Ross County’s confidence could not be higher as they approach tomorrow’s NOSCA T20 final against Forres St Lawrence at Grant Park.
The Strathpeffer outfit notched up an impressive 392 for six in their league victory over Elgin, which they believe to be a NOSCA record score.
County’s opening batsman Chris Blake says the victory could not have come at a better time, with the first silverware of the season up for grabs this weekend.
Blake said: “We had a really good win in the league on Saturday, by scoring 392 we think that’s the highest total ever scored in the NOSCA league.
“We reckon there was a score of 382 by RAF Lossiemouth in 2004. It’s quite difficult to go through absolutely everything, but we think that was the previous highest total which we have now surpassed.
“As time goes on there has been an improvement in batting surfaces and cricket bats, but even so it was a great knock which we are delighted to have scored.
“It means we are going into the final with really high confidence, in a really good place, and in good form.
“Graeme Carney scored 186 so he’s in the form of his life with the bat just now. He’s hitting sixes all over the shop so hopefully he can get going again.”
Tomorrow’s match will be the first of two to be contested between Ross County and Forres St Lawrence, with the Moray side enjoying home advantage for this weekend’s showpiece before the senior knockout cup final is staged at County’s Castle Leod on August 14.
Blake is anticipating a difficult encounter, adding: “We will be going to Grant Park looking to do the business. We have already beaten them this season in the league.
“It was a bit closer than we would have liked, it came down to the wire, so it should be a cracker.
“Forres are always a good side who are always there or thereabouts. They bat and bowl well, they are a good all round side.
“We will need to take our best game through to Forres – but I think we have got the firepower and the bowlers to do the business.”
Forres lost by just five runs when the sides last met on league duty on June 26, and captain Nigel Gerrard hopes his side can go one better this time around.
Gerrard said: “Ross County are a strong team. You only have to look at last week’s result to see what the challenge is.
“If there is going to be a record like that, it’s going to be somewhere like their place because it’s not the biggest ground and it’s quite fast out there.
“It’s Graeme Carney’s scores we have to look out for, because he has been on fire.
“If we catch him on a good day, I don’t think there’s an awful lot we can do about it so hopefully we catch him on a bad day.
“We won the T20 five years on the trot before Buckie won it in 2018.
“I have picked up some form personally, and if we can get Pal Dhami and Gus Farr firing it would give us a chance – and you never know on the day.”