Selkirk and Hawick’s cricketers both fall a place in table after losing at home

The Souters’ latest loss, by nine wickets to basement side Livingston seconds, was their fourth on the bounce and, seven rounds into the season, it drags them down from eighth in the table to second from bottom with a points-won percentage of 45.

Hawick’s 71-run beating hosting Tranent and Preston Village’s seventh-placed seconds was their second defeat on the spin and it sees them fall from second to third with a points-won rate of 80%.

Selkirk’s visitors from West Lothian hadn’t won this term before arriving at Philiphaugh at the weekend but are now just ten points behind their hosts, on 44.

Having won the toss, Livingston opted to bowl first, and it wasn’t long before that decision was vindicated as home wickets began falling at a rate of knots.

Selkirk’s top order struggled to cope with the tight line and length of Livingston’s opening bowlers, captain Muhammad Khalid and Sai Valivati, recording respective figures of 4-13 and 2-7 and both claiming four maidens in their allotted overs.

First change bowler Faisal Khan kept up the pressure by taking two wickets for 15 runs and Selkirk were bowled out in the 29th over for 42.

For the first time this season, none of the home batters managed to reach double figures, Mikki Badenhorst top-scoring with nine runs.

Tasked with defending such a tiny total, Selkirk’s bowlers always looked likely to be on a hiding to nothing and so it proved.

Livingston opener Joe Barker paved the way for a convincing victory with a knock of 31 not out, setting the visitors on course to reach 43-1 in their 13th over.

The home team’s sole wicket-taker was Michael Fenton and that was at a cost of 19 runs.

Hawick won their toss and elected to bowl but then proceeded to allow their East Lothian opponents to run up a total of 224 for nine in 40 overs.

Two of their batsmen hit half-centuries, Ligin Mathew scoring 53 and Prajwal Gopinath Menon 51, with only Ashmaan Gondal and Zac Stewart taking more than a single wicket for the hosts, the former claiming three and the latter two, both for 45 runs.

Once at the wicket, Neil Storey was the pick of the hosts’ batsmen, hitting 53 not out after 40 overs, but he was one of only four members of his team to make it into double figures, the best of the rest of them being Scott Marshall with 31.

Midhun Krishnan and Vino Johnson both claimed hat-tricks of wickets for the visitors, for 16 runs and 32 respectively, as their hosts made their way to a total of 153 for ten in 37 overs.

Selkirk’s next game is away to sixth-placed Westquarter and Redding at Bailliefields in Brightons, near Falkirk, this coming Saturday and Hawick host Boroughmuir, now up to second, at Buccleuch Park at the same time.

Three divisions up, Gala were hit by their third defeat of this ESCA championship season, by six wickets, on the road in Edinburgh against table-toppers Drummond Trinity on Saturday.

Gala, put in to bat at the capital’s Goldenacre playing fields after losing the toss, posted 178 all out, with Darius Maritz top-scoring on 44 and captain Jamie Crooks hitting 38.

Naveen Kodem took four of the Borderers’ wickets for 22 runs and Vikesh Malik and Somu Sikarwar took two each, for 45 and 22.

In reply, Iqbal Qasim and Robbie Paterson took two wickets apiece for Gala, for 27 and 83, as their hosts ran up a total of 182 for four in 26 overs, their top scorer being Kodem with 58 not out.

Gala, now down to seventh from sixth with a points-won percentage of 65, host bottom-of-the-table Heriot’s seconds this Saturday.

Kelso drop one place to second from bottom of ESCA’s division 2 with a points-won rate of 47% after losing by 84 runs hosting Royal High Corstorphine’s thirds on Saturday.

Their visitors from Edinburgh set a target of 149 for ten in 36 overs after being put in to bat at Shedden Park, with the hosts only managing 65 for ten in 25 overs in reply.

Melrose are also second-bottom of their table, division 4, with a points-won percentage of 31, after losing by 141 runs at home to Drummond Trinity’s thirds at the weekend.

This Saturday sees Kelso and Melrose both on the road in the capital, against Carlton’s thirds and Leith Franklin Academicals Beige’s seconds respectively.