Cricket: Scotland rue missed opportunity

SCOTLAND went down fighting in the opening encounter of their Jubilee double header against Hampshire yesterday.

This six-wicket CB40 reverse was an improvement on last week’s limp showing against Durham and in the end the difference may well have been two improbable catches held by the hosts and a straightforward one which was dropped by the Scots.

Defending 230, Gordon Drummond’s men made the ideal start when the skipper himself found the edge of Jimmy Adams’ bat and Calum MacLeod held the catch at slip. Better followed when Drummond trapped James Vince in front to reduce the county to 15-2. However, Michael Carberry survived a huge lbw shout to Matty Parker.

The left-handed opener then edged Josh Davey between the keeper and slip before being dropped in the same over by Jean Symes at deep mid-wicket.

It was to prove horribly costly for the Scots as Carberry went on to finish the match unbeaten on 148 having faced just 120 balls and stroked 20 boundaries. He was ably assisted by Simon Katich, who departed for 41 after edging Matty Parker to Craig Wallace.

Parker had a further success when Sean Ervine found the hands of MacLeod. However, Carberry continued to punish the visitors for that drop and took the game away from them.

Earlier the Saltires made a promising start. Davey and MacLeod put on 37 at a brisk rate, but both were dismissed without addition to the total.

Davey, having made 24, connected cleanly with David Griffiths’ first delivery of the match only for Vince to take a brilliant one-handed catch. Remarkably that effort was eclipsed by Katich who audaciously pouched MacLeod’s searing drive at mid-wicket off Mascarenhas.

Richie Berrington lofted Mascarenhas over his head for six only for the bowler to claim revenge three balls later. Symes was next to go for 22, edging Ervine to Michael Bates. When Freddie Coleman went in similar fashion to leave the Scots on 97-5 only an 80-run stand between Preston Mommsen and Majid Haq steadied the ship.

The losses of Mommsen, Craig Wallace, Moneeb Iqbal and Drummond saw them again tottering at 201-9 with two overs remaining, but Haq remained unbeaten on 53 as they managed to bat out the innings.

• SCOTLAND will face Bangladesh in a T20 International next month. The match will take place on Tuesday the 24 July at the neutral venue of Voorburg in the Netherlands.

The Bangladesh team are undertaking a short tour to Europe as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year and will play matches against all three European Associate ODI countries.