Aberdeenshire/Mannofield cc Summer Cricket Coaching

Aberdeenshire cc will be running a series of cricket coaching days at their Mannofield ground during July and August the sessions cover the following areas 

Please note that the Fixtures for the Semi-finals published on this Web site were incorrect and have now been duly corrected. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused. However, the Grades Handbook was/is correct.

Knight Riders will travel to Rubislaw on July 30 when they will meet the in form AGSFPs in the semi-finals of the Aberdeenshire Cup, while Inverurie Don Valley host a game with Bon Accord.

After a highly competitive round of quarter-finals, the ACA Grades most prestigious cup is down to the last four, throwing up two mouth watering ties, for local cricket supporters to watch.

Bon Accord bounced back to form, easily seeing off the challenge of bottom side Ellon Gordon at Gordon Park, while in the only other game played in Grade 1, AGSFPs kept its title hopes alive with a narrow, hard fought win at home to Inverurie Don Valley. Academy comfortably chased down the Crescent score leaving them just 1 percent behind the current leaders Bon Accord.

A long trip to the most northerly ground in the ACA Grades to watch one of the oldest clubs play one of the newest, turned out to be a well worth visit, given the friendly welcome I was accorded by Fraserburgh captain Fraser Lawrance and his happy band of players, and helpers.
The visiting skipper of the Grampian side Johnson Varghese was no less accommodating, making me feel at home right from the outset.
The match, a first round tie in the Bon Accord Cup turned out to be a fiercely fought affair, though always played in the best spirit of the leather on willow game, and eventually won in the gathering gloom by Grampian by 103 runs. The early part of the day had been played in the beautiful, early summer sunshine, as Varghese made hay, scoring a splendid 83, only losing his wicket to the last ball of his side's innings on 217 for four wickets. Appropriately it was the Broch's best fielder Lawrance who ran out his opposing captain. Earlier in the game he had taken two blinding catches in the deep, but just failed to get both hands to a fierce Varghese drive early in the game.
But if Varghese was impressive at the crease their number four batsman Selby Babu was in stunningly aggressive form, hitting 56 from only 30 balls in a partnership worth a match winning 98 with his captain.
The tea interval came with the bonus of delicious offering from Laura and her cheerful band of helpers, which probably was too much for the home side who never got going in their knock, subsiding to 114 for nine in the face of some accurate bowling from the visitors to claim a place in the next round of the competition.
Liam Bowie and Stuart Flowerdew joint top scored for the home side with 21, while Varghese completed a fine day out with two wickets for nine runs, all making for an excellent day out, made better by the news that my 40/1 selection had won the Derby.
I shall certainly return to my "lucky" ground where I was made to feel right at home.
Thank you one and all.
Jack Nixon.

The Grades 1 form book was turned on its head when lowly ACE Mannofield handed league leaders and champions Bon Accord a first defeat of the season.
Bon Accord captain Tauqeer Malik admitted to being stunned by the reverse at the hands of the Harlaw side, but said: "This was an astonishing game of cricket which we lost by five runs, thanks to two outstanding performances from the Mannofield side. Good luck to them. It's good for the game."
The home heroes were Hizupam Doley who hit an unbeaten 103 in his side's total of 191 for the loss of six wickets, while Indika Yahathugoda was the destroyer in chief of the champions, taking five for 61, including a hat-trick.
Elsewhere in Grade 1 Ellon Gordon were the unlucky victims of the new rain calculator system, losing out to Academy at Sheddocksley. Ellon Gordon 163 all out and the home side were 128 for 3 from 28 overs when the rain halted play, while in the only other game played in the top flight Cults bounced back to form with an eight wicket win away to Crescent after bowling out the home side for 109. The Cults reply was led by Greet Grover who scored a masterful 59 to give the Allan Park side a much needed win.
The games between Inverurie Don Valley and Knight Riders, and Kemnay-Kintore and AGSFPs were called off due to rain without a ball being bowled.
The cup competitions for the teams in Grades 2, 3 and 4 got under way with the pick of the games being at Fraserburgh in the Bon Accord Cup (see Supplementary Report), with the closest encounter in the same competition was at Countesswells where Methlick, despite amassing 217 for five were three wicket losers to Gordonians.
In the Reid Cup Crathie were exciting eight run winners at home to Portcullis.
Report by Jack Nixon

The following message from Magesh Devendran skipper (Aberdeen Super Kings):  "On behalf of Amit Verma, we would like to thank everyone within our cricketing community for the support you had offered him through this tough time. Because of your contribution we raised in excess of £1200 and are grateful to your overwhelming generosity. Our sincere thanks to Ronnie Falconer from Portcullis for leading this initiative without whom we wouldn’t have achieved the above. Thanks again to all. 
Aberdeen Super Kings CC." 
And from Ronnie Falconer – Treasurer (Portcullis):
“I also pass on my heartfelt thanks to you all for the generosity shown by our cricketing community here and beyond. This has been a fantastic effort by you all. Thank you once again for your generosity shown towards Amit Verma. 
Ronnie Portcullis CC.”

"This was a great day for local cricket in the area, made all the better by some wonderful, early summer weather. Out select team were quite outstanding on a perfectly prepared wicket which our top order batsmen took full advantage of," said Captain Tauqeer Malik after the 70 run win against Star of India.

ACA Grades steps into the international arena in Aberdeen on Wednesday 31st May when a select team takes on an Indian touring team in a 40 over per side at the top ground in the North - east.

Mannofield is the venue for the first ever clash of ACA Grades and Star of India who are an amateur side, comprised of broadcasters, and journalists from Star Sports, one of the biggest sports broadcasting organisations in India.