Cricket: Greg Maiden's ton up

Gregor MAIDEN will tomorrow join an elite group of cricketers who have played more than 100 times for Scotland when the Grange star lines up at Northamptonshire in the latest Clydesdale Bank 40 series encounter.

But, to achieve that landmark, none of the other 16 centurions have had to re-invent themselves in quite the same way as the man dubbed "the ultimate all-rounder" by Cricket Scotland chief executive Roddy Smith.

This season, the 31-year-old Maiden has fulfilled a goal to keep wicket at international level and, six matches in, earns warm praise from Smith who says: "Gregor bowls off-spin (62 wickets) and is a quality batsman (943 runs) but he has now managed to move on to a third phase in his already successful international career.

"He has done it at the right time, too, because in one-day cricket it is now absolutely essential to have a wicket-keeper who also bats strongly."

Indeed, when Maiden went to the crease at sixth wicket down when Surrey were entertained last weekend it was as someone who, 24 hours earlier, had smacked a century in club cricket for Grange at Dunfermline.

At times during last Sunday and Monday's home double-header, also featuring Durham, Maiden was seen walking across the square to give hints from his close-up vantage point to captain Gordon Drummond about aspects of the bowling attack and Smith adds: "It is important that a youth/experience balance is struck and it helps that Gregor has taken to the keeping duties in a way that has silenced some critics, albeit there was a wee bit of a risk attached at the start of the move.

"Gregor really does have such a lot of talent and hopefully we are now seeing him fulfil the potential.

"Simon Smith, now with Heriot's, is another strong keeper/batsman knocking on the door and, of the up- and-comings, Craig Wallace (Forfarshire), Mark Cross (Aberdeenshire) and Marc Petrie (Arbroath) will all be pushing sooner rather than later."

Add them to the youngsters already in the side and it is easy to take a glass-half-full approach even though it is disappointing that they could not get over the finishing line at Durham and Warwickshire when they were close to a win on both occasions this season. In heading south Saltires will have to put behind them memories of indifferent bowling displays when Surrey and Durham romped home at Raeburn Place.

The Saltires will be boosted, however, by the return of overseas professional Luke Butterwort.The Australian, who was the biggest wicket taker (43 at an average of 15.04) in Australia's top domestic competition, the Sheffield Shield, played in the first two Saltires fixtures, but has missed the last four.

Butterworth and others will have to be on their mettle tomorrow, however, with Northants - in contrast to an indifferent 2010 - standing three from three in the CB series.

Captained by South African Andrew Hall and featuring Sri Lankan ace Chaminda Vaas alongside England one-day cap Mal Loye, the Steelbacks have defeated Leicestershire (seven wickets), Durham (five wickets) and Warwickshire (18 runs).

Behind the stumps there is Niall O'Brien, a member of the Irish side which defeated England at this year's World Cup. He can bat a bit too - just the kind of challenge Gregor Maiden is known to relish as he looks to be the long term solution to a wicketkeeping void left by another of Scotland's centurions, Colin Smith.