almost taking out Phil Mactaggarts teeth, with his unorthodox keeping style taking the catch must to the amazement of his teammates. With the game out of sight, Accies looked to finish in style before a freak accident left the non striking batsmen needing a trip to A & E for 4 stitches in his head. Dave tossed up a tempting ball and the Accies batsman looked to drive back hard at him, as he stuck out a hand more in stopping runs than a catch. The ball broke through Dave's hands, which is no mean feat considering the size of them, before the ball deflected onto the non strikers bat and then pinged up onto his forehead. Medical emergency followed, with Pierce Solley assisting the downed player, and Chuck Welsh letting everyone know he was first aid trained as he stood and observed, apparently he doesnt like blood. With the injured Poni back on his feet and away to the hospital, Accies ticked off the final runs for a 5 wicket victory. News came on Saturday morning that the injured player had suffered no more than cosmetic damage with the stitches which the Hawick players were glad to hear after such a freak accident.
Hawicks dismal away form continued, albeit up against the league leaders who displayed clearly why they are on a 12 win streak, Hawick will be disappointed they weren't able to consolidate a foundation laid with the bat, and with not many runs on the board it was a near impossible task to bowl out a team for under 97 after they had chased 260 the previous week. With 2 games left Hawick will look to continue their good home form and hopefully give the Hawick crowd something ti cheer about as they host second place Stewart Melville 2 on saturday.
06/08/22 | Edinburgh CC 2nd’s | MATCH REPORT
Hawick played hosts to Edinburgh CC 2's on Saturday, looking to continue their good form having won 2 of the last 3 games. A much changed side from the previous weeks victors over Dunfermline saw Declan 'Gucci Wall' Solley return to the team, and a late call off by Neil Storey due to him finally doing some manual labour at work and injuring his back saw Harris 'Pencil' Brogan into the team.
With skipper Phil Mactaggart absent for the umpteenth time this season due to the Anderson Wedding, Co-vice captains Evan 'Cycles' Alexander and Morgan 'Golden arm' Tait took control. Upon losing the toss Edinburgh CC 2, who must have been reading last weeks report, opted to put the home team in to bat looking to chase a small score. However with only 7 players available for the away team at the start time of 1pm, a lot of shoelace tying, and time wasting ensued, before the rest of their team finally arrived and play began at 1.28pm, much to the delight of our scorer Colin Campbell, who's pet hate is tardiness.
With the mainstay opening partnership reunited with Gareth Welsh and Justin Tait the pair looked to get Hawick off to a solid start, however disaster struck in the 3rd over when Justin was bowled much to his frustration. Gareth Welsh was soon to follow his opening partner back to the dugout, as he played across a straight one, and home umpire was quick to raise his finger, sending Gareth "Dragon" Welsh on his way. With only 5 overs gone and the score 11-2 Hawick may have been experiencing some deja vu, as so often has the case they have folded quicker than Euan Hair at his origami class. Gary 'Joel' Alexander had opted for a day at the caravan after seeing the two quick wickets fall, there may be one up for sale after what followed. As Hawick had a couple of aces up their sleeve, as Declan "Gucci Wall" Solley, who is renowned for his blocking abilities along with in form Evan "Cycles" Alexander who was 58* from the previous week joining him in the middle. The blockathon began from Declan, as he took 17 balls to get his first run, as he frustrated the opening bowlers and looked to take the momentum and sting out the Edinburgh attack. Evan Alexander was mirroring the other end as he took 13 balls, and the Edinburgh attack wouldnt be panicking as the scoreboard was ticking ever so slightly. The pair tentatively began to rebuild the hawick innings and got the important job of seeing the openers off and reaching drinks at 50-2 with the loss of no further wickets. The Gucci Wall had lived up to his name, reaching 4 off 49 deliveries, before playing a lovely glancing stroke off his legs to double his tally. Evan Alexander had began to motor at the other end reaching 33 off 46. However the Edinburgh attack had began to flatten, as had the fielders and this allowed Hawick to add another 50 runs in just 7 overs, Evan Alexander passing his third 50 in as many weeks playing some lovely strokes on anything wide or too straight, and leaving and defending anything that may have caused issues. Declan had revealed his trump card, his months of hard work at the boxercise being shown off, as he showcased his hidden form of the Gucci Gazelle, as he began to turn Evan's defensive strokes into single runs, with some brilliant running between the wickets, much to the frustration of the Edinburgh fielders. The sloppiness continued in the field and Cycles and the Gucci Gazelle began to literally run riot, with not many boundaries in their 100 run partnership. Hawick then added another 50 runs in 31 balls, with Declan and Evan reaching their 150 run partnership in 186 balls, Declan adding 33 and Evan 99. Cycles wasn't showing the signs of being nervous in the nineties, as he played a lovely off drive, and darted for a single to take him to his 2nd ton of his senior playing career (sorry Evan, stirches primary scores dont count) in a chanceless knock which showed that the future innings of Hawick and Wilton are extremely bright. A pleasing one for the staticians as he reached his 100 in 100 balls. Joy and elation was seen at the new Hawick and Wilton stand, Euan Hairs fist pump saluting young Cycles as he waved his bat to his adoring fans. Evan finally fell for a career best 116, his previous ball to the wicket being smashed over the clubrooms for a huge 6, as he managed to just miss his own car. With Evan out in the 39th over, scoring 174 over the past two weeks before getting out with him being 58 not out last week, the score now 187-3, Hawick added another 6 runs in the final over, before Declan was out trying to smash the final ball of the innings but cleaned up, as he made a match winning contribution of 39 runs off 102 balls, batting for just over 2 and a half hours. After the shaky start Hawick had posted a hugely respectable 193-4 off the alloted 40 overs. Groundsman Doug Welsh wasn't as optimistic as the Hawick players, as he has found the correct formula for wickets offering plenty runs, and thought there was still 200 runs left in the wicket he had prepared.
