PROMOTION COULD BE JUST WHAT THE DOC ORDERED

Once again there was no play in Division 2 of the Billy Henderson Properties League at the weekend and a very real danger now that clubs won't have time to play all of their outstanding fixtures as the season reaches its climax.

Ardmore's horrible run continued last week when Alan Colhoun's 123 was enough to allow Killyclooney to close out an unlikely 1-wicket win meaning that the Bleachgreen club has now lost four of their last six league matches.

That statistic has allowed the pack to take advantage and going into the last month of the season it is now Creevedonnell who have taken pole position. The Creevies have been here a few times before of course but stalwart Brian Dougherty suggested at the weekend that the club is “guardedly optimistic” that this may finally be their year.

“The weather has spoiled things to a large extent and it has been a very frustrating few weeks since we last played on 23 July. Prior to that we were in really good form, winning 9 of our last 10 matches in a run that has taken us not just to the top of the league, but also the finals of the Sammy Jeffrey and Sperrin Springs cups” said the former skipper.

Creevedonnell are due to be hosting one of their fellow challengers this midweek but Dougherty wasn't overly hopeful of an end to the game drought just yet. “Our ground is very wet at present and while I would love the opportunity to lock horns with Drummond, it is sure to be touch and go. They beat us at their place just before we went on our winning run and like a lot of sides in this league they have three or four players who could hurt you. I'm sure both clubs would prefer to play the game as we get no points for sitting looking out”.

Asked if he felt that his side were worthy favourites to go on to secure promotion, Brian was reluctant to make any rash predictions. “If I was being pragmatic I would say probably yes, but I've been involved here long enough to know that inconsistency has been our downfall many times in the past. I would have to say we would be a bit more confident if we were sure of playing all of our remaining matches over 50 overs though as the T20 format definitely levels things up.

We have put teams out for less than 100 on seven occasions this year and considering how little cricket has been played its a big achievement. Gary Neely has been excellent for us and already has 40 wickets in the bag and a good bowling attack will always give you a chance of success. Alan Duddy has scored heavily even though he has only played around half of our games but Nicky Cooke has probably been our best all-round player this season. Nicky is a very underrated cricketer and he would have no problem playing at a higher level”.

And if Creevedonnell were to go on to clinch promotion would they be happy to take their place in the top flight? “Absolutely” was the unerring reply; “Obviously we would then have to contemplate some ground improvements and bringing in a couple of players but I would be confident we could manage that. We haven't been in the top flight for 30 years and ironically the last time we came up we relegated Brigade in a play-off, but maybe we're due a turn now.

There remains an awful lot of work to be done before we can start thinking about that however and despite the fact that we have beaten Ardmore three times this season I wouldn't consider writing them off. Drummond too are in there pitching and in a league where we have already seen that anyone can beat anyone there is sure to be more twists and turns before it's over”.

'DONNELL FAVOURITES FOR ANOTHER SAMMY JEFFREY WIN

Creevedonnell, as Brian said are in action in this weekend's big game as they take on The Nedd in Saturday's Sammy Jeffrey final at Eglinton. They have a phenomenal record in this competition too despite this being their first final appearance since the 2007 decider when they beat Ardmore. They will be attempting to take the trophy back to the Curryfree Road for the fifth time in 12 years on Saturday but they will be well aware that Vinny O'Hara's side could give them all they want.

The Kings Lane outfit has been totally inconsistent this season, being able to beat Ardmore and St Johnston but coming unstuck against Killyclooney and Sion Mills and they were dismissed for just 71 the last time they crossed swords with Stephen Scroggie's side. The Nedd's batting has been hit and miss but with players like Kyle Morrow, Alex Steele, Dean and Martin Mehaffey, skipper O'Hara and the improving Jamie Millar in the ranks they remain very capable.

The Burns brothers Gareth and Keith will lead an attack likely to also include Johnny Murray, Creighton Wilson and O'Hara in what could make for an interesting afternoon if both played to their potential.

Form will count for nothing when they line up at Eglinton but a lot could depend on how The Nedd's batsmen cope with their opponents attack and with that man Neely in particular. Skipper O'Hara was certainly upbeat at the weekend when suggesting that although starting underdogs, he felt that they were capable of surprising their opponents.

“They are certainly a good side and although we were missing a few players when we played them in that T20 game at their place they looked strong. Nicky Cooke is probably their danger man but we won't be overawed and win, lose or draw there will be a party in Ballykelly on Saturday night!”.

By a strange twist of fate the two sides were actually scheduled to meet in the league on Saturday and therefore that one joins the growing list of postponements however it also means that there are a couple of fixtures set to go ahead.

Game of the day looks to be in Donegal where St Johnston host title chasing Drummond with the visitors well aware that a defeat could scupper their challenge. The Saints have been far from at their best this season but as always remain one of the toughest sides to beat at this level so the visitors really do need to be on their mettle if they want to maintain their push.

Killyclooney and Sion Mills have both recorded good wins in the past couple of weeks as they look to finish their seasons on a high and Richard McMorris' team has home advantage as the pair meet in the only other game of the weekend. Buoyed by that massive win over Ardmore last week the hosts will fancy their chances of adding to the points tally but with Kevin Gallagher and Andy Lucas both being in good touch for the Mill side, they cannot be underestimated.