Relegation battle goes down to the wire

However they can take some comfort from a decent batting display and were also a touch unfortunate that a rain interruption meant that North Down's batting target was significantly reduced.

North Down asked Ballymena to bat and quickly claimed the wicket of Michael Taylor.

Then, for the second successive week, David Kennedy at number three played an innings that suggests that he is coming back to his best. He batted for 117 balls before he was lbw for an excellent 90, which included 8 fours and a six.

He was involved in a series of useful partnerships with Stephen Colgan (18), Kaushik Aphale (35), Andrew Kirkpatrick (21), and Robert Kennedy (49 not out off only 47 balls).

Robert's forceful innings gave the Ballymena's innings acceleration at just the right time as he timed the ball sweetly to hit 3 big sixes and 2 fours. In the end the Ballymena players could be well satisfied with a total of 237 for 8 in 48 overs.

As a short rain break had reduced the Ballymena innings by 2 overs, the Duckworth/Lewis calculation set North Down a target of 240 in 48 overs.

Ballymena's bowlers started well with Michael Glass delivering a fine 8 over spell which cost only 17 runs and brought him the wicket of the visitors' free-scoring opener Neil Russell.

However Andrew Sutherland and Ryan Haire, both of whom had already scored centuries against Ballymena this season, gradually increased the scoring rate. Ballymena's bowlers and fielders kept things as tight as they could but the vital second wicket just would not come.

And, as has happened several times in tight situations this season, fortune did not smile on the local team as a couple of close lbw appeals were turned down and a clear run-out chance was missed due to a wild throw.

To make matters worse showers caused play to be delayed for 45 minutes after 32 overs with the score at 146 for 1.

At that stage Ballymena still had hope that a couple of quick wickets might have brought them back into the game; however the revised target under Duckworth/Lewis calculations became 166 off 37 overs and this left Sutherland and Haire with a fairly simple task to complete the victory.

This defeat stlll leaves Ballymena involved in the relegation shake-up. They are stlll one win ahead of Downpatrick who were bowled out for 49 by CSNI. However Downpatrick stlll have two games left, against Instonians and winless Lurgan, while Ballymena play their final game on Saturday at home to Carrickfergus.

The relegation issue is further complicated by the fact that, if two teams finish level on points, relegation is decided by a fairly complex formula involving the calculation of each team's Net Run Rate throughout the entire season.

In this scenario exact predictions are virtually impossible but all the indications are that if Ballymena can win on Saturday it would leave Downpatrick needing not only just to win their last two games but needing to win them by fairly convincing margins.

With this incentive there is no doubt that Simon McDowell's side will be up for the fight on Saturday.

And if the batsmen can continue their improved form of the last couple of matches Ballymena supporters will be hoping that the bowlers will rise to the occasion and end the season with what could be a vital win.