Glenrothes 1st XI have had a mixed start to their Strathmore and Perthshire Cricket Union (SPCU) Division 1 league campaign, with three wins and three losses, and were looking to improve their standings but also their game play with a game against fellow Fifers Largo.

After three days of rain and what would normally be a water-laden Gilvenbank Park, it was a great relief for all to see the game played. Largo skipper Hughes Gillin won the toss and invited Glenrothes to bat first on a damp pitch.

Glens made a fast start, scoring 46 runs inside the first five overs though Largo made the breakthrough to dismiss Sufyan Ahmed for 21.

Runs continued to flow with most batters contributing, with standouts coming from Nigam Panwar (64) and Mayank Sautiyal (51). It was also great to see young Glenrothes Gladiators player Saad Naem make his senior debut and hitting a nicely timed boundary four before being dismissed shortly after.

Largo's Jayjit Das came on late in the bowling but made a key difference in taking three Glens wickets, however the home team saw out the full 45 overs in posting a commanding total of 266 for 8 wickets. This was the best batting display of the season by the Glens, something to aspire to keep doing more!

Young Gladiators player Muhammed Tayyiub tookover the opening bowler slot from skipper Qasim Ahmed and justified the decision in bowling a very good line and length.

First wicket to fall though was to the ever dangerous Bimal Nalupurakkal Balan as he dismissed Ben Coates, but it was to thanks to an excellent one handed catch by Govind Singh. With Tayyiub taking two wickets in his opening spell and Balan running out Das, Largo were in trouble at 32 for four.

With Jack Keiller dismissed for 35 off the bowling of Panwar, all hope was on Steve Rowley and Prakash Udayan but with Udayan (24) caught behind by wicket keeper Nathan Salt off the returning Tayyiub it was left to Panwar to claim two in two and bowl out Largo for 164. A win for Glenrothes by 102 runs.

Overall a game which Glenrothes could take great confidence from.

Qasim Ahmad
1st XI Captain