19 June : Laurelvale v Muckamore

Laurelvale entertained league leaders Muckamore on Saturday hoping to get a better result than the previous week when they disappointingly lost to near neighbours Armagh. Vale won the toss and elected to bat on a very good wicket. Openers Sinton and Hogg started off pretty well scoring with some fine ground strokes. With the score on 49 Sinton was caught by Kamtekar off the bowling of Cardwell. Next man in McClelland, was also a victim of the spin of Cardwell, being trapped lbw. Scott Pearson then joined Hogg but with only another 4 runs on the scoreboard Hogg was bowled by Muckamore professional Kamtekar for 17 runs. Pearson adopted the senior role and showed maturity beyond his teenage years while some of his more experienced partners struggled to cope with the guile of Cardwell and Coetzee. Pearson scored steadily and when joined by fellow teenager Webb pushed the score to 144 before running out of overs, with Pearson finishing on 41 not out and Webb on 15.
Muckamore openers Horwood and Kamtekar made a confident start but Horwood fell to a catch by McClelland off the bowling of Dale Conn, who was making his league debut, deputising for none other than his father Joe. With the score on 43, Kamtekar was joined at the crease by Van de Merwe and this partnership resulted in about 80 runs. Van de Merwe was eventually out for 34 runs, falling to Hughes lbw. Next man in Coetzee with Kamtekar soon knocked off the required 20 runs to ensure an early finish to the days play. Kamtekar finished undefeated on 82 and his performance served to highlight the difference between the top and bottom of this division. Having faced the top two teams , Bangor and Muckamore, in recent weeks, Vale travel to Derriaghy next Saturday hoping for a change in fortunes

12 June : Armagh v Laurelvale

Laurelvale captain David Sinton won the toss and decided to bat. No doubt his intention was for the Vale to post a big score putting the pressure on Armagh to chase. Things were going to plan until the 5^th over when Daryl Henry edged a Doyle delivery and was caught behind by McCarter with the score on 25. Hogg was joined at the crease by Stuart McClelland and together they started to build a partnership which yielded 56 runs with both players being patient and punishing any loose deliveries. The partnership ended with Hogg caught by Colin Russell off the bowling of Bratten for 37. Next man in, Scott Pearson, had only managed to get 3 runs when amidst some confusion when a McClelland chance was put down, he was run out. Three runs later McClelland was trapped lbw having just reached his half century. At this stage Vale were 105 for 4 with 26 overs gone so a total of over 200 was not out of the question. Captain Sinton was joined by Lee Edgar but found difficulty in getting the ball off the square due in no small part to some tight bowling from Armagh. The next 8 overs produced only 6 runs and to make matters worse for the Vale, their captain departed, caught by Doyle off Whitcroft’s bowling. Edgar took the attack to the home bowlers and began to build a useful innings but none of his subsequent partners were able to reach double figures. Edgar was eventually bowled by Hoey for 44 and the visitors finished on 171 for 9 when the 50 overs were up. This had been an innings of frustration with too many Vale players seeming unable to maintain their concentration in the face of what certainly could not be considered a hostile bowling attack.
Armagh took the field knowing that a run rate of about 3.4 runs per over would see them to victory but must have been shocked when opener Doyle was caught behind by McClelland off the bowling of Burns without scoring in the first over. Fellow opener Lester was joined in the middle by Villiers but Lester was also caught out, by Conn off the bowling of Colin Bingham, with the scoreboard reading 17. Next man in Colin Russell looked comfortable, but was run out, going for what appeared a simple single, only for Conn to hit the stumps from a fair distance. Andrew Bratten and David Bullick both fell to catches for scores of 8 and 11 respectively but Villiers was scoring freely at the other end all the while. He was then joined by Harry Doyle and together they put together a partnership of 69 runs, effectively taking the game out of the reach of the visitors. With the score on 142 Doyle was run out having reached 31. Hoey was next man in but was adjudged lbw to Conn without scoring. Whitcroft came in with Armagh needing 29 runs to win and together with Villiers saw home with 5 overs to spare. Villiers finished on 82 not out in what was virtually a flawless innings which included 9 boundaries, and was deserving of the applause as he came off the pitch. Vale will point to the absence of experienced wicket taker Andrew Magennis but in truth their batting again let them down on a day when a score of over 200 should have been attainable. Next week Vale entertain promotion favourites and league leaders Muckamore and will look for improvement all through the team.

6 June ; Sion Mills v Laurelvale (Ulster Shield)

Laurelvale travelled to Sion Mills on Sunday in the 1st round of the Ulster Shield with a depleted team. However, this gave an opportunity for Dale Conn and Simon Foster to make their first team debuts.
 
The home team won the toss and elected to bat. Laurelvale's opening bowlers - Michael Burns and Colin Bingham, bowled a good line and length and made scoring shots hard to come by. Burns was rewarded when he had Brown sharply caught by Denver Pearson. Bingham made it 27-2 when he trapped Alexander LBW for 6. Dale Conn then replaced Burns after 10 overs and he bowled with great pace and accuracy. He was rewarded in his 3rd over when he had Boyle caught behind by Stuart McClelland. Lucas and O'Neill then put on a 73 run partnership for the 4th wicket although they never took the game away from Laurelvale. The introduction of Denver Pearson immediately brought success as he had O'Neill trapped LBW for 39 with his 3rd ball. Finlay followed in Pearson's next over and then Bingham bowled Gallaway in his 2nd spell to leave the home side 133-6. Pearson picked up a further 2 wickets to leave him with figures of 4-29 off 6 overs while some late hitting left Sion Mills with a final score of 174-8, Lucas ending with 74 not out. Conn ended with encouraging figures of 1-16 off 6 overs on his debut.
 
Gareth Thornbury and Stephen Hogg opened the batting for Laurelvale and immediately went on the offensive. when Thornbury was caught behind at the end of the 4th over for 15, Laurelvale were on 26-1. Stuart McClelland joined hogg at the crease and they kept up the run rate during their 43 run partnership. McClelland was caught behind off Finley for 29 and the same bowler bowled Scott Pearson for 3 to finish with figures of 2-11. In between