Robbed of chances by the rain

A FRUSTRATING end to the game on Saturday as the rain got the better of things just as the match was finely poised for both sides.

After winning the toss, Forres skipper Pal Dhami asked Buckie to bat first and the home side struck in the first over when Fraser Merricks bowled Daniel Walls for 2. Gus Farr bowled tidily from the Cluny Hill end but Merricks was wayward and gave away too many wides. Despite this Merricks still managed to remove Anthony Wilson for just 10 as Durance took a superb catch running round from mid off. John Corsie joined Callum Hart with the score on 24 and they progressed slowly as the bowlers strove to keep the score down. Frustration from Hart brought his wicket as he swiped at a ball from Farr and was bowled for 15. A good partnership developed between Corsie and number five, Hough. They took things slowly and carefully, the ball just didn’t run to the boundary, and it took 14 overs for the score to progress to 77 before Hough was trapped LBW by change bowler John Duff for 7. Former Keith player Graham Dey now plies his trade for Buckie but his batting made little difference as he was in and out for just one, an LBW victim for Steve Barron and when Barry Newlands fell to Duff at gully in the same over things looked good for Forres as Buckie were 78 for 6. Despite this, Corsie carried on playing cautiously, this time with Webster as his partner but he too fell LBW to Duff 15 runs later. With the hundred on the board Andy Ballantyne replaced Webster and this was the point where Buckie finally upped the scoring rate. Corsie came out of his shell and started to play more positive shots and the score started to climb. Ballantyne got into his stride and liked the extra pace that the return of the opening bowlers brought. Gus Farr was taken for 27 in his last two overs with Merricks going for 17 in his final two. The game got away from Forres in those last few overs with Buckie finishing on 167 for 7 after their 45 overs. John Corsie finished on 78 not out and Ballantyne 20.

Rain had made an appearance on and off through the first innings and threatened to do so again after tea. Dhami and Gerrard opened for the home side and got off to a quick start with two fours off the first over bowled by Wilson. The Forres skipper looked as if he was in a hurry as he struck the ball firmly to the boundary but a change of tactic from Buckie brought Newlands on to bowl short, buying the prized wicket of Dhami as he was caught on the boundary by Wilson for 26. And just 2 balls later Merricks was on his way when he nicked one behind for Ballantyne to juggle before pouching the catch. Gus Farr went out for a couple of balls but the rain was falling steadily and at the end of the over the teams came off. It was a disappointment to both teams, but the skippers agreed that the game was unlikely to be finished and the game was abandoned. Forres took 9 points and Buckie 10, not helping the title hopes of either team.

This week Forres are at home to Elgin in the local derby.