Seconds share the league title

Waringstown seconds completed a truly remarkable season for the village club by winning Junior League One at a rain-soaked Lawn on Sunday.
Cricket.Cricket.
Cricket.

Alan Waite’s team share the title with Muckamore after a 27-run victory over Civil Service North.

The last match of the season had been rained off the week before and the elements again threatened Sunday’s 20-over replay.

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However, the match got under way and Waringstown were indebted to Andrew Mitchell, who top scored with a superb 64 .

Waringstown finished their 20 overs on 154 for nine.

CSNI were out of the traps quickly in reply, reaching 39 without loss in four overs, but Alan Harrison, the stand-in skipper, changed the course of the match by dismissing the dangerous Wayne Horwood.

At the halfway mark CSNI were 77 for two with a good platform for the run chase but Morgan Topping, the young off-spinner, put the brakes on with yet another excellent spell.

Topping took the key wicket of first team regular Chris Morran on his way to figures of 3-16 in four overs.

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Aaron Wright chipped in with 2-21 and Harrison 2-30 and although Paddy Beverland hit a defiant 57, the visitors eventually closed on 127 for seven.

Waringstown were level on points with Muckamore, enough for a share of the title.

Five of Sunday’s team had been involved in the first eleven victory over Instonians the previous day.

Instonians got out of the traps quickly when they batted first, but the spinners put the brakes, Greg Thompson producing his finest spell of the season having the dangerous Nikolai Smith stumped by Jonathan Bushe, one of three dismissals for the wicketkeeper.

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Morgan Topping and debutant Jack Carson were superb, the latter’s first senior scalp the wicket of Ireland international James Shannon.

James McCollum returned to the attack to have Andrew White caught and bowled and from being 72 for one and flying, Instonians slumped to 117 for six in their 20 overs.

Jonathan Waite opened the batting on his senior Waringstown debut and he caught the eye by smashing Smith over mid-wicket for six and then launching Eugene Moleon’s first ball back over his head.

Waite eventually departed for an impressive 33 but an asking rate of around six runs an over proved no difficulty to David Dawson and Greg Thompson.

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The former eventually secured the victory by launching a big six over the on-side to finish unbeaten on 31.

Thompson, the recent star of the Irish Cup final victory over Merrion, was not out 29 as Waringstown secured victory with 17 balls to spare.

Waringstown’s first, second and third elevens all won their respective titles, with the under-19 and under-11 teams adding silverware to the cabinet.

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