Ballymena end campaign on winning note to secure status

Ballymena First XI ended their season with an important 16-run win at home to CIYMS on Saturday.
Ballymena First X1 who completed their Premier League campaign with a victory over CIYMS at Eaton Partk on Saturday. (Front row) William Montgomery, Simon McDowell, James Kennedy, Kaushik Aphale, Steve Lazars. (Back row) Neil Fullerton, David Kennedy, Michael Glass, Robert McKinley, Fergus Taylor and Michael Taylor. INBT 36-861HBallymena First X1 who completed their Premier League campaign with a victory over CIYMS at Eaton Partk on Saturday. (Front row) William Montgomery, Simon McDowell, James Kennedy, Kaushik Aphale, Steve Lazars. (Back row) Neil Fullerton, David Kennedy, Michael Glass, Robert McKinley, Fergus Taylor and Michael Taylor. INBT 36-861H
Ballymena First X1 who completed their Premier League campaign with a victory over CIYMS at Eaton Partk on Saturday. (Front row) William Montgomery, Simon McDowell, James Kennedy, Kaushik Aphale, Steve Lazars. (Back row) Neil Fullerton, David Kennedy, Michael Glass, Robert McKinley, Fergus Taylor and Michael Taylor. INBT 36-861H

Knowing that a win would secure their Premier League status, the Ballymena players produced one of their best performances of the season when the chips were down . Top-class batting displays by Kaushik Aphale and David Kennedy paved the way for a formidable 234 for 6 total and then accurate spells from all four of Ballymena’s slow bowlers ensured that the visitors were never up with the asking rate as they finished on 218 for 7.

Ballymena won the toss and batted but, as has been the story throughout the season, lost a couple of early wickets. Robert McKinley was caught off the first ball of the match and then William Montgomery went with the score on 29. David Kennedy then joined Kaushik Aphale at the crease and , after a patient start, they put together an excellent stand of 120 in 30 overs.

Aphale seemed back to his best form and looked set for a century in his farewell appearance for Ballymena. Indeed it was a major surprise when he played a rash shot and was bowled by Stephen Hughes for 81 ; his runs came off 102 balls and contained 7 fours and a six.

With only 10 overs left and wickets in hand, the Eaton Park batsmen started to attack the bowling. David Kennedy was particularly hard on anything short and took 17 from one Stephen Dunn over.He was eventually out for 83 after facing 112 balls and hitting 8 fours and 2 sixes.

Kennedy was well supported by useful hard-hitting cameos from Steve Lazars (10), James Kennedy (17) and Fergus Taylor (15 not out off 8 balls). Their efforts meant that Ballymena eventually plundered 85 from the last 10 overs , leaving CIYMS with a demanding target of 235 to win.

Ballymena struck an early blow when Michael Glass bowled newly-capped Irish international Chris Dougherty for 11. However Barry Cooper and Alan Johnston then batted intelligently to take the score to 109 before Johnston was caught and bowled by Michael Taylor for 53.

Cooper was then joined by Stephen Clarke and together they took the score to 168 for 2 with 11 overs left. This seemed to leave CIYMS clear favourites , needing 67 at a run-a-ball with 8 wickets in hand.

However Ballymena seemed to have developed a knack of raising their performance in the field when the odds appear to be against them and once again they saved their best cricket for the closing overs. Simon McDowell set the tone by producing a superb 5 overs spell which brought him 3 wickets for only 18 runs and he was well supported by accurate bowling from Aphale, Lazars and Michael Taylor at the other end.

The fielders seemed to raise their game as well – Neil Fullerton pulled off a smart stumping to remove Cooper for 57 and then Fergus Taylor, James Kennedy and Aphale all took difficult catches in the outfield as the CIYMS batsmen started to play rash shots . With wickets falling regularly , the incoming batsmen were unable to get on top of accurate Ballymena bowling and CIYMS finished on 218 for 7, without really threatening the Ballymena total.

Ballymena captain James Kennedy deserves credit for a tactical gamble which paid off. Very few captains would ever take the risk of using his slow bowlers for all the last 11 overs of a run chase – but they repaid his faith in them by taking 5 wickets and conceding only 50 runs.

As events transpired on Saturday, both Ballymena and CIYMS avoided relegation as Lurgan lost heavily at Waringstown and will thus return to Section 1. Ballymena can be happy with their sixth place in the ultra-competitive Premier League in what was a difficult season.

Already it seems Ballymena are planning changes for 2014. Indian professional Kaushik Aphale, after four very successful years at Eaton Park, is leaving to return to his previous club Derriaghy where he has been offered a long-term contract. Aphale will be missed at Eaton Park, not just for his elegant batting and shrewd slow bowling, but also for his unassuming personality which made him a very popular team-mate.

Ballymena have already moved to find a replacement – from, strangely enough, Derriaghy. Aphale’s fellow-countryman, Yogesh Talawale, has had an excellent summer at Derriaghy where he has scored over 1000 runs. He has agreed to play first-class cricket in India this winter which, under NCU rules, means he can no longer play at Section 1 level for Derriaghy. All this meant that a straight swap for Aphale was in everyone’s interests , so there will be at least one new face at Eaton Park next summer.