by Chris Pyper
Bangor vs Cooke Collegians – LVS T20 Trophy – Thursday 14th May
Bangor welcomed Cooke collegians for an LVS T20 Trophy fixture, intent on continuing their win streak in the format. Cooke won the toss and elected to bat, no doubt due to the stunning track prepared at UP and the threat of poor second-innings light at this embryonic stage of the season.
Pyper and Farrell opened the bowling and found early success, keeping the batsmen on guard at all times, as the early movement caused much trouble. In the third over, it was Farrell who secured the breakthrough, trapping Haider LBW after a period of sustained pressure and expert partnership bowling.
The squeeze continued with Prince and Harrison entering the attack consecutively, building on the pressure formed during the powerplay overs. Harrison would be the one to make the breakthrough, his ripping spin proving too much for Babu, who found the comfortable grasp of Felix McMillan, who gleefully claimed the catch as if all his Christmases had come at once.
It would not take long for Harrison to strike again, this time with a ripping delivery to take the top of off stump, Cave the victim on this occasion, having no reply to what was a deleterious display of bowling from the talismanic overseas player.
It is important to note that this was the first game back for spin sergeant Will Simpson after a brief spell out with a knee injury. On his return, Simpson bowled with accuracy and spin, as well as an enthusiasm that replaced his typical “I don’t want to be here” attitude. Such diligence was rewarded with the prized wicket of opener Gibbons, who was clean bowled by the perfect off-break delivery to reduce Cooke to 55–4. The next over brought Harrison’s third wicket — a stumping — coupled with Simpson’s second wicket, caught via a stellar Adam McCusker catch, a man who only catches for his favourite bowlers, leading to Cooke slumping to 62–6.
Shekhar and Hassanar showed great diligence and persistence to bring Cooke beyond three figures until Shekhar was run out by some astute Angus Farrell fielding.
At the end of the innings, Cooke produced a late surge to finish on 117–7, a great recovery from their previously perilous position.
McMillan’s typical opening partner, Seb Yeates, was sitting an exam the next day, meaning McMillan was joined by an opening partner at the other end of the age profile, Ian Butler.
The two gained early success with delightful stroke play that saw the ball crossing the boundary rope at will. Such timing punished any and all deliveries that found themselves over-pitched to any extent. McMillan, looking to continually add impetus to the innings, was caught at point as a result of a swirling top edge.
Usually, a wicket provides respite for a fielding side, but Brodie Harrison’s arrival at the crease only served to up the ante. Spectators dove for cover as Butler and Harrison were merciless in their assault on the Cooke bowling attack. The sound of the two gargantuans’ bats echoed around a five-mile radius, rattling windows as far as Ballyholme from the impact of ball on willow.
In the blink of an eye, Butler had his half-century from a mere 38 deliveries, at what seemed like a canter to onlookers, the ex-Test batsman changing gear seamlessly.
Harrison brought up the winning runs with the first ball of the fifteenth over, thundering another delivery for six to take his personal tally to 48 from 25 deliveries in a man-of-the-match performance.
He and Butler left the pitch to their adoring public, delighted not solely by the individual accolades, but by the victory they had secured for our great club.
Templepatrick await in another eye-watering encounter where glorious, attractive cricket will once again be on display. The support has been monumental, the cricket must be seen to be believed, and all the while, Bangor go marching on.
Bangor vs Cooke Collegians – Mercury Section 1 – Saturday 16th May
Bangor welcomed Cooke on Saturday afternoon for an early-season encounter in NCU Senior League One. In spite of the threatening cumulonimbi surrounding the ground, Upritchard Park was in pristine shape as Bangor looked to continue their winning streak. They had already swept aside their opponents in the midweek and, with forecasts for rain threatening the day’s play, they would need to do so quickly.
Bangor lost the toss but were given the opportunity to make quick progress towards a quick game, as their visitors asked them to field first.
Pyper and Farrell opened the bowling and immediately caused the opening batsmen problems. The overcast conditions proved conducive to a strong seam bowling performance, as Pyper drew the edge of opener Khatri. The catch was held at first slip by George Prince, who, after a momentary bobble of the ball, snared it for Bangor’s first wicket of the day.
Not to be outdone, Farrell got in on the act by bowling Haider at the very end of the over with the most stunning off-break delivery, removing the bails with all the guile of a bowler in top form.
This led to a period of hunkering down in the trenches for the visitors. It was unclear how they planned to proceed towards victory, but they placed a high price on their wickets, showing no intent to give up their time at the crease. Egged on by his personal bowling guru, Ian Butler, Pyper bowled a hard, bodyline bumper at the left-handed Srinivasan, who duly gloved it into the welcoming arms of Andrew Kirkpatrick.
The next over, Farrell replied with a wicket of his own. Showing great energy through the crease, he drew the edge from John Gibbons and, again, Kirkpatrick showed the reactions of a man twenty years his junior, taking a difficult catch while standing up to the stumps. In his next over, Farrell again proved too much for the opposing batsmen. This time, he felt it futile to include his teammates in the effort to dismantle the Cooke top order and gladly received the floaty leading edge into his own grasp, collecting fantasy points that must be seen to be believed.
At the end of this spell, Pyper and Farrell had held Cooke to 18–5 from the first fourteen overs. This included six maidens between them. This dazzling display set the stage for the change bowlers to turn the screw.
The pitch at UP was a road, meaning that when Pandita arrived at the crease and showed some intent, he was able to find the first boundary of the day in the twenty-third over. Bangor were not to be deterred, however, ploughing on with a high degree of skill and application.
Eventually, a breakthrough into the pesky partnership was made when Prince, toiling in a manner that the jersey requires of him, trapped Babu LBW for nineteen at slightly less than a run a ball. This was followed a few overs later by skipper Shekhar being bowled by Brodie Harrison, who had found himself a wicket after drinks. This was thanks, in no small part, to the encouragement of Pyper and McMillan, who aided him in adjusting his attitude to the impetuosity that befitted a Bangorian in pursuit of victory.
Wickets began to fall at regular intervals as Prince was the benefactor of a controversial LBW decision to remove the resistance of Pandita, with Harrison clean-bowling his second victim of the day soon after. Finally, Pyper returned and gained his third wicket of the day with a full yorker to decisively end the Cooke innings at 95 all out.
With rain on the way, Bangor had to knock the runs off quickly if they were to enjoy the spoils of their first-innings effort. With no tea taken between innings, McMillan and Yeates were the brave brace of Bangorian batsmen, brilliantly battering the ball from boundary to boundary. Showing great intent, the two ran hard and plundered early boundaries to set a ferocious pace. Yeates fell victim to the aggression, getting trapped LBW for twelve in the third over.
This brought overseas player Brodie Harrison to the crease. Now, it has been brought to my attention that these match reports have garnered an international readership, as Brodie’s own mother has been engaging with these match reports, which she claims “deserve literary awards”. Thus, Deirdre, please enjoy this next section denoting your son’s innings.
Dear Deirdre, your lad took flight, twenty-one balls in fading light, thirty-seven runs with fearless flair, dispatching bowlers everywhere.
One soared high with a thunderous crack, no chance at all of coming back, over the ropes, beyond the trees, past garden fences with astounding ease.
The houses next to the club stood still, as Brodie swung with power and skill, neighbours wondering, eyes cast wide, “who’s smashing sixes?” as they cowered inside.
Just Brodie Harrison, bat held proud, giving the club a reason to crowd, and somewhere smiling, as Brodie stood tall his mum, Deirdre, enjoying it all.
If the stunning verse previously did not make it clear, Huggsy smashed the ball a long, long way throughout a spellbinding innings that took the game away from Cooke.
In the midst of this, Sam McMillan was removed by a stunning catch on the boundary for thirty-three from twenty-one deliveries, as he continued his good early-season form.
Ian Butler supported Harrison excellently before being removed with one run to win. Kirkpatrick blocked out three deliveries and successfully protected his average (or lack thereof), until Harrison, with a sumptuous sweep shot, ended proceedings as Bangor romped to a seven-wicket victory in eleven overs.
This was a ruthless team performance. From one to eleven, there were moments of execution that led to an outclassing of their opponents. There is an air of excitement amongst this team. They play hard and with a camaraderie that kneads them together as a fine dough when the going gets tough. Sterner tests lie ahead, but if skills continue to be executed, appropriate energy brought, and crucial moments won, then there is no telling just how far this great team of young and old may go.
