Watson delight as Falkland break top-flight duck

Falkland batter Graeme Watson expressed delight after his team eased past Arbroath to secure a first win since the club returned to the Eastern Premier.

The Fifers went into the Scroggie Park clash having suffered a couple of heavy defeats in their first top-flight campaign for five years.

However, they came good with a comprehensive 84-run win in which Watson contributed a valuable 43 and young Australian Charlie Cassell 48 before Logan Briggs and Greg Chambers had three wickets a piece to send arbroath crashing to a third straight defeat.

Watson, also the club vicepresident, said: “We’re really pleased to get on the board with a win. It’s been a step up for us but we have shown signs that we will compete at this level and I thought we put a few things together today. we were probably 20 or 30 light with the bat but we backed ourselves, defended well and took regular wickets.

“It’s a great credit to our junior development that the team had nine players who learned their cricket at Falkland.”

Elsewhere, champions Heriot’s shrugged-off the absence of four Scotland internationals to beat Stewart’s Melville by eight wickets, Carlton winning by the same margin against Watsonians.

Grange secured a thrilling two-run victory at Stoneywood-dyce while RH Corstorphine claimed a 40-run win at Forfarshire.

Br and onMc mullen produced the batting performance of the day in the Western Premier with a brilliant 101 in Stirling’s win over Kelburne.

Champions Clydesdale were too strong for Dumfries, West of Scotland overpowered Ayr while Ferguslie and Prestwick had home wins against Uddingston and Langside.*