CLYDESDALE are too far behind to win the championship, but, after a poor start to the season, the Titwood club have put together a winning run of eight games in all competitions and are in buoyant mood for their two matches this weekend.
Today they have a tough league fixture against Carlton at Grange Loan, while tomorrow they entertain Greenock in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. "It's been quite a turnaround and while we are most unlikely to win the league, we can still ha
ve an impact on where it goes, with us having still to play all the top clubs," said spokesman and former captain Colin Mitchell. "Harmanjit Singh has added backbone to our batting – he also took three wickets last Saturday – and everyone is making a contribution of some sort. The cup has to be our top priority now."
Clydesdale, who beat McCrae FS West in the semi-final of the Murgitroyd Rowan Cup on Wednesday, when Singh scored 60, will be without all-rounder Greig Williamson this weekend, Neil Mitchell coming in for both games. Carlton have Darren Spink unavailable, but Ben Durden and Peter Swan are added. This will be the third meeting between the clubs, Carlton having won the first league game, which was transferred to Titwood, while the Glasgow club triumphed in the cup-tie. Carlton trail leaders Greenock by 11 points – on the same mark as Grange – and cannot really afford to drop any more points. Greenock host struggling Poloc today, and their president Jim Lepick revealed captain Craig Wright will not play this weekend because of a niggling back injury, while Tony Judd is also missing. Keiren Begley and Craig Wooler are the likely replacements.
The reigning champions bowled Ferguslie out for 63 last Saturday, with Sean Weeraratna claiming six wickets, and Poloc could be in for a testing afternoon.
It is also a big weekend for Uddingston, whose championship challenge has faltered, because they have been sidelined by the weather over the last two weeks, while Greenock and Grange have managed to play and win both their games. "It's very frustrating," admitted Uddingston's Mark Townson, "but there's plenty of games left for us to make up the deficit." The Bothwell Castle club are away to Ferguslie and start favourites.
Uddingston should have been at home to Heriot's in the cup tomorrow, but are now hosting Chester-le-Street in the last 16 of the Cockspur Cup. Heriot's beat Watsonians in the cup last Sunday and the teams face each other again at Myreside this afternoon, with the home club hoping captain Gordon Drummond will be fit after missing last Saturday's two defeats.
Grange are confident Giles Holmes will return after illness for their away trip to Ayr, which would take them up to full strength. The New Cambusdoon club have slipped up over the past few weeks and another defeat could see them drop out the top five, only a few weeks after being the pace-setters.
The full article contains 513 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
