BANGOR carried their great recent cup form into the league to see off Laurelvale by seven wickets at Upritchard Park on Saturday.
Having already beaten the Tandragee club in the T20 Trophy this year, spectators rolled into the ground enticed by what had the makings of another thrilling encounter
Bangor lost the toss and were sent out to field on a rock-hard wicket. It was a slow start for the visitors as the opening pair of Connor Brown and Manav Chhabra bowled with great skill and temerity, attacking the stumps and piling on the pressure. The pressure told in the fifth over when Laurelvale danger man Adnan Malik was removed by Brown for a golden duck. Chhabra and Brown continued bowling in a partnership, collecting dots, building pressure and inviting the next chance. Brown claimed his third wicket as he removed the other opener Mark Thornbury, also caught behind. At the end of the power play, the visitors found themselves 33-3 and struggling in the face of a determined bowling attack.
Adam Speers and Daryl Henry, the incumbent Laurelvale pair, toiled on and tried to regain a foothold. The Bangor attack became frustrated as the ball found its way into gaps and it seemed as though the luck in the game had switched hands, but Bangor remained strong in the face of adversity and discipline won the day.
Chris Pyper claimed the wicket of Henry in the 20th over, caught at mid-off by Sam McMillan. A few overs later, a new Speers, John, arrived and departed from the crease caught by a galloping Connor Brown and claiming for Angus Farrell his first wicket.
This wicket acted as something of a catalyst for the Bangor side. Laurelvale were now on 110-5 after 25 overs with the game teetering on a knife edge.
Young spinner Daniel Rayner walked in to bowl and went at the batsmen with unflinching execution. He claimed the set batsman Speers for 61, caught excellently at mid wicket by Sam McMillan, and a few overs later Rayner returned to the wickets column. Another deceptive ball by Rayner tempted Michael Burns into floating the ball to Prince at mid-off as Rayner claimed his third.
Laurelvale captain David Sinton found the boundary multiple times, until Rayner spun one through his defences to bowl him. You’d be forgiven for thinking this game was taking place in the subcontinent as Rayner returned figures of 4-30 off of his seven overs. All the while, Farrell had been building pressure at the other end and gained his due reward as the final wicket was his.
Laurelvale ended their innings 159 all out and Bangor headed into the sheds confident that they could get the job done.
The familiar pairing of Mark Hutchinson and Sam McMillan opened the innings, aiming to produce a platform for the rest of the team. They achieved this through great discipline in the early stages, picking space in areas where others simply couldn’t fathom the precision required to hit.
McMillan was the typical early aggressor of the two and was unfortunate to nick off in the 11th over, not without moving the score to 57-1. Connor Brown now arrived at the crease as he and Hutchinson continued to battle. A few overs later, Hutchinson was removed bowled by an in dipping yorker, bringing another experienced head in Andrew Kirkpatrick to the crease.
The pair brought the score to 97 and then disaster struck as Brown was removed LBW by the bowling of Burns. Young Felix McMillan, making his league debut, was tasked with batting alongside Kirkpatrick to see Bangor home.
What ensued was a joy to behold, with Kirkpatrick taking the fight to bowlers while at the other end, McMillan displayed a lesson in persistence.
Before the end of the game, Kirkpatrick claimed his half century and at last, he and his young batting partner walked off the field victorious by seven wickets in what was a dominant Bangor performance.
Bangor are pulling double duty with two league games on the road in three days. On Thursday (today) they take on Armagh at The Mall in a rearrangement before renewing acquaintances with Laurelvale again on Saturday.
Laurelvale 159 (36.1 overs, A Speers 61, D Henry 23, D Sinton 30, C Brown 3-9, D Rayner 4-30, A Farrell 2-24)
Bangor 160-3 (30.3 overs, S McMillan 34, M Hutchinson 27, A Kirkpatrick 55*, B Khan 2-28)
Bangor beat Laurelvale by 7 wickets