At one point it looked like there would be no second innings for the crowd to watch, as the Edinburgh players refused to allow the home umpire of Pierce Solley to continue in their innings, even though the ESCA rules allow it. Although there is always the willingness to win at the club, everyone there just loves the game of cricket and playing, and so Pierce took to the stands to watch the Edinburgh innings unfold. Hawick were not unsettled by Edinburghs tactics of disruption as the trust Ryan Johnston has found his form and rhythm in the second half of the season as he fired down an opening maiden. Maybe the bowling fitness is finally kicking in. Edinburgh looked to employ the mantra of the Evan/Declan partnership of a slow start, but after having a long on to start, Evan and Stuart 'Bull' Hair decided to bring the man up to mid on to tempt the dangerous Edinburgh captain Javed into playing more aggressively. With risk comes reward, and Javed couldnt help himself as he looked to smash Bull over his head, however if you are going to try and clear that head, you need to produce something pretty special, and Bull stuck up his hands to protect his teeth as he took an outstanding caught and bowled effort, bruising his big mitts in the process. Ryan Johnston is never one to miss out on the act and picked up his first and only wicket of the day in the 10th over cleaning up the other Edinburgh opener. However his figures of 1-7 off 6 overs tell a different story, as this created a huge pressure for Edinburgh to go after the first change bowlers after seeing the openers off at 23-2 off 12. Morgan Tait picked up his first wicket with a carbon copy of his innings ending wicket the previous week, a lovely half tracker that the batsman got all wrong and clean bowled off the first delivery of Morgan's over. The co-captain was only getting started though, as he took a second wicket still in his first over, Cycles taking a great catch. Edinburgh 2s were now teetering at 25-4, but Hawick have noticed that most teams bat all thee way through to eleven in Division 2 and weren't looking to get complacent. Harris 'Pencil' Brogan had joined the attack, but his short pitched bowling wasn't having the desired effect as he went for 23 off his 4 overs. Morgan 'Golden arm' Tait was in a majestic rhythm at the other end though, as the Edinburgh batsmen couldn't find a way to play him and he eventually took his 3rd wicket, Gareth 'Dragon' Welsh taking a nice catch, much to the disbelief of the Hawick supporters. Younger Zac Stewart who is enjoying his first season of senior cricket was brought on to replace Pencil, and he was quick to emulate captain Tait, as he struck in his first over, removing Edinburghs top scorer of 24, with Justin Tait taking a blinder of a running catch with the gloves. With the batsmen crossing, Zac then struck again on consecutive balls to leave him with the prospect of taking a hat-trick in his first season. A youngster showing nerves of steel as he produced a beauty of a delivery however the Edinburgh batsman survived, desperate not to be the victim of 3 in a row. With the score now 58-7 Edinburgh were in deep trouble and even more so in the scenes that followed. A run out was the last thing Edinburgh needed, but when the non striker called through the on strike batsman for a likely single as he played through the slip gully region, he wasnt expecting what unfolded next. The fish watchers at the cobble cauld were at the wrong side of the river, as over at the other side of the wall Ryan Johnston leapt like a majestic salmon, gracing the air to field the ball, before his bestie Pencil threw the ball in to produce a superb run out for the Buccleuch Park men. The Edinburgh 9 wasnt willing to go down without a fight and played some hefty blows, however Morgan Tait wrapped him up clean bowling him to give him a 4th wicket the score 75-9. Morgan then wrapped up a superb fielding performance for the Hawick men, as Cycles took another superb catch, giving Morgan a well deserved 5-24 off 7 overs. A huge perfomance was again delivered in the field with outstanding fielding, accompanied by pressure building bowling giving the Hawick men a 117 run victory. A few stand out performances, but both Cycles with a huge 116 and Morgan with a 5 wicket haul were pick of the batters and bowlers. Hawick will look to put in another good performance as they travel to league leaders Edinburgh Accies 2, where they face a mammoth task of coming away with a win, but with the Hawick men in a jubilant mood along with nothing to lose, the Accies players will have extra pressure if they look to maintain their 1st position.
