Instonians thrash Cliftonville Academy to savour T20 Cup joy, while Bangor taste Trophy delight by sinking Cregagh
Irish internationals Neil Rock and Cade Carmichael (27) set the tone for the game with a 66-run opening stand inside the powerplay, ended only by a stunning catch by Alfie Wylie – a rare highlight in a slipshod display that saw four chances dropped.
South African professional Shane Dadswell announced his arrival at the crease with a six over square leg, and he continued in that vein after Rock fell for an excellent 27-ball 52 (four fours, three sixes).
Dadswell and the evergreen Andrew White scored all around the wicket in a third-wicket partnership of 84 in nine overs that all but settled the match.
White unfurled his full repertoire of audacious sweeps and ramps on his way to a top score of 62 from 38 deliveries, while Dadswell's 31-ball 58 included six fours and three maximums.
The stand was only ended by a run-out – one of three in the innings – but a total of 219 for six was always going to be a match-winning one.
A brief shower meant a revised target of 184 in 16 overs, but Cliftonville Academy's reply never got going at all as Man of the Match Dadswell got three wickets in his first nine balls, including the prize scalp of Abhishek Raut.
Jared Wilson (33) and Andrew Forbes (30 not out) added some respectability to the margin of defeat, but this was the most one-sided of contests.
Cian Robertson picked up three wickets in a fine bowling effort, while there were two wickets apiece also for Andrew White and skipper Ben Rose.
'It was a great team performance all through the game,' said skipper Rose afterwards. 'The three guys batted really well and a total of 219 was great.
'Shane taking those three early wickets also gave us some breathing space. 'Whitey' was exceptional with both bat and ball and he continues to work hard and gets his rewards.'
It's a big few weeks ahead for Rose and his team, who face Waringstown in a top-of-the-table clash followed by the Challenge Cup Final.
Earlier, Bangor were also convincing winners in the T20 Trophy clash, beating Cregagh by 38 runs.
Opener Sam McMillan led the way with a superb 62 (10 fours) as Bangor made a strong start batting first.
Former New Zealand international Ian Butler struck three huge sixes in a nine-ball 21, well caught on the long-on boundary attempting a fourth.
Australian professional Connor Brown stroked five boundaries in a breezy 30, adding 58 in seven overs with McMillan as Bangor continued to attack.
There was also a late flurry as Johnny Parker and Michael Skelly added 22 from the last 10 balls in a final total of 166 for seven; Adam McCormick taking three wickets.
The chase got off to a terrible start with both openers gone inside two overs. Bob Moore (37) and Jonny Moore (28) attempted to salvage the innings, but Bangor caught and fielded well and, in truth, Cregagh never threatened the target.
Angus Farrell (two for 17) was the pick of the bowlers as Cregagh were restricted to 128 for seven.
'We have played some good T20 cricket now for three years with a good pattern and, hopefully, we can take that form into our League campaign for the rest of the season,' said a very happy Bangor captain Johnny Parker afterwards.
'I'm overjoyed for Sam McMillan to get runs and the Man of the Match award. It's a just reward for all the hard work he has put in as he's had a tough season finding strange ways to get out and also getting a few tough decisions.
'Our bowlers did really well, especially Angus Farrell and Will Simpson who squeezed them hardly conceding any boundaries. Angus in particular had a tremendous spell and really strangled the innings.
