Bangor Men’s 1XI vs Lurgan
Bangor suffered a heavy defeat against promotion rivals Lurgan on Saturday 22nd August, with the visitors running out 149-run winners in NCU Section 1.
Having won the toss, Lurgan elected to bat first and made full use of the opportunity, posting a sizeable 319 all out. Bangor’s bowlers were made to work hard throughout the innings, as the visitors made an excellent start and were on 181 thanks to skipper Johnston and South African Oliver. Seb Yeates was in the midst of a good spell of bowling and picked up the opening wicket. Yeates would repeat the feat again next over dismissing the other set batter leaving Lurgan 184-2 in the 29th over.
Lurgan would of had eyes on a score well above 350 with Australian Doddrell at the crease who has been arguably the standout player in the league. Bangor though to their credit raised their game with tight bowling limiting the visitors to possibly getting a score around 350 heading into the final few overs.
Josh Bates tasked with bowling the final few overs was at his devastating best. The Coventry Express ran through the Lurgan lineup thereafter claiming an excellent 6/58 after a tricky start, regularly breaking partnerships. It was a great moment for Bates after joining the club in 2018 he was finally rewarded with his first fifer in Bangor colours, a great achievement for any man. Given the Lurgan position were in at 181-0 in the 27th over, Bangor could be fairly content with their fightback.
Bangor were dealt a blow before their innings started as regular opener Yeates took a blow to the head from the ball after a wicked deflection in the outfield. Suffering signs of concussion and with a duty of care, he was unfortunately unable to bat which made Bangor’s task that bit harder.
It was Mark Hutchinson who joined Sam McMillan and it was Hutchinson who provided the early resistance at the top of the order as he raced to double figures with the first boundary. Pace bowler Doddrell was causing issues for both men as they tried to navigate him early doors but Sam was unfortunately adjudged LBW for 7.
Hutchinson was joined by Brodie Harrison and the two batters were keeping pace with the Lurgan score at a similar point. But the Bangor chase hit a speed bump when Harrison was out caught on the boundary for 19. Felix McMillan joined Hutchinson and both batters set out to rebuild but when Hutchinson was adjudged LBW on the sweep then Bangor started to fall behind the asking rate. From there the Bangor innings struggled to build any sustained partnerships, with wickets falling at regular intervals and Lurgan’s bowlers keeping the pressure on throughout.
Bangor’s reply never reached the heights required as they were bowled out for 170 in the 41st over, falling well short of the target. Despite the disappointing result, there were positives for Bangor, particularly Bates’ six-wicket haul with the ball. However, Lurgan’s strong batting performance and disciplined bowling ultimately proved too much as Bangor’s chase never got going.
The result now leaves Bangor outside the top 2 for the first time this season on 44pts with Lurgan & Carrickfergus tied at the top on 48pts with two games to go. This weekend Bangor travel to Saintfield while Lurgan & Carrickfergus play each other. If Bangor emerge with a win, then they will draw level from the loser of that game and it setups a thrilling final day of the season with three teams vying for 2 promotion spots but plenty to be sorted out this weekend before then.
Lurgan 319 (49.5 overs, J Oliver 87, S Johnston 74, L Doddrell 67, S Chambers 27, J Bates 6-58, S Yeates 2-48)
Bangor 170-9 (40.5 overs, M Hutchinson 36, F McMillan 25, J Bates 21, D Nazari 4-38, B Schmidt 3-20)
Lurgan beat Bangor by 149 runs
Cregagh 2XI vs Bangor Men’s 2XI
After the disappointment of last weeks narrow loss at home we were back on the road for one final game at Cregagh looking to finish the season on high.
As is customary Bangor lost the toss (need to work on that for next season!) and the home team elected to bowl.
What came next was a bit of a demolition of the Cregagh attack.
Jonathan Keenan and James Patterson opened the innings and put on 90 before Patto (15) chopped one on to his stumps trying to hit the ball to mars!
Daniel Rayner was next in and played some exquisite cover drives before lofting one to mid-off and was out for 16 with the score now 126-2.
That brought Adam McCusker to the wicket who set about pulverizing the Cregagh bowlers from the off including an unbelievable 6 over mid off that the neighbours will need to throw back!
Keenan steady as ever continued on and with a history of big scores at Cregagh reached his 100 and would go on to finish 121 not out, his first century in Bangor colours.
McCusker showed no mercy with 77* off 40 balls and after 35 overs we had set a mammoth total of 274-2 which was going to be a tough chase for the home team.
Cregagh got off to the worst possible start when Max Escott had the opener caught at point by Daniel Rayner in the first over.
Max Walker then followed up by claiming the other opener in the second over and by the time McCusker took a worldie of a catch to get rid off batsmen no. 3 the game was all but done.
With the wind at his back Escott continued his fine performance rattling the timber 2 more times to remove batters 5&6 before the home side rallied a bit however, Gideon Wilson and Andy Pyper chipped in with a few wickets and when Jacob Campbell got De Silva caught at mid on the engines were starting in the car park.
Looking to the close the game out the impressive Escott came back on to bowl and took the final wicket which saw Bangor win by 172 runs.
Great to finish the season on a high and every reason to be confident of a serious promotion challenge next season.
Winter well, and let’s be ready for 2027!
Bangor 2 274-2 (35 overs, J Keenan 121*, A McCusker 77*)
Cregagh 2 98 (28.1 overs, A Boyd 20, M Escott 4-18, M Walker 2-15, G Wilson 2-20)
Bangor 2 beat Cregagh 2 by 176 runs
Bangor 4XI vs Muckamore 5XI
Bangor 4ths continued their good run of form with a comfortable victory over Muckamore 5ths at a sun-drenched Upritchard Park on Sunday.
After winning the toss, Muckamore chose to bat first but were met with some excellent, disciplined bowling and sharp fielding from Bangor throughout the innings. The home side rarely allowed the visitors to build any significant momentum.
Rich Carson was the star in the field, taking three catches, while Phil Greenwood added two catches of his own. The wickets were shared around, with Stephen Cumper, Daniel McIlwaine and James Monaghan each claiming two wickets in a fine all-round team performance.
Following the traditional mid-innings refuelling of sandwiches and buns in the newly refurbished pavilion, Bangor set about their chase in confident fashion. A steady opening laid the foundations,and the batting line-up maintained the required momentum throughout.
Phil Greenwood led the scoring with a well-made 32, supported by Alan Andrews with 14 and Blake Carson with 16. As the target came into view, the finishing touches were applied by Matt Norman, who remained unbeaten on 18, and Matt Pitts, whoselively 15 not out came from just eight balls.
The pair guided Bangor home with nine balls to spare, ensuring a comfortable victory and providing the perfect ending to a very enjoyable afternoon of cricket.
And with Matt Norman and Matt Pitts at the crease to seal the win, it was, quite literally, a Matt finish!
Bangor 4 134-6 (23.3 overs, P Greenwood 32, Y Doke 3-29)
Muckamore 5 133-8 (25 overs, C Rane 28, B Hodge 22, D McIlwaine 2-15, J Monaghan 2-25, S Cumper 2-24)
Bangor 4 beat Muckamore 5 by 4 wickets
