VILLAGERS RELEGATED AFTER BEE GEES LATE RALLY CONTINUES

At one stage last week it looked likely that there could be three play-offs needed to decide the key matters in the North West cricket season but in the end there was no no need for any as the extra day was enough to resolve the whole heap.

Brigade had already picked up the senior trophy at a specially arranged presentation at Beechgrove on Friday evening after the midweek weather did for Limavady's chances of beating Bready. The Magheramason side still had a game left though and what a crucial one it was too, especially for their visitors. Bonds Glen went into this one two points clear of Eglinton in the race to avoid relegation but knowing that if they didn't manage to win and the villagers could see off Strabane then that would take it to a nervy play off.

Bready skipper Trevor Hamilton had announced this week that he was hanging up his boots after Saturday's match and he decided to bat first on winning the toss. The hosts were some way short of full strength too with professional Agha Sabir Ali having already left for home and with Brian Crumley and the Scanlon brothers David and Bryan fulfilling football commitments.

David Rankin anchored Bready's innings at the start and despite losing the early wickets of Mark Olphert and Steven Clarke the big opener stood firm. Rankin, along with first Ian Young and then James Long took Bready to 110 for 4 before it happened again.

Spectacular collapses have been a regular occurrence during the Magheramason men's season and on this occasion the final 5 wickets added a mere 9 runs in the chase to bump up the target. Rankin's 43 included 6 fours while Long contributed 32 in a total of 119 all out as the Bee Gees seized their chance.

Professional Gihan Dilruk, what an inspired choice he has turned out to be, claimed 3 for 13 and there were two wickets apiece for Colin Hall and Leslie Curry as Bready finished with a whimper. Dilruk's ticket home was well planned by his new club, allowing him to stay until the season, including any play-off was over but he looked intent on heading back to Sri Lanka today as the visitors' reply started.

The overseas man hit a very patient unbeaten 62, just 4 fours and a six from the normally very attacking all rounder as the Bonds Glen ensured another season at least in the top flight. They had 8 wickets in hand at the end and how fitting that they finished their fight exactly where they had started it in beating Bready.

This was win number five for Gary Hamilton's side having reached the half way point of the season without winning once but their fighting spirit shone through when the fight got messy. Dilruk's involvement was huge, exactly what you want from your overseas player and I have no doubt he will have been asked to sign on the dotted line before heading to the airport this morning.

That win meant that Eglinton were relegated no matter what happened in their game at Strabane but the villagers were unable to go out on a high and took their leave of the top flight with a 54-run defeat. Andy Christie put the hosts in on a slowish track but found the returning Niall McDonnell very difficult to shift. They did manage to capture the wickets of Kevin Martin and Peter Gillespie reasonably cheaply before McDonnell and Mark Gillespie then all but batted the bottom side out of it.

The former hit 10 fours and 3 sixes in his entertaining knock that ended just 8 short of a deserved century while Gillespie hit 6 fours and a six in making 58. Stephen McCloskey then got among Strabane's middle order to finish with a five wicket haul but despite reeling it back a little, Eglinton went into the break needing a daunting 239 to win. By the time they were having their tea the villagers will have received the news they were fearing from Bready and from then on there was a hollow feel to the match which wasn't helped by a 90-minute rain interruption.

Strabane joined in the end-of-season spirit by giving a bowl to anyone who wanted one and Niall McDonnell showed himself to be no back number with the ball as he sent down a full nine overs to finish with 3 for 29. Neal Stewart top scored for the visitors with 36 and Strabane's attack chipped in 31 “extras” but this was a match that both sides wanted to be over long before the end.

The record will show them finishing 184 all out but all that will matter is the fact that after ten years in the top flight Andy Christie's side must now prepare for some very hard work to get back among the elite again. How they got themselves into this tangle is anyone's guess, the squad certainly has enough quality for Division 1, however keeping them all together now looks a job in itself.

Eglinton's place will be taken by Creevedonnell after they side-stepped another possible play-off by winning their re-arranged 20/20 at The Nedd. This game was truly bizarre; the hosts finding runs hard come by on a very green track and relying on 38 from Gary Neely and an unbroken 6th wicket stand worth a quickfire 40 runs between Leighton McGarrigle and Gareth Falconer.

Up until then it had seemed like the champions-elect would be defending something in the region of 100, but their 140 for 5 looked a good score in the conditions. And if they looked on course at that stage, the game was all but over in the first half hour of The Nedd's reply as Neely was unplayable. The former Ireland man bowled four overs, took 6 wickets and conceded 3 runs, and 2 of them were wides!

Nicky Cooke was the perfect foil at the other end as his four overs returned 2 for 7 and after their spells finished, The Nedd had 4 runs on the board and 8 wickets down. With number 11 Keith Burns not batting, only Noel McMichael and Alwyn Morrow stood between their team and a serious mauling, but the two stalwarts rolled back the years and batted through to 20 overs.

The home side finished on 56 for 8, a great effort from the final pair but that of course meant that after a 30 year absence, the Curryfree Road men were back in the big league. As luck would have it, Brian Dougherty, the man who has been the heart and soul of the club for most of those years, was on his way to the USA on holiday as the side was finishing the job. His consolation would have been a one-word text message from skipper Scroggie when he landed which said simply “champions”.

And so, that is it for another year. Brigade take the league title back to Beechgrove for the first time in four seasons while at the other end, Creevedonnell and Eglinton swap places. It has been a strange season, not least because of the awful weather but it is now clear that changes need to be made to take the sport forward at local level. Moves are already afoot to look into the various suggestions that have been put the Union's way, therefore it is likely to be an eventful winter before we do it all again next April.

BILLY HENDERSON PROPERTIES DIVISION 1

At Strabane Park, Strabane 238-10-45 (N McDonnell 92, M Gillespie 58, S McCloskey 5-45) beat Eglinton 184-10-42.4 (N Stewart 36, J Millar 23, N McDonnell 3-29) by 54 runs.

At Magheramason, Bonds Glen 120-2-18.1 (G Dilruk 62*) beat Bready 119-9-20 (D Rankin 43, J Long 32, G Dilruk 3-13, L Curry 2-22, C Hall 2-23) by 8 wickets.

BILLY HENDERSON PROPERTIES DIVISION 2

At Killyclooney, St Johnston 168-6-19.5 (M Rankin 55, D Lapsley 29, S Dixit 22*, D Riddles 2-18, R McMorris 2-26) beat Killyclooney 167-8-20 (A Colhoun 57, R McMorris 23, M Hyland 2-6, K Singh 2-12, M Rankin 2-20) by 4 wickets.

At The Nedd, Creevedonnell 140-5-20 (G Neely 38, S Scroggie 22, V O'Hara 2-21) beat The Nedd 56-8-20 (A Morrow 21*, N McMichael 18*, G Neely 6-3, N Cooke 2-7) by 84 runs.