Sole’s return boosts Grange for Heriot’s clash
Leaders Gen!us Grange are boosted by the return of internationalist Chris Sole from a spell in Australia as they prepare to take on second-placed Heriot’s in the game of the day in the Eastern Premier Division, writes Gary Heatly.
Grange were flying in all competitions this season until they lost a league match against Watsonians on June 19. The Stockbridge men dusted themselves down and have since defeated Meigle, Arbroath and ion8 Forfarshire to sit at the top of the table whilst also progressing to the last four of the Scottish Cup and the final of the Masterton T20 Trophy.
Today they make the short trip to Goldenacre with Sole having returned to Edinburgh to try and make it into the Scotland T20 World Cup squad.
He played his first game back on home soil on Tuesday night against Watsonians in the Masterton and he and Ryan Flannigan come into the league XI in place of regular skipper Tom Foulds and Connor Shorten. Dylan Budge is expected to captain Grange. Heriot’s welcome back key men Hayes van der Berg, Lloyd Brown and Michael Shean for this one.
Third-placed Carlton head north to Stoneywood Dyce looking to make it six league wins on the spin.
Andrew Rayner and Sawan Kumar are among those coming in for the hosts.
Scotland man Craig Wallace returns to the Forfarshire side as the fourth-placed outfit travel to Watsonians.
Pete Maksimczyk is injured, so Oli Hairs captains the fifthplaced home side with batters Mike Carson and Andrew Chalmers added to the XI.
Arbroath, in sixth, are on the road to eighth-placed RH Corstorphine with Matthew Hurst and Craig Ross coming into the visiting XI. Blair Carnegie continues to captain Arbroath with Marc Petrie still missing.
There is a big game at the foot of the table where ninthplaced Stewart’s Melville host bottom side Meigle.
In this shorter than usual season, there is a full league card tomorrow too which will test the various squads and their depth.
The pick of tomorrow’s games look like being Grange versus Carlton and Arbroath against old rivals Forfs.