DRUMPELLIER were written off in some quarters before a ball had been bowled in this season's Western Union campaign but they claimed the scalp of the defending champions Ayr at Langloan on Saturday and with five games played are comfortably placed in eighth.
The Coatbridge side would be at least one place higher but for a five-point penalty imposed for failing to submit a score in time a couple of weeks ago but there is a significant gap between them and the bottom two.
"Beating Ayr is a brilliant win for us," Gordon Shaw, Drumpellier's spokesman, said. "We are pleased with the start and just want to keep building on the platform we've given ourselves.There are a lot of young players at the club who have good potential and will learn from the senior guys."
Those younger players can surely only benefit from playing with Drumpellier's Sri Lankan professional Sudesh Fernando who was again a key figure on Saturday. He batted almost throughout his side's innings to record a superb 106, his second wicket stand of 81 with South African Louis Venter providing the backbone while Ayr's bowlers toiled for a breakthrough.
Callum Leck eventually snared Venter for 42 before Graeme McLaren was run out but Fernando's three-figure score propelled the hosts to a challenging 207. Ayr successfully chased down a similar target the previous weekend and at 106-2 were looking good.
However, Fernando claimed the key wicket Lenert van Wyk for 18 before McLaren struck three times in one over as Drumpellier seized the initiative to eventually win by 56 runs.
"Sudesh is in top form at the moment and it was a really classy well-paced innings," added Shaw. "We were happy with our runs on the board at the interval and then managed to pick up wickets at the right time. "Graeme's three wickets in an over really swung things in our favour."
Clydesdale's win over Uddingston at Titwood was marred by an injury to Majid Haq, playing his first match this season after suspension.
The captain was struck in the face while attempting to take a difficult slip catch, with Uddingston already reduced to 80-8, and had to be helped from the field with blood pouring from a mouth wound and minus a tooth. Haq expects to have the necessary dental repairs carried out in time to play this coming weekend. The visitors added just four more runs as Con de Lange and Abdul Sabri each claimed three wickets but Clydesdale were less than convincing in their run-chase, losing seven men before clinching the victory that took them back to the top of the table
They are a point ahead of Kelburne whose excellent first season in the top flight continued with an eight-wicket win against West of Scotland. West skipper Gregg Watson was another player in the wars, taking a hit to the head as his side posted a disappointing 104. Fraser MacDonald (57no) and Brad Williams (33no) then carried Kelburne to victory.
Their Paisley rivals Ferguslie also enjoyed a good day, youngsters Michael English and Haroon Tahir in particular. English hit a superb 109 as Ferguslie rattled up 245 against Renfrew at Meikleriggs before Haroon, Haq's 16-year-old cousin, proved cricketing talent runs in the family with a superb spell of 5-16 to secure an easy 101-run win. East Kilbride propelled themselves firmly into the title race with a five-wicket win at Dumfries.
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