Forres clinch match but not North League title

GRANT Park was the scene of high tension on Saturday as Forres St Lawrence took on Fochabers in the final game of the season.

Everything was to play for, as due to the league title being decided on percentage points both teams were in with a shout of winning the title but the saints could only afford to give the visitors four points, after that the title would go to Fochabers.

After winning the toss, the home skipper Nigel Gerrard asked Fochabers to bat first in the hope of limiting the number of points they could gain. The opening pair of Aditya Mehta and Richard Constable found the going tough against the Forres bowlers with Fraser Merricks and Gus Farr bowling an excellent line and length, giving little to the batsmen. Only 46 runs were on the board after the first 20 overs although no wickets had fallen. Forres kept it tight, making it difficult for Fochabers to set a challenging total. Eventually Barron got the breakthrough as Mehta gave a catch to Al Farr at mid on and he was on his way for 60. Miland Mehta replaced his son, and he tried to up the scoring rate, demanding that Constable hit out, but it was the former who fell first when he couldn’t play David Durance and was bowled for 18 with the score on 112. Constable stood his ground as he was joined by Adam Stockwell who played a few good scoring shots but he too fell victim to Durance when he pulled the ball to Fraser Merricks on the square leg boundary on 141. By now Fochabers had 3 points in the bag. But David Durance rose to the occasion again as the overs ran out for Fochabers. Two balls after Mehta snr went, Constable gifted Barron a catch at square leg after reaching 39. The home side strained to keep the score below 150 but Mark Stockwell and Martin Steel eaked the runs out earning them another point, the last Forres could afford to lose. But in revenge Durance had Stockwell caught by Barron at square leg and then Steel was caught by Gus Farr at point, a tame loopy catch. The final wicket fell on the last ball when Mandal was bowled by Durance, leaving him with a 6 wicket haul.

Fochabers had set a total of 153, earning them 4 points. This meant that for Forres to take the league title they had to pass the total without losing a wicket, a huge ask. Pritpal Dhami and Gus Farr set about their task, knowing that one mistake would see the title slip away even though they could win the match. Slowly and carefully the batsmen went about their business, but after the first dozen overs their confidence grew and scoring grew easier. Fochabers rang the changes with their bowling, using 9 bowlers in the match, but the Forres pair stood their ground with the century coming up in the 29th over. With a long way still to go Dhami and Farr batted on, a few good overs followed by a couple of lean ones and the score climbed. When the score got to 130, Forres dared to hope that this might be done but then the tiny lapse in concentration that brought the wicket as Farr played a shot off Arnav Mehta which flew straight to his slightly startled brother. A roar went up from the Fochabers side and their supporters as they realised that they had won the title, but then they realised that there was a young and desperately sad cricketer leaving the field. Clapped from the field by both sides, Gus Farr had made 49 but more importantly he had almost helped Forres to an unlikely league title. With the game still to be won, Dhami had to gather himself and concentrate on making the last few runs needed to ensure the victory for Forres, finishing with 67 not out, but the league title had eluded their grasp. The disappointment should spur the side on for the next season, but after a few drinks and a team curry it was agreed that it had been another great year for the team with everyone looking forward to the league dinner next month where Forres hope to figure strongly in the individual awards.