Meigle XI, 3^rd July,2011

University of St Andrews Staff 103-1 (28 overs) beat Meigle 99-8 (40 overs) by 9 wickets
(D Bransden 49*) (H. Gillin 3-8, R. Dilley 2-20)

St Andrews continued their unblemished league record on Sunday with a clinical victory over Meigle. With a team shorn of some regulars, but bolstered by three debutants and the returning Dilleys, St Andrews won the toss and chose to bowl first on a particularly warm and pleasant afternoon.

This soon looked like the right choice as Patrick took the first wicket in only the second over, hitting the base of the middle stump with an excellent yorker. The very next over debutant Hughes bettered this with a double wicket maiden, both victims clean bowled to leave the score at 2 for 3. After a brief period of calm, Hughes took a well-deserved 3rd wicket, again bowled, to finish off a superb spell of swing bowling with figures of 3 for 8, and leave the Meigle innings in tatters at 19 for 4 after 9 overs.

The Meigle captain and the wicketkeeper then put on 29, the highest partnership of their innings, in uncomfortable fashion as Francis bowled with pace and venom to finish with 0 for 9 off his 5 overs, two chances being dropped. With the score at 48 for 4 after 20 overs, Stan's continuing economy tempted the Meigle no. 6 to hit one in the air where Uday completed a comfortable catch.

The Meigle batsman were now seemingly intent on wicket preservation, allowing Stan to bowl 4 maidens in a row before ruining his figures by being hit for 4 off his last ball - meaning he conceded just 6 runs off 9 overs, 6 of them maidens. With Uday also bowling tightly but without reward the score had advanced by only 12 runs in 10 overs, to 60 for 5 after 30 overs. At this point the returning President was ushered into the attack and took a wicket with the first ball he pitched, the ball turning just enough to take a thin outside edge that Dom took behind the stumps.

Pat followed this up with a quick piece of fielding at short third man to effect a run out as the Meigle captain sold his partner short attempting to farm the strike, although he had already been dropped twice by Tom off Roy's bowling. Roy did get a second wicket as he turned another one past the outside edge for Dom to make a simple stumping. With the Meigle captain now not looking to take any runs that weren't boundaries Roy and Pat bowled tight final spells to keep the total to 99 for 8.

In reply Dom and Roy opened the batting knowing that the run-rate should not be an issue, and by the 10th over had comfortably moved the score onto 37 without loss. The next 10 were not quite so productive, but Roy managed to see out the majority of Meigle captain's tight spell successfully, before falling first ball after drinks for 9 to leave St Andrews at 62-1 with the bulk of the job done. Stan's arrival at the crease prompted an increase in the scoring rate as the call of the Whey Pat became louder, and the next 41 runs came off 8 overs as victory was clinched in emphatic fashion with consecutive boundaries, Stan finishing on 24 not out, Dom ending unbeaten on 49 not out.

Another convincing win to leave us sitting clear at the top of the table after the completion of the first half of the season.

- Dominic Bransden