Misery at Moylena as cricketers make cup exit

Even allowing for the fact that Muckamore professional Indrajit Kamtekar gave a man of the match performance by scoring a century and taking 5 wickers, this was still a game Ballymena should have won.

Their own professional Kaushik Aphale batted excellently for his unbeaten 69, but he received little support on a slow Moylena wicket which gave considerable help to the spinners.

Muckamore won the toss and batted, but soon lost Craig Drummond, bowled by Michael Glass. Kamtekar then joined South African Brian Baguley in a crucial partnership of 86 which swung the game in Muckamore’s favour.

Ballymena’s bowlers toiled away manfully, helped by some fine ground fielding, and could count themselves unlucky not to make another breakthrough until the 33rd over, when Aphale trapped Baguley LBW for 25.

Kamtekar proceeded to dominate the rest of the Muckamore innings and reached his century by driving Robert McKinley for 6 in the last over as Muckamore ended up on 164 for 6, a reasonable score on the slow track.

Ballymena’s bowlers gave very little away, witnessed by the fact that, Kamtekar apart, the other Muckamore batsmen managed only 51 runs in their 50 overs. There were 2 wickets each for Aphale and McKinley while Simon McDowell had a very tidy 9 over stint for only 19 runs.

Unfortunately things went wrong from the start of Ballymena’s innings with Robert McKinley bowled for a duck. Then David Kennedy was controversially given out LBW , on the front foot to Nicholl who was swinging the ball considerably.

When Kamtekar came into the attack he struck a crucial double blow by removing William Montgomery and James Kennedy in successive balls and suddenly Ballymena were 41 for 4. Steve Lazars then joined Aphale and the pair batted sensibly to take the score to 77. Just as the pendulum seeming to be swinging towards Ballymena, Lazars played a rash shot and was caught at deep mid-wicket for 18.

Gareth Fisher (8) and Fergus Taylor (10) supported Aphale in partnerships of 20 and 34 respectively but both got out just as they seemed to be finding their feet. Two more front foot LBW decisions against Taylor and Michael Glass in Kamtekar’s final over effectively sealed Ballymena’s fate and left him with figures of 5-17. The final proof that it wasn’t going to be Ballymena’s day came when a long throw from the deep freakishly hit the stumps and ran out last man Neil Fullerton.

Aphale batted splendidly for 69 not out, but no other Ballymena player stayed with him for long enough to win the game.