Venske to the fore as Aberdeenshire take a giant leap towards safety
Aberdeenshire took full advantage of the weather window in the north by snuffing out the challenge of Glenrothes to effectively banish their relegation fears.
In the only match in the Eastern Premiership to dodge the downpours, Shire ruled in every facet of the contest and were well worth their 24-run success.
Skipper Chris Venske reckons the performance at Mannofield reflected the side’s fresh sense of consistency. He said: “It was another very important win which shows we have started to find some rhythm. We have always understood what we needed to do, but the positive aspect is that we are now executing these things.”
Venske led the way with 55, his opening stand of 74 with Kenny Reid proving to be the ideal foundation. Ian Kirk weighed in with 34 to propel the hosts to 204. Venske then underlined his all-round talents by taking four wickets as the Fifers were held at 180.
The captain shrugged off his own contribution to add: “Ian batted really nicely and I was really impressed with some of his strokeplay. Then Connor Shorten bowled tightly.”
For the visitors, Reddy (49 not out) was the only batsman to pass 20, while Aidan Justus bagged three wickets.
Glens skipper Safyaan Sharif stated: “After picking up a few good victories, this display was a big disappointment. We made a few mistakes which had a big impact on the outcome.”
Meanwhile, Omer Hussain, believes Kelburne are ready to launch a top-flight survival bid in the Western Premier after finally breaking their duck with victory at Greenock. The Paisley men are still bottom of the league but Hussain, whose unbeaten 22 was crucial to the tense four-wicket success, remains upbeat.
He said: “I think this win can be a turning point. There has already been a momentum shift in the mood.
“Luck has not been on our side in a number of games and that can get to you but the guys are happy now and there is a belief that we can build on this result and climb the table.”
Chasing just 60 for that elusive win, the target looked a long way off when Kelburne slumped to 30 for six
However, former Scotland batsman Hussain held his nerve and, supported by the experienced Dougie Wylie (8no), led his team to victory. Jamie Macdonald and Stevie Mclister had earlier routed the home batting lineup with four and three wickets respectively, Hussain assisting with three catches, while only Shailesh Prabhu (16) reached double figures.
Hussainadded:“ithinkwhen we lost early wickets there was a feeling of ‘here we go again’ but Dougie and I knew we had to dig in. He’s been in these situations before and was never going to throw it away.” England won the Women’s World Cup final in the most dramatic fashion against India at Lord’s.
The hosts were staring at defeat with India, chasing a modest 229 to win, cruising at 190 for three. But a late collapse, sparked by five wickets in 19 balls from Anya Shrubsole, saw England snatch an unlikely victory by nine runs.
Shrubsole said: “I’m a little bit lost for words, if I’m honest. It was just an unbelievable game, we looked for minute like we were out of it, but one of the great things about this team, we never give up.
“We never let the run rate get away from us, even though we weren’t getting wickets. We knew if we got a couple we’d be right in the game and all was well in the end. I think it’s a dream and a dream you never think is going to come true.”