'It was great to have the runs on the board, and our bowling unit with pace off did superbly well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Stokes' fitness, Pope's form and pace options – the questions facing England
With England's dramatic Test series against India over after five gripping games and a 2-2 scoreline, minds are already starting to turn to the Ashes. There are just over three months until England arrive in Perth and the planning can now begin in earnest. Here, the PA news agency looks at five key questions England need to answer. Will Ben Stokes be fully fit? England are a completely different team when their inspirational captain is firing on all cylinders. He was in brilliant form this summer, rolling back the years with ball in hand, but missed the Kia Oval decider with a shoulder problem. A six-to-10-week lay-off will follow but any further setbacks would raise serious alarms. Having been struck down by knee, hip, hamstring and shoulder injuries in the past two years, is it too optimistic to expect him to be in peak condition throughout a gruelling tour? What is the pace bowling pecking order? England have talked up the importance of building deep reserves of fast bowlers but when the first Test kicks off in Perth they must be clear on their best combination. Jofra Archer looks certain to be in it after his long-awaited comeback, Mark Wood hopes to be back after missing the entire Test season, while Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes and Sam Cook all played this summer. Woakes looks like missing out with a dislocated shoulder, but how do the others stack up? How do they get the best out of Ollie Pope? A big hundred against Zimbabwe and another century in his first knock against India removed some of the questions that had been circling about Pope's spot at number three. But he finished the series averaging 34 and was 10th on the run-scoring charts. Jacob Bethell's disappointing effort in the fifth Test against India has weakened his case as a replacement but England need more from a senior player in a key position. Could taking the vice-captaincy off him and promoting white-ball skipper Harry Brook be part of the answer? Is the spin situation settled? A lot of faith has been placed in Shoaib Bashir, with England backing their hunch that he can do well in Australia. It has been a mixed bag so far, with 68 wickets in 19 Tests but a stubbornly high average of 39. His broken finger opened the door for them to have an overdue second look at Liam Dawson, but the county scene's standard-bearer was dropped after taking one for 140 at Old Trafford. Will he travel as competition for Bashir, could there be a return to Jack Leach or might England look at using all-pace attacks for some Ashes contests? How will they prepare for the war of words? Australian players, fans and media cheerleaders have been paying close attention to the India series and it is has not been hard to realise the long-range sledging has already started. From David Warner's recent jibe at Joe Root to the social media barrage about the merits, or otherwise, of 'Bazball', the heat is already rising. Expect that to continue all the way until Glenn McGrath shockingly predicts a 5-0 win for Australia. England have refused to entertain much Ashes talk in recent months but the temptation will rise as the weeks tick by. Will they fire some broadsides of their own or keep things on the field?
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Tottenham chief Daniel Levy on Ange Postecoglou sacking
The former Celtic manager was sacked after finishing 17th in the Premier League, despite delivering silverware in his second season. The Australian's dismissal came after two years at the club, with the team finishing just one place above the relegation zone. Mr Levy explained his decision on The Overlap, saying: "Ultimately, the decision sits with me, but it's always a collective decision. "We have a board of directors, but under the board, we have a group of technical staff, and they advise. Read more: "We had to explain the decision to part ways with Ange. "Ange just won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he's always going to be in our history. "However, we couldn't lose sight of the fact that we finished 17th in the league, we lost 22 Premier League games, and it's impossible for Tottenham to be in that position. "And so we had to take the emotion out of it and we had to give some data points as to why we decided to do what we did."
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Stokes' fitness, Pope's form and pace options – the questions facing England
There are just over three months until England arrive in Perth and the planning can now begin in earnest. Here, the PA news agency looks at five key questions England need to answer. Will Ben Stokes be fully fit? England are a completely different team when their inspirational captain is firing on all cylinders. He was in brilliant form this summer, rolling back the years with ball in hand, but missed the Kia Oval decider with a shoulder problem. A six-to-10-week lay-off will follow but any further setbacks would raise serious alarms. Having been struck down by knee, hip, hamstring and shoulder injuries in the past two years, is it too optimistic to expect him to be in peak condition throughout a gruelling tour? What is the pace bowling pecking order? England have talked up the importance of building deep reserves of fast bowlers but when the first Test kicks off in Perth they must be clear on their best combination. Jofra Archer looks certain to be in it after his long-awaited comeback, Mark Wood hopes to be back after missing the entire Test season, while Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes and Sam Cook all played this summer. Woakes looks like missing out with a dislocated shoulder, but how do the others stack up? How do they get the best out of Ollie Pope? A big hundred against Zimbabwe and another century in his first knock against India removed some of the questions that had been circling about Pope's spot at number three. But he finished the series averaging 34 and was 10th on the run-scoring charts. Jacob Bethell's disappointing effort in the fifth Test against India has weakened his case as a replacement but England need more from a senior player in a key position. Could taking the vice-captaincy off him and promoting white-ball skipper Harry Brook be part of the answer? Is the spin situation settled? A lot of faith has been placed in Shoaib Bashir, with England backing their hunch that he can do well in Australia. It has been a mixed bag so far, with 68 wickets in 19 Tests but a stubbornly high average of 39. His broken finger opened the door for them to have an overdue second look at Liam Dawson, but the county scene's standard-bearer was dropped after taking one for 140 at Old Trafford. Will he travel as competition for Bashir, could there be a return to Jack Leach or might England look at using all-pace attacks for some Ashes contests? How will they prepare for the war of words? Australian players, fans and media cheerleaders have been paying close attention to the India series and it is has not been hard to realise the long-range sledging has already started. From David Warner's recent jibe at Joe Root to the social media barrage about the merits, or otherwise, of 'Bazball', the heat is already rising. Expect that to continue all the way until Glenn McGrath shockingly predicts a 5-0 win for Australia. England have refused to entertain much Ashes talk in recent months but the temptation will rise as the weeks tick by. Will they fire some broadsides of their own or keep things on the field?
