Largo vs Murrayfield DAFS

Largo added a second 25 point haul on the road as they got the better of Murrayfield DAFS in a nervy encounter.

The Lundin Links Pharmacy’s match ball was put to use immediately when the coin came down the right way for Smith and he had no problems in asking the Edinburgh side to bat on a wicket that would be dead and offer no favours for either side. Despite that the home side started of at a cracking rate and had rattled up 29 runs in the first 10 overs. First change bowler Stuart Ritchie got the first success for Largo when he claimed the scalp of   Knight. He doubled his tally when he removed the dangerous Peake for an excellent 40. The score was 46 for 2 after 15 overs. Enterprising batting from Shiels and Jeya bumped the total to 84 before both were claimed by Sharif in his second spell. After that the home side did not have a great deal to offer in terms of batting with only Sorrel reaching double figures. His knock pushed Murrayfield/DAFS to 132 all out when at one stage they looked like they were heading for a total in excess of 200. The Largo bowlers stuck to their task and Both Sharif and Stuart Ritchie bagged 4 wickets apiece. The remaining two fell to Doc Matthews, rewarded for his tight line and nagging length.

The slowness of the pitch became more evident when the Largo openers managed 34 runs off the first 15 overs. Walker was the first back in the pavilion when his attempt to put bat on ball ended with ball on stumps. Guy Robinson joined Sharif at the middle but both batsmen struggled to reach their normal high standards and Guy was next one out when he was caught in the covers for a sturdy 22. Mowat was unusually circumspect for the first part of his innings but once he got the hang of the conditions he started to splay the ball about including one glorious cover drive. He was caught behind for 11 and was on his way before the umpire had given a decision, the way cricket should be played. Doc Matthews joined Sharif with only 25 needed for the win but Sharif was out for a patient 38 as his attempt to win the game as soon as possible feel a little short. It started to get a little nervy when the Docs run-a-ball 16 ended when he was adjudged to be LBW. The home side sensed an unlikely victory when two more wickets tumbled and Largo batted the 48^th and 49^th overs out for a maiden still needing 1 run for victory. The taste of relief was evident when Chis Barclay stroked a boundary as Largo claimed all the points.

Next week Largo entertains SMRH, hoping to continue their winning run.