Mohammed delighted by Shires battle victory

Umair Mohammed insisted revenge could not have been sweeter for Forfarshire after their victory over Aberdeenshire at Mannofield.

The Broughty Ferry boys had been haunted by their home-turf defeat in the high scoring opening-day “battle of the Shires”

But they wiped that experience from their memory banks in decisive style.

Skipper Mohammed said: “It was a good feeling to go up there and get the result we wanted, especially since they are always powerful in their own back yard.

“Their captain Chris Venske and their pro batted very well, so I was extremely proud of the manner in which my team fought back in the field to restrict their flow of runs.

“There is tremendous spirit in the squad at the moment – in fact, I would go as far as to argue that the level is at an all-time high.”

The hosts’ knock featured a superb stand of 143 between Chris Ngoepe (94) and Venske (71), who became one of Mohammed’s two victims at a crucial stage.

Responding to 234 for seven, Matty Parker and Craig Wallace mounted an opening partnership of 47, which proved to be the ideal platform.

And Forfs got across the line with more than six overs to spare.

Arbroath remain at the head of the title race in the wake of their convincing 128-run victory over basement boys Falkland at Scroggie Park. Hayden Laing led the way by hitting 67 as the visitors surged to 302 all out, with stand-in skipper Ross McLean’s 48 also important.

In adversity, 19-year-old Calum Watson bowled excellently for the home troops, picking up five wickets.

At 127 for two, Falkland were in the hunt, but the challenge crumbled when Harsha Cooray perished for 56.

World Cup veteran Alec Davies has lost count of the number of matches in which he has appeared.

But when the 54-year-old wicketkeeper took the field for Glenrothes against his former club Carlton, he didn’t imagine for a minute that he would experience his first ever tie.

Davies chuckled: “It turned out to be one of the most dramatic and thrilling games of my career – and the only tie.

“Apart from the fluctuating fortunes of each side, it was lovely to hear the crowd getting involved – in a nice way, of course!”

Responding to Glens’ tally of 159, Carlton appeared to have timed their chase perfectly.

But it all boiled down to the final delivery and Calum Everett was short of his ground as captain Safyaan Sharif gleefully flicked off the bails.