GRANGE cricket club were today urged to turn the screw on all other Lloyds TSB Premiership title contenders when Greaves Clydesdale visit Raeburn Place tomorrow.
The message came from professional Warren McSkimming as Grange look set to be even stronger with international wicket keeper Simon Smith confirming he is ready to return after breaking a thumb playing for the Saltires at Derbyshire in early May.
O
n the downside Grange will be without the unavailable Gregor Maiden but they already have an 11-point lead with just six matches remaining.
Further boosting confidence is the fact they have already rolled over tomorrow's opponents, by a massive 118 runs, with McSkimming blasting 114 not out.
Indeed, when the New Zealander was last at Grange in 2006 – he missed the 2007 Scottish season after his jaw was fractured in eight places fielding to his own bowling in New Zealand – he posted an unbeaten 43 against the 'Dale in the only league meeting between the teams that year. So, what is it he finds particularly appealing about their attack?
"Clydesdale have a couple of quick bowlers who bring the ball on to the bat and that maybe helps me get runs against them," says McSkimming who enthuses over the way the whole Grange team are performing as he chases the personal goal of being able to return Down Under and bridge the gap between New Zealand A and the full side.
One of three Grange bowlers among the top five wicket-takers in the league this season, along with Stuart Davidson and Andy Wilson, he said: "This is definitely the time to start imposing ourselves and as well as the more experienced players we have good youngsters taking their chance."
These include Oliver Hairs, who returns after earning glowing reports representing Scotland under-17s at this week's European Championships and McSkimming, from Dunedin, said: "I've noticed a lot of the youngsters are very good defensively but Olly is equally capable of playing a range of shots."
Hairs, admittedly, only has three innings to his credit due to school commitments at Merchiston Castle but he currently sits second in the averages on 117 thanks to a couple of not-out knocks, although it is in the bowling department that Grange are really raising eyebrows.
And Smith said: "It seems ridiculous now to think that at the start of the season there were serious worries about our bowling attack. We always knew we could rely on Andy Wilson but Stuart Davidson keeps on producing and Warren came with the reputation of an outstanding bowler who could also bat.
"In addition we have Gregor Maiden doing well and it has helped my recovery after being struck on the top of the thumb by a yorker that he, along with Cameron Coles and Matt Hammond, have stood in effectively behind the stumps. There hasn't been as much pressure as there might have been on me to get back and I feel I'm ready to make up for lost time."
Elsewhere, tomorrow Watsonians await Uddingston with a two-change line-up. Drafted in are Ally Fleming and Vijay Saisubramanian as they bid to climb away from the foot of the table where they are one of three sides on 41 points their position helped enormously by a win-double last weekend over Clydesdale and Scottish under-19s.
Among those strugglers are NVT Poloc who should provide Carlton with an opportunity at Grange Loan to get back to winning ways after losing last week to a Heriot's side who travel to Greenock.
In Division One Penicuik are at home to Stenhousemuir, and after suffering their first defeat last weekend it will be important for RH Corstorphine to bounce back at home to Weirs while Edinburgh entertain Stoneywood-Dyce and SMRH are at Dumfries.
THIRD-TIME LUCKY FOR MASTERTON FINAL?THE annual Murgitroyd Masterton Twenty:20 cricket final between holders Carlton and Grange will now be replayed at Grange Loan next Thursday, July 24, after a second wash-out last night.
Organisers are keen to ensure an early conclusion with the winners due to go forward to the inaugural national finals scheduled for Shawholm, Glasgow, on Sunday, August 3.
The East winners are likely to be affected by international calls as the overall finals clash with world twenty:20 qualifying.
The full article contains 730 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
