Third win in a row keeps Carrick in third place
Carrickfergus completed a full set of wins against all of their Ulster Bank Premier League rivals this season , when they completed a comfortable 7 wicket victory over basement club Derriaghy at Queeesway on Saturday, their third consecutive league win.
The home team won the toss, and decided to bat first, and openers Bailey and Jamison got them off to a steady start, taking 46 runs off 14 overs before Alex Haggan had Jamison caught in the deep for 15. Indian professional Kausik Aphale joined Bailey, and the pair took the score along to 90 at the 25 over drinks interval. With the first ball after the resumption, Ryan Eagleson trapped Bailey lbw for 40, and soon afterwards he had Aphale caught for 37. Wickets began to fall at regular intervals, with Alex Haggan picking up his 100th wicket for Carrick when he bowled Ballantyne. Haggan, who bowled with real hostility, added three more wickets for his best figures of the season, 5 for 49.With Pat Botha also chipping in with two wickets, Derriaghy finished on a respectable 218 for 9 at the end of their 50 overs.
Despite losing Michael Gilmour in the first over, captain Iain Parkhill and schoolboy Jack Burton, got the Carrick innings off to a good start, seeing the fifty up in only 10 overs. At this point, the very promising young Burton was caught for 22. Jamie Holmes, in his 100th appearance for Carrick, then joined Parkhill, and the runs continued to flow, as he and his skipper added a further 80 runs in 17 overs. Holmes had just completed a fine fifty off 59 balls, including 5 fours and a six, when he was caught at mid wicket with the score on 130 after 27 overs. Pat Botha replaced him, and for a time was content just to keep the scoreboard ticking over, as 36 runs were added in 10 overs. Carrick’s South African professional, in his final appearance of the season, then moved it up a gear. The 46 runs required for victory came off the next four overs, with Botha signing off with an unbeaten 65 which came off just 45 deliveries and included 3 fours, and 5 huge sixes. Parkhill played a good solid anchor role, finishing on 64 not out with 5 boundaries, to see his side home to their 8th league win of the season with 10 overs to spare.
