A thrilling win at home to Ballymena in their final league game of the season saw Larne ensure their survival in Section 2 of the Ulster Bank league. Set a mammoth 245 to win, the Curran Court sponsored team got there with 2 overs to spare, to the delight of players and spectators alike.

Larne skipper Johnny Craig won the toss and decided to put his former team into bat on a belter of a Sandy bay wicket. Ballymena made a positive start and Larne’s only reward before the drinks break was a wicket for Craig thanks to a reflex catch at gully by David Tweed. At the half way point Ballymena were 114-1 but 2 wickets soon followed when Ireland was run out for 49 and Robert Kennedy was caught and bowled by Conrad Du Toit for 38.

Larne managed to keep things tight for the 15 overs after drinks and conceded just 40 runs during this period. There was some excellent bowling from Keith Aiston who was causing plenty of problems with his leg spin, and Dean Hodge, but Larne let it slip in the last 10 overs and Ballymena added 90 runs to finish on 244-3. James Kennedy and Michael Glass batted extremely well to score 73 no and 41 no respectively, but it was disappointing to see Larne’s fielding deteriorate as several dropped catches and misfields cost them around 30 runs.

Although there was a general feeling that Larne could put up a good chase, few would have bet on them reaching 245 against a team which was still battling for the league title. It was recognised that a good start was required and in a tactical masterstroke, David Tweed was promoted to open the batting. This was to pay dividends as Tweed launched into the Ballymena bowling and got Larne off to a flying start. Some of his driving was brutal including a flat 6 over extra cover and when he was caught on the boundary for 70 in the 22nd over Larne had reached 110 and were in a position to win the game.

There then followed useful contributions from Du Toit, Aiston and Brian Spence who contributed 31, 24 and 17 respectively with some sensible batting which kept the scoreboard ticking and at the 40 over mark Larne had moved onto 171-5, meaning that 75 were required from the final 10 overs. Skipper Craig was now at the wicket with Graeme Leitch and made it look easy as the target was reached with 15 balls remaining. Craig got off the mark with a towering 6 but settled down to play a controlled innings during which he played some memorable shots and it was fitting that he should be there unbeaten on 40 at the end.

Much of the pressure was taken off him by Leitch who played a gem on an innings and was able to find the boundary every time it was required. He was especially strong off his legs and timed the ball beautifully without slogging, and when he was out for 34 the game was all but won. It was left to Trevor Dempsey to hit the winning runs and on hearing that Laurelvale had lost to league winning Carrick, Larne were able to celebrate survival in their first year in Section 2.

The season has definitely been a learning experience and many of the players have improved their games significantly against a higher standard of opponents. The team has been competitive in almost all games and had they been able to turn some narrow defeats into victories, they would have finished in a comfortable mid table position. They will be looking for further improvements next season as they seek to establish themselves as a Section 2 club. Skipper Jonathan Craig wishes to thank everyone at the club who has contributed both on and off the field and the club would like to wish him well for wedding day this Friday when he marries Lisa McAllister.

Match Summary:-

Ballymena 244-3 (James Kennedy 73*, J Ireland 49, M Glass 41*, R Kennedy 38)
Larne 245-6 (D Tweed 70, C. du Toit 31, J Craig 40*, G. Leitch 34, W Cameron 3-34)
Larne won by 4 wickets