Glasgow Accies’ 2014 season began in April with a narrow victory over reigning league champions Irvine at Maress in the Western Cup preliminary rounds. After an eventful four months, the season would finish with newly-crowned league champions Accies taking on runners-up Irvine in the Western Cup Final at Scott Ellis Field in Kilmarnock. Accies’ league win had been narrow and, to many, unexpected, and Irvine were out for revenge in what looked set to be a tight contest with the high-spirited champions.
Richard Andrew won the toss and chose to bat on a green pitch, reasoning that the grass might impede the Irvine spin attack and that whatever demons the pitch hid would only become more wicked in the second innings.
Irvine indeed started with their two most illustrious spinners, professional Sachin Choudhary and compatriot Mo Alam, who looked threatening from the off and immediately exposed the pitch’s difficulties for batsmen: some balls spitting and turning, others skidding straight and low.
It was this latter feature that contributed to Andrew’s being bowled past his defensive push in the fourth over, whilst opening partner Habib Malik was adjudged caught at short leg after a Choudhary off-break popped nastily at him.
This brought together Nirvik Ganapathi and Neil Dowers for one of the two partnerships that would define the Accies innings. The pair have enjoyed each other’s company at the crease this season, and with contrasting styles negotiated the spin onslaught. Ganapathi seised on anything short and hit confidently through the line of anything too full to rack up runs with stylish boundaries; Dowers, as usual, accumulated runs more sedately, but also picked up fours with his trademark cover drive and sweep shot. Together the pair added 55 in relative comfort, taking the score to 76-2 at drinks.
Disaster struck, however, on the first ball after drinks, when Dowers was early on a full toss from Singh, chipping a soft catch to professional Choudhary at midwicket.
Accies’ strong platform looked further under threat when the dangerous Ewan Stewart was dismissed lbw that same over.
But that concern was premature with one of the season’s stars, Farhan Shah, joining Ganapathi at the crease. Together they came close to adding a further fifty runs, Farhan ably supporting Ganapathi, who cut loose in a flurry of boundaries, bringing up a well-earned fifty with a six over square leg that cleared the perimeter fence of Scott Ellis Field.
With the total on 129-4 after 31 overs, Accies would have hoped for a total in excess of 175, but for a strong Irvine comeback. First Farhan was caught at long-on attacking the spinners with his usual vigour, then the very next ball Ganapathi was dismissed lbw for a memorable 63, taking the score to 130-6 with eight overs remaining.
Accies’ lower order was caught in a difficult position between consolidation and attack, and pushed the score on to 159-9 after the 40 overs, contributions shared between Sheraz Chohan, Jon Cherry and John Oliver.
Despite Irvine’s excellent fightback in restricting Accies to a shade under four per over, a pitch can never be judged until both sides have had use of it, and Irvine skipper McCallum’s protestations in the field that the target was well below par had a distinctly hollow ring to them, all the more so for having watched the wicket misbehave in every conceivable fashion for 40 overs.
After a delicious tea provided by hosts, Kilmarnock CC, Accies went out to defend their total.
The defence almost got off to the perfect start when Accies believed they had the dangerous opener Alam caught behind with the score on zero. To the dismay of the Accies players and supporters, however, Alam stood his ground and umpire James shook his head, explaining that his view had been obstructed by the bowler, leaving him unable to judge what had happened.
It might just be in a batsman’s best interests to walk when a bowler as fast and fearsome as Farhan believes him to be caught behind, and so it proved as Alam was comprehensively worked over by the Accies opener, taking blows to the thigh and arm. His torture was completed as he was caught in several minds, wandering aimlessly down the pitch and being bowled past a limp defensive prod by an exultant Farhan.
From the other end Cammy Russell was generating prodigious late outswing, regularly beating the flashing bat of Irvine skipper McCallum. He had his just reward in the form of McCallum’s wicket when he brought one straighter and bowled the opener via his pads to leave Irvine 13-2 after 6 overs.
A period of consolidation followed between Qamar and pro Choudhary, which was only ended by the introduction of U18 skipper Dhruv Satpute.
Dhruv has long been one of Accies’ most talented juniors and has contributed with bat and ball at all levels of club cricket. He raised his game for this cup final, bowling a spell that will endure as one of the finest in Accies’ history, and may also prove a watershed moment in his young career.
His first over erred slightly too straight as he found his rhythm, though, perhaps in a sign of things to come, the batsmen found him very difficult to get away.
His second over was a double-wicket maiden, which began a period of supreme carnage. The first ball shattered the stumps of Qamar, while number five Graham Owens left two alone outside off before being drawn into a shot at his third ball, guiding a thick edge to Dowers behind the stumps.
Satpute may have felt like that would be as good as his afternoon could get, but if so he was wrong, as he beat Choudhary for pace with a surprise yorker first ball of his next over, the professional given his marching orders as only his pad prevented the demolition of his leg stump.
From here Irvine capitulated, with only Singh offering brief, counter-attacking resistance before chipping a catch off the exemplary Satpute to complete the young seamer’s five-for, shortly after Josh Conway had spooned one up to Chohan at mid-on.
Satpute confirmed his place amongst the best ever Accies bowling performances when he trapped Butt in front to take his figures to 6-6.
Richard Andrew made short work of Wilson and Roy, cleaning up both, as Irvine’s last four wickets fell without the addition of a single run.
Accies’ strong victory was underpinned by two fantastic performances: Ganapathi’s innings, which alone came close to outscoring the entire Irvine team; and man-of-the-match Satpute’s destructive spell, which finished with a breakdown of six overs, two maidens, six wickets for six runs.
Few would have predicted the manner of Accies’ victory, which could be taken as a measure of progress when compared with the corresponding fixture at the start of the season.
Andrew collected the Western Cup on his team’s behalf and so faces, for the second time in three years, the anxiety of not losing or breaking the valuable old urn in the off-season.
Thanks go from all at Accies to the hosts, Kilmarnock, for putting on an excellent day at short notice; to the umpires for their cool-headed handling of an at times slightly ill-tempered match; and to everyone who travelled to offer support at this match, or indeed at any point across the entire season.
We look forward to thanking everyone associated with the club in person at what promises to be a belter of an awards dinner in November. Keep an eye on the website for details.