Fun in the Sun at Largo

Many thanks to all at Largo for a great game today between the clubs respective 2nd XI's. With player availability a struggle, the match was agreed to be played as an 8-a-side T30 and played in great spirits by all.

First innings...

Glenrothes batted first and were soon in trouble, as good bowling by youngsters Cameron and Harry saw them bowl openers Brian and Joshua. At 12 for 2 from 5 overs, it was Gladiator Karthik to show great batting maturity and hit a number of good shots to rebuild the innings - but he was to fall for a well made 16 as the tight bowling of Gareth (1 for 6 off 5 overs) saw him chop a catch to home skipper Rob at mid-off.

Young Ben was to repeat the action next over, this time off the bowling of Stuart for a catch by Rob again and Glenrothes 49 for 4 in the 14th over. Jamie and Ravi added a further 16 runs for the 5th wicket partnership, before Jamie was bowled by Ewan for 8.

This brought debutant Shaun to the crease, and all were delighted to see him get off the mark with a single from a good pull shot to fine leg. But his innings was cut short as he unluckily hit his own wicket to see Glenrothes 67 for 5 in the in the 20th.

This brought Nic (as last batter) and Ravi together, and both soon looked to up the scoring rate with a mixture of aggresive shots and "well-paced" running. Having added 60 runs in 9 overs, both were to retire not out (Nic 36* and Ravi 30*) - some would say to take a breather! This brought youngsters Joshua and Karthik back to the crease to see out the last over, and both batted well to add a further 7 runs and see Glenrothes finish on 134 for 5 from their 30 overs.

Second innings...

After his batting success, it was Ravi to open the bowling also - bowling tight with just 7 runs conceded off his opening 4 overs, though crucially, he also saw opener Adrian dropped by Jamie at mid-wicket. Adrian was able to build on that luck, and with fellow opener Rob was able to push the score on well, before Rob retired on 14 not out to give others a go.

First up was Stuart and he played some nice shots before also retiring early on 11 not out. It was Adrian to bat strongly around this though, finding his hitting range though great credit to young bowlers Joshua, Ben and Karthik for battling hard against him.

It was Ben who did the make the breakthrough, bowling young Finn at the end of the 16th over - Largo 76 for 1, and almost all equal. But with Adrian continuing to bat well, before retiring with a well made 53 not out, it was Ewan to up the tempo clobbering 18 runs off one over from Jamie to swing the game.

Good bowling by Karthik and Jamie, fighting back, reigned him in slightly but Ewan was to soon retire on 30 not out - another great innings. This brought youngsters Harry and Cameron together, both batting well and not taking risks. With 7 overs left and 18 runs needed for the win, debutant Shaun came on to bowl and despite a few nerves pushing some balls wider, he will have been very pleased to get through his first two overs!

Skipper Brian though brought himself and Ravi back on the bowl right at the death, and it was to be Ravi rewarded with Nic hanging on to a snick behind by Harry - Ravi finishing with great figures 1 for 13 off 6, and Largo on 134 for 2 (all square with one over remaining).

Good bowling by Brian off the first four balls put lots of pressure on Cameron, but he was to hold his nerve and struck a lofted drive back over the bowler to claim the win for Largo with one ball remaining.

Game summary...

A really fun game to be involved in, both teams playing confidently and with respect to see everyone giving a good chance of contributing. For Glenrothes, it was great to see the young players (Ben, Joshua and Karthik) all play with confidence and particularly great to see Shaun make his debut too! Largo in turn showed great class throughout the game and fully deserved the victory.

Many thanks for hosting us - three great games between Glenrothes and Largo over the past few days (Under 12s, Under 14s and 2nd XI) and one more to come tomorrow (Sunday 29 August) at the Glenrothes Kwik Cricket Festival. Many thanks for such a great game today and for being fantastic hosts.