Selkirk cricketers hit rock bottom after fifth defeat in row on road in Edinburgh

That was the Philiphaugh club’s sixth loss of this term, offset by two wins, and it sent them plummeting to the bottom of the table, with 70 points and a points-won percentage just shy of 44, swapping places with prior basement side Livingston seconds, now up to ninth.

Selkirk won the toss and gave their hosts first use of the wicket, with an early run-out for captain Harith Ramachandra leaving Marchmont looking to be in trouble at 12-1.

However, a 69-run partnership between Alex Bushell and left-hander Savan Panchal, scoring 33 and 44 respectively, swung the game back Marchmont’s way, helped by smart running between the wickets.

With three of their front-line bowlers unavailable, Selkirk found it difficult to make inroads into Marchmont’s top order, and dropped catches and conceding 16 wides didn’t help as their hosts made their way to a total of 185 for nine from 40 overs.

Selkirk’s bowlers enjoyed better fortune towards the end of the home innings, with skipper Greg Fenton, Shaun and Bob Wilkinson and Gregor Borthwick – on 3-35, 2-35, 1-39 and 1-5 respectively – all picking up wickets.

In reply, Selkirk suffered an early setback when opener Greg Fenton was run out for six with the score on 13.

Kenny Paterson and Michael Fenton set about undoing that damage, though, putting together a 75-run stand to keep the visitors’ hopes alive, the former contributing 22.

The latter’s half-century-plus knock, including five fours and two sixes, was ended by Akash Chatterjee sending the bails flying with the visitors on 116 for four.

Only Ewan Torrance and Bob Wilkinson, with 20 and 12, made it into double figures after that as further wickets tumbled and the Souters were left needing 50 runs off their last five overs.

The Souters’ final three wickets all fell in the 38th over, two of them for ducks, with the score on 145.

Marchmont’s best bowlers were Gavaksh Saxena with 3-36, Rakesh Sachdeva with 3-35 and Chatterjee with 2-28.

Division 3’s other Borderers, Hawick and Wilton, also ended up on the wrong side of their result in the capital on Saturday, losing by five wickets to Murrayfield Dafs seconds.

That was their fourth defeat on the bounce and it sees them fall from fourth to sixth, with a points-won percentage down from 71 to 64.

Hawick lost the toss and were put in to bat first, a choice that paid off for their hosts as only three of the visitors’ batsmen reached double figures – opener Gareth Welsh top-scoring with 13, Neil Storey with 12 and Ryan Johnston with 11 – as they made their way to a less than daunting total of 71 for ten in 26 overs, half of those wickets falling to Debaditya Choudhury at a cost of just 16 runs.

The hosts overhauled that target in 22 overs, finishing on 75 for five, Ajay Kumar being their top scorer with 17.

Storey was Hawick’s only bowler to claim more than a single wicket, taking two for 11 runs.

Selkirk and Hawick are both at home this coming Saturday, respectively to unbeaten league leaders Kirk Brae and Marchmont’s fourth-placed seconds.

Gala’s scheduled ESCA championship match away to Dunnikier in Kirkcaldy was called off after the Fifers’ ground was ruled to be unplayable but they’ll be hoping to return to action at home to Penicuik at Meigle Park this Saturday.

The Galashiels club are currently sixth in their table with a points-won rate of 70%, one place and a fraction of a percentage worse off than their upcoming visitors from Midlothian.

Kelso kept Selkirk and Hawick company by coming a cropper in the capital on Saturday, losing by two wickets away to Leith Franklin Academical Beige in division 2.

They won the toss, elected to bat and got off to a promising start, with opening pair Josh Gibson and Callum Davidson hitting 44 and 41, but that was as good as it got, with only Kenneth Keddie, on 16, making it into double figures thereafter en route to a target of 134 for six from 40 overs.

That tally was overtaken by Leith in 33 overs as they totted up 135 for eight, opener Argwaan Manzoor top-scoring with 32.

That sixth defeat of the season leaves Kelso eighth in the table, with a points-won percentage of 53, ahead of Drummond Trinity’s sixth-placed seconds coming calling this Saturday.

Melrose remain bottom of division 4, with a points-won rate of 24%, after losing by seven wickets hosting Dunfermline and Carnegie’s seconds on Saturday.

Having lost the toss, they were put in to bat, setting a target of 200 for five in 40 overs, opener Campbell Scott being their handiest hitter with 88, but a reply including 119 not out by Shubham Verma saw the visiting Fifers to victory.

Melrose are away to Heriot’s second-from-bottom thirds this Saturday.