Young cricketer Treadwell Gibbons jr is continuing to struggle as he attempts to adjust to a new playing career in Scotland.

Arbroath United?s Bermudian opening batsman scored a patient 10 runs and hung around the crease for 20 overs during his team?s eight-wicket thrashing of Stoneywood Dyce over the weekend.

Gibbons, however, has yet to come to grips with the slower paced batting strips north of the border.

?Sometimes I am playing into my shots way too early and as soon as the ball hits the crease that?s when everything slows up,? Gibbons told yesterday.

?I get myself into position but once the ball hits the ground I have to wait for a split second for it to come onto the bat. There is no real movement in the air. The only real problem is waiting for the ball to come onto the bat.?

Gibbons, however, said he was determined to iron out the kinks.

?I?m not going to let this hold me back,? he vowed. ?It?s all going to come together and I will get adjusted to the conditions.?

The local player has also taken the initiative to spend longer hours practising in the nets.

Despite his charge encountering a bad patch, Arbroath vice-president Clarence Parfitt is confident the Western Stars opener?s fortunes will soon turn for the better.

?Treadwell continues to struggle with the wickets out here because the ball doesn?t come through like it does in Bermuda,? Parfitt explained. ?But he is fighting and trying to readjust, and he?s not playing across the line (of the ball). In fact, he?s playing very straight.?

Parfitt reckoned it would take Gibbons a few more matches to fully adjust to the softer batting strips in Scotland.

?Over here we have front foot wickets and so you have to get forward on the front foot and your timing must be on,? he added. ?But it?s going to take him a couple more games before he gets used to it and he isn?t throwing his wicket away.?

Gibbons? innings came to a controversial end on Sunday when the umpire gave him out leg before wicket.

?He hung around for awhile and was then given out lbw about two steps down the wicket,? Parfitt claimed. ?But if he keeps persevering in the manner he is now then it will all come together in another couple of games. He just has to take his time.?

Spearheading Arbroath to their first Scottish National Cricket League (SNCL) North Division win of the season was Australian all-rounder Peter Wooden who took three wickets for 20 runs and then cracked an unbeaten 57 runs.

Wooden and Kevin Ritchie (52 not out) carried Arbroath safely to victory during an unbroken third-wicket century stand.

Gibbons and his Arbroath team-mates are scheduled to take on seventh-placed Forfarshire this weekend.

Following Arbroath?s five-run loss against Stirling County earlier this month, Gibbons lamented: ?That was the worst wicket I have ever played on in my life. It was soft and you couldn?t really do anything with the ball. Whenever the ball hit the pitch it left dents in it. You never knew what the ball was going to do.?

In his first two visits to the crease, Gibbons, recruited as Arbroath?s sole amateur player for the next six months, managed scores of 31 and 43 respectively.