Loss at Banchory means Ellon Gordon CC face a division drop
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On losing the toss Ellon Gordon C C were asked to bat first on a very dry wicket at the Burnett Park in Banchory for their latest Grade 2 fixture writes Ean Mackie.
A fixture in which they really needed to win considering their situation at the bottom of the grade.
After their batting display in the previous game Ellon were expecting to continue in their good run of high scoring and especially with the team they had been able to assemble for this fixture.
However things didn't quite turn out that way as Ellon appeared to find difficulty in batting on such a surface.
Skipper for the day Davies opened with the previous week's high scorer Proctor.
Only five of their batsmen made it into double figures with the best of those being Greeenfield , who continued in his good run of scores , with an innings of 35.
No fewer than six of their batsmen were caught as they tried to gain the upper hand in a game they needed to win. Any catch offered was duly accepted.
Most batsmen found it difficult to bat against an attack which made use of no fewer than nine bowlers with the most successful being Herbert with three wickets closely followed by Mathews with two.
Ellon Gordon 138 (39.5 overs) -- R.Greenfield 35; J.Barrett 19; B.Webb 17.
After the interval Banchory set about the task of overhauling the Ellon total.
They opened with George and Rotheram against the bowling of Greenfield and Barrett putting together a useful opening partnership which could have been so different if the catch offered in the first over had been held.
These two appeared to have no difficulty in batting on the surface which had troubled the Ellon batsmen so much.
The two openers contributed more than half the runs required allowing the others to play in a more relaxed form thus allowing them to easily pass the Ellon total in the 31st. over after having lost only four wickets in the process. Another two of the Banchory batsmen made it into the double figures apart from the two openers.
Ellon used six bowlers as they tried in vain to register a badly needed victory but it wasn't to be their day.
Most successful bowler was Barrett with 2 for 26 of the four wickets claimed.
Banchory 139 for 4 (31 overs) - S.Rotheram 48; W.George 38; A.Shakir 20*; J.Barrett 2 for 26
This week Ellon are at home in their penultimate game of the season when they entertain 2nd Grampian in a must win game otherwise Grade 3 is looming for next year a situation they haven't been in since 1968 to1972.
Can next year be as successful as 1973 turned out to be as they triumphed by winning the Haig Village trophy despite their lowly standing in the Aberdeenshire Grades at the time.
