Stoneywood-Dyce’s hopes of going through the Eastern Premier League without losing at home came to an end against Forfarshire.
The 2019 champions tore through the People’s Park side’s top order, leaving them struggling on three wickets down with nothing on the board.
The fact the home side battled to 122 all out was due to an heroic unbeaten 84 from Lennard Bester while no other Stoneywood- Dyce batsman scored more then four runs.
Te collapse included ducks for openers George Ninan and Martin Reid and Scotland player Jan Stander.
Captain Jamie King said: “Lennard’s knock was just amazing, acting as an inspiration when we fielded, although our total of 122 was always going to be hard to defend.”
King played his part in attempting to reverse the situation, opening the attack with pace and guile helping reduce the bemused Angus side to six wickets down with only 50 runs scored, and an unlikely victory was on the cards for the homesters.
.@the_forfs win by 4 wickets in a tight contest at Peoples Park. A below par 122 was looking good when Forfs fell to 54-6 but a great partnership from Hogarth and James have saw Forfs home comfortably in the end.
— Stoneywood Dyce (@StoneywoodDyce) May 29, 2021
But try as they might the Aberdeen side were unable to take another wicket as a stand of 70 took Girolami James (33) and Jack Hogarth (24)to what in the end was a very comfortable win for the visitors.
King’s reward for a valiant effort with the ball was a return of three wickets for 31, while David Kidd weighed in with an excellent spell which yielded only 10 runs during which he took three wickets. Spinner Leighton Collins accounted for the other wicket.
For King this was one which got away.
He said: “While our batting let us down, it was our inability to finish off Forfarshire when we had them at our mercy.
“We’ll learn from the experience, but it was disappointing. We now have two games on the road, and an opportunity to put this game behind us.”
On this showing the Peoples Park side will need to tighten up their batting given that 10 of their batsmen failed to reach double figures.
Games at Arbroath and the Grange will further test the mettle of King’s side, though their fightback with the ball offers a sliver hope for the area’s top club.
