Cooke Collegians vs Bangor – Saturday 25th July
by Chris Pyper
Bangor made the short jaunt up the road to play Cooke Collegians in a top-versus-bottom clash in NCU Senior League One. After losing the toss, Bangor were asked to bowl.
Having been effective in the powerplay over recent weeks, Bangor would have hoped for an early breakthrough on a lively wicket, but the partnership of Pyper and Farrell toiled to no avail.
George Prince entered the attack in the eleventh over, however, and made an immediate impact, bowling Haider, whose defence was too soft as the ball went on to hit the stumps in spite of him blocking the ball. Prince had noticed that part of the wicket-taking issues was due to pitching the ball too much and, in a stroke of genius, he bowled a full toss that found the grateful grasp of Ian Butler for Prince’s second wicket in that very same over.
Prince was not finished there, as in his next over Seb Yeates claimed an impressive overhead catch—for a man of his diminutive stature—at point to remove Khatri and reduce Cooke to 61-3. Prince would claim Prince Sharma, a fellow royal, caught behind off a short ball and fine glovework from Kirkpatrick to get his and Bangor’s fourth.
Cricket, so often, is a game that rewards discipline and perseverance, calling for each competitor to repeatedly bowl his best ball, and this is what Bangor required today. Harrison plugged away until the loose shot came. First, Srinivasan played a frustrated lofted drive, but caught none of it. It seemed as though the ball might trickle into dead space until Mark Hutchinson, rolling back the years, took an overhead catch, landing on his back, and miraculously stood up, in spite of the calls for a Zimmer frame from his teammates.
Gibbons would lose his wicket to Harrison shortly after, playing off the back foot into the grasp of Farrell at square leg, who took a low diving catch cleanly, with no sign of juggling balls à la Snoop Dogg.
Feeling left out, Skelly got in on the act as a dangerous full toss delivery found Adam McCusker, who took the catch with the greatest of ease. Farrell, too, felt left out, having been unfortunate to not gain a wicket in his opening spell, and gained a wicket caught behind. Soon after, Harrison would gain his third as McCusker took another catch to leave the hosts 151-9.
The game had hitherto been played in tremendous spirit and sportsmanship. It was a picturesque setting with a slight breeze, and spectators and players alike merrily witnessed some fantastic cricket played by both sides up until this point. It seems that this was all too placid for the cantankerous Seb Yeates. In a shocking display of unsportsmanlike conduct, Yeates inquired of the batsman whether he intended to “block every single ball” or if he had instead considered the possibility of “actually hitting one”. The batsman responded in kind as he helped himself to a wide delivery that flew past Yeates, stood at point, looking on in disgust that such an affront would be shown to him.
In retaliation, Yeates decided that the last wicket should be his, in spite of the cries from many corners of the pitch for Pyper to have a second spell—bowling a beautiful off-break delivery to clip the top of the off bail and retire Cooke for 162 runs.
After one of the teas of the year that featured a stunning biryani, the Bangor men were ready to launch their assault on the total. There had been a brief rain delay in the Cooke innings, resulting in Bangor’s adjusted target sitting at 161 in 47 overs.
Hutchinson and Yeates went out to open and displayed an application and obstinacy that was to be admired, advancing the total onwards, in spite of the challenge of deteriorating conditions. The pair were just short of their fifty partnership when Yeates was removed, caught for 24. This brought Brodie Harrison to the crease, aiming to continue his rich vein of form and pile the pressure on the opposition.
Hutchinson found boundaries intermittently through illustrious on-drives, as Harrison used his trademark power-hitting to claim boundaries that other players simply cannot fathom. Shortly after bringing up one hundred team runs, Hutchinson was out, bowled by Sharma for 44. Butler joined Harrison in the middle, and the two continued the offensive.
Harrison had taken a trip to Spain to soak up the atmosphere as the Iberian nation claimed the FIFA World Cup crown. Brodie had obviously become confused by this brief foray into the footballing world and proceeded to volley one of the Cooke player’s deliveries back like a young Paolo Di Canio. It turned out that Brodie was dismayed at the constant chat from the opposition in the midst of the bowler’s action and decided to express his discontent by displaying the breadth of his sporting capabilities and how they were superior to his adversary in every way.
He would, however, meet his end, stumped for 39 after an innings that included five fours and one maximum. Butler was joined by Kirkpatrick, and the two brought Bangor within touching distance of the total at 159. Then the game of cricket did what it often does and provided drama where there otherwise should be none.
Butler was first removed trying to finish the match on a deteriorating pitch, as his replacement McCusker faced the same fate in pursuit of the same goal. Spectators could hardly believe their eyes as Kirkpatrick then was removed in a similar fashion. Angus Farrell entered, seeming confident to end the panic, until he received an ill-fated LBW trigger, meaning that four wickets had been lost for no runs on a deck that was now as volatile as could be.
