6 September 2014
Ayr fightback fails at the last as teenagers put on thrilling show
Aberdeenshire may emerged victorious after Saturday's Grand Final with Ayr at the Grange, but cricket was the real winner.
The Eastern Premier champions readily acknowledged that the winning of the toss had played a major part in the outcome - arguably too big a part - but it only served to emphasise the role Ayr played in making this an occasion to remember. At 8-3 and 37-6, the Alloway side were in danger of being humiliated, only for them to demonstrate the combination of skill and determination that led to them being crowned Western Union winners a week earlier.
Cheered on by a vociferous support, many of whom were veterans of the last great side to emerge from Cambusdoon a couple of decades ago. Ayr eventually took the game to within a ball of the penultimate over before succumbing to a five wicket defeat. Both sides, though, could revel in their achievements and contemplate a bright future given that the majority of players in either team are not yet the finished article.
While Aberdeenshire owed much to their professional Harsha Cooray who top-scored with 54 not out, several of their team were teenagers, including Rory Martin, whose four wickets had Ayr on the back foot, and debutant Aaron Grayson.
Opening batsman Chris Venske turned his arm over ib his teams's hour of need and respond with three crucial wickets before reverting to his favoured activity and getting his side's innings of to a solid start with 30. The Mannofield side also had a rookie captain at the helm, stand-in Kenny Reid marshalling his depleted troops well in the absence of regular leader Tyler Buchan.
Reid said 'It was a fantastic effort and it caps a great season. We had a number of key players missing in addition to Tyler so winning a game of this magnitude shows we have plenty strength in depth which augurs well for the future.
'Young Aaron (Grayson) summed it up by coming in at the last minute and taking his debut in his stride. It was a great loss to win and we took advantage of it and had them in a lot of trouble, but you have to give to Ayr for the way they came back at us and pushed us all the way.'
At the centre of the fightback was Ayr's most experienced player, Dougie Johnstone, who held the innings together with a battling 72, but remove the 45-year-old from the equation and the average age of the Alloway team was in the low 20s.
Looking on were club legends like Bruce Patterson and the Simpson brothers, Albert and David, who could only admire the batting promise of the likes of Neil Logan and Neil Smith while Mark Renny, a successful captain of yesteryear, would surely recognise the leadership qualities and tactical nouse of Andi McElnea. Out in the middle, umpire Andy Baird, man of the match when Ayr won the Scottish Cup in 1999, had a bird's eye view of the seam bowling prowess of Scott McElnea who kept his team in contention with three wickets.
'A couple of things went against us that proved crucial in the end and the toss was definitely one of them because conditions were really tough at the start and the wicket was damp' said McElnea. 'I'm proud of everything this young team has done this season. What we have to do is make sure we build on it and continue to improve as individuals and as a team. There is real determination to make sure that happens.'
Report by William Dick taken from the Herald 8 September 2014
Ayr fightback fails at the last as teenagers put on thrilling show
Aberdeenshire may emerged victorious after Saturday's Grand Final with Ayr at the Grange, but cricket was the real winner.
The Eastern Premier champions readily acknowledged that the winning of the toss had played a major part in the outcome - arguably too big a part - but it only served to emphasise the role Ayr played in making this an occasion to remember. At 8-3 and 37-6, the Alloway side were in danger of being humiliated, only for them to demonstrate the combination of skill and determination that led to them being crowned Western Union winners a week earlier.
Cheered on by a vociferous support, many of whom were veterans of the last great side to emerge from Cambusdoon a couple of decades ago. Ayr eventually took the game to within a ball of the penultimate over before succumbing to a five wicket defeat. Both sides, though, could revel in their achievements and contemplate a bright future given that the majority of players in either team are not yet the finished article.
While Aberdeenshire owed much to their professional Harsha Cooray who top-scored with 54 not out, several of their team were teenagers, including Rory Martin, whose four wickets had Ayr on the back foot, and debutant Aaron Grayson.
Opening batsman Chris Venske turned his arm over ib his teams's hour of need and respond with three crucial wickets before reverting to his favoured activity and getting his side's innings of to a solid start with 30. The Mannofield side also had a rookie captain at the helm, stand-in Kenny Reid marshalling his depleted troops well in the absence of regular leader Tyler Buchan.
Reid said 'It was a fantastic effort and it caps a great season. We had a number of key players missing in addition to Tyler so winning a game of this magnitude shows we have plenty strength in depth which augurs well for the future.
