Greenock made of Wright stuff

CHAMPIONS Greenock last night showed they will not give up their title without a fight when they carved-out a thrilling 14-run win over Heriot's at Glenpark. The result, achieved without a trio of Scotland stars and player-coach Tony Judd, takes the Glenpark men within three points of leaders Grange, whose clash with Clydesdale was a victim of torrential rain in Edinburgh.

Having scraped their way to a modest 195, Greenock showed all their battling qualities to deny Heriot's a victory which had looked like the Goldenacre side's for the taking.

Openers Steve Knox and Brian Snaddon cruised to 44 in ten overs before skipper Craig Wright and Kiwi Tim McIntosh applied the brakes and the pressure. Snaddon eventually fell for 28 and suddenly the runs began to dry up for the visitors. Crucially, though, they still had wickets in hand and, at 90-1 after 30 overs, they remained firm favourites. Instead, with the run-rate rising and pressure building, Greenock seized the initiative.

Harry Byrnes Howe, who had started the innings wearing the keeper's gloves, joined the attack to remove the dangerous Aussie duo of Jack Ritchie and Cameron Farrell in quick succession and the visitors' middle order and tailenders offered little resistance.

Heriot's hopes depended on Knox withstanding the Greenock juggernaut and the Scotland opener kept his side in the hunt with a painstaking 80 from 123 balls. However, when he became the third victim of man-of-the-match Byrnes Howe, the game was up.

Earlier Greenock, having been sent in to bat, recovered from a disastrous start to post a decent total. With their big guns absent, they were looking for a major contribution from overseas professional McIntosh. However, the hard-hitting New Zealander had made just three when he edged a delivery from Farrell to be caught behind by Bil Azhar from the first ball of the second over.

With fellow opener Salesh Prabhu also going cheaply, Greenock found themselves in a bit of bother on 23-2. However, Wright joined Byrnes Howe in a 73-run stand which steadied the champions' ship. Wright had looked particularly impressive in moving to 39 before he miscued a Paul McCraw delivery and presented young Azhar with his second sharp catch of the contest.

It was left to Howe to play the one innings of true substance as Greenock clawed their way towards 200. The young South Australian showed signs of true class in a crucial knock. He reached his first half-century for Greenock with a beautifully timed extra cover drive for four and looked set to go all the way to three figures before his innings was cut short in bizarre and controversial circumstances.

Byrnes Howe had moved on to 86 from 128 balls, stroking nine boundaries and hoisting one six out of the ground, when he struck Anthony Edington's delivery straight back to the bowler who half-heartedly appealed for a catch off what appeared to have been a "bump" ball. With no other Heriot's players joining in the appeal, the consensus seemed to be that the batsman had indeed played the ball into the ground. However, there was an air of stunned silence when the umpire sent the young Aussie on his way.

The inexperienced tail caved-in, with the last four wickets adding just two runs, while Edington cashed-in with 4-41. However, few would have guessed that Heriot's were about to produce an even more calamitous collapse.

Elsewhere, Carlton kept their slim title hopes alive with victory over Poloc in a rain-affected match at Grange Loan. Home skipper Cedric English blasted 74 as Carlton posted 200-8 in their 35 overs before Poloc's chase quickly hit the skids.

At the other end of the table, Ferguslie's miserable season took another turn for the worse when they slipped to defeat against Ayr at Meikleriggs. In division one, a century from Australian Tom Cooper (101no) enhanced Forfarshire's promotion prospects and negated Gavin Anderson's 111no for Stirling as the home side took the spoils at Forthill.

There are new leaders in division two after Stoneywood-Dyce overpowered Edinburgh to leapfrog Dunfermline, whose fixture at Renfrew was a victim of the weather.