Now Jim Hill from Kilmarnock CC provides a report from the Second Division.

Like all other divisions, clubs in the Second Division enjoyed some excellent weather during the course of the season. St. Michael’s CC won the league with a couple of matches to spare.  Key for them, were the performances with both bat and ball of overseas amateurs Joshua Niemand (536 runs and 35 wickets) and Juan Martins (525 runs and nineteen wickets). They were ably supported by Christopher Brockwell, who had an outstanding season finishing with 410 runs and 30 wickets and also Thomas Holmes who finished with twenty wickets. The tussle for the second promotion place, between Kilmarnock CC and Hillhead CC, went to the final game of the season, where Kilmarnock secured second sport with a victory over Williamfield. Both clubs had key performers over the season. For Kilmarnock both Munir Ahmed (342 runs and fourteen wickets) and Niamat Ali (310 runs and thirteen wickets) enjoyed substantial all round seasons, whilst Tom McFadzean, Alexander Gibson and Waleeb Iqbal all took twenty-plus wickets. For Hillhead Shehroz Mehmood was in excellent form scoring 522 runs and taking 23 wickets. He was well backed up by Hasan Azhar and Paul Bartlett who both scored 300-plus runs. On the bowling front both John Ferguson and Jonny Howard took twenty-plus wickets. On what was otherwise a glorious summer, it was galling that both matches between Hillhead and Kilmarnock were lost to the weather.

Langloan finished fourth in the league and set a brilliant example of 2nd XIs competing toe-to-toe with 1st XIs. Top of the tree was the batting of Allison who scored the most league runs with 562. Stephen Allison also took sixteen wickets for good measure. He was well supported by Alan Stevenson who scored 300-plus runs. Drumpellier CC must have a pretty good 1st XI if these two can’t get in!!!  Victoria CC finished fifth, with Mohammad Chaudhry scoring 400-plus runs and Ahmed Haleme taking eighteen wickets and scoring 300-plus runs respectively.

Galloway CC originally finished sixth, but were deducted 75 points for a breach of league rules and subsequently came eighth. Patrick Druce turned back the clock showing the way with bat and ball with 500 runs and nineteen wickets; followed closely by Matthew Williams and Tommy McGrath who both scored 300-plus runs. Tommy McGrath also weighed in with the ball, taking 33 wickets.

Nunholm moved up to sixth with Andrew Reed and veteran David Davidson scoring 400-plus and 300-plus runs respectively. Albert Park finished seventh, Williamfield ninth and Anniesland tenth. Mention must go to Anniesland who undoubtedly found season 2018 a difficult one. However, they played with a positive spirit at all times and hopefully good times are around the corner.

There were sixteen centuries scored over the season with Akash Rawal from Wiliamfield topping the charts with 187. The other centurions were Gordon Shaw, Shehroz Mehmood, Andrew Reed, William Leslie, Niamat Ali, David Davidson (two), Stephen Carr, Waleeb Iqbal, Mohammad Chaudhry, Jamsh Iqbal, Joshua Neimand, Stephen Allison, Robert Huxtable and Graeme McLaren. On the bowling front there were fifteen hauls of five wickets or more, with Thomas Holmes producing the best figures of 6 for 14. The others with five or more wickets were Nathan Allison, Tommy McGrath (two), Russell Murray, Shehroz Mehmood, Trevor Newport, Christopher Brockwell, Raja Safder, Jonny Howard, lamb, Atif Ahmed, Alexander Gibson and Joshua Neimand (two).