Musselburgh Cricket Club 1st XI secured a solid victory against Murrayfield DAFS in a Division 1 clash, successfully chasing down a target of 122 with four wickets in hand. The win was anchored by a composed innings from captain Hemant Verma, who led from the front with an unbeaten half-century.

After winning the toss, Musselburgh elected to bowl first, a decision that quickly paid dividends. Murrayfield's top order struggled to get going against a disciplined Musselburgh bowling attack. Ed Gatner and Calum Burnet struck early, dismissing both openers, L Mulholland and G Rampriya, for 7 runs each. The middle order also faltered, with M Buchan and K Bhaskar falling for single figures, while S Gollipelli and S Jagadeesan showed some resistance, contributing 24 runs each.

Captain V Tyagi held the innings together with a determined 35* and managed to push Murrayfield to a total of 121 before they were bowled out. Musselburgh’s bowlers were impressive throughout, with Mahesh Poojary claiming 3 wickets for 28 runs. Hemant Verma also chipped in with 2 for 43, while Gatner finished with 2 for 21. Naveen Puttaswamayya finished 1 for 5.

In reply, Musselburgh’s chase began shakily. They lost their usually high-scoring opener Vignesh Deveraj as he was run out for 13 followed by Calum Burnet (7) and Haider Awan (0) early, with Murrayfield’s M Stevens causing problems, eventually finishing with 3 wickets for 26 runs. , and the pressure was mounting as the scoreboard read 34 for 3.

However, captain Hemant Verma steadied the innings with a masterful 54* that included some crucial partnerships. Naveen Puttaswamayya added a useful 13, and Chaitanya Bitra provided strong support towards the end with an unbeaten 14. Together, Verma and Bitra guided Musselburgh to victory, finishing on 125 for 6.

Murrayfield’s bowlers did their best to defend a low total, with Stevens leading the attack. S Shah was also effective, taking 1 for 11 in his spell, but they were ultimately unable to prevent Musselburgh from reaching their target.

The win keeps Musselburgh mid-table in Division 1, while Murrayfield will be looking to regroup and improve their batting performance in their next match.