Cricket: Irvine slump to first league defeat

Jul 3 2009 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

IRVINE Cricket Club lost their unbeaten league record when they crashed to defeat against East Kilbride on Saturday.

The Marress Men travelled up the A77 looking for their sixth league win on the trot but in the end the home side fully deserved their victory as they out-batted, out-bowled and out-fielded an Irvine side who never really got out of second gear.

Irvine were the authors of their own downfall as a lacklustre bowling effort which gifted the opposition over 30 runs in wide deliveries was accompanied by inept fielding as an astonishing FIVE catches were spilled.

And a delighted East Kilbride gleefully took full advantage as they racked up a massive score of 287, setting Irvine an almost impossible target in the process.

The batting reply was equally poor with players come and going at the top of the order as the visitors failed to make use of the perfect batting pitch and fast outfield, while the middle order capitulated without even the heart to take the match into the final overs.

All round it was a miserable performance and Irvine’s sole consolation was just reaching the 100-run mark to at lease secure a batting point from what was a dreadful afternoon all round.

The defeat leaves Irvine in second place in the table and they travel to Kelburne on Saturday for a table-top clash hoping for an early opportunity to put such an uninspiring performance behind them.