Carrickfergus Cricket Club 1st XI had an exciting last over win over Instonians at Middle Road on Sunday to clinch their fifth Premier League victory of the season.
After a delayed start due to rain, the match finally got underway nearly 2 hours late, and was reduced to 40 overs. Instonians won the toss and asked Carrick to bat first and their decision appeared to be vindicated as the home side’s early batsmen struggled in difficult conditions. At 56 for 5 after 16 overs they were in all sorts of trouble. A fine innings of 47 off 52 balls with nine boundaries from Alex Haggan helped revive their fortunes, but when he was lbw Carrick were still struggling on 90 for 6 off 25 overs. A typically aggressive innings from Matthew McCord ably assisted by Richard Hood saw the Carrick score push towards the 150 mark. They added 45 runs in 8 overs before McCord was bowled for an invaluable 39 off 33 balls. Hood was still there at the end and with debutant Robbie Moffett helped see Carrick reach a more respectable 171 for 9 at the end of their 40 overs.
After Richard Hood had picked up a wicket in the first over, former Carrick batsman Jordan McClurkin hit all the runs including four 6’s as Instonians raced to 36 off the first 5 overs. He then hit a skier off Hood to wicketkeeper Michael Gilmour and the pace of the innings became more subdued. Hood then bowled former Ireland star Andrew White for 1 to reduce the visitors to 38 for 3. Ireland Wolves’ Shane Getkate with solid support from Stephen Bunting, added 85 runs in the next 22 overs before Haggan finally got the breakthrough when he had Bunting caught for 25. Two further wickets fell as the score progressed to 148 with 5 overs remaining. With a young inexperienced tail, Getkate knew it was up to him, and after hitting a huge 6, hit a real skier off Pat Botha, which Harry Warke underneath held on to, to send him back to pavilion for 79. A maiden from Daniel Poulton which included a run out and two runs off Botha’s 39thleft the last two men to score 11 off the final over. Number 11 batsman Magee had a huge swipe at Haggan’s second delivery and it went sailing over the wicketkeeper’s head for 6. He drilled the next one to mid-off where Iain Parkhill took the catch low down to give Carrick victory with 4 runs and 3 balls to spare.
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This victory made up for the disappointment of the previous day where Carrick had scored their highest ever Premier League total of 340 for 7 at North Down, before rain drove the players off the field in the third over of the Comber team’s reply, causing the match to be abandoned. Jamie Holmes scored a superb 102 not out including nine fours and for sixes for Carrick, while Pat Botha scored 93 and skipper Michael Gilmour 49.
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It was also a weekend to remember for a Carrickfergus player further down the club. PT Aston completed his maiden fifty in Carrick 3rd’s win over Donacloney Mill III on Saturday, and went one better the following day when he scored his first ever hundred in the 4thXI’s victory at Dundrum.