Who was to be the next hero to join Bangor’s fearless skipper, Parker, in the middle? Michael Skelly, of course, with just a minute enough amount of situational awareness to feel no pressure whatsoever. Striding out to the middle, having just seen four of his compatriots fall, Skelly asked the question, “Is it doing much?”
Skelly then responded to the first ball turning as if an undetonated World War Two land mine had exploded before his very eyes. Alas, this was all the sighted Skelly needed as he clattered the following ball to the boundary to claim the win, four points, and an eight-point cushion for his teammates on an immense occasion at Pirrie Park.
All around rejoiced as their bemulleted bastion of Bangorian greatness walked off the pitch, as his skipper beamed with glee at the heroics on display. His personal heroics should not go unmentioned, defending eight potentially fatal deliveries with the utmost diligence and preventing the collapse from progressing any further.
Bangor march on with a big fixture away at Middle Road the next week. They will require more of that resolve, more of that skill, and buckets of the spirit shown on this day, if they are to continually prevail. This team love to play, they love to play for each other, and they love to play for Bangor. This, it has been proven, is a winning combination. Stay tuned for more.
Cooke Collegians 162 (37 overs, H Haider 23, B Babu 32, G Prince 4-28, B Harrison 3-41)
Bangor 163-7 (40.2 overs, M Hutchinson 43, S Yeates 24, B Harrison 39, I Butler 25, V Srinivasan 3-31, B Babu 2-20)
Bangor beat Cooke Collegians by 3 wickets (DLS)
Match Photos on our Facebook page
Bangor Men’s 2XI vs Templepatrick 2XI
by Gareth McCullough
After the disappointment of an away loss to Lisburn 3’s in a rearranged game from earlier in the season Bangor were looking to get back on the winning streak at Upritchard on Saturday however, came up against a very strong and well disciplined Templepatrick side who were intent on reversing last weeks loss at the Cloughan.
As has been the way for most of the season Bangor lost the toss and were asked to field. The wicket as ever was an absolute road and the Bangor bowlers struggled to break through early on and that theme continued for the rest of the innings.
A combination of good batting and some poor fielding helped Templepatrick post a score of 236 for 4 in their 35 overs with notable knocks from Artie Campbell (74) and Ben Lowry (77) the cornerstone of the opposition total.
A challenging target set but one that Bangor could have confidence in chasing down. Alas it was not be, Felix McMillan went in the 3rd over for (9) quickly followed by James Patterson for (3) and the home side at 14-2 were facing an uphill task.
Wickets continued to fall however, some rearguard action from Daniel Rayner (33) and a stylish cameo from Andy Pyper (26) were not enough and the Templepatrick victory was sealed in the 31st over by 80 runs.
With 4 games left in the season promotion to Junior 1 has probably slipped by for another year but the Team will dust themselves off and be ready for Lisburn 3’s this Saturday.
Templepatrick 2 236-4 (35 overs, A Campbell 74, B Lowry 77, L McIlwrath 29*, M Walker 2-41)
Bangor 2 156 (30.5 overs, J Keenan 22, D Rayner 33, A Pyper 26, J Wilson 3-37, A Campbell 3-14)
Templepatrick 2 beat Bangor 2 by 80 runs
Armagh Masters vs Bangor Masters – Tuesday 28th July
by Matt Pitts
Bangor Cricket Club’s Masters side continued their NCU Over-50s League campaign with a well-earned victory over Armagh at The Mall, Armagh, on Tuesday evening (28 July).
Batting first, Bangor produced a strong all-round team performance to post a competitive total of 153. Contributions came throughout the batting order, with Ian Fletcher top-scoring with 27, while Stephen Hamilton added a valuable 19. The innings was anchored by Ryan Wheeler and Steven Skelly, both of whom retired after reaching 30, helping Bangor build a solid platform and maintain momentum throughout the innings.
In reply, Armagh made a positive start and looked capable of chasing down the target, batting confidently in the opening overs. However, Bangor’s bowlers and fielders gradually tightened their grip on the contest.
The decisive moment came from Matt Pitts, who turned the game firmly in Bangor’s favour with a dramatic over that brought three wickets and a run out, breaking the back of the Armagh challenge. Despite their strong start, the home side ultimately fell short, finishing on 127 for 6.
The result secured another encouraging victory for Bangor, but the evening was about more than just the outcome. Both teams played the game in an excellent spirit, embodying everything that makes Masters cricket such an enjoyable competition. Friendly rivalry, good sportsmanship and a shared love of the game were evident throughout a thoroughly enjoyable encounter.
Bangor left Armagh pleased with their performance and looking forward to the next fixture in what continues to be an entertaining and competitive Masters League season.
