The Forecast: East Kilbride Visit After a Sizzling Start
The Forecast will be our series of weekend previews for the 2025 season. We hope to cover team selection, form, fixtures and who to look out for in the weekend’s fixtures! We hope to not have to cover the rain!
Not a drop of rain has fallen on Hamilton Crescent, and we’ve already been treated to some outstanding cricket - over 1,000 runs scored and 57 wickets taken in the first week alone, with five wins, two losses and one no result across the club.West of Scotland XI
West of Scotland return to 50-over action on Saturday as they welcome newly promoted East Kilbride to Hamilton Crescent.
After a dominant opening-day win over Irvine, West were unable to carry that momentum into Wednesday night’s T20, falling short in pursuit of 170 against Drumpellier. But with fine weather forecast and home advantage on their side, skipper Oscar Shepperson’s side will be keen to bounce back quickly and build on last weekend’s promising start.
One area of focus will be discipline with the ball, with extras making up 35% of Irvine’s total—an issue the team will need to tighten up to compete for the title. Oscar identified this when speaking ahead of the game:
“I’m pleased with how the team performed in the opening 50-over game. There were plenty of positives and a great buzz from everyone. Looking into this weekend, we’ve identified our work-ons and are looking to continue our success.”
East Kilbride began their campaign with a defeat to Glasgow Accies, falling short in a modest chase of 165 at Torrance House. This marks their first season back in WDCU Premiership 2, having earned promotion in 2024 despite splitting results with West’s Partick XI in 2023 (who went on to win the league title!)
A strong win on Saturday could see West of Scotland XI retain their place at the top of the table, helped by an already healthy net run rate.
On Sunday, attention turns to the first round of the Scottish Cup as West of Scotland XI travel to New Williamfield to take on Stirling. The sides last met in league action in 2024, with Stirling edging a close contest at Hamilton Crescent - chasing down 184 with three wickets to spare before the return fixture was abandoned due to rain. Both teams were relegated from the top flight last season, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this early cup tie.
First ball on Saturday and Sunday is at 12 noon, with the bar open from the same time.
Women’s XI vs Lomond Lynx
The Women’s XI are back in action on Sunday, again hosting Lomond Lynx at Hamilton Crescent. The visitors will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing display last weekend saw them dismissed for 61 and beaten by 10 wickets inside eight overs by Stewart’s Melville. With last week’s star performer Maryam Faisal unavailable, skipper Nadia Tolliday will be hoping others in the top order step up to continue the side’s strong start.
Partick XI vs Cambusdoon
Following eye-catching performances last week, Ahmed Mizra and Himansh Joshi have earned call-ups to the Partick XI for their trip to Cambusdoon. Mizra will open the batting, with Joshi coming in at four as West take on Ayr’s second string. The bowling attack remains largely unchanged, with Gurjit Singh returning to the side in place of Matt Farr. Cambusdoon fell short in a high-scoring encounter last week against Langloan—despite a promising chase, they collapsed from 84-2 to 181 all out chasing 234.
Hamilton Crescent XI at Renfrew 2s
West’s Hamilton Crescent XI travel to King George V Playing Fields to face Renfrew 2s, who will be looking to bounce back from an opening defeat. Skipper Moosa Vakil has named a settled side for the clash, bolstered by the debut of Henry Coombes and the addition of Matt Farr, who steps down from the Partick XI.
Sunday XI vs Mearns
Rounding off the weekend, the Sunday XI head to Hamilton Palace Grounds for a friendly against Mearns. First ball is at 1pm.
Saturday Lineups
West of Scotland XI vs East Kilbride
12pm, Hamilton Crescent
WDCU Premiership 2
O Shepperson (c)
J Carrasco
A Hulatt
L Kitchen
L Masunda (wk)
D McNulty
J Mills
J Oliver
S Page
J Strachan
A Yilapavanam
Cambusdoon vs Partick XI
1pm, Ayr Sports Club
WDCU Championship 1
J Williams (c)
R Ahmed
Z Clayburn
R Corner (wk)
G Etheridge
A Hussain
H Joshi
A Rawat
G Singh
G Smith
B Stanton
Renfrew 2 vs Hamilton Crescent XI
12pm, King George V Playing Fields
WDCU Championship 2
M Vakil (c)
S Ananthanarayanan
H Coombes
M Farr
M Hussain
S Kadavath
M Kaushik (wk)
J Scott
S Sufi
J Vadalia
N Zazai
Sunday Line Ups
Stirling vs West of Scotland XI
12pm, New Williamfield
CS Scottish Cup
O Shepperson (c)
J Carrasco
MS Dhillon
C Dutia
A Hulatt
S Jakobson
L Kitchen
L Masunda (wk)
D McNulty
J Mills
J Oliver
S Page
Women’s XI vs Lomond Lynx
1pm, Hamilton Crescent
CS Womens Premier League
N Tolliday (c)
A Gore
B Haley
I Harrison (wk)
O McGhee
E Norris
L Payas
C Sriram
J Stanton
L Varadarajan
N Wormald
A Harris (12th)
Mearns vs Sunday XI
1pm, Hamilton Palace
Friendly
TBC