'Young Aaron (Grayson) summed it up by coming in at the last minute and taking his debut in his stride. It was a great loss to win and we took advantage of it and had them in a lot of trouble, but you have to give to Ayr for the way they came back at us and pushed us all the way.'
At the centre of the fightback was Ayr's most experienced player, Dougie Johnstone, who held the innings together with a battling 72, but remove the 45-year-old from the equation and the average age of the Alloway team was in the low 20s.
Looking on were club legends like Bruce Patterson and the Simpson brothers, Albert and David, who could only admire the batting promise of the likes of Neil Logan and Neil Smith while Mark Renny, a successful captain of yesteryear, would surely recognise the leadership qualities and tactical nouse of Andi McElnea. Out in the middle, umpire Andy Baird, man of the match when Ayr won the Scottish Cup in 1999, had a bird's eye view of the seam bowling prowess of Scott McElnea who kept his team in contention with three wickets.
'A couple of things went against us that proved crucial in the end and the toss was definitely one of them because conditions were really tough at the start and the wicket was damp' said McElnea. 'I'm proud of everything this young team has done this season. What we have to do is make sure we build on it and continue to improve as individuals and as a team. There is real determination to make sure that happens.'
Report by William Dick taken from the Herald 8 September 2014
30 August 2014
Ayr Celebrate Title Triumph
Champagne corks were popping as impressive Ayr celebrated their first Western Union title in almost two decades.
After their slight hiccup the previous weekend when they lost to nearest title challengers Clydesdale, Ayr made no mistake on Saturday with a convincing win away to Dumfries at Nunholm to claim the Western Union Premier Division, their first league title since 1996.
Ayr won the toss and chose to bat and after an understandably cautious start lost Neil Smith with the total on 21. Wickets then fell at a steady rate and it took a partnership of 67 between Douglas Johnstone (29) and Shujja Khan (49), the most senior and junior members of the team to restore some order. Khan showing great composure before falling one short of his fifty to an excellent stumping by Dumfries captain Stuart Corbet-Byres of the bowling of a Alan Davidson. After they departed with the score on 172-6 after 45 overs, some hard hitting from Scott McElnea, 39 off 15 balls and Callum Leck, 21 off 10 balls to get Ayr to very competitive total of 246-7.
The Dumfries innings progressed slowly and with the score on 100-2 at the halfway stage the game was finely balanced with Ayr still needing five further wickets to gain the four bonus points that would guarantee the title.
The next few overs however were to turn the game in favour of Ayr as some tight accurate bowling kept the home teams run chase in check and produced a steady fall of wickets and they claimed the vital seventh one when Scott McElnea bowled Corbett-Byers to let the celebrations begin.
They then claimed the final three wickets to bowl Dumfries out for 185 to win by 61 runs. Scott McElnea was agin the pick of the Ayr bowlers and continuing his excellent run of form taking 3-26, with professional Steve Liburd chipping in with 3-52.
Ayr Celebrate Title Triumph
Champagne corks were popping as impressive Ayr celebrated their first Western Union title in almost two decades.
After their slight hiccup the previous weekend when they lost to nearest title challengers Clydesdale, Ayr made no mistake on Saturday with a convincing win away to Dumfries at Nunholm to claim the Western Union Premier Division, their first league title since 1996.
Ayr won the toss and chose to bat and after an understandably cautious start lost Neil Smith with the total on 21. Wickets then fell at a steady rate and it took a partnership of 67 between Douglas Johnstone (29) and Shujja Khan (49), the most senior and junior members of the team to restore some order. Khan showing great composure before falling one short of his fifty to an excellent stumping by Dumfries captain Stuart Corbet-Byres of the bowling of a Alan Davidson. After they departed with the score on 172-6 after 45 overs, some hard hitting from Scott McElnea, 39 off 15 balls and Callum Leck, 21 off 10 balls to get Ayr to very competitive total of 246-7.
The Dumfries innings progressed slowly and with the score on 100-2 at the halfway stage the game was finely balanced with Ayr still needing five further wickets to gain the four bonus points that would guarantee the title.
The next few overs however were to turn the game in favour of Ayr as some tight accurate bowling kept the home teams run chase in check and produced a steady fall of wickets and they claimed the vital seventh one when Scott McElnea bowled Corbett-Byers to let the celebrations begin.
They then claimed the final three wickets to bowl Dumfries out for 185 to win by 61 runs. Scott McElnea was agin the pick of the Ayr bowlers and continuing his excellent run of form taking 3-26, with professional Steve Liburd chipping in with 3-52.
