Haggan is Man of the Match as Carrick see off Downpatrick

Carrick batted first and former Coleraine opener, Jon Ring, on his Middle Road debut, led the way with a fine innings of 55.

When he became the third Carrick wicket to fall in an attempt to push the scoring rate along, his side had reached 90 for 3 off 28 overs.

Accurate bowling from Dale Mullan and Ross Boultwood meant Ryan Eagleson and Alex Haggan for a while, fared no better, and only 20 runs were added in the next dozen overs. However, the last 10 overs transformed the Carrick innings, as Eagleson and Haggan, in particular, moved it up a gear.

Having taken 13 balls to get off the mark, Haggan raced to a superb 50 off only 31 further deliveries and when he was finally bowled in the last over of the innings, he had scored 67 off 51 balls - including six sixes and four fours.

Eagleson gave him excellent support with an unbeaten 45 in a fourth-wicket partnership of 112.

With the innings restricted to 49 overs due to a couple of rain delays, Carrick’s 206 for 4 became a Duckworth-Lewis target score of 214 for the visitors.

Downpatrick started well and with Amit Patil, Paul Tate and Craig Boultwood all among the runs, they were looking good at 95 for 2 at the 25-over drinks interval.

Indrajeet Kamtekar then made the vital breakthrough when he bowled Tate for 37. A wicket for Stephen Grant and another from Kamtekar reduced the visitors to 113 for 5 and when Eagleson bowled Boultwood for 46, the game was as good as over.

Carrick finished it off in the 45th over, when the last wicket fell to Jamie Holmes on 140, to give them a comfortable victory and a place in the last eight.

Haggan received a deserved Man of the Match award from former Downpatrick and Ireland captain Alfie Linehan at the end of the game.

Carrickfergus 206 for 4 (A Haggan 67, J Ring 55, R Eagleson 45 no)

Downpatrick 140 (C Boultwood 46, P Tate 37, A Patil 25, R Eagleson 2-24, I Kamtekar 2-17, S Grant 2-26, J Holmes 2-3) Carrickfergus won by 73 runs (D/L par score 213 in 49 overs).