Stoneywood-Dyce captain Michael Leask discovered 24 hours is a long time in cricket as he failed to replicate his superb Scotland form of Friday against England and was dismissed for a duck in his side’s meagre total of 39 in defeat by Eastern Premier leaders Falkland.
Leask had thrashed the England bowling attack for 42 from only 16 deliveries at Mannofield in Scotland’s 39-run one-day international defeat on Friday, but this was down to earth with a bump at Peoples Park.
Leask was not alone in failing to trouble the scorers as three of his team-mates were also dismissed for nothing. The paucity of the home reply was reflected in the fact South African Henk Conradie top-scored with seven, nine in arrears of the extras total.
Leask was in no mood for excuses and, after half-an-hour in the home dressing- room with his underperforming side, emerged to say: “Our attitude was all wrong. Players looked out this morning and saw the rain and assumed the game would not go ahead. They simply did not perform.
“We also failed to take advantage when we bowled. 179 was a challenging total but we made it easy for Falkland who batted well on a difficult, soft track. It’s not easy to find positives after a day like this, though Jamie King bowled well for his two for 18.”
Leask had asked the Fifers to bat and King, a 17-year-old from Huntly, came on with the Falkland score on 64 for no wicket. He made an instant impact, removing openers Jack Henderson (36) and Matt Surry (26) in his seven-over spell.
When Henk Conradie made it 71 for three, the advantage looked to be with the Aberdeen side only for the Fifers to dig in through Connor Ryan (29) and captain Brock Ditchman, who scored an unbeaten 32.
A brisk knock of 20 from Scotland player Safyaan Sharif, who was comprehensively bowled by veteran George Ninan, helped take the Falkland total to a challenging 179.
The home reply never got off the ground as seamers Ryan Hepburn and Sharif soon had openers Ali Gill and Shalk Conradie, and Eddie Steinson back in the pavilion with the total on 14.
The departure of Leask and Elton Willemse with the score on 16 signalled the end, both bowled for ducks by the excellent Hepburn.
Hepburn ended the afternoon with the superb figures of five for 14. No less impressive was Sharif with five for 20.
Falkland skipper Ditchman said: “We won’t win the league. Our target since coming up is to stay up, but we are enjoying ourselves.”
Leask and his men would be well advised to set themselves a similar target.
Aberdeenshire’s game at Broughty Ferry against Forfarshire was called off on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch.