Cricket: Craig Wallace hopes team will be home and dry

New Forfarshire skipper Craig Wallace is hopeful the weather in Broughty Ferry is kind and allows him to lead out his side against Aberdeenshire in the Cricket Scotland Eastern Premier Division this afternoon.

Rain has threatened to decimate week two of the new-look league just as it did in week one, but Forfarshire players and officials were hopeful last night that the match at Forthill would go ahead.

Scotland wicketkeeper Wallace took over the captaincy of the Forfarshire first XI at the start of the season, but so far has only actually led his side on to the field in a 50-over match once so far. That was in a comfortable Scottish Cup win against Ayr two weeks ago – when he led by example with 78 not out – and he cannot wait to get another game with the club under his belt. He said: “I love being a leader on the field. A lot of the squad we have together for this season have played for the club for a number of years so we have quite a few talkers on the pitch and I just try and do my bit when we are out there. It has been a frustrating start to the season with the bad weather that has been around.” Should they make it on to the field this afternoon Wallace expects a tough test against Aberdeenshire.

The sides finished third and fourth respectively in last year’s SNCL Premier League and Wallace knows the threat posed by Aberdeenshire’s opening bowlers Tyler Buchan and Chris West.

The 21-year-old said: “They are a good side and Tyler and Chris really give them a good lead with the way they bowl, but we have faith in our own ability and it should be a good game.”

While most clubs have struggled to get in any matches at all recently Aberdeenshire managed to play two in the last week. After last Saturday’s league win over Arbroath they saw off Stoneywood-Dyce in a Masterton Trophy match on Tuesday night and skipper Buchan said: “It was good to get those matches played and we are keen to head to Forfarshire and get another win. We don’t have a great record there in recent years so we are looking to put that right. This league is going to be tight so if we can get some good results early in the season then it will help us because I can see this division going all the way to the wire.”

Stoneywood-Dyce are set to welcome Heriot’s to Peoples Park with the hosts hoping to play their first home match of the season while the visitors are missing Keith Morton and Kevin McLaren.

Carlton are scheduled to take on Arbroath at Grange Loan, but it is in doubt, while Grange-Watsonians was postponed yesterday just after 5pm.