Clarke proves skill as biggest wicket taker
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TOGETHER Caithness Cricket Association and Orkney Cricket Club are very strong as shown by their continued run, as OrCa, in the North of Scotland Cricket Association reserve team cup.
On June 19 they won another comprehensive victory, over Ross County at Strathpeffer.
OrCa won the toss and elected to field, allowing Ross to put together a curate’s egg of an innings – a slow start with something of an upsurge in the middle followed by a falling away at the end.
Caithness pair Luke Merchant and Douggie Rennie opened the bowling with two niggardly spells – Rennie bowled maidens in each of his first three overs with a wicket in the last of these.
Merchant was a little more expensive but the pressure contributed to none of Ross’s first three getting into double figures.
Captain Lennox Boyd and Ross Rae both went during these first spells and Renato Belli not long after. Howard Tolliday, Tommy Wright, Alan Hardwick and Mark Monaghan added some substance to the middle of the innings but the scoring was still relatively slow.
At the end of the innings Dai Alexander, J. Forbes, R. Fraser and A. Lamb did not trouble the scorers overmuch, but at least they managed to use up the whole 30 overs with Fraser and Lamb unbeaten at the end.
All of the OrCa bowlers had some success wicket-wise.
Rennie’s only regret at figures of one for two off his five overs would be that many of his balls were too good for the batsmen to get edges. His spell was probably the most controlled and varied he has ever produced with a particular highlight the perfect leg-stump yorker that put paid to Boyd, who looked in good touch.
Merchant’s wicket (Ross Rae) was another possible danger man.
Douggie Snape, on first change, eventually got Belli, who played something of an anchor role, captain Chris Rae pitched in with the wicket of Tolliday, who was going well, and Duncan Winfield, who was the most expensive, nevertheless got rid of Monaghan, who was also going well.
The biggest wicket taker was, however, Duncan Clarke, purveying a combination of gentle medium-pace leg cutters and genuine leg spin, who benefited from increasingly desperate hitting out to get four wickets fairly cheaply.
In reply OrCa didn’t waste too much time in knocking off the runs.
Andy Dixon opened with Rae and once again showed his usual combination of luck, as he was put down several times, and aggressive stroke play. Rae looked classy and it was quite a surprise when he was out for 28, caught off Monaghan’s bowling.
Not long after, Dixon reached the retirement score of 35.
Jonathan Morgan and Snape had few alarms in finishing off the chase, except at the very end when both were dropped off rather rash shots. A boundary off the last ball of the 22nd over finished things off in style.
Ross used a wide variety of bowlers – eight in all – but only Boyd showed any control as he was treated with some caution by Morgan and returned three maidens in his five-over spell.
Full innings scores (in brackets) in batting order with bowlers analyses – Ross County: L Boyd* (5), R. Rae (2), R. Belli (8), H. Tolliday (11), T. Wright (20), A. Hardwick (10), M. Monaghan (18), D. Alexander (5), J. Forbes†, (0), R. Fraser (7no), A. Lamb (1no).
L. Merchant (5 overs, 0 maidens, 11 runs, 1 wicket), D. Rennie (5,3,2,1), C. Rae, (5,0,19,1), D. Snape (5,0,14,1), D. Clarke (5,0,19,4), D. Winfield (5,0,30,1).
OrCa: A. Dixon (35 ret), C. Rae* (28), J. Morgan† (21no), D. Snape (10no), A. Hollinrake (dnb). L. Merchant (dnb), A. Reid (dnb), D. Clarke (dnb), D. Sutherland (dnb), D. Winfield (dnb ), D. Rennie (dnb).
R. Belli (5,1,14,0), D. Alexander (1,0,14,0), A. Hardwick (2,0,15,0), M. Monaghan (4,0,24,1), L. Boyd (5,3,2,0), H. Tolliday (3,0,6,0), A. Lamb (1,1,0,0), R. Fraser (1,0,9,0).
In contrast to the two OrCa matches, where Caithness players have contributed fairly equally, the two games between the two "counties" have been increasingly one sided.
The fairly well-fought win by Orkney in Stromness (previously reported) was followed on July 3 by Orkney coming to Thurso and administering a hammering to Caithness.
Caithness would prefer to draw a veil over the game itself but wish to express thanks to the core members who put in a stint of work to spruce up the Millbank ground for cricket.
The ground is used by permission from, and with the assistance of, Caithness Rugby Club (Gavin Younger, grounds convener, who does the main grass-cutting, being of particular help).
They were also helped by mowers for the pitch loaned by A. Scott, Thrumster, A. Gunn, Clayock, and B. Sutherland, Camfield House.
