Bangor Secure a Thrilling Win in the Rain
4 min read
Bangor secured a fine victory in the rain at Templepatrick on Sunday afternoon by 12 runs through the Duckworth Lewis system. The score line does little to reflect the dominance of the Bangor side who capped a fine weekend by being superior in every aspect of the game. A renewed resurgence with the bat will no doubt please Adam McCusker greatly and the team can now look to the rest of the season to build themselves into a force to be reckoned with in Section One.
The home side won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch and outfield that looked custom made to score runs. Buoyed by their excellent performance at Cliftonville on Saturday, Bangor took to the field in joyous mood, looking to make inroads into their opponents as soon as possible. The opening pairing of Chris Walton and Ben Escott put pressure on from the start forcing the Templepatrick batsmen into a number of loose and false shots. It was Walton who made the elusive breakthrough, getting Greer to edge behind to the returning Ricky McLarnon. The openers had put on 62 after only 11 overs, so this wicket was vital in slowing the hosts down.
It is a mark of this side’s mental strength that they refuse to let heads drop in the field. Many sides would have been disheartened with such a fine start to an innings but this side have learnt to apply pressure no matter the situation and are extremely adept in gaining the breakthrough at the critical moment. The wily pairing of Mark Nixon and McLarnoncombined to outfox the other opener Thompson with the latter stumping the bemused batsmen. Bangor had now gained two wickets in two overs and the tails were up. This wicket brought dangerman Ross Bryans to the crease. Bangor will have known that he would hold the key to the remainder of the Templepatrick innings.
So it proved, Bryans and Campbell began to repair the damage to the innings with some hard hitting and excellent running between the wickets. They had put on 24 before George Prince forced Campbell to miscue the ball to the receptive hands of Mark Nixon at mid-wicket. Prince struck again getting Kane to hit one directly to Jonny Keenan at midon. When Conor Cox, making his debut in Section One, took a fine catch to give Nixon his second wicket, Bangor had thehome side at 109 for five in only the 20th over. Bryans was still there and he had moved effortlessly to 30 and was looking ominous.
McCusker threw the ball to the youngster Cox. His faith was repaid immediately as Bryans hit one straight into the air towards the cover boundary. Walton was out after the ball but it looked as if it would drop safe and the Templepatrick star would have had a life. That was not in the script according to Walton who took a superb catch as the ball fell over his shoulder and into his hands. It was an amazing moment and one which meant that Bangor were now well on top having taken six wickets at drinks. Cox grabbed a second wicket when he clean bowled the skipper Busby in 27th over capping a fine debut performance for the youngster. Templepatrickwere now 139 for seven after 27 overs.
Bangor kept on top of the Templepatrick lower order allowing them to score only 22 more runs in the innings. The remaining wickets fell to Walton, Escott and Nixon who grabbed his third of the day and the final wicket of the Templepatrickinnings. It was an outstanding performance in the field and the second of the weekend. Everyone involved can be very proud of their efforts.The Templepatrick innings concluded on 161 after only 36.2 overs.
While Bangor have been sensational in the field of late, it is fair comment to say that their efforts with the bat have not matched up to the high standards set. Although they had restricted Templepatrick, Bangor would have to bat well and had already failed to chase a low total against Templepatick in the T20 cup earlier in the season. Bryans had taken five wickets that day in only four overs so the Bangor batsmen knew just how destructive the fast bowler could be. Jonny Keenan and Michael Martin took to the crease to dig in resolutely.
Tragedy struck when Martin fell in only the 3rd over with the score on 11. Bangor fans around the world would have been fearing the worst and praying for another collapse. Mark Nixon and Jonny Keenan proceeded to answer those prayers in phenomenal fashion. Knowing that they were never going to be under any pressure from the run rate, they resolved to ensure that they would keep their wicket at all cost. They dealt with the threat of Bryans expertly and the fast bowler could be seen to be growing in frustration as the match went on. The partnership was not without flair as well, with both batsmen finding the boundary and scampering between the wickets to gain every run they could muster. For those watching, these two deserve all the credit for putting Bangor into a match winning position.
That is exactly what it turned out to be. Thanks to Keenan and Nixon batting sensibly, when the rain came Bangor were comfortably ahead on Duckworth Lewis. Even when they got back on twice after rain breaks, the two Bangor batsmen knew exactly where they stood in the game. The final break came with Bangor on 92, 12 runs ahead on Duckworth Lewis. This rain break ended the game and gave Bangor a famous victory.
T’patrick 161ao (36.2 overs)
Thompson 36
Bryans 36
Walton 10-0-45-2
Escott 7-1-39-1
Nixon 6.5-1-27-3
Prince 5-1-20-2
Simpson 5-2-6-0
Cox 3-0-11-2
Bangor 92-1 (32.2 overs)
Nixon 39*
Keenan 36*
