The key fixture of the weekend was undoubtedly the final WCC/Dumfries Women’s Premier League match at Craiglockhart. Having successfully overcome seven of the other sides in the competition, victory over an East Kilbride side languishing in sixth place in the nine-team league would ensure a first league title. On a fine Sunday afternoon, East Kilbride opted to bat on winning the toss. Progress was initially slow and, while wickets fell at regular intervals, Nayma Sheikh held firm and batted throughout the innings, opening up in the final overs to end with an undefeated 56 as the total reached 137 for 8. That total was achieved with the aid of an unbeaten ninth wicket partnership of 41 with Hannah Pollock - and a contribution of 49 extras which included an eye-watering 43 wides! The bowling honours went to skipper Megan McColl (3 for 14), Erin Leslie (3 for 30) and Kirsty McColl (2 for 16).
In our response Megan McColl yet again led from the from the front and, from 38 for 2, formed a partnership of 89 with Emily Tucker who contributed 27. Another wicket fell before Megan completed the run chase with her tenth boundary to finish with a typically hard-hitting 84 not out from 58 balls. Victory came with almost 12 overs to spare and the celebration of a first league title could begin. Cricket Scotland’s Women’s Head Coach, Craig Wallace, was in attendance and presented the trophy to Megan McColl.

The team has swept all before it in the Women's Premier League this season, completing an undefeated programme and going one better than last year to win the WPL title for the first time, becoming only the third team to do so since the League's inauguration in 2017. Captain Megan McColl’s contribution with the bat in the final game left her as the runaway leading run scorer (479 runs in 5 innings with a high score of 217*, an average of 160 and a strike rate of 174). Erin Leslie’s three wickets resulted in her becoming the second highest wicket-taker in the league with 14 from just 31 overs at an average below 10. Kirsty McColl finished with 11 wickets in the campaign, also featuring in the top 5. In all, seventeen players have contributed to a phenomenal season for our 1st XI so far. Congratulations are due to every player involved and huge thanks are due to Charlotte Tucker, our Women's Convenor, whose tireless efforts over several years have been instrumental in developing the Women's section to this exciting point.

On Saturday, a much-changed 1st XI visited Newfield for the first reverse fixture of the ESCA Championship against an Edinburgh Academicals side which had been comfortably defeated in the first league match of the season. Accies decided to bat on winning the toss - the first occasion on which we had not batted first in league matches this season - but were soon in some difficulty in the face of our opening attack of Donovan Du Randt and Farhan Khan. From 33 for 3, there was some recovery - led by Imtiaz Khan, who was eventually dismissed for a hard-hitting 57 with the total on 106 – and a final flourish of 23 by Taranjeet Singh, before he became the second Accies player to be run out. The total of 143 also benefitted from the second highest score in the innings - extras, which contributed 24! All six of the bowlers used took a least one wicket, Donovan leading the way and adding another three to his tally for the season – for 23 in seven overs.

After losing Oscar Kirkwood (9) and Mike Carson (17), Tom Wylie (21) and Donovan (22) were both dismissed with the score in the 80s, at which point Kenny Rae and Rob Loomes - on his first appearance in the side this season - put together a partnership of 53. While Kenny fell with only seven runs required, Rob saw us home with an unbeaten 40 at almost a run-a-ball for a five-wicket victory and with more than 12 overs to spare. Features of the match were four LBW decisions in both innings as we enjoyed (?) the presence of two umpires for a change, while our innings was notable for the almost incessant appealing by the opposition. Losses by the team's two closest rivals - Gala and Heriot's 2nd XI - meant this eight successive victory created a greater gap at the top of the league table.

Struggling in the lower reaches of Division 1, the 2nd XI tackled Penicuik at Myreside, seeking to reverse the defeat suffered in the first match at Kirkhill earlier in the season. Inviting Penicuik to bat first, two wickets were secured for only 29. The opposition’s middle-order then began to move matters forward with three contributions of 30 or more, particularly a rapid 47 in 23 balls (including 5 fours and 3 sixes) by Ricky Davidson, before a ninth wicket partnership of 34 took the total over 200 before the innings closed after 40 overs at 204. Rory High had 3 wickets, as did Tom Mullin. Tom and Calum Macleod (2 wickets) were making their first appearances at this level this season.

George Baltzer (10) and Laurie Cox (28) opened the reply but were faced with tight bowling and unable to move the score along at the rate required. When the third wicket fell after 27 of the available 45 overs had been completed, the score had only reached 88. While Kevin Singh, with 40, was able to make some impression on the target, only another two contributions in double-figures were later recorded as the innings subsided to 138 all out after 43 overs. For Penicuik, Calum Steel had 4 for 43 and our Women’s XI captain Megan McColl 2 for 24, while Alex Wylie - brother of our 1st XI’s Tom - took 1 for 20 in 8 overs. And so, the plight of the 2nd XI remains and results will certainly need to improve if relegation is to be avoided.

The 3rd XI travelled west to Boghall to challenge a Linlithgow 2nd XI side comprehensively defeated in the first round match. Batting first after winning the toss, the side made hard work of scoring and lost wickets at regular intervals. With the score at 57 for 8, Siddharth Rawat (21 not out) and Ethan Haire (15) put together a vital partnership of 38 for the ninth wicket. A total of 99 suggested it could prove difficult to defend.

In the event, that did not turn out to be the case. A wicket by Vikash Gautam from the first ball of the Linlithgow innings was followed by that of the opposing skipper next ball. In the fourth over Aryaman Apte took a hand with another two wickets as the score became 11 for 4. When the total had reached 27, Fraser Kinloch took the fifth wicket - before another four wickets fell to Jamie Reid (3) and Ethan (1) in 25 balls without the addition of a single run! So, 27 for 4 had become 27 for 9! The final wicket fell to Fraser with the Linlithgow total at 43 in the 23rd over as a notable second successive victory was recorded. Jamie led the bowling figures with 3 wickets for 5 in five overs, while Fraser took 2 for 7 in 1.4 overs, Vikash 2 for 8 in five overs, Aryaman 2 for 9 in four overs and Ethan 1 for 5 in 5 overs, while six “ducks” were recorded in the Linlithgow innings.

Old Contemptible, the 4th XI’s visitors at Craiglockhart, won the toss and decided to bat first. When the innings closed after 40 overs, the opposition had reached a total of 197. Of the seven bowlers used, Toby Tucker took the only wicket to fall as Will Stephen completed an unbeaten century and Jonny Jones 62 not out for the visitors.

After the loss of three early wickets, Toby Tucker (30) and David Evans (a rapid 33 in 20 balls) began to make inroads towards the target. Following their dismissals, the chase was taken up by Eddie Jones and Mike Maclean. While they added valuable runs - with 24 and 22 respectively - both fell with the opposition total still some distance away and the innings eventually closed after 35 overs at 152. A testing target proved, in the end, just too great despite a determined effort from our batsmen.