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MUCKAMORE 1st XI v LAURELVALE 1st XI
Muckamore entertained Laurelvale in a League match at Moylena on Saturday and although they are now sure of promotion into the Premier League next season, they needed to win this game to stay ahead of close rivals Bangor in the race to become the Section 1 Champions.
Missing Wayne Horwood, David Cardwell and Bryan Baguley this week, Captain Andy McCulloch selected Michael Kennedy, Nial McCulloch and Supreet Jayaprakash to deputise. With the visitors missing several key players as well Captain McCulloch won the toss and choosing to bat first, sent Indrajeet Kamtekar and Jason Van Der Merwe in to open the innings.
Unfortunately for one of the poor opening Laurelvale bowlers he just couldn’t get his line and line right and he had to give up after bowling every one of his first 6 deliveries as wides. Sympathetically replaced, the game continued and as the score progressed to 117 runs into the 24th over, Kamtekar’s score had reached 54 runs before he was bowled by Sinton.
Kammy passed through his 1000 run mark for the season, giving him an average of 84.5 runs per game so far. Brian Dunlop joined Van Der Merwe and was mainly a spectator scoring only 5 out of the 33 runs added in the next 8 overs before he was caught behind by wicketkeeper Weir off a Burn’s delivery. Ralph Coetzee was the new batsman and he soon settled in to help take Jason through his second century of the season to 118 runs before he saw him bowled by Hogg in the 47th over.
With just 3 overs remaining Neil Gill came to the wicket and the score progressed to 271 runs into the 49th over until he was bowled by Hogg after scoring just 2 runs. Craig Drummond was the next batsman and he scored 3 runs leaving Coetzee to finish the allocated overs on 47 runs not out, and Muckamore with a final total of 280 runs for 4 wickets.
With the regular wicketkeeper Brian Dunlop still suffering from a finger injury received last week, Michael Kennedy was asked to deputise. McCulloch and Drummond opened the bowling for Muckamore against Laurelvale batsmen Sinton and Hogg. The score had reached 36 runs in the 10th over when the former was easily caught by mid off fielder Kamtekar after he had scored 22 runs. Then in successive overs Drummond took two deserved wickets when he trapped Hogg lbw and bowled Weir to leave Laurelvale on 40 runs for 3 wickets in the 13th over. McAlinden and Caddell were the new batsmen, but the former only survived for 3 overs until McCulloch trapped him lbw, and he had new batsman Conn brilliantly caught by mid on fielder Coetzee off his very next delivery with the score at 48 runs.
Hughes was next and with Caddell another 2 runs were added in the next 4 overs as the rain clouds gathered. McCulloch claimed Caddell’s wicket with another lbw decision in the 20th over and in the next over Kamtekar tempted Burns to step forward and miss the ball to give wicketkeeper Kennedy an easy stumping and Kammy his 44th wicket of the season.
Heavy rain then forced the abandonment of the match but fortunately for Muckamore they had passed through the 20 over mark so a calculation using the Duckworth/ Lewis Method was then used to them a 160 run victory. With Bangor and Woodvale both being beaten at the weekend, this means that if Muckamore win against Cliftonville next week or Woodvale the following week they will be Section 1 Champions.
BALLYMENA 2nd XI V MUCKAMORE 2nd XI
Muckamore Seconds travelled to play Ballymena Seconds in a 20/20 rearranged League match on Saturday. The home team batted first and scored 100 runs for 3 wickets in their allocated 20 overs. S Colgan (45 runs not out) and R White (28 runs) were their top scorers. Gary Nicholl (1 wkt for 3 runs) was Muckamore’s best bowler. Muckamore replied with 103 runs for 5 wickets in 19 overs to win by 5 wickets. Richard Keates (20 runs), Sunson Stephenson (41 runs) and Richard Van Der Merwe (17 runs) were their best batsmen. R Lawrence (2 wkts for 12 runs) and D Thompson (2 wkts for 27 runs) were Ballymena’s best bowlers on the day.
MUCKAMORE 2nd XI v WOODVALE 2nd XI
Muckamore Seconds hosted Woodvale Seconds at Moylena on Sunday in an important bottom of the table League match. Muckamore Captain Leslie Allen lost the toss, was asked to bat first on a very damp wicket and within 3 over Simon Thompson had lost three partners, Craig Drummond, Sunson Stephenson and Richard Van Der Merwe, all for ducks to leave Muckamore on 3 runs for 3 wickets.
Fortunately Thompson was scoring freely but Trevor Neill, Richard Keates and Leslie Allen only could muster 18 runs between them to take the score to 62 runs for 6 wickets. Johnny Kennedy joined Thompson and another 31 runs were added before Thompson gave the mid on fielder an easy catch to be out for 46 runs.
The score progressed to 103 runs before Kennedy was bowled for 18 runs. Gary Nicholl and Jordan Mairs added another 5 runs before the former was bowled by O’Neill and with Andy McCulloch the latter took the score to 118 runs before he holed out to a fielder on the long on boundary. C Storey (2 wkts for 15 runs), R McBride (2 wkts for 16 runs) and D O’Neill (2 wkts for 19 runs) were the visitor’s best bowlers.
Woodvale got off to a good solid start scoring 46 runs, seeing off opening bowlers Drummond and Nicholl, before Allen trapped O’Neill lbw in the 11th over. Robinson was the new batsman but he only lasted 3 overs before he was caught by Thompson off a McCulloch delivery. Michael Irwin joined Fleming and they took the score to 63 runs before the latter was out to a good diving catch by mid on fielder Van Der Merwe. Martin Irwin came to the wicket and 4 runs were added before he was bowled by Thompson for a duck.
Rutherford was next and the score steadily crept forward as first Michael Irwin and Rutherford were bowled by Neill to leave Woodvale on 83 runs for 6 wickets and Muckamore with a glimmer of hope that they might still pull off a victory. Storey and Hill were the batsmen now at the wicket, but despite the former having to get a runner following a leg injury, they steadily took the score to 109 runs before Hill was bowled by Thompson. McBride was Storey’s new partner and the latter clinched the 3 wicket Woodvale victory with a long on boundary hit in the 45th over.
This week the Seconds play CSNI Seconds at Stormont on Saturday, Waringstown Seconds at home on Sunday and Lisburn Seconds at home next Monday.
MUCKAMORE 3rd XI v CARRICK 3rd XI
Muckamore 3rd XI hosted Carrick 3rd XI on Saturday at Parkhall College knowing that only a win would keep the prospect of promotion alive. Muckamore were without a number of regulars and skipper Ivan McCombe handed season debuts to 3 players, James Gourley, Nathan McCurry and 14 year old Jamie Magowan and also handed a recall for David Steen who had not played since the start of the season. Carrick won the toss and decided to bat first to try and set a good total on a small ground with a long outfield.
McCombe put faith in pace bowlers James Gourley and Nathan McCurry, neither of which had bowled in almost 12 months. Gourley showed immediately that the skipper’s faith was justified, taking a wicket in his first over with a great in-swinger that the Carrick opener could only edge behind to keeper Irvine, while at the other end McCurry bowled a tight line that frustrated the Carrick batsmen. This frustration was to get the better of the Carrick batsmen, when Gourley claimed his second wicket in the 6 over and his third wicket in the 14th over. McCurry was replaced by Steen, another who has not bowled in months. Steen’s left arm off spin was a little too much for the Carrick middle order as they struggled to hit him off the square and it wasn’t long before Steen got the breakthrough, taking two wickets in as many overs.
Carrick batsman T.Kane decided to target change bowler Don Hughes, and this coupled with some slack fielding allowed Carrick to make a bit of a surge as the score pushed to 78 for 6. However Muckamore where soon back on top when some smart fielding from Cathcart resulted in a runout and Steen took the wicket of danger man Kane, when the Carrick batsman top edged one to keeper Irvine. McCurry returned to the attack and ended his spell with a deserved wicket, ending the Carrick innings on 99 runs. T Kane with 43 runs was their top scorer with J Gourley (3 wkts for 12 runs) and David Steen (3 wkts for 15 runs) Muckamore’s best bowlers.
Skipper McCombe sent out opening batmen P.Clement and J.Magowan to open the Muckamore innings and both seemed unnerved by the erratic Carrick attack. However, Magowan was first to lose his wicket in the 4th over, cleaned bowled by a very good inswinging delivery. This brought skipper McCombe to the middle and with Clement progressed the score comfortably, happy to take the extra runs that the Carrick bowlers chose to give in extras.
Carrick got a break through when Clement was dismissed in the 10th over, playing across the line to a straight delivery. With the score at 22 for 2, McCombe was joined by vice captain D.Irvine and the pair set about knocking off the remaining runs. While McCombe set his stall out for a red inker at one end, Irvine went on the attack against the Carrick bowling and was lucky to survive not once, but twice in the same over, when he was dropped twice by the Carrick fielders. This lifeline was to prove costly for Carrick as Irvine went on to do damage to the Carrick change bowlers.
With 22 runs needed to win off the last 6 overs, McCombe was dismissed bringing Alan Wilson to the crease to partner Irvine. It took only 3 of the remaining overs for Irvine and Wilson to knock off the winning runs ending the Muckamore innings on 101 runs for 4 wickets and giving Muckamore a 6 wicket victory. D Irvine top scored for Muckamore with 49 runs not out.
This week will see Muckamore 3rd XI play host to Saintfield 3rd XI at Parkhall College, knowing that only a win will keep the promotion hope alive.
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