Bangor made the journey to Pollock Park to take on Lurgan in NCU Senior League One this past Saturday. Lurgan were flying high, second in the league, and with only two losses on their record this season, it was going to be a tough ask for Bangor to come away with the win. Lurgan won the toss and chose to bat first.
Skelly and Brown opened the bowling for Bangor and operated with trademark accuracy, swing, and control, as they aimed to gain the upper hand in the early stages. Brown had an appeal for caught behind turned down in the early stages. But, in the face of this rejection, Bangor turned the screw even tighter, as Skelly held his line until Johnston hit a shot on the full to Pyper at extra cover, who coolly caught his second catch of Skelly in as many games, and Lurgan were now 17-1.
The pitch was a flat one, with little in it for the bowlers. In spite of this, the Bangor attack toiled on with the utmost diligence and haste that the gryphon on their chest calls for. Lurgan were 55-1 after the first ten overs and were cruising by all accounts. Skelly and Brown ended their opening spells, and with that, brought in Pyper and Farrell into the attack. Not one of the eleven men in the field relented in their efforts, and just rewards soon came. Pyper made the breakthrough into the partnership of Maxwell and overseas Collingwood, removing Maxwell caught behind off a delivery that just nipped away to claim the edge of the veteran Maxwell. Lurgan were now 103-2 after 22 overs, as the rate had been reined in and now was at four and a half an over.
Collingwood upped the ante somewhat, looking to take on the bowlers more. This resulted in him bringing up his half-century off 59 deliveries. Collingwood looked classy, blocking the good balls and attempting to take on anything that just missed its length. However, Bangor would not stop. Their chance eventually came when Collingwood was in the seventies and a mix-up happened running between the wickets. Michael Skelly had the ball, and all around the ground looked on in fear that he may try to thunder the ball through the stumps from a mere few yards away. He would instead deliver an appropriately gentle and limp-wristed throw, which floated over the stumps and into the grasps of Prince, who took the ball to remove Collingwood run out — a monumental breakthrough in the game.
Wickets became more regular for Bangor from here on out. Prince removed the new man Maxwell, bowled, for just five, and soon after, the set man Chambers was removed, bowled by the left-arm tweaker Will Simpson, as Lurgan fell to 184-5.
Pyper and Brown returned at the death to restrict the Lurgan innings. With the ball old and the pitch becoming flatter by the delivery, the two dug their heels in and restricted the hard-swinging middle order of Lurgan. James Guy was removed off the bowling of Pyper and was indeed caught by Brown on the long-on boundary, and in the final over, run-outs from Kirkpatrick and Farrell, brought about by the restrictive bowling of the Bangor pair, resulted in Lurgan finishing their innings at 229-8.
Bangor went into tea exhausted by the heat and hard graft in the field, yet quietly confident that they could chase down the total at hand with the great batting pedigree they had.
McMillan and Hutchinson, the apprentice and master opening partnership, opened the batting for Bangor. The two started well, but in an instance of calamity, Hutchinson ran himself out for 8 in the fifth over. Would this open the door of opportunity for Lurgan to put pressure on Bangor early? Unfortunately for Lurgan, Sam McMillan and Connor Brown are of the opinion that pressure is for tyres.
Brown issued a statement of intent, slog-sweeping his opening ball for six, and a chill could be seen heading down the spine of each Lurgan player. The pair put Lurgan to the sword with some of the most elegant yet devastating stroke-making that one is likely to see. “Shot boy” was bellowed at regular intervals by the Bangor faithful, as it was a bad day to be a cricket ball, receiving punishment seemingly after every delivery.
The fifty partnership came up in 35 balls, the one hundred partnership in 85 balls, and the one hundred and fifty partnership came up in 116 balls. It was a joy to watch and had a measure of professionalism that is beyond the pair’s years, but indicative of how hard they work on their game.
Brown was on 76 and cruising until he departed, caught and bowled by his own countryman Collingwood. This was Brown’s last act as a Bangor player and a fitting farewell to a man who has given his all to the club in recent months and has been universally loved. He left the field of play to rapturous applause, as his adoring public gave him the praise and love that befits such a local heartthrob and cricketing icon.
McMillan was joined at the crease by McCullough, who wasted no time joining in on the aggression, hitting five fours and a six in his innings. He noticeably slowed up near the end, as he cleared the way for McMillan. Sam had been untouchable and in truly imperious form this afternoon. The ball seemed to be double the size for him, and the gaps between the fielders for that matter too. A glorious century was brought up for McMillan in just 82 balls, and he was greeted with similar adoration from his fans, as he raised his bat aloft as if what had just happened was some regular occurrence. Regular, this knock was not; this knock was greatness — maybe the greatest McMillan knock ever at Pollock Park.
Bangor romped home 8-wicket victors in the 30th over, and the satisfaction ran deep through the squad. The winning run continues, and no one would want to stand in the way of this side. The way they bowl, bat, and field is evidence that each one of these mighty men of Bangor would do anything to win, not just for themselves, but for each other and for their great, great club. Next week is top-of-the-league Carrickfergus, and who knows — we may just see another upset yet.
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