Cricket: Chalmers hopes Sonians can end season on a high

Skipper Stuart Chalmers wants his Watsonians cricket team to end the most illustrious season in the club’s history with a flourish by beating Dumfries in the national play-off final at Grange Loan today.

Watsonians, whose only change is calling up Gus Fraser-Harris for the injured Dewald Nel, qualified by capturing the East Premiership last weekend while Dumfries won the West’s equivalent event. But Sonians were brought back to earth when losing the Scottish Cup final to Heriot’s 24 hours later.

Chalmers said: “I’m delighted 
we have an opportunity to quickly put the Scottish Cup defeat behind us.”

Dumfries have shot to prominence on the back of two successive promotions but Chalmers refuses to take anything for granted despite the fact Watsonians came away with an away win when the teams clashed at the start of the Scottish Cup pool ties. “Pat Druce took five wickets against us this season in the Cup and we came away from Dumfries convinced that they could go on and lift the West title,” he said.

One nagging worry for ‘Sonians could that Grange Loan hasn’t been a happy hunting ground in recent years, as they lost to Carlton both in the league and in the Murgitroyd Masterton twenty:20 final.

However, Chalmers insists: “What is important is that it is a good pitch.”

Tomorrow, Edinburgh Accies 
face either Dundee HSFP or Glenrothes, who meet today in a play-off, for the right to 
remain in the East First Division.