Bangor made the trip to Sandy Bay to take on Carrickfergus in a barnstorming Lagan Valley Steels T20 trophy semi-final encounter. Carrick were the heavy favourites entering the game, having not lost a fixture since their relegation to section one, but Bangor have never been deterred by a challenge and entered the game confident that they could cause an upset.
Jonny Parker won the toss and elected to bowl. Each man trusted the prescient instincts of their captain. Bowlers warmed up foaming at the mouth, desperate to gain their place in the final.
Bangor made their foray into the fray, entrusting Connor Brown with the new ball. Fresh from a week off and feeling primed for a renaissance after the mending of his back injury. Brown looked every bit ready for action as he charged in for his first over; Australian flowing curtains blown back by the wind. The opposing batsman was no match for the seam and precision that Brown displayed, as the first over was a maiden.
Manav Chhabra matched the excellence at the other end bowling with the surgical precision that befits his field of study, only conceding one from his first over. Bangor’s discipline and economical bowling was rewarded in the 5th over when Carrick opener Parkhill tried an expansive scoop shot which was taken by Kirkpatrick behind the stumps. Two overs later pressure would tell once again as Chhabra gained his second wicket once again caught behind by Kirkpatrick. Both openers were bowled their four overs straight through and Carrick were a modest 18-2 after the first 8 overs. It cannot be overstated how pivotal the platform the two provided was. Brown was unfortunate not to collect a wicket of his own, but the pressure he applied invariably assisted others in gaining their spoils. In spite of what people say, he truly is a team man and a good lad.
Pyper entered the attack next and made an immediate impact. With his second ball, he delivered a bouncer which crept up on the diminutive overseas Varape and was duly gloved through to Kirkpatrick, who was having a fantasy field day as he snared his third catch. Just two balls after Pyper bowled the Carrick skipper Van der Walt with an in dipping Yorker. By the end of Pyper’s first carrick were 21-4 and Bangor were undoubtedly in the drivers seat.
Pressure continued to build from the other end as a George Prince nipped the ball away straight down the corridor of uncertainty. When Pyper returned he claimed his third, nipping the ball away to draw the edge. Kirkpatrick’s gloves were receiving serious testing, as he claimed his third catch of the innings and Carrick were now 26-5.
It has often been said that these match reports are quick to praise Pyper and slow to criticise, however this report can confirm he bowled a no ball in his second over. Now that the criticism is over with the tight bowling continued, as a Carrick were 48-5 at the end of the twelfth, thanks in part to two sixes from Haggan, who offered the main resistance of the innings.
Spin entered the attack in the form of Simpson and Farrell. Farrell struck first bowling Parkhill in his first over. Two balls later, The ball ricocheted of the pad of the Carrick batsman. There was a gap at fine leg and looking to exploit this they came back for two. Alas, something no one had expected occurred. Kirkpatrick, scurried towards the ball, as if it possessed the ambrosia required to regain his youth. Presumably, the batsmen thought that there was two available on Kirkpatrick’s arm alone, how wrong they were. Kirkpatrick slung the ball toward the stumps, as a trebuchet hurling rocks towards a city it besieges. Ultimately, nobody outruns the ball. The bails were dislodged, the umpires finger held aloft and Browny obsequiously reminded the batsman that he must ground his bat if he wished to remain at the crease. Carrick found themselves struggling at 50-7.
Tight bowling continued and it was Simpson who claimed the next wicket. Haggan had batted admirably in the face of adversity. But, in advancing down the wicket he played and missed at the ball being removed stumped, as Kirkpatrick’s dream day of glove work continued. Special credit must go to Simpson who had tempted Haggan by not spinning one up until that point, luring hun into a false sense of security and foiled him by ragging one past him.
The final over arrived and Pyper approached hoping to claim his five for, but the over was given to Angus Farrell in light of his tight bowling. Pyper of course accepted this decision without question. The first ball fo the over went for six and skipper Parker suddenly became infatuated with something on his shoes, as Pyper attempted to meet his gaze. Nonetheless, Farrell recovered taking two wickets to finish the innings bowled and caught and bowled respectively. Carrick finished on 88 all out; the job was half done.
McMillan and Kirkpatrick began the Bangor innings. The two are accustomed to scoring at a frenetic pace, but both understood that if they batted most of the overs, the game would be theirs. The two batted sensibly, applying pressure to the fielding side by running hard and picking the bad ball off. It was a field day for any aesthetes in attendance, as the beautiful timing of both men’s shots created a watchable innings filled with poise. Both men possess a penchant for a drive and this is how Kirkpatrick brought up the first maximum of the innings, carving the ball over long off with balletic brutality.
Kirkpatrick met his end in the 8th over caught behind via the bowling of Parkhill. This meant McMillan was now joined at the crease by his adoptive father Mark Hutchinson. The two continued the success of the opening pair, as McMillan played at a couple of beautiful drives to bring up the first fours of the game. It was uneventful, boring cricket being played by the pair. Many would take such phrasing as an insult, not so with these two, who take great pride in killing and suffocating teams out of the game. McMillan seemed to be cruising on 33, when an expertly delivered yorker ended his innings. Hutchinson soon met a similar fate, being late to pick up a straight one which left him trapped in front for LBW. Bangor were now 69-3, but was a collapse approaching?
No chance. Brown and Chhabra batted beautifully. Brown with some trademark sweeps and Chhabra finished the game in a much less subtle way, launching two maximums straight over the bowlers head to bring the boys home.
Bangor have not lost in T20 competition in two years now and are now one game away from making it three years on the bounce. Something about the pace and action of it all draws them closer. In every facet of the game they outplayed their opponents and now they have reaped the rewards. Clinical is the only word to describe there performance today and every man who donned gryphon rose to the standard it required of them. Nonetheless, the job is not yet complete, the lads must rise to the occasion playing Cregagh in the final. But until then, they shall bask in the glory of what they achieved on that Sandy Bay Sunday: a giant toppled, a final secured, a club believing once again.
Livestream replay on Larne CC YouTube channel – starts around the 4hr 52mins mark.
