Inside Edge
What a weekend in North West cricket circles and although nothing is as yet won or lost, there can be little question that events over the preceding four or 5 years will make a major presence on the story of the 2011 season.
Drummond kicked things off on Friday night when toughing out a 5-wicket win over The Nedd in a plot that started on Thursday evening and was suspended with only 4 overs left to play. When the sides returned for the last 24 deliveries, an unbeaten half century from Gordon Cooke was adequate to bag the points and direct the winners to St Johnston on Saturday in good spirits. A solid batting performance there saw the visitors leave Donegal with another big win and with Creevedonnell otherwise engaged, those 4 points meant that Drummond finished the weekend in joint top position.
Stephen Scroggie's men were at Eglinton on Saturday and they won't be one bit concerned at the fact that the Sammy Jeffrey final turned into a conflict of attrition as they claimed the shield for the 6th time in 12 years. The Nedd seemed to get a bit overawed with the affair as they totally under-performed and despite a pair of scares in the back half the multiple winners were always in check as they chased that disappointing 76 all out.
Ardmore, who went into July with a 100% record in the conference have seen their title chances evaporate before their eyes with an awful recent run and they were at it again on Sunday as they were beaten by Sion Mills in a 20/20 replay. All of that way that a win in their ongoing match with Killyclooney will send Creevedonnell two points clear at the top of the board with only two games each left to play, although one of those is against Ardmore. Drummond are the only conceivable danger at this point but if the Creevies keep it together for another duo of games they could be making a welcome return to the top flight after a 30-year absence.
We have spoken many times around the fact that publicity is something of a poisoned chalice but you try telling that to any of the teams involved in the championship race or so to Bonds Glen who took a vast step towards survival with their defeat of Eglinton on Sunday.
The Bee Gees couldn't buy a win in the 1st half of the season but they certainly took full reward of finding Bready on an off day and once they had Eglinton in their sights there was always the risk that momentum would have them past Andy Christie's side. An old cricket acquaintance once told me that our play is runed 80% from the neck up and I watched his words play out in front of a vast crowd at the Glen on Sunday as the Bee Gees scrapped the spirit out of their visitors.
Eglinton didn't deal with the conditions early on and then didn't appear to know whether to get or pull when they lost key wickets. To be fair, their 186 looked a full grade in the circumstances but having decided to pay a musician for the start sentence in their history, the Bee Gees sat back and watched Gihan Dilruk earn his fee in a single afternoon.
Not but that but Richard Hepburn and Johnny Haslett showed the right position to keep their man when he was in that case of flesh and that made the difference. The win typified Bonds Glen approach to their relegation fight and indeed last season's Division 2 title win, they bowled as a whole and batted as a whole and whilst their fielding threatened to undo all the serious work at times, they had enough about them to see it through.
Despite the defeat Eglinton will find they are nevertheless very subject of pulling a win out of their last 3 games but with matches against Brigade and Strabane to negotiate they face up against it. Their last touch is out at Fox Lodge and if the villagers find the Ballymagorry side in the same obliging mood as they were at Coleraine on Saturday, a relegation play-off may yet not be out of the equation.
At the business end it is now all about Limavady and Brigade after Strabane and Donemana took their farewell of the championship race. The Red Caps' problem hasn't been hard to diagnose; their bowling has been too short and despite boasting one of the strongest batting orders around, the fire just wasn't up to the job. Donemana can find a little aggrieved at the timing of the under-19 World Cup qualifiers that ruled young McBrine and Hunter out at a essential role of the temper and possibly the North West's decision to say their back at Limavady to go forward but it was a solid season nonetheless.
No question there will be plenty lamenting the fact that the North West season could now easily be decided by the 20/20 match between the title combatants but those are the rules. The flavor has been blighted by the most horrendous weather and clubs have had little option but to conform their schedules. The fact that Brigade now host Limavady in the short format shoot-out is simply a by-product of this summer and we give to get on with it. The Roesiders won't be complaining of class because with only two league defeats so far this season, a win or a washout will see them become hot favourites to raise the trophy. Having lost first Des Curry and so their professional Adnan Akmal it would be a singular achievement if they were to go on to take back the championship. For their part Brigade have bowled their way into competition and scorn the batting looking a little more brittle they have found consolation in Ata-Ur-Rehman. The big former Pakistan Test player remains a real live threat in attack but has also provided a horde of valuable runs as the batsmen struggled. If they do go on to win the style there will no doubt be those pointing to the Limavady and Strabane games but for me, Brigade's challenge was protected by Rehman almost single-handedly at Coleraine. The Beechgrove men had absolutely no business winning that one but it saved their temper and allowed us to go into the last fortnight with all silent to run for.
And as the nights grow ever shorter it won't be long until we're pulling the stumps for the last time this year so lets fervently hope for the season finale to be up to its billing. All the main issues continue to be fully resolved but in the weekend that the older title race has departed from four challengers to two; the second tier promotion race has also turned into a straight shoot-out and the relegation scrap has turned the Bee Gees way, this may easily have been a pivotal few years in the North West season.
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