Armagh v Larne - Thursday 15th July 2004 |
Things did not end up so satisfactorily the next day though at Armagh. Persistent rain meant that play looked unlikely, and an early tea was taken in the hope that some play may have been possible later in the day. A change in league rules meant that it was now possible to play a reduced innings match, and after an apparent break in the weather it was decided to start a 25 over game. Larne again won the toss and with hindsight they again made the wrong decision, this time electing to field. Larne's pre-match preparation had consisted of sitting around in the convivial surroundings of the Armagh bar for several hours, enjoying pool, sipping beverages and consuming an amazing amount of the excellent chips and cheese from the local take-away. There was no time for a pre-match warm up when Larne suddenly found themselves fielding. They were mentally relaxed and physically full of food, a dreadful combination that undoubtedly led to their worst bowling performance of the season.
The rain immediately returned, further handicapping the Larne bowlers with a wet ball. Worse than that though was the state of the outfield, as the ball raced across it at lightening speed toward the short boundaries. The outfield took on the characteristics and appearance of glass as the rain created continued to fall, and Larne were unable to contain the scoring, and when Armagh did not hit boundaries they ran superbly between the wickets. Even when the ball was hit directly at the fielders, the openers were able to complete singles as both batsmen set off immediately and without hesitation. McCarter raced past fifty, and only Andrew King was able to stem the flow of runs as his impeccable line and length bowling picked up a few precious wickets. McCarter was in fine form and he raced to fifty. His confidence led to him attempting to hook a beamer from Hodge, who lost control of the wet ball whilst bowling some quite brisk seam. McCarter was actually advancing down the wicket when the ball sickeningly thudded into his unprotected skull, and as he fell to the ground it appeared his very life was in jeopardy. Amazingly though his first concern was for his wicket, and when he found it intact he was more than happy to continue his innings. He was fortunate to have been hit by such a soft and sodden ball, and hopefully all those present will remember the incident and never attempt to hook a beamer, which is the most dangerous delivery in cricket. The dangers of playing in such wet conditions should also be remembered, and future captains should always consider the very real, potentially fatal dangers of playing in the rain when contemplating these shortened matches. Batsmen too should remember that helmets can save lives... McCarter recommenced his innings without fear though and reached 93 not out by the time the last over began. He lost the strike though and finished agonizingly one short of his century as his side reached 185-3 off their 25 overs. Only three wickets had fallen, with Keith Wilson weighing in with 33 not out. All three wickets came from catches behind the stumps, with Chris King taking three fine catches, and only missing one extremely difficult chance wide to his right which he did well to reach at all. Chris performed superbly, and later added some useful runs to make it a good weekend for the clubs wicket-keeper batsmen following Jonathan Graham's performance the previous day. Neil Hodge got the innings off to an excellent start with a quickfire 31, but the rain which had plagued Larne now abated and they slipped behind the required run rate in the face of some tight bowling. Hodge was eventually dismissed for 31 in the 12th over, by which time Larne were 53 for 2. The two King brothers both perished for 9 as they attempted to increase the scoring rate, but Daryl Service and William Graham now came together to revive Larne's chances of victory. They produced a partnership of 57, hitting three sixes and five fours. The best of these big-hits came from Daryl, as he majestically advanced down the track and dispatched the Armagh bowler back over his head for a fantastic straight six. Despite reaching the boundary more often than Armagh had, Larne were crucially unable to pick up the required singles and they drifted further behind the required run rate. Daryl was eventually ran out in
unfortunate circumstances and it appeared as if Larne's chances went with him. However, no-one had told Chris King that the match was over, and he did a wonderful impression of Andrew Flintoff for a few overs,
smashing everything out of sight...he actually played an even better shot than Service's earlier hit when he lifted the off-spinner high over covers' head for an unforgettable six. Larne though went down by 19 If nothing else, the defeat should serve as a reminder of how well the team played when they defeated Armagh at home by one run in the previous encounter earlier in the season...Larne should also be very glad that Armagh are out of the cup, although on that subject it is interesting (and worrying) to note that Instonians, who defeated Armagh in the first round of the cup, are currently bottom of the league having failed to win any of their league matches. They appear to have a "special" approach to the cup, which Larne might experience for themselves if they make it to the final. After traveling over 200 miles in the bone shaking mini-bus to play consecutive matches, one of the side announced afterward that he felt "as stiff as a hard-on", an un-questionably crude but apt metaphor for a team that had made an excellent effort but had not quite succeeded in its goals. Still, there is much more action available for the team as we enter the "business" end of the season, and there will be plenty more opportunities for that young batsmen to score in the coming weeks. Both of the matches were kindly sponsored by the Curran Court Hotel. On Saturday the Fourths will play Ballymena at Eaton Park in the semi-final Of the minor qualifying cup, and there will categorically be no visits to the chip-shop allowed before the match by order of the captain Michael Lyle. Having defeated Derriaghy and Carrick to reach this stage, the Fourths will be very hopeful that they can emulate the Seconds and make it the most memorable season ever for Larne cricket club by having two cup finals in the same season. |
