Stonehaven Thistle 2nd XI: 209 for 4
Huntly Highlanders: 146 for 5
Match drawn

Stonehaven’s 2nd XI gained valuable points on Saturday with a draw at Huntly, but could not take enough wickets to force the win.

Captain Dave Long Snr won the toss and chose to bat first on a very easy paced artificial pitch.  With the sun shining brightly and temperatures reaching 28ºC, Bruce Findlay and Dom Cruickshanks opened the batting.  They played steadily against some accurate bowling from Guild until Findlay was out caught in the 8th over off the bowling of Hayman.

This brought the captain to the crease, who together with Cruickshanks slowly increased the run rate in a useful partnership.  Long played some lovely shots with the full face of the bat through mid on, before he was bowled by Reid for 33 with the score on 99.  Matthew Colvin was next in, but he got a good ball from Ritchie to be out for 1 before he had settled.

James Crozier came in at 5, and played some excellent strokes, striking the ball sweetly to the boundary on several occasions, finishing on 43 not out.  In the meantime, Cruickshanks continued on his way to 91, before falling LBW to Guild which saw Stonehaven declare.  Together they had built a partnership of 106, and moved the score to 209 in 42 overs.

After an excellent tea, Huntly began their innings cautiously and lost their first wicket in the fourth over when Mitchell was bowled by Alisdair Gardiner without scoring.  Progress was slow before first change bowler Calum Findlay bowled Morrison for 7 in the 13th over with the score on 20. 

Rough came to the crease to join opener Heyman, and together they took very few risks against the accurate Bryan Snelling.  Paul Hay and Daniel Colvin both bowled short spells without luck for Stonehaven.  Dom Cruickshanks and Dave Long Snr both tried to tempt the Huntly batsmen into playing a rash stroke, but to no avail.

It was the return of Dave Long Jnr which brought the breakthrough, when he drew a fine edge from Rough’s bat to bring an end to his innings of 42 in the 38th over.  Bruce Findlay took a neat catch behind the wicket.  Guild played a couple of beefy shots before he was caught to give Long his second wicket.  Long then bowled Heyman for his third wicket in the 44th over.  Ritchie managed to survive until Huntly had batted out their 48 overs on 146 for 5 for the draw.  Heyman finished with 43 not out having carried his bat.  Dave Long Jnr took 3 for 22 from his 12 overs, while Gardiner and Findlay both took 1 for 8.

The match ball was sponsored by Ruftrak Bikes.