Heartache for Meigle in play-off
A pulsating play-off match that ebbed and flowed saw Meigle narrowly miss out on promotion to the national league.
ESCA Championship winners Stewarts Melville Royal High of Edinburgh secured a nervy win by three wickets.
Meigle were asked to bat on a firm pitch and SMRH opened up with rising star of Scottish cricket, 20 year-old fast medium bowler Elliott Ruthven – originally of St Boswell’s – in their attack.
Ruthven bowled with brisk pace and took three for 21. However, he was fortunate that the umpire adjudged Steve Knight had got bat on a delivery that seemed to clearly have hit the batsman’s thigh pad.
There was no luck in Ruthven’s first dismissal of Tom Hales as a perfect yorker saw the off stump cartwheel.
Meigle looked set to steady the ship at 63 for four but lost captain Matthew Farmer, Peter Drummond and Tom Duff in a four over spell to plummet to 75 for seven.
With Neil Wimberley having top scored on 23, it took a fine rear guard battle by Charles Clark – with 22 – to see Meigle to 116 all out.
With Meigle not having used their full 50 overs, the Black and Golds had 14 overs to bowl at SMRH before tea.
Meigle made early inroads with Wimberley holding catches from the bowling of captain and vice-captain duo paceman Farmer and swing bowler Iain Stewart.
Further pressure was ramped up on the Edinburgh outfit when Farmer took a wicket on the stroke of tea to leave them reeling on 56 for five.
SMRH fought back well after the break but Meigle were right in it with Roland Thorne taking a screamer of a catch off Hales and Alan Neave bowling with extra pace and vigour claiming the wicket of South African all-rounder Giradeaux.
Three failed attempts to shy at the stumps and a regulation catch and a hard half chance in the outfield saw the tide start to turn in SMRH’s favour with 97 for seven becoming 119 for seven in the 36th over as Meigle’s promotion hopes were dashed as Stewart was drilled for four.
Overall though, the Meigle men were positive in defeat, having pushed the ESCA champions hard and to the wire after a season in which the Black and Golds have played some top quality cricket.
Meanwhile, the club’s second XI play their penultimate Strathmore and Perthshire Union Division 2 North match against Montrose at Victory Park on Sunday from 1pm.
Tickets for the‘140 not out’ceilidh, on September 17 at the Red House Hotel in Coupar Angus, will be on sale.