HERIOT'S CLAIM SIXTH MEN'S SCOTTISH CUP TITLE

Heriot’s defeated Falkland by six wickets at Myreside as they claimed their sixth Men’s Scottish Cup, and their third triumph since 2019.

 

The 2019 and 2021 Men’s Scottish Cup champions bowled Falkland, who had reached the final for the first time, out for 146, before an unbeaten 84 from captain Lloyd Brown guided Heriot’s to their target inside 39 overs.

 

Falkland had batted first in each game en route to the final, and did the same here after captain Jack Henderson won the toss.

 

Henderson, alongside Ethan Frosler, started watchfully against a testing opening period from Gavin Main and Adrian Neill, Frosler cutting loose in the seventh over with a pair of boundaries off Main.

 

Falkland’s opening pair added 38 in just under 10 overs when Neill made the breakthrough, trapping Frosler LBW for 21.

 

 

Neill struck twice more in quick succession to remove Devon May and Kyle Jacobs, both caught sharply by Lloyd Brown at slip, without scoring.

 

Asifulla Khan’s arrival at the crease brought a change in tempo as he looked to play aggressively, hoisting Joe Kinghorn-Gray away for six over the legside.

 

After Khan and Henderson added 35 for the fourth wicket to take Falkland to 77, the skipper would depart for 24, caught by Josh Elliott off the bowling of Gavin Main.

 

Khan would continue to take a positive approach, and carved Main away through the offside for three fours in an over as he took his side past 100.

 

However, he would be the next man to fall, Ryan Brown having Khan caught by Durness MacKay-Champion for an excellent 41-ball 45.

 

 

Steven Meikle (14) and Julian De Jager (17) batted sensibly in a 32-run sixth wicket partnership, but the departure of Meikle, trapped LBW by James Dickinson, signalled the start of a quick demise for Falkland.

 

They would lose their last five wickets for just 10 runs, Ryan Brown running through the lower order as the spinner finished with 4-32, Falkland bowled out for 146.

 

Lloyd Brown got his side’s pursuit up and running in the second over, shimmying down the track and dispatching Julian De Jager back over his head for four.

 

The Heriot’s captain would lose his partner Peter Ross (5), feathering an edge through to Cameron Nellies behind the stumps off the bowling of De Jager.

 

Lloyd Brown could only stand and watch as the Heriot’s top order came and went, Douglas Voas (6), Elliott (2) and Dickinson (7) all falling cheaply as they slipped to 64-4.

 

Julian De Jager was Heriot’s tormenter-in-chief, bowling his 10 overs straight through as he took a superb 3-28.

 

The arrival of Vian Maritz, alongside Lloyd Brown, brought an air of calmness to the run chase, as the pair went about their work professionally, running well between the wickets and picking off boundaries at every opportunity.

 

As the target grew nearer, Maritz (37*) and Brown (84*) put their foot down, the former taking Kyle Jacobs for back-to-back boundaries, before in the same over Lloyd Brown struck a huge slog-sweep for six.

 

And it would be left to the skipper to score the winning runs in the following over, tickling a delivery from George Cutler away to the fine-leg boundary for four.