With both Crescent and Knightriders still undefeated in the league it could be a new name as the Grade 1 winner this season!
Gordonians have proved they are a match for anyone this year and with Chamila Perera in sparking form with bat and ball the Knights will have to be at their best to win this one. Knightriders make 4 changes to the side that defeated Inverurie last week with Asad Waqar, Dinesh Subramanian, Prasanna Venkatesan and Shaik Nagulmmera coming into the side.
Mannofield welcome back the mercurial talents of Rahul Chandu when they make the short trip to Groats Road to face 2nd Knightriders. Chandu who by his own admission has Harsha Cooray and Fraser Proud in his back pocket is relishing a return to action despite transfer speculation linking him to both Gordonians and Inverurie.
Master Blasters face an Akhlaq Bashir-less Bon Accord after his transfer last week to Gordonians. Bon Accord suffered a surprise defeat to 2nd Knightriders last weekend but write them off at your peril.
Crescents’ consistency in selection shows everyone the commitment that their players have towards each other. A highly talented team with no shortage of competent batsman and accurate bowlers will start as favourites against Cults. Inverurie welcome back the good, the bad and the ugly (but who is who?) otherwise known as George Hadden, Jordan Thom and Fraser Lawrance when Grammar come to Kellands Park. Both sides have been struggling with player availability this season so at least one of these teams will pickup their first victory of the season. Rob Swiergon will be delighted to welcome back Karan Anand from a playing perspective.
Its still T20 fever with the Grade 2 clubs as we make our way to round 2 of the Bon Accord Cup.
Aberdeen Grammar 2nds formally pulled out of the league this week due to losing a frightening amount of players over the close season so Siyapa find themselves without a game this weekend.
Fraserburgh are on their travels without the Bowie brothers to face 2nd Grampian. Fortunately for The Broch celebrity farmer / the fastest bowler in Grade 2 Chris Gospel is capable of a match winning performance with bat, ball or in the field.
Banchory welcome Grampian to Burnett Park.
Portcullis visit Ellon and if one thing is for certain the takings in the pubs in Ellon are expected to experience the Portcullis effect! Ellon call on the services of veterans Keith McCredie and Lawrence Meikle for this tie.
In Grade 3 the impressive Methlick host Crathie. Methlick are certainly benefitting from Steve Murphy taking a break from umpiring as he’s plundering the runs on a weekly basis. With Mark Woodhouse missing this one Methlick have picked a younger and fitter replacement in Mike Bremaneson.
Whether Stoneywood Dyce cobble together a side to face 2nd Siyapa is the big question. After putting a ridiculously strong side out on the park against 2nd Gordonians they were forced to scratch last week. Siyapa have the luxury of being able to select from their whole squad since their 1st team isn’t in action.
3rd Gordonians host 2nd Methlick on the plastic pitch at Countesswells and it could be a long day in the field for Deni Sarafimoski’s side on which is a typically high scoring venue. Vijay Amirtharaj is taking his time to adjust from the Groats Road Astro to the Countesswells one but once he does expect him to score heavily.
Stonehaven welcome 2nd Gordonians and with Bryan Snelling, Nigel King and Clive Hinchliffe in the home side this is a talented trio with ball in hand. Ryan Davis certainly hasn’t struggled to score runs for 2nd Gordonians so this could be a mouth wetting contest.
Dunecht have shocked the cricketing world by only having 1 loan player at the Cowdray Estate. Huntly captain Darren Morrison fresh from his match winning innings last weekend has the biggest swinger in town in Graham ‘Bish’ Reid primed with the ball to wreak havoc.
Aberdeenshire top the SPCU North East Championship with 3 wins from 3 games as they welcome Strathmore to Mannofield on Saturday. Dian Forrester will be looking for his 3rd century in a row after very impressive back to back tons last weekend, but an even bigger boost is the return of all rounder Findlay Anderson. Strathmore will need an impressive spell of bowling from Liam Sweeney to have any chance of pulling off a surprise result. Gordonians go to Forfar to play Kinloch without Himanshu Saraswat, Adi Mehta and Akhlaq Bashir, but will have captain Mayank Bhandari and Prashant Wig back. Kinloch have never done well against Gordonians, but they did win last time out against 2nd Stoneywood Dyce. The latter head to Huntly with a strong team including the return of Mark Lambley who should add solidity to their batting, whilst Huntly will miss the bowling of Andrew Petrie. Expect big wins for Freuchie at Arbroath, 2nd Forfarshire at Dundee High and Meigle at Perth Doocot.
In the Eastern Premier League Stoneywood Dyce go with exactly the same team that pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in a last ball thriller of a T20 match against Gordonians on Thursday. Lennard Bester is a notable SDCC absentee as they host Grange who include Gordon Goudie. With the Scotland international players not involved this could be a weekend of surprises, but Forfarshire with the talents of Craig Wallace should beat RH Corstorphine. AGSFPs best player in their 2021 double winning side, Fraser Proud, joins the familiar names of Rory Martin and Hayes van der Berg in the Heriots line up which should dispose of Stewarts Melville, who have another ex-Shire player, Connor Shorten amongst their bowlers. It will be a nervous bottom of the table clash at Falkland as Arbroath cross the River Tay and Watsonian might fancy their chances at Carlton.