Title rivals unchanged in race for top-flight crown
TITLE hopefuls Arbroath and Mazars Grange have both named unchanged teams as the CSL Eastern Premiership looks set to come to an exciting end this afternoon.
Over the last four months both sides have played some cracking cricket in the league with Arbroath top of the table and Grange just behind them in second.
If the men from Lochlands can defeat Watsonians at Myreside then they will lift the trophy that they last won two seasons ago, but Grange will be waiting on any slip-up.
Should Arbroath lose,
then the Edinburgh side would finish top for the first time since lifting the “old” SNCL Premier Division five years ago if they can defeat Heriot’s at home.
And, with Arbroath and Grange also set to meet in the Scottish Cup final tomorrow in Stirling, this has all the makings of a dramatic weekend.
Arbroath skipper Marc Petrie believes his players have given him everything since they lost their opening two league matches of the summer.
In fact they have not lost in the league or Scottish Cup since early May when a George Munsey-inspired Grange defeated them.
As a result, wicketkeeper Petrie takes the same XI to Myreside today that defeated Autoecosse Forfarshire last week.
Young Jack Waller is set
to continue opening the batting along with Brendon Ford, while Elton Willemse and Calvin Burnett will both be on a high after playing well last time out.
When Arbroath and Watsonians met back in May, the former won by five wickets, but the 2012 champions from Edinburgh have been in good form of late. They have won five league matches on the spin and, last weekend, skipper Ewan Chalmers hit 131 not out as they thumped Stoneywoood-dyce.
They have teenager Andrew Cockburn coming into the team for Fraser Sands.
Across town at Portgower Place in Stockbridge, Grange will be without Scotland batsman Munsey as they take on Heriot’s.
Munsey is currently on trial at English county Northants and, although he will not be in action for his club today, he is set to be involved in the Scottish Cup final tomorrow.
That means that, for the Edinburgh derby, Grange captain Andrew Brock has named an unchanged XI from the one that saw off Aberdeenshire seven days ago.
Vice-captain Ryan Flannigan hit 100 opening the batting in that one and will once again take up that role alongside Nick Farrar.
Heriot’s, who got a confidence-boosting victory over already-relegated RH Corstorphine last time out, have also named an unchanged side and Keith Morton’s men will be keen to cause an upset.
Elsewhere today, away from the top-of-the-table drama, fourth-placed Forfarshire take on third-placed Carlton, with the former having won the national Twenty20 event last Sunday.
Despite both sides having not too much to play for, Aberdeenshire-stoneywood-dyce contests are always tasty and they meet at Mannofield. And Falkland have Craig Hepburn and George Gallagher coming into their side as they host RH Corstorphine.