Kelso vs Dunfermline & Carnegie – Shedden Park 29/04/2023
The Clouds Break
Hosting Dunfermline & Carnegie at a bitterly cold Shedden Park, our First XI kicked off our campaign with a nail-biting win.
After losing the toss, and being sent into bat in testing conditions, Dunfermline & Carnegie took control early with only one of the top five batsmen reaching double figures as Kelso slumped to 25-5. J. Connelly and C. Dedekind stood resilient and steadied the ship in the middle overs with an important partnership. C. Dedekind went shortly after drinks for 12 with the score 55-6. Connelly then went on the offensive to try and give Kelso a defendable total to bowl at. He eventually fell for 28 trying to find the boundary leaving Kelso 76-7. Some valuable runs from Kelso’s young lower order ensured they had something to defend, ending the innings 90 all out.
Kelso knew they needed a quick start and early wickets and that is exactly what they got. Connelly continued his form with the bat getting Kelso off to be best possible start clean bowling A. Allugubelli for 4 with the score 7-1. Into the fourth over, and after being hit for 4, Kelso’s young opening bowler C. Pollhammer bowled a lovely in-swinging delivery that was caught by G. Davidson at mid-off and Kelso had their tails up. The young lad was not finished there picking up another wicket in his following over to restrict Dunfermline & Carnegie to 17-3. After several very close LBW shouts J. Connelly finally got his second wicket of the afternoon dismissing G. Grover for 3 as the visitors stumbled to 26-4.
A change in the attack brought little change to the visitors’ fortune with Kelso Captain G. Davidson getting two quick wickets, both taken very well by J. Recourt behind the stumps. With the score at 40-6 the heavens opened and the covers were pushed on. Thankfully the players were off for little over 10 minutes before the cloud cover over Shedden Park began to break.
Needing 4 wickets Kelso dug deep and after a steady partnership of 23 between V. Reddy and S. Rowley, J. Connelly picked up his final wicket of the afternoon clean bowling V. Reddy for 13. C. Davidson then got Kelso within one wicket of victory by picking up two quick wickets. Only needing 10 to win the pressure was on the young Kelso side who stuck together to bowl Dunfermline out for 80.
A positive start from a young Kelso side who showed great character and togetherness to get across the line, with everyone playing their part in the field. Kelso travel to Grange Loan on Sunday to take on Carlton Thirds hoping to build on the victory.