Fauldhouse overcome Livingston in inter-county cricket battle

Aug 19 2010 West Lothian Courier

FAULDHOUSE Cricket Club won the bragging rights in the West Lothian derby against Livingston at the weekend.

The county pair’s second teams crossed bats in a Division Seven league match that saw Fauldhouse dismissed for 180 on the final ball of their 45 overs, with Glen Mulligan notching 63 and Darren Crompton 29.

Jeremy Franks and Darren Hall took three wickets each for the home team.

Livingston were unable to sustain the strong start to its innings, struggling to 130 for nine at the close.

Faisal Anwar and the unbeaten Jack Hilton, each with 34, were the best of the Livingston batsmen, while Alan McDonald returned a fine haul of three wickets for 10 for the visitors.

With their main rivals also losing, Livingston retain third place on the table, while Fauldhouse climb toward a mid-table position.

The Livingston First XI survived a late fight-back in their Division Three fixture away to Falkland II.

Put into bat, Livingston started confidently, with Navid Asghar scoring 45 and Anand Kumar 86.

However, the spin duo of Steve Meikle and Robert Cachia took seven wickets between them to run through the lower order, and dismiss Livingston for 211 in the 48th over.

Livingston’s bowlers were on top early in the Falkland innings.

When Mark Collings took a third wicket to leave Falkland at 100 for six in the 30th over, the game looked to be heading toward a comfortable Livingston win.

However, the Falkland lower order hit hard and straight to bring the score to 204 for nine in the 49th.

Jim Wilson coolly bowled out the final six balls, conceding only one run, to earn Livingston a six-run victory.

The win tightens Livingston’s grip on the second promotion place, and ends Falkland’s faint hopes of overhauling them.