Watsonians were indebted to Ewan Chalmers for keeping their title challenge on track with a battling 60 this weekend.

 

Chubby found excellent support from Ali Fleming who made a composed 32 in an ultimately match winning partnership of 68 after the home side had been reduced to 89-6 by a spirited West of Scotland bowling attack.

 

While Chalmers had at one point only made 20 runs from as many overs, it was his patience and determination that saw Watsonians to a defendable total, all out for 174 in the final over.

 

The real danger in the West batting line up lay at the top with Ian Young and Stewart Murray. The pair batted well and were helped by the multitude of extras sent down by the home sides seam bowlers but both would depart in quick succession to the impressive Paddy Sadler (3-26). Stuart Chalmers chipped in to get rid of Greg Watson and Anjan Luthra and West were looking in trouble, four wickets down and with a deficit of over 100 runs to make up.

 

Playing his final game at Myreside, Ross Paxton was able to squeeze the run rate in partnership with first Stuart Chalmers and then in tandem with the spin of Craig Wright. Paxton picked up 2 wickets from his ten tight overs, the second of which being a breathtaking caught and bowled that would have decapitated him had his left hand not got in the way. The large contingent of watching fans on the balcony were looking towards the boundary for the ball before realising Paxton had snaffled the ball successfully.

 

The spectacular catching was not over however and Chalmers joined the party with a one handed diving effort to claim a steepling catch at mid on and give Wright a victim.

 

While all around him had faltered, West’s Overseas Amateur Neil Bisman stood firm, mixing powerful hitting with the odd alarm and it appeared the destination of the points lay with his wicket. And so it proved… When the returning Sadler clean bowled him, the remainder of the task proved too much for the West tail. Requiring 10 from Mike Legget’s final over they could only muster 7, losing to a combative Watsonian outfit by 2 runs.

 

The 1^st XI travel to Dunfermline on Saturday knowing that nothing but a win will do, crucially the side know they must up their game from a performance on Saturday that whilst it included several individual highlights and match changing moments it was one that was well below the standard set by the side this season.

 

Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat

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