Town start league with a defeat

With rain threatening, Carrickfergus won the toss and put the home team into bat. They were rewarded with an early success when Marvin van Niekirk edged a delivery from Martin to wicketkeeper Stirling for eight, with the score on 23.

Shortly after the fall of the wicket the expected rain came and play was suspended for over 45 minutes with the match being reduced to 49 overs a side.

The interruption had little effect on the Lurgan batting with Graeme Hunter and professional Niranjan Godbole keeping the run rate flowing at just under four an over. The partnership had reached 110 when Gelderbloem took an excellent caught and bowled to dismiss Godbole for 52.

Stephen Chambers went shortly after and the departure of Hunter for an excellent 75 saw the brakes well and truly applied to the Lurgan innings.

The middle order of the Lurgan failed to keep the scoreboard ticking and a score that at one stage looked like being well in excess of 200, was well pegged back by both the Carrick bowling and some poor Lurgan batting.

Lurgan lost their next seven wickets for just 57 runs. A late flurry by John Guy and some bizarre fielding by Carrick off the last delivery of the innings saw Lurgan pass the 200 mark, closing on 205 for nine wkts, with John Guy on 18 not out.

Lurgan's bowlers got off to a great start with Carrick opener Cowden sent back to the pavilion for just one run thanks to a superb catch by Ben McKnight at short square leg off John Guy with the total on seven.

Stirling however was finding the boundary regularly and along with Taiaroa kept Carrick well up with the run rate required. This partnership was broken with the score on 50 when Peter Maxwell had the dangerous Stirling caught behind by Chambers for 34.

Lurgan claimed further wickets at 81 and 88 , but Taiaroa was playing an excellent anchor innings for Carrick before an excellent piece of fielding saw Maxwell run him out for 47.

By this stage O'Shea was was starting to cut into the Lurgan bowling and a partnership between him and Carrick skipper Eagleston saw the visitors over the last fence. Although O'Shea was eventually bowled by McKnight for 50, Eagleston was there at the finish to see his side over the line with two and a half overs and three wickets to spare.

This was a game which at times Lurgan looked to have the winning of. However a collapse of the middle order batting and some slack bowling allowed the visitors to snatch the game away from them.

Ball sponsor for the game was Ivor Mitchell.