Stoneywood’s march heads for Lochlands

It is going to take a dramatic shift in the fortunes of Stoneywood/Dyce and Kinloch over the final three weeks to change the outcomes in the Strathmore and Perthshire NEC.

The former are well on the way to collecting the league title, the latter on the way to a league below.

Lochlands stages the next step on S/D’s route to clinching top spot and, if their win in June against Arbroath United is anything to go by when they won by 88 runs, the result is a nobrainer.

That was then and this is now, though, and Arbroath have six wins from 11 starts. Although their match against Gordonians, which would have been a useful form guide, was postponed last week, they have picked up some useful scalps in the half-dozen wins.

However Stoneywood were merciless against Forfarshire II last week, setting them a target of 229 then sending them back to the pavilion for a paltry 83 thanks to Shaun Coetzer’s 51 and Jamie King’s five for 22.

They may not have had a game due to rain last week but Perth Doo’cot will fancy their chances against that Forfarshire side.

They know that a win could bump them up to a respectable fourth spot if other results go their way but that would depend on both Arbroath and Dundee HSFP losing.

Dundee are away to Gordonians after a straightforward win over bottom-of-the-table Kinloch last week by seven wickets but will find the challenge at Countesswells considerably heftier with the Aberdeen side still hanging on to the dwindling hope of closing the gap on Stoneywood/Dyce.

If it goes true to form, the clash between third in the table Meigle at home to Kinloch does not bode well for the visitors who come off that comprehensive defeat at the hands of Dundee, while Meigle came out on top last week.

It was a high-scoring encounter against Mannofield but all-rounder Matt Farmer showed his class with a splendid century and then took four for 30.

Strathmore travel to Mannofield knowing that a win could see them leapfrog their opponents but the memory of an eight-wicket defeat on their own patch in June will not give them too much confidence. Fixtures: Arbroath United v Stoneywood/ Dyce, Forfarshire II v Perth Doo’cot, Mannofield v Strathmore, Gordonians v Dundee HSFP, Meigle v Kinloch.