Cricket: Baum makes his mark

CONGRATULATIONS to Greenock's rising star Alex Baum. The 16-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, made his first major impact on the senior stage on Saturday, smashing a fine unbeaten 60 at number 7 for the Glenpark side against a Carlton attack featuring former Saltires bowlers Cedric English and Ross Lyons, and Scotland hopeful Preston Mommsen.

Meanwhile, Ayr, strongly touted to make an immediate return to the Premiership, and already reaping the benefit of the early blooding of the McElnea brothers Andi and Scott, went even younger, fielding two 14-year olds against Falkland in left-arm seamer Eliot Speirs and his twin brother, leg-spinner Luke. "They've both been picked on merit," said skipper Mark Renny. "They give us genuine options as bowlers, and are both very lively and mature beyond their years in the field." The prevailing SNCL mantra seems to be that if you're good enough you're old enough. Nice to see.

How pleasing, too, that the Saltires' rousing victory over Leicestershire at Grace Road on Sunday owed much to the selectors' renewed focus on youth, with match-defining performances from batsman Richie Berrington, just turned 23, and bowlers Gordon Goudie and debutant Neil Laidlaw, both merely 22.