Dramatic win for 2nds

With the 1sts game at Donacloney being called off due to a waterlogged ground, the focus turned to the 2nds who were trying to gain their first four points of the season in a home game against CSNI 3rds at Pollock Park.

In a game that ebbed and flowed all afternoon the result eventually hinged on the last two deliveries pf the game. CSNI skipper Robert Morrow had clipped a boundary off the second ball of the last over of the game bowled by Iqbal Khan, and another couple of singles left the visitors needing 3 to win off the last two balls. A sharp delivery from Iqbal forced a defensive push from Morrow to Lurgan’s Jack Maxwell who swooped on the ball and fired in a direct hit to run out  CSNI’s Simmonite. A scrambled single was all CSNI could manage off the last ball of the game to leave the Town side winners by just one run.

Lurgan had batted first and having lost openers Grieve and Long cheaply, the middle order batsmen all contributed with the bat with John Woods hitting 24, Jack Maxwell 21, Richard Clarke 35, Connor Rankin 33, setting CSNI a target of 153 to win in 35 overs.

CSNI skipper Robert Morrow led the reply for the visitors and although wickets were falling at regular intervals, CSNI were going along comfortably at between 4 and 5 runs an over. However the last two overs bowled by Grieve and Khan were to prove decisive, Grieve taking a spectacular caught and bowled off his last ball, Iqbal holding his nerve bowling the last over and then that decisive Jack Maxwell run out.

Lurgan’s ground fielding was generally tight and while some of the bowling was good, 26 wides / no balls shows that more consistency and practice in this department would go some way to winning more games. Callum Grieve took 3 wkts for just 13 runs in his 7 overs of which 5 were maidens, Harry Long 1 for 29 off 7 and Iqbal Khan 1 for 32 off 6.

Conor Rankin

Conor Rankin

John Woods

John Woods

Richard Clarke

Richard Clarke

 

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