Falkland skipper Jack Henderson was unsure whether to laugh or cry after his side secured a thrilling tie against Heriot’s on Saturday. Set a daunting victory target of 288, the Fifers looked on course for a famous win against the Eastern Premier champions on their own Goldenacre patch.

However, with twelve runs needed from the final over and two wickets in hand, Falkland came up agonisingly short, George Cutler and Daniel Styer scampering two off the last ball to tie the match.

Henderson said: “It was a bit of an anti-climax to be honest!  We are disappointed to get so close and not get over the line. The game ebbed and flowed all day! 

“They looked like getting 300+ but our guys brought it back well through the middle. Then we get off to a great start and paced the innings really well. 

“Heriot’s bowled great late on to make it tough but we did well at the business end to get within reach. It was a great game of cricket and amazing to be part of.”

Heriot’s had half-centuries from Peter Ross, Josh Elliott and James Dickinson as they posted 287-7 while Cutler claimed two wickets and five others had one each.

Henderson (54) and Steven Meikle staged a century opening partnership to put Falkland on course, the latter top-scoring with 81 while Asif Khan’s 44-ball 66 had them within touching distance, only for the scores to end level.

Meanwhile Arbroath produced a winning chase to overhaul Stewart Melville’s 240-9 at Inverleith. They looked to be struggling after slipping to 83-4, but Shouvik Chakraborthy and Cameron Brown posted a 110-run stand for the fifth wicket to seize the initiative.

Brown played the lead role with a 45-ball 61 featuring eight boundaries and two maximums while Chakraborthy had taken the Lichties within five runs of victory when he was out for 68, the win secured with three wickets in hand. Chakraborthy had earlier been one of four bowlers to claim two wickets.

Arbroath share top spot with Grange who secured at comfortable eight-wicket win against Meigle at Victory Park. The home side confidently elected to bat first but were soon in trouble on 33-3 as Robbie McGlasham and Will Hodgins made good use of the new ball.

Meigle’s middle-order rallied briefly, Sami Ejaz, Charles Clark and Nithishraj Saravanan all making promising starts. However, none could play the major innings required while the Grange bowlers always held the upper-hand, McGlasham cleaning-up with 5-20 to dismiss the hosts for 140 in 31.1 overs.

Scotland pace bowler Chris Sole, handed an unfamiliar opening berth for the visitors, spearheaded the chase with 59 including seven boundaries and a maximum as Grange cruised home in the 23rd over.

There was a run-feast at Forthill where Callum Garden hit the highest individual innings of the season so far – 150 – as Forfarshire posted 373-8 against Edinburgh South. Garden faced just 105 deliveries, smashing fifteen boundaries and five sixes, the platform having been set by a 116-run opening stand between Harjeet Brar and Thomas Knight who scored 64 and 63 respectively.

The visitors made a game of it – coincidentally also benefitting from a 116-run partnership from their openers, Vaishak Rajagopalan and Adnan Mufti, the former stroking 67.  When Asad Amir added an 81-ball 82, the league’s newcomers were threatening an astonishing run-chase. However, Amir was one of Jamie King’s four victims as ‘Shire secured victory by 20 runs.

The day’s best chase came at Royal High School where RH Corstorphine surpassed Carlton’s 282 with five wickets and 5.3 overs in hand. Liam Naylor’s 84-ball 102 gave the home side early impetus before solid contributions from the middle order sealed victory.

Carlton’s Ollie Davidson had earlier stroked a superb 143, including six maximums, but the visitors failed to bat out their overs, dismissed with eighteen deliveries unused as Naylor claimed 4-43.

Like the Eastern Premier, Western Premiership One also featured a tied match, Ayr having to settle for a share of the spoils when chasing GHK’s modest 175 at Old Anniesland.

With wickets falling at the other end, opener Michael English looked as if he might guide Ayr to victory but he was last man out for 74, one of Azeem Akbar’s four victims while fellow new-ball exponent Zain Ullah matched that haul. Fazal Jawad had earlier top-scored with 67 for the hosts. 

Elsewhere, Stenhousemuir’s South African recruit Yaseen Valli scored his second consecutive century in his side’s 7-run win at Dumfries.

Meanwhile, on Sunday Aberdeenshire produced the standout result in the first round of the Scottish Cup – a two-wicket win over nine-time winners Grange at Mannofield.bA hugely understrength Edinburgh side were dismissed for just 73, Extras top-scoring on 19 while Nathan Elliott claimed 5-24.

In a low-scoring thriller, Grange almost dug themselves out of a hole, claiming eight wickets before tailender David Gamblen smashed the only six of the game to send the Dons through.

Holders Heriot’s were the day’s heaviest scorers, skipper Lloyd Brown contributing 108 to their 337-6 before Gavin Main and Jared Rubly had four wickets each as Stewarts Melville fell 175 runs short at Goldenacre.