Bready move into pole position

Their top of the table clash with Limavady appeared to be going the Roesiders’ way in emphatic fashion, as the Magheramason side slumped to 106 for nine chasing a target 181.

As the Sky Sports commentator David Lloyd would say, it was ‘start your car time’, but anyone who left Eglinton early would have missed one of the most remarkable finishes to a game in North West cricket history.

Captain David Lecky and Trevor Hamilton, Bready’s last wicket pair, required the most unlikely 76 for victory, but gradually they whittled the target down to Limavady’s increasing frustration.

They entered the final over, to be bowled by Limavady captain Decker Curry, still requiring 13 runs. Lecky clubbed the first delivery for a six as they began to believe the impossible, but with two just singles coming from the next four balls, they went into the last ball still requiring five, or effectively six, to win.

However, a stunned Curry could only look on in disbelief as Lecky (37 no) smashed the ball out of the ground and Bready had clinched a truly unbelievable one-wicket win.

Written off before a ball was bowled this season, Bready are the team in form in the title race. Favourites Limavady meanwhile, continue to go into freefall after a third successive league defeat. With the bat they failed to build on half centuries from David Cooke and Andrew Riddles as they slumped from a commanding position of 92 for two to 181 all out.

Bready’s win was all the more significant as leaders Fox Lodge suffered a five-wicket defeat by Brigade at Ballymagorry. Reeling from the news that professional Darryl Brown is to return home to South Africa, the Foxes were dismissed for just 156 with Jason Milligan’s half century the only contribution of note. Graeme Moore grabbed four wickets for the visitors.

Brigade, who are very much back in a race they looked out of a month ago, cruised home with almost eight overs to spare.

Strabane are far from out of contention either as 62 from Kevin Martin, 46 from Ryan Gallagher and 45 from captain Jonathan Beukes helped them pile up 227 for eight against Coleraine.

The out of form Bannsiders were then dismissed for just 148 as Ciaran Patton claimed three wickets.

Elsewhere, the bottom two Eglinton and St Johnston remain marooned from the rest. Eglinton fell to a 103-run defeat at Donemana while St Johnston were soundly beaten by Glendermott.