UlsterNet.co.uk

Strabane reach cup final after Donemana collapse

Thursday, 1 July 2010

Junior McBrine bowling for Donemana against Strabane in the North West Senior Cup. RC26102

STRABANE have reached the North West Senior Cup final for the first time in four years after beating holders Donemana at The Holm at the weekend.
Chasing Strabane's 289 for nine, Donemana appeared to be cruising as they reached the comfort of 140 for one after 25 overs, with teenager Ryan Hunter in commanding form.
With Strabane missing their two strike bowlers, Martin Deans and Phil Eaglestone, Donemana were seemingly on course for a showdown with Brigade at Eglinton next month.
However, the home side only have themselves to blame after losing their last five wickets for just 28 runs to collapse to 237 all out, leaving a jubilant Strabane winners by 52 runs.
Jonathan Beukes, Tommy Barr and leg-spinner Mark Gillespie shared the 10 wickets with some excellent slow bowling, but in reality Donemana pressed the self destruct button with some dreadful shot selection.
Hunter appeared to have set the perfect platform, as he struck the ball beautifully through the off side on his way to a superb 88 from just 85 balls, an innings that included 16 fours and one six.
But the game turned when Ricky Lee Dougherty was trapped lbw by Barr for 29, the first of four Donemana wickets to fall for 12 runs.
Andy McBrine will have nightmares about the way he ran down the track to Barr and was stumped but Hunter could do little as he bowled by a vicious turner from Mark Gillespie. Azhar Shafique, the Donemana captain and overseas professional, was the fifth wicket to fall, as he slashed Barr (3-34) to deep cover and suddenly the home side were reeling on 166 for five.
Junior McBrine (25), Dale Olphert (21) briefly rallied with a 43-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but when McBrine slashed Beukes (4-42) to point, it was the start of a slide that saw Donemana dismissed in the 46th over.
Earlier in the day Ryan Gallagher and Kevin Martin, the Strabane opening batsmen, got the innings off to a flying start with the first 50 coming up in just the eighth over. Junior McBrine was called for in just the 10th over and almost inevitably he struck immediately, having Martin caught behind for 20 with his third delivery.
Gallagher, who was missed twice, did most of the early damage, striking the ball crisply on his way to 58 from just 64 balls, including 10 fours and a six.
However, he was eventually trapped lbw by Junior McBrine, paving the way for a fine century stand for the third wicket between Beukes and in-form Peter Gillespie.
After beginning with two crashing boundaries, South African Beukes was the more circumspect, playing carefully against James and Junior McBrine and then attempting to cash in on the remainder of the Donemana bowling attack.
Gillespie was the more assured, reaching his half century in just 52 balls in comparison with Beukes' 89 deliveries.
However, when Beukes brought up his 50 with successive reverse sweeps off Andy McBrine, he began to up the tempo and when the 200 came up in the 39th over, the visitors were eyeing a total well in excess of 300.
However, Beukes was bowled behind his legs by Andy McBrine after hitting 73 from 98 balls, and then Peter and Mark Gillespie were both out in soft fashion to Shafique (5-63) just when they threatened to take the game out of Donemana's reach.
Peter hit a half tracker to deep square leg after a superb 74 from just 68 balls, including five fours and four sixes, while Mark (27) could only lob a full toss to mid-off. The expected assault at the end of the innings simply never materialised but in the end it didn't matter as Strabane booked that precious cup final place.
Result
Donemana lost to Strabane by 52 runs.
Strabane 289-9 (50.0 overs, P Gillespie 74, J Beukes 73, R Gallagher 58, A Shafique 5-63)
Donemana 237 (46.4 overs, Ryan Hunter 88, J Beukes 4-42, M Gillespie 3-15, T Barr 3-34)

Subscribe to read full newspaper »

Send this page to a friend »