McCrea West of Scotland in 2019

McCrea West of Scotland had a strong cricket season in 2019, finishing second in the WDCU Premier Division, reaching the Scottish Cup quarter final and the knockout stages of the T20 McCulloch Cup. Here are some highlights.

Premier Division

In the league, West won 11 and lost two matches, second place behind Uddingston who won 11 and lost one. This is much better than last season where six games were won from 14 matches. In many years, this would be a championship season, but standards were high!

The key to this improvement is the runs scored batting first. Averaging 184 was an improvement on last year and, due to the heavy influence of rain on matches, was the third best average score of the season in the Premier Division. West also got the monkey off their back of “going big” as this year West had four of the top 20 scores batting first in the Premier Division, second only to Prestwick’s six.

The highlight was undoubtedly the match against Clydesdale where West burst through 250 for the first time in almost three seasons, ending up just short of 300. This was in no small part to the strong focus on partnerships from Captain Ian Young, seeing West outperform expectation consistently for the first five wickets. However, it was not all West’s way. Matches against East Kilbride and Greenock saw two collapses that required some excellent bowling to recover.

The match at Torrance House saw a heroic 10th wicket partnership of 56 between Blaal Hussain and Toby Gardiner. The runs gave the pair something to bowl at, and West finished victors, kick starting the season from a precarious position.

Speaking of great work, the epic last ball finish against Uddingston will be remembered for a long time, especially the tiptoes boundary catch of James Fennah to win the game for West.

When chasing, West kept up their well-deserved reputation for getting over the line more than anyone else. A powerful display from the top order against East Kilbride was impressive to watch, with David Braithwaite rapidly making fifty to set up and display of hitting from professional Rory Kleinveldt that was straight out of the IPL. In previous years, West have considered the chase game as a weaker suit. This is not true. Since returning to the Premier Division, West have won six from 10 chases, this year West chased three times and won twice, keeping the average up.

Dave McNulty was the hero chasing with the bat this season. Playing in West’s home game against Clydesdale, West were cruising to a simple chase when a collapse saw the fast bowler at the crease with the company of number 10, Gavin Smith and 20 runs to get. In a cool-headed display, the winning runs were knocked off. It was undoubtedly the best innings under pressure of the season.

Batting

Overall, Kleinveldt was the stand-out batsman, scoring over 800 runs in all competitions. However almost every top order batsman found a role and put in strong performances. Young was the rock at the top of the order all season. Fearn, Fennah, Farndale and Williams all made valuable contributions in the middle order.

There were several “new boys” with the bat that all made an impact this year. David Braithwaite had a double fifty weekend and brought a touch of class in both his wicketkeeping and cover drive. John Oliver settled in at three after his transfer from Accies in the winter, proving a reliable anchorman. Mikey Miller brought bite to the middle order - especially good against the spinners - to add to his significant bark in the field. Rob Corner (breaking into the first team after a spell in the Partick XI) showed potential opening the batting.

Bowling

With the ball, West looked even stronger. There were no weak links in the bowling unit. James Fennah was the standout bowler, contributing in every game he played, taking crucial wickets alongside the huge number of dots he bowls. Kleinveldt, Kieran Chance and Gavin Smith all had a positive impact through the season.

Simon Brown locked a place in the side after years in the Partick XI taking wickets regularly and fielding well. Farndale was looking effective until his injury ended his season. Veteran seamer Dave McNulty deserves a special mention for not only putting in some top-level performances- easily the best bowler when West bowl second - but also coming back from injury several times to still send down over 50 overs this year.

Of course, it’s impossible to mention the bowling without talking about Smith’s incredible seven wicket haul against Greenock. The paceman tore through Greenock when they were looking likely to win, taking five wickets in five balls.

Fielding

The XI were also reliable in the field, saving runs with strong ground fielding and catching. Miller put in solid work keeping and out fielding. Fennah, Young, Braithwaite, Brown and Corner all contributed excellent work. The most credit must be given to Oliver. In his first season at the club, the former Scotland U19 player saved over 8 runs a match alone through good fielding. This is easily the best fielding average of the season, and anyone who watched his athletic diving stops and safe hands this season can testify to his performance. Although perhaps his laundry bill is the highest of the squad.

Cups

In the cups, West also looked impressive. The McCulloch T20 Cup group stages were unbeaten, in no small part thanks to 130 from Kleinveldt against Weirs. Prestwick were easily dispatched in the quarter final. However, a weak showing in the semi-final against Ferguslie finished the campaign. In the Rowan Cup, West were surprised in the first round by Craig Young of Poloc with a magnificent chase to win the game in the last over.

The early rounds of the Scottish Cup passed without much challenge for West, thanks to some commanding team performances with bat and ball against Drumpellier and Weirs.

The big challenge was the quarter final where The XI travelled to Edinburgh to take on Eastern powerhouses, Heriot’s. Despite a strong performance, a collapse in the chase saw West fall short. Heriot’s went on to win the competition.

In many ways, it was a frustrating season beset by rain and occasional dips in form that prevented Young from lifting any silverware. Yet, it was West’s best season for many years and everyone who donned the Baggy Roon in 2019 should be proud of taking the side up another notch. Well played West!