One-run victory for Ballymena in crucial relegation battle

Credit must go to the Ballymena players for a battling performance in the field, particularly in the tense last few overs. However, in terms of batting quality, it was a poor display by both sides with the notable exception of a solid partnership between Ballymena’s William Montgomery and Fergus Taylor.

Ballymena were put in to bat and immediately lost Derek Lynch in Neil Gill’s first over. Fergus Taylor, promoted in the order, then joined William Montgomery in what proved to be the match-winning partnership. The pair started slowly but gradually started to gain in confidence as they began to find the gaps in the field.

Indeed the pair had started to look so comfortable that it came as a surprise when,with the score on 85, Taylor was caught off Richard Keates for a well-made 37. This brought professional Yogesh Takawale to the crease but he had barely settled when he mishit an attacking shot and was caught at deep mid-off for 7.

Montgomery continued to play to play some of his attractive trademark drives until he was eventually bowled for 59 (made off 128 balls with 7 fours). This was Montgomery’s best innings for some time and hopefully will prove a confidence booster for a player whose performances have not always matched his undoubted talent.

With the score at 121 for 4 and 13 overs left, Ballymena were looking to their strong-looking middle-order line-up of James and David Kennedy and Robert McKinley to push their score towards 200. Instead, in little more than 6 overs, the Eaton Park side collapsed dramatically to 138 all out as a combination of poor shots and a couple of needless run-outs changed the entire complexion of the game. Credit must go to Neil Gill (4 for 18) and Richard Keates (3 for 34) for some accurate bowling but Ballymena players will be hugely disappointed by the manner of their capitulation and the fact that they once again failed to bat even close to their alloted 50 overs.

Muckamore were clearly delighted by their fightback and the momentum seemed to be with them as they began their run-chase. Michael Glass quickly dismissed Sam Gordon and then a prolonged shower stopped play for an hour which resulted in the Duckworth/Lewis calculation amending the Muckamore target to 125 in 38 overs.

When play resumed Robert McKinley, who bowled with real pace at times, soon had Barry Scott caught behind. With Michael Glass also proving difficult to get away, the home team were struggling to get above 2 runs an over and when Fergus Taylor and Simon McDowell came into the attack they too kept the pressure on with good accurate bowling.

It was Taylor who picked up the crucial wicket of Brian Baguley (23) and he thoroughly deserved his return of 2 for 23 from 8 overs. McDowell failed to pick up a wicket but he can be well satisfied with a spell of 8 overs for only 16 runs.

Michael Taylor then picked up a wicket in his second over and when Robert McKinley came back to dismiss Keates, Muckamore were 67 for 5 with only 10 overs left and the game looked to be swinging Ballymena’s way. Then a partnership of 32 in 6 overs between Muckamore’s two Australian players, professional Craig Micken and Pat Fisher, seemed to be tipping the balance towards Muckamore.

However Ballymena’s renowned fighting spirit then came to the fore. First of all Fisher was out to a brilliant leg-side catch by wicket-keeper Takawale, who was standing-up to Fergus Taylor.

Then, in Taylor’s next over, controversy erupted. After Gill had been run out early in the over, Micken was expertly stumped by Takawale off the sixth ball, which was also a leg-side wide. However, after several seconds, and with Micken on his way back to the dressing-room the umpire Alan Neill appeared to have second thoughts and reversed his decision, stating that, having thought about the incident, he did not think the stumps had been broken legitimately

Ballymena players, convinced that the dismissal was legitimate, were justifiably incensed. However their lengthy protests and their requests for a satisfactory explanation for the change of decision fell on deaf ears. Fortunately Ballymena captain Simon McDowell was able to calm his players down and urged them to refocus on the vital last two overs.

Ironically the next ball, which was the extra seventh ball for the wide, resulted in the run-out of Les Allen. This meant Muckamore still needed 15 to win from 2 overs. Gary Nicholl took two twos off Michael Taylor’s bowling but after the second two was run out looking for a suicidal third run.

This left Micken on strike for the last over, looking for 10 to win the game. The Australian hit the first ball from Michael Glass for 4 and then 4 leg byes off the second ball left Muckamore strong favourites. However the experienced Glass kept his head and, under enormous pressure, produced three fine deliveries – Micken was unable to score off the first two and, when he hit the third one straight to one of the cover fieldsmen, he and last man Cardwell hesitated over a risky single and Cardwell was run out.

Ballymena’s players celebrated wildly - perhaps as much in relief as anything else for they must have realised that they had come close to losing a game that, a couple of hours previously, they had looked to be in control of.

Certainly they can take credit for a typical fighting performance in the field where wicket-keeper Takawale set the tone with a top-class display which saw him involved in nine successive dismissals – three catches, two stumpings and four run outs. However this should not disguise the fact that much of Ballymena’s batting was a long way short of Premier League standard.

Saturday’s victory does take a little of the relegation pressure off Ballymena – but one swallow does not make a summer and nor does one victory. The Eaton Park side will surely be looking for at least a couple more wins to totally banish any relegation worries but, if they hope to do that ,they will surely need to bat much better.

They will certainly get an opportunity to make amends with the bat on the normally excellent track at the Lawn on Saturday when they travel to take on league leaders Waringstown in a rearranged Premier League game.