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On a warm but dull day at the Gordon Park a weakened Ellon side recorded a magnificent win over Bon Accord Cricket Club. The home side were set a stiff target of 182 runs by the Aberdeen side, but Ellon were equal to the task and gained the win with one ball to spare.

The day started unusually for Ellon when skipper Middleton won the toss, a rare occurrence in this disappointing season, and elected to put the visitors into bat despite having a bowling attack ravaged by call offs. As is the right of a side who have swept all before them the Bon Accord batsmen took to the field in confident mood, expecting to produce their usual “run-fest”. Middleton opened the bowling with exciting youngster Wade who immediately had Meres and Awan jumping around in the crease with his nippy pace bowling. With the skipper himself forcing his injury ridden body up to the crease at the other end the expected flow of runs did not appear. By the time Wade finished his spell the run rate was barely over 3 an over. Watson was introduced to the attack and trapped Meres leg before in his first over, with the score on 47. Unfortunately this was the last breakthrough for a while and the ever dangerous Mirza and Awan upped the pace, pushing the score onto 133 before Awan was caught by Duncan off the bowling of Barrett for a peerless 80. At this stage it became obvious that the champions to be were playing to a set game plan, because each successive batsman was looking to score very quickly. Whilst this meant that the score moved steadily on, it also meant that the wicket fell quickly too. Singh, Malik, Mirza and Ahmed all came and went in the space of 6 overs, most to the bowling of Barrett, before Stephen and Allan steadied the boat. With the score on 182 and only 40 overs having been bowled Ahmed the Bon Accord skipper declared their innings over. A surprising move that would prove to be ill-conceived. Ellon left the field knowing that they had managed to do something not many teams have this year, restrict the free flowing Bons.

A delicious Station Hotel team was then taken.

Ellon came into bat knowing that they faced a stiff task, but knew that because of the Bon Accord’s early declaration they had plenty of overs to reach it. Openers Montgomery and Howard both started well and looked completely at ease in the face of the aggressive bowling of Malik and Mirza, but the serene start was not to last. Both fell in the space of six balls, and the Ellon innings looked to have stopped before it had started. However, this merely heralded the coming to the crease of Ellon’s own “master-blaster” Barrett, who embarked on a one man demolition job of the Bon Accord attack. In the space of the next 40 overs barrett scored 104 of the 155 runs scored, moving Ellon from a precarious position to a dominant one. Nevertheless, cricket is a team game and all his partners during this innings made sure there was no easy wickets to be had when Barrett was not facing. First Duncan, then Middleton, Robertson and McNeil all played their part in pushing the score on. If there had been no resistance at the other end Barrett’s glorious play would have been in vain. As it was, when Barrett was eventually out caught in the deep, the job was not complete. Ellon still had to score 28 off the last 4 overs to win, a task that would be still for the best first class batsmen, let alone the two young men left out on the square, Watson and Hutcheson. Bon Accord sensed victory and the field moved in closer for the kill, but after some inspired stroke play and brave running between the wickets, it was Ellon who closed in on victory. The last over started with 6 needed to record a famous victory, with two balls to go only 1 was needed. It was left to Watson to play the winning shot and spark the celebrations.

This was a great result that not only restored some of Ellon’s waning reputation, but ensured that they would avoid the pressure of a relegation fight in the last match of the season against Queens Cross.

As usual this season has been a case of what could have been for Ellon, but with a Turriff Cup semi-final against the same opponents to look forward to, it may yet end in glory.