A great start to the season..(Matchball sponsors - FLOOD INNS)

[b][/b]In East of Scotland Cricket Association Division 2 Largo’s 1st. team made a great start to the season with a fine 59 run win against Heriots 2 at Goldenacre, Edinburgh thanks to some gritty late-order batting by youngsters Ryan Brown and Hughes Gillin and a superb opening spell of bowling by Andy Robertson. Resplendent in their new playing shirts provided by “Esquire Barbershop”,Anstruther Largo lost the toss and were asked to bat.
Opening batsmen Rintoul and Warrender put on 27 at a rapid rate before Rintoul was bowled by Mackellar. Warrender followed almost immediately and although N.Ali and Anderson took the score on to 50 before Anderson was bowled Largo collapsed in the all to familiar pattern which has dogged the last two seasons. Four wickets fell cheaply leaving Largo on 83 for 7.
15years old Gillin then joined the 16 years old Brown. With Brown happy to tie down one end Gillin played well timed shots to all parts of the ground including a huge “six” over mid-wicket. Together they added 38 before Brown was caught by Case from the bowling of Mackellar for a valuable 26 runs while Gillin, batting with Robertson(0) and Bentley(0), added another 15 priceless runs finishing as top scorer on 41not out.
Mackellar and Hamilton were the pick of the Heriots bowlers with 3 wickets each.
Heriots must have been fairly confident that they would chase down the 137 required to win on a decent early season wicket. The Largo squad’s strength however has always been its bowling and not to be underestimated.
Robertson, whose pace seems to have increased over the winter, tore into the Heriots batting line-up with a quick, hostile spell of bowling dismissing their top four batsmen Case, Penman, Thomson and Hardwick for 5, 7, 11 and 0 respectively reducing the Edinburgh side to 28 for 4.
Besides pace Largo skipper Kinnear also used his spin options with Anderson and Brown both showing their Scotland credentials taking a pair of wickets each, Anderson breaking a partnership which was developing when he took the wicket of the dangerous Mackellar. A fine run out from Brown with a throw from the boundary saw the end of South African van Nierwick while the irrepressible Gillin, now also in the Scottish mix, also picked up a wicket.
Hughes Gillin with his 41 not out and Andy Robertson with his 4 wickets were undoubtedly the “Men of the Match”. the matchballs for this weekend’s matches were generously provided by “Flood Inns.”