Galloway Cricket Club earned a comfortable eight wicket win against GHK on Saturday in their first completed league match of the season.
The victory was enough to put Galloway top of the WDCU Second Division on net run rate.
Galloway skipper Ross Lamb opted to field first, expecting his bowlers to put pressure on the visitors on a slow pitch. In the event a superb team performance exceeded expectations and Ross, himself, did the most damage with a fine six wicket haul.
The intensity was maintained from the first ball, when Khanna narrowly avoided being caught at cover. He was soon heading back to the pavilion when Lamb held the catch off Pat Druce who then bowled the other opener with an inswinging yorker.
At the other end a very straight nine-over spell from Stevie Carr kept the GHK scoring rate around two an over, despite gifting Prab Singh two full tosses that were despatched to the square leg boundary.
Carr soon gained his revenge when Singh sliced a catch to John Goodenough at point. His innings of 11 was the only one to reach double figures.
After five impressive overs from Pat Druce, skipper Ross Lamb brought himself on. Runs off the bat virtually dried up. As all the bowlers focused on a good line rather than pace, extras (Galloway’s usual nemesis) were almost non-existent.
The visitors’ suspicions about the pitch seemingly prevented them from attacking and Ross cleverly mixed his stock delivery with off cutters. He bowled Kumar with one and trapped Umar LBW with another.
A second LBW decision may have been fortunate but there was no doubt about the dismissal of his opposing skipper Ali Mudassir, comprehensively bowled for a duck.
His other two wickets were both return catches, bringing him his best Galloway figures. Mark Pagan polished off the innings by bowling last man Palrasu for nought.
If batting conditions had eased when Galloway began their innings, positive intent counted for much more. Although Sholto Hesketh was LBW to Ali Mudassir in the first over, by the end of it Anthony Hulatt had already struck the first of his four boundaries.
In the second over Ross Lamb followed a four with the only six of the match, struck sweetly over long on. He was caught behind for 12 in the third over but any thoughts of a collapse were dispelled when the next went for 14.
Before wrapping up Galloway’s early victory Hulatt achieved the quirky feat of being bowled twice in consecutive balls yet ending as top scorer with 23 not out.
Firstly, he swung the bat well over a short delivery that bounced twice before hitting the base of his stumps, deemed to be a no ball. From the resulting free hit the ball glanced off leg stump for a bye.
We gratefully acknowledge our match sponsors Crossmichael Shop and Rock Wokeman Artist.
GHK: 42 all out (24 overs) – R Lamb 6-11, P Druce 2-6, M Pagan 1-2, S Carr 1-20.
Galloway: 43-2 (6.2 overs) – A Hulatt 23*, R Lamb 12.
