Forfarshire looking to maintain momentum

With yet another win against the form book and a surprise collapse at Lochlands, the defeats suffered by Meigle and Perth Doo’cot last week ensured that the gap between them in third and fourth spot and Strathmore and Perthshire NEC leaders Stoneywood Dyce and Gordonians widened considerably.

Whether the narrow gap between the top two will remain that way after this week’s matches is an interesting question, since Gordonians find themselves at home to Forfarshire II.

Forget the fact that the Countesswells outfit won their previous encounter by seven wickets, Forfarshire picked up their third league win last week, beating Meigle by 16 runs in a splendid game.

Kye Leggett and Jack Hogarth did the damage with the bat for Shire, Graeme Garden again delivered with the ball with four wickets and Gordonians probably realise that anything less than the effort which put Kinloch away by 108 runs last week could be seriously punished.

Liam Lindsay was the main man for Stoneywood Dyce when they comprehensively beat Mannofield with eight overs to spare last week, their valuable overseas acquisition taking 4-15 then belting 59 in S/D’s six-wicket win.

Although not featuring in the batting when the two met earlier in the season, Lindsay took 3-21 against Kinloch so there is little doubt about who the bottom-of-the table side will regard as the opposition’s danger man.

Whether they can do anything about it remains to be seen as they attempt to double their win total from one to two.

When Arbroath United met Mannofield earlier in the season, a cracking match resulted in almost 500 runs on the board and a win in the final over for Arbroath by 10 runs.

The pair are sixth and seventh in the table with little between them. With Jack Plomer and Daryll Sinclair in a bit of form for the home side, and Frazer Proud collecting runs for Mannofield, it could be another high-scoring contest.

It took Michael Gourley and Nigel Haxzel to dig Strathmore out of it last week when they came together at 79-3 to add 100 before they ran out of overs, but even that was not enough to beat Dundee HSFP.

However, they travel to Meigle who will still be smarting from that defeat at the hands of Forfarshire, so Strathie will be looking to repeat their win back in May, one of only two they have managed in the league all season.

It wasn’t the strongest side Perth Doo’cot will put out this season which went down to Arbroath United at Lochlands last week, but it was a poor total nevertheless.

With this week’s opponents Dundee seeing off Strathmore with four overs to spare last week, this could be a tricky one for the Perth outfit to get a result.