Match Report

vs Peebles County (2010-07-17)

Peebles 113
Neil Service 4 for 31
Vince Shipley 3 for 26

Dunfermline 114 for 4
Mushy Beg 56
David Miller 26

Dunfermline Knights second eleven continued their great run of form with a weekend team against second placed Peebles.
On a typical Scottish summers day Peebles were put into bat first. Neal Service and Vince Shipley opened the bowling – and both bowled their ten over’s straight though – with wickets falling at steady intervals. Peebles had slumped to 70 for 8 when the opening pair had finished their spells. Service picking up 4 for 31 and Shipley 3 for 26. Peebles mounted a slight comeback against the change bowlers – however closed the day on 113.
This total was never going to be enough on a good batting track. Davidson and Beg opened the batting for the hosts. However of the second ball Jordan Davidson managed to play on to his own stumps for 0. David Miller stepped in at 3 and put on a good partnership with Mushy Beg before miscuing the ball and being caught out for 26. Mushy followed through and got to 56 before he was out caught and bowled. Shaun Davidson and Neal Service comfortably saw Dunfermline over the finishing line in the 29th Over for a fine victory. Next week Dunfermline 2’s take a break from league duty to play a friendly against Hamilton Palace at Mckane Park.

 The Match Report from the Peebles website can be found here - and below (slightly amended for correct player names)

The fine city of Dunfermline,ancient capital of Scotland,was the venue for Peebles County's latest defeat in the East of Scotland League on saturday. Shrouded in evanescent mist and rain,the Abbey,birthplace of Charles 1st,provided a surreal,fairytale backdrop on the sky-line over the city.The turbulent reign of this troubled monarch was characterized by strife,civil war and bloody conflict. Down below on the fields of McKane Park another form of carnage was about to unfold.

County captain Osborne won the toss and elected to bat first on a benign track sheltered by covers from the vagaries of the elements.County's shaky openers managed to do little more than survive for the first ten overs before the side imploded. Dunfermline bowler Neil Service ripped the heart out of County's top order with four wickets in the second half of his ten-over spell.True,he bowled with bite and accuracy,but this in no way excuses the elementary technical deficiencies of Peebles batsmen: they played back when thay should have been on the front foot,they played across the line when a straight bat was required.

Soon after Osborne,who was batting with style and confidence,was caught by the keeper essaying a dangerous late cut and the game was all but over for Peebles. Wolfe Murray A and Knight combined heroically to produce a rallying partnership and took the total to over a hundred, offering County's beleagured players a scintilla of hope.Both men batted with patience and discipline,the very qualities their colleagues sitting in the pavilion had so manifestly failed to display. The innings ended in the 42nd over with the scoreboard on 113.This was the one of the lowest recorded totals in recent history.

Defending it was always going to be a difficult ask but County's bowlers gave of their all. Knight and Osborne both took two wickets and Maxwell produced a hostile economical spell which deserved reward. After an early shock wicket,Dunfermline's batters "Mushy" Begg and Miller batted with a quiet assurance,interspersed with some sensational strokeplay. County will rue a difficult chance which went abegging when "Mushy"was in his late teens.He went on to complete his half-century and lay the foundations for victory. Ducoudray was the unfortunate bowler.

Emerging from the game with but four points,the result is a set-back for County but not an unmitigated disaster. It should not de-rail
the team from promotion which is still well within their reach provided they strenghten the batting.There were extenuating circumstances in that Peebles' two most prolific scorers,Chatt and Caddick were away in foreign parts but it was not a distinguished performance.