Sandy Strang: Trial by webcam for Grange and Aberdeen

All thanks to an unlikely combination of our recent abysmal weather and some enlightened techno-geeks. A world first,  no less. IBO. The interactive bowl-out.

It all began when Eastern Premier Leaders Grange, whose own ground had earlier been out of commission for some five weeks after the Water of Leith burst its banks on Saturday 7 July, and Aberdeenshire were twice thwarted by the elements in their efforts to play their Cricket Scotland Trophy semi-final at sodden Mannofield. The dreaded bowl-out beckoned.

“But Grange didn’t want to travel all the way to Aberdeen just for a bowl-out,” explains Shire player-coach and former international batsman Neil MacRae, ironically also once of Grange, “which was fair enough.”

So instead of the standard bowl-out to decide who should advance, last Thursday evening both sides locked horns some 130 miles apart, with the action beamed by video link on laptops set up on the respective squares at Mannofield and Portgower Place. The idea was for both sides to view each other’s progress as cricket’s equivalent of football’s penalty shoot-out progressed. “There’s a place in a national final at stake,” added MacRae. “So it’s important we can all see at both grounds.”

And that’s what happened. Almost. Sadly some technical gremlins intervened, and only the attempts at the stumps from the Aberdeen end were visible – although neutral umpires at both grounds, dressed in their official white coats no less, ensured fair play and a proper score tally.

Grange won the toss, took first bowl, and never looked back. The unerring eyes of Gregor Maiden and Andrew Brock with two direct hits each saw the Edinburgh side take an early, unassailable lead, as sad Shire struggled to find their range, mustering up a succession of misses. Only MacRae himself hit the stumps as they succumbed 6-1.

Grange now progress to the final this Sunday at West Lothian’s Boghall where they’ll meet Arbroath, who made their way to the final by the more conventional route, defeating West of Scotland by three wickets at Lochlands.

Chand’s 111 a lesson for our young stars

It was a brilliant masterclass in aggressive, authoritative batting. India’s Unmukt Chand smashed a magnificent

unbeaten 111 from just 130 balls on Sunday as, assisted by keeper-bat Smit Patel’s 62 from 82, he led his imperious side to their third Under-19 World Cup win with a convincing six-wicket triumph in the ICC U19 World Cup final in Townsville, Queensland.

Earlier, Player of the Tournament Aussie captain Will Bosisto had stroked a fine undefeated 87 to rescue his Australian side from a parlous 38 for 4.

Again, we witnessed some outstandingly mature batting from a youngster.

The Scots lads finished 11th in the 16-team competition and overall the Scottish batting underperformed.

Arbroath’s Ross McLean with 59 v Pakistan, 67 v

Afghanistan and 47 in the satisfying last game Plate victory over old rivals Ireland, was the exception.

Still, considerable credit to this group of boys, who, in their overall two-year journey, racked up 13 victories from the 14 matches played at the European and Global Qualifiers which got them to Australia in the first place.

Gutsy Leask joins Lions

He’s the only player in the squad without a full cap. Congratulations to Stoneywood-Dyce all-rounder Mikey Leask, son of Aberdeen Grades legend Ian, on his selection for the Scotland Lions for the current three-day game against Durham Seconds at Longhirst Hall. The 21-year-old off-spinner, who also packs a mean punch with the bat, has made his way up through all the Scotland age-group teams, and is the latest talent to emerge from the People’s Park youth development conveyor belt, which has earlier produced Kyle and Stuart Coetzer, Gordon Goudie, and ‘A’ cap Scott Redhead.