Saturday 22nd August

Grange 209 all out (49.5 overs, GI Maiden 50, S Moffat 31)
Ayr 150 all out (48.5 overs, C Coles 3-19)

Link to scorecard

Grange inserted into bat on what myself and Stuart Davidson would call a normal 'Northern League' wicket, got a bit hot under the cravate as none of the usual Grange champagne shots appeared to work on a wicket that leapt off a length from time to time. The Stags lurched to 209, with a great innings by 'total' all-rounder Gregor Maiden supported by a bunch of people in mid to late twenties (unfortunately runs as opposed to age). Ayr got off to a poor start losing their mainstay batsman Papps pretty much straight away, but some fine batting by the up and coming Ayr juniors kept them in contention, but a steady dizzle of wickets saw them run out of steam to give Grange maximum bonus points and take the title decider to the last game of the season.

Of course, yet again, Mr Heatly in the Edinburgh Evening News says this and a whole lot more over on his report of the match 

Grange 2nd XI beat Penicuik 2nd XI by 8 wickets
Fettes School

Penicuik 97 all out – M Powell 3 for 9, B Powell 2 for 5
Grange 98 for 2 – Rae 38 not out, Young 27
 
Once again the captain proved to be an awful tosser and a 10-man Penicuik team, bottom of the league, started batting and giving LBWs (3 in total) as if they had a early barbecue to go to. They did.  61 for 2 in the 16th over became 97 all out ten overs later with the Powell twins doing the damage, Michael 3 for 9 and Blaine 2 for 5.  Like all bowlers, Michael has no clue about his field preferring 7-2 and 3 slips for his off-cutters.  He has no future in the 2nd XI. Such insanity is best kept in the 1s.  By 4.30pm and 20 overs it was all over.  A beardless Lachlan Young, unrecognisable even to his own team until he spoke, seemed to enjoy his debut as an opener with a powerful 27 on a low and slow Fettes pitch in an opening stand of 55 with Ken Rae who again impressed with a compact and solid 38 not out.  One game to go and still undefeated, promotion back to Division 1 was toasted back at Grange in the traditional way, except by Hearn and Heathcote who, as substitute fielders, gave a demonstration of 2nd XI athleticism and inspired a crocked 1st XI to victory.

TheMighty3s ™ lost to West Lothian 2nds by 9 wickets

Grange 3s (103 all out – G Docherty 27)

A disappointing defeat for the Threes as we lost the toss and were put into bat a damp and grassy wicket; a top order collapse was followed by some decent resistance from the lower middle order and tail on a but only Grant Docherty made anything approaching a good score.
 
After tea and on a wicket that had dried considerably from the start of the 1st innings West Lothian quickly reached their target for the loss of only one wicket.
 
All in all a poor performance but the single biggest contributor to the defeat may well have been the flip of a coin.