Hawick cricketers notch comfortable victory

Hawick & Wilton 240 for 7; Watsonians 3rds 106 all out
Pierce Solley (library image).Pierce Solley (library image).
Pierce Solley (library image).

A strong batting performance from the Teries set the tone, as Pierce Solley led the charge with a hard-hitting 73.

Phil Mactaggart (35), Evan Alexander (34) and Euan Hair (27) contributed to another big total as Hawick made 240 for 7.

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The bowling unit again provided the goods, with five of Hawick’s six bowlers all claiming wickets as the hosts cantered to victory.

After winning the toss for the fifth time in a row, Hawick batted first but suffered an early setback when Gareth Welsh was bowled for six.

However, Ronan and Evan Alexander didn’t let it affect them and laid solid foundations for the rest of the team before the former was caught for 18, leaving Hawick on 52 for 2.

Powerful batsman Solley was next to the crease but it was Alexander who began to dominate the scoring with a flourish of boundaries.

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He clipped two consecutive fours to the fence but couldn’t do it three times in a row as he chipped the last ball of Bunker’s spell back to the bowler and was out for 34.

Solley and Mactaggart formed an important partnership in last weekend’s loss to Drummond Trinity and the duo continued from where they left off as they made a 93-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Hawick reshuffled their batting order to allow the destructive Hair twins up the order.

Euan showed what he could do as he smashed 27 from 15 balls, taking the home side beyond 200.

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Solley continued to battle away and scored his second half-century of the season before being stumped off the penultimate ball of the innings.

However, his and Hawick’s job with the bat was already done as they posted a formidable 240 for 7 from their 40 overs.

Ryan Johnston and Ronan Alexander started well with the ball as Watsonians immediately fell a long way behind the required rate. Hawick were incredibly unfortunate to have only collected one wicket in the first 14 overs.

It was Gary Alexander who began the Watsonians collapse as he claimed two wickets in a trademark accurate spell of bowling, after returning from a six-week spell on the sidelines with a broken thumb.

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Hawick were again strong in the field as Johnston’s quick pick up and throw ran out the dangerous G. Mawdsley for one, and Evan Alexander’s sharp, flat throw secured a second run out of the game.

Meanwhile, Stuart Hair came on to bowl from the river end and his left arm action shaped the ball perfectly back into the right-handed batsmen and grabbed a deserved three wickets in the process.

Johnston came back to claim the ninth wicket before Lee Stewart wrapped up the victory as he clean-bowled the final batsmen to seal a 134-run victory for Hawick.

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