Aahil inspires North Down to Irish Cup win
MO Aahil was the star of the show as North Down beat Balbriggan in Comber on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the Irish Senior Cup.
The reverse fixture was abandoned due to rain a couple of weeks previously, where the County Dublin team were in a strong position before the weather came to save North Down from a premature cup exit. Once again, the hosts were asked to bowl first and once again the wickets came thick and fast. Kerwin Mungroo bowled a devastating opening spell and was ably assisted by the slow bowling of Ally Shields as the pair decimated the visitors’ top order leaving them scrambling at 63 for 7.
However, Balbriggan fought back well and added 96 for the eighth wicket before young Josh Corbett got the breakthrough for North Down. Some hard hitting at the back end of the innings by Hollard, who finished 90 not out, saw the visitors post a score of 208 for 9 from their 50 overs.
The run chase got off to a solid start as Aahil and Chore put together a partnership of 69 before Chore was dismissed for 26. Ally Shields (9), Liam Hayman (24) and James Shannon (28) all contributed to the chase but the day will be remembered for the exploits of Mo Aahil, who batted superbly and guided his side to victory in the 47th over, finishing with 100 not out.
The team will now travel to Dublin this Sunday (June 30) to take on Phoenix in the quarter-final. On Saturday, they travel to Middle Road to face Carrickfergus in the Premier League (12pm).
CSNI seen off in League
NORTH Down returned to Premier League action on Saturday and recorded a six-wicket victory over CSNI at The Green.
With the visitors electing to bat first, North Down’s opening bowlers made early progress dismissing Jordan Niell and Mark Ellison in the first two overs. Further wickets fell within the power play leaving CSNI in trouble at 51 for 5, with Kerwin Mungroo taking four of these before CSNI battled back.
Harry Dyer and Adam Leckey added 69 for the sixth wicket before Dyer was caught behind from the bowling of Peter Davison. Lecky departed a few overs later and, to the delight of the home support, the CSNI ‘tail’ did not wag, adding just one run for the final three wickets as they were bowled out for 179.
Davison and Mungroo had identical bowling figures, both taking four wickets apiece for 41 runs. The run chase started brightly as openers Mo Aahil and Ani Chore added 27 for the first wicket before the former was dismissed by James West. Chore carried his bat throughout the innings finishing 70 not out as North Down chased down the target with over 11 overs to spare and Stephen Saul batted very well for his 57 out which came from just 45 balls.
CSNI 179 (36.2 overs, H Dyer 44, A Leckey 37, C Archibald 45, K Mungroo 4-41, P Davison 4-41)
North Down 184-4 (38.3 overs, A Chore 70*, J Shannon 22, S Saul 57*, J West 3-31)
North Down beat CSNI by 6 wickets
Seconds look to bounce back as thirds return to winning ways
NORTH Down’s 2nd XI travelled to Stormont on Saturday to take on CSNI.
A strong batting line-up didn’t live up to expectation as the away side struggled to 154 all out with Ryan Haire top scoring with a good 66 and Jacob McClure-Dalzell impressing with 28 not out as he makes a claim to move up the order.
Some good opening bowling from Jaxon Dines and a couple of wickets for Haire had North Down in the game as CSNI were reduced to 63-3, but the experience of Corin Goodall with 71 not out got the home team over the line with seven overs to spare in a six-wicket victory.
The seconds have a chance to gain revenge straight away this Saturday, when they host the same opponents at The Green at 12pm.
A BREEZY day in Dundrum didn’t faze North Down’s 3rd XI who got back to winning ways against a spirited home 2nd XI.
After Dundrum accumulated 177 from their allotted 30 overs, a strong batting line-up lay in wait for North Down and Lewis Dugan immediately went on the offensive, countered by the more circumspect Iain Arthur. Once Dugan got into his stride, the ball was dispatched to all parts of the ground in a display of controlled aggression.
Unfortunately for him, ‘pace off’ proved to be effective as he was adjudged LBW for 63 from only 37 balls. Aaron Macrory entered the fray and continued his good form as he and Dudley dealt with the beleaguered attack. It was a race to 50 for these two, however with the scores tied, Dudley decided to give some catching practice.
Josh Gilmore dispatched his first delivery to the boundary to wrap up an eight-wicket demolition in the 22nd over.
Dundrum 2s 177-5 (D Glover 46, I Wright 48*, J Ditty 2-21)
NDCC 3s 181-2 (I Arthur 45, L Dugan 63, A Macrory 49 n.o)
Elsewhere, the North Down 5th XI put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell short against a strong and experienced Belfast Superkings 2nd XI in a thrilling cup encounter.
