Meigle’s title to lose

There are three weeks left of the Strathmore and Perthshire NEC and only a collapse of massive proportion can now prevent Meigle clinching the title.

The league leaders are basking in the glow of a 100% win record and, without being unfair to today’s opponents Arbroath United, it would be a major shock if the visitors became the first to upset the Meigle applecart.

Last week’s results were close run things for them both, Arbroath falling just short of ASI Gordonians’ total of 197 with great efforts by Jack Waller and Greig Peal while ion8 Forfarshire got to within 30 of Meigle’s total thanks to a battling half century from Graeme Garden. The previous clash between the two was close, Meigle passing the Arbroath total of 74 with only two wickets in hand, but it is unlikely they will stumble now with the title in sight.

There is still a chance that second placed Strathmore could take advantage of any Meigle slip up but they travel to face Falkland knowing that the Scroggie Park side amassed 316 runs thanks to big innings from Harash Cooray, Lyle Robertson and Danny Pearson.

Strathmore come off a comfortable win against Kinloch last week by 132 runs and if both sides hit form again with the bat, this could be a tasty one.

Third in the table Dundee HSFP could make it a double when they travel to face Kinloch who they scrunched by five wickets in their earlier encounter, but made it hard for themselves last week chasing a very modest Perth Doocot total of 86 and got there with only one wicket in hand. They will expect more this week from Rashin Upamal, although they could hardly ask for better bowling than they got from Majid Rasheed who had 5-20 and Tom McFarlane’s 4-24. Opponents Kinloch can only play out the final matches for fun knowing that they are bound to end up bottom.

The clash between Perth Doocot and ASI Gordonians at Doocot Park is a hard one to call. Gordonians took 197 runs off Arbroath last week to end their disastrous losing streak and Perth could only scratch 86 against Dundee, but neither side has shown any consistency making the outcome uncertain.

Having performed pretty well against league leaders Meigle last week, ion8 Forfarshire 2nd could feel pretty confident when Mannofield pitch up with the visitors having been at the wrong end of that Falkland onslaught last week