First half-century of cricket season not enough to save Selkirk from fourth defeat on spin

That four-wicket loss, their fifth reverse of this term, leaves them as they were in the table, second from bottom, but now with a points-win percentage down from 45 to 44.

There were positives to be gleaned for the Souters, however, as their tally of 137 for seven in 40 overs was their first treble-figure score for just short of a month.

That total – following ones of 42 against Livingston’s seconds seven days earlier, 86 against Holy Cross at the end of May and 59 versus Hawick and Wilton the Saturday prior to that – was their highest of the season to date and that was thanks largely to Ewan Torrance, part of an opening partnership with Kenny Paterson yielding 73 runs after being put in to bat by their hosts after they won the toss.

Despite having just arrived back in Scotland from the USA that morning, the 34-year-old all-rounder put his hand up for selection and headed straight from Edinburgh Airport to Westquarter’s Bailliefield ground, then proceeded to tot up a score of 51, that being the first time his club had made it beyond the half-century mark this year.

Opener Paterson was the visitors’ next-highest scorer, his knock of 22 seeing them put on 38 for their first wicket, but only Rory Banks, with 19, and Mikki Badenhorst, with 11, made it into double figures thereafter as wickets began to fall in quick succession en route to a score of 137.

After their hosts took to the crease, Selkirk made an early breakthrough as captain Daniel Heard bowled opener Siddharth Sharma for six but that was to be his only wicket, secured at a cost of 37 runs.

There followed a first-wicket stand of 76 by home captain Zulfiqar Chaudhry and Adham Aslam, respectively hitting 39 and 46 to swing the game in their sixth-placed side’s favour, with a series of dropped catches helping them on their way to their third win of the season with a score of 140-6 in 36 overs.

As well as top-scoring with bat in hand, Torrance contributed the Souters’ best bowling figures, two for 17, with David Gardiner, Banks and debutant Kieran Westlake joining Heard in taking a single wicket apiece, for 15 runs, 25 and 29 respectively.

The division’s other Borderers, Hawick, also lost out on Saturday, by seven wickets at home to second-placed Boroughmuir at Buccleuch Park.

That was their third loss in a row and it sees them fall from third to fourth, with a points-won percentage down from 80 to 71.

Like their neighbours, they lost the toss and were put into bat first but only three of their number made it into double figures, Ryan Johnston top-scoring with 27 and Harris Brogan and Scott Marshall both hitting 13, as they posted a total of 89 for ten from 30 overs.

Ashok Rajappan was the visiting bowler with the biggest hand in sending the hosts’ batsmen packing, taking five wickets for 14 runs, and Ajey Chaudhary wasn’t too far behind, claiming three for 19.

Only three of the visitors’ batsmen made it into double figures as well but that was all they needed to make it to a tally of 90 for three wickets in 17 overs, with Gajander Singh top-scoring on 54 not out, Marcus Cunnington accompanying him on 15 not out after Lawrence Dingre’s opening contribution of 11 from 16 balls.

Johnston was the hosts’ top wicket-taker with two for 42 runs and Neil Storey was their only other one, on one for 42.

Selkirk are away to Marchmont’s fifth-placed seconds at Edinburgh’s Cavalry Park this coming Saturday, round nine of the season, and Hawick will be hitting the road to the capital too, to take on Murrayfield Dafs’ third-placed seconds.

Three divisions up, Gala’s seven-wicket win hosting basement side Heriot’s seconds at Meigle Park returned them to the top half of ESCA’s championship table.

They’re now fifth, up from seventh, with a points-won rate of 70% ahead of a trip to Fife this Saturday to play seventh-placed Dunnikier.

Gala won the toss and opted to bowl, limiting their visitors from Edinburgh to 192 runs for ten from 48 overs, with Harris Rutherford taking four of those wickets at a cost of 26 runs.

One of those wickets was that of Rory Saunders, top scorer for Heriot’s with 75 from 83 balls.

The hosts replied with 193 for three in 43 overs, Sean Taylor top-scoring with 87 not out.

Kelso are up one place to eighth in ESCA’s division 2, with a points-won rate of 54%, after a nine-run victory away to Carlton’s thirds in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Their bottom-of-the-league hosts won the toss and elected to bowl first but couldn’t stop the Borderers running up a total of 152 for nine from 40 overs, only managing 143 for ten in response.

Opener Josh Gibson was the visitors’ top scorer at the crease with 43 and their handiest bowlers were Kenneth Keddie and captain Callum Davidson, taking three wickets each, for 24 runs and 25 respectively.

Kelso are back on the road to the capital this Saturday to take on seventh-placed Leith Franklin Academical Beige.

Their trip to the North Sea coast follows one by Melrose on Saturday gone to play the Leith club’s seconds in division 4 but they’ll be hoping for a more successful outcome, the sixth-placed hosts having won by three wickets against their basement side visitors at the weekend.

Put in to bat, Melrose set a target of 117 for ten in 35 overs, with Calum Wilson top-scoring on 28, but Leith were able to muster 121 for seven in six overs fewer in response.

Melrose are at home to Dunfermline and Carnegie’s second-placed seconds at Huntlyburn this Saturday.