Cricket: Sadler and Allan out for East section final crunch with Carlton

Published on Saturday 1 August 2009 11:35

RH CORSTORPHINE will be missing two of their most potent bowling weapons when they take on Carlton in the rearranged Murgitroyd Masterton Trophy East section final tomorrow (4pm).

Paddy Sadler, who has already taken 18 wickets in SNCL Division Two this summer, is not back from skippering the Scotland under-17 team in the European Championships. And Gordon Allan, who has been in good form since moving to East Barnton from Grange, is unavailable.

Both seamers would have been guaranteed to have bowled their four overs in the Twenty20 final at Carlton's Grange Loan ground and their absence has left RH Corstorphine captain Kevin McLaren with a headache ahead of the encounter.

Hinting that he may be without others too for the match which has already been postponed twice, McLaren said: "It looks like we are going to be under strength for the match which is unfortunate, but that is just the way it goes.

"We are still pretty gutted after last week's league loss to promotion rivals Falkland, so even more so now the league is our priority for the month of August, but this match is still important."

The league match McLaren refers to saw them bowled out for 80 at home by the league leaders. The ten-wicket loss saw them slip to third in the table behind Dumfries and McLaren wants his charges to regain their form – and quickly – for the run in.

"Teams can get rolled out for low totals, it happens in cricket, but what disappointed me most was the manner that we threw our wickets away. Falkland are all but champions, but we have to keep fighting to the end for the play-off spot."

Meanwhile, Carlton will be without batsmen Peter Deakin and Bryn Lockie for the tie. Apart from the experienced duo, who teach at Merchiston Castle and Stewart's Melville College respectively, the home side should be at full strength. The chance to win some silverware comes just seven days after Carlton went out of the Scottish Cup at the quarter-final stage. The scores were tied against Greenock, but the latter had lost fewer wickets.

Midweek skipper Jamie Kerr said: "That result was gutting for everyone involved and it was a game we really should have won.

"However, it has made us even more determined to secure the Masterton Trophy once again and hopefully there will be a decent crowd down watching."