Watsonians bidding to maintain momentum against Forfarshire

WATSONIANS captain Steve Paige has urged his players to maintain the high standards they set themselves in the first half of the season as they start the second half of their campaign against Forfarshire today looking for a seventh victory in a row.

The Myreside outfit have been rampant so far this term, currently sitting in second place. Their close-season recruits Tim Weston, Stuart Chalmers, Craig Wright and Paddy Sadler have all made solid contributions, while skipper Paige has himself been revelling in his role as a first-change bowler and has taken 16 league wickets to date.

Today they enter the second round of matches looking to get revenge on a Forfarshire outfit who defeated them on the opening day of the campaign.

Paige said: "Things have been going well for us and I think people outside of the club are starting to notice our progress. We have to keep going in the second half of the summer though and the boys have to keep playing with the same intensity and energy they have shown me on our recent good run."

Watsonians welcome back James Easton, while wicketkeeper Ally Fleming - who scored an unbeaten century for the second XI last weekend - and Andy Learmonth are also in. Vijay Saisubramanian drops out, while Euan Stubbs and Ewan Chalmers are unavailable. Forfarshire, who lost last week at Grange, travel to Edinburgh with Michael Yellowlees given a chance in the absence of Scotland man Matthew Parker.

There is another big match elsewhere in the capital today as leaders Grange host Carlton. Both sides have key men on Scotland duty at the ICC World Cricket League in Holland, so some fringe players will be given a chance to impress.

Grange bring in Drew Weir and Kenny Rae from the second XI, while former player Jonny Gray is back from South Africa and plays along with fit-again Giles Holmes. Iain Worth may keep wicket as Simon Smith is away. Eighteen-year-old Nick Hunt comes into the Carlton line-up along with Ani Majumdar and Nathan Pietsch, while Charles Legget is back along with Oli Tame. Majumdar and Blake Dean look set to form a new opening partnership.

At Mannofield David Cox is drafted into the Aberdeenshire team for the visit of Dunfermline Knights.

It has been a tough start to the summer for last year's champions - for whom Colin Smith is unavailable today – but they pushed Carlton all the way last week and in Tyler Buchan have a seamer who picked up 19 wickets in the first half of the campaign. For the Knights it is a big weekend on the road, with today's trip north followed by tomorrow's Scottish Cup quarter-final at Clydesdale.

Jordan Davidson replaces Mushy Beg in the side today, while Marshall Bunting will be looking to build on his half century that saw his side home against Stirling County in a regional Murgitroyd Masterton semi-final on Thursday evening. Knights pro Alistair Gray is the top runs scorer in the league at the halfway point with 560 runs. Eighth-place Clydesdale were disappointed with defeat at McCrea FS West last week and will be looking for a fifth win of the campaign when bottom side Greenock visit Titwood. For the hosts overseas amateur Shyam Gattani returns in place of young Western Academy member Shreyas Chitnis while Shailesh Prabhu is still out for Greenock.

The league's leading wicket-taker Paul Hoffman will front the Uddingston challenge against McCrea FS West. And the latter will hope pro Leighton Burtt will have recovered from the injury that forced him to bat with a runner last week.