Clydesdale and Ferguslie pay tribute to De Lange

There will be tears at Titwood today as a new season gets underway with a touching tribute to Con de Lange who died last week at the age of 38.

Players and officials of Clydesdale and Ferguslie, the teams De Lange represented and coached with such distinction, will line up for a minute’s silence in honour of one of the most popular figures in the Scottish game and beyond.

Clydesdale’s Colin Mitchell, a close friend of the South African-born allrounder, said: “Con’s death is a deeply felt loss for everyone. He was a player and coach who had a huge impact at both clubs at different stages of his career.”

Ferguslie captain Riyaad Henry was a youngster in Boland when he first encountered De Lange practising for hours in the nets with his father, the South Africa and Scotland legend, Omar Henry.

He said: “The journey from being that little kid watching on to playing with and against Con has been a huge honour.”

Today’s winner will emerge as early title favourites for the Western Premier title, given that Ferguslie are the reigning champions while their hosts were runners-up.

Clydesdale, captained by Paddy Barbour, are without new signing Adil Raza who is in Pakistan following a bereavement, while Ferguslie must fill the void left by the departure of last season’s leading run scorer Michael English.

Drumpellier return to the top flight with a local derby at Uddingston who will be among the challengers after recruiting former Scotland U19 bowler Niall Alexander and welcoming back Anwar Hafeez from Ayr. Drumps skipper Gordon Shaw said: “Hopefully we can find our feet quickly and gain some confidence.”

East Kilbride, led by former Scotland star Qasim Sheikh, visit a Greenock team buoyed by the return of Indian batsman Saurabh Bandaker.

Prestwick and Stirling meet at Henry Thow Oval while West of Scotland and Poloc clash at Hamilton Crescent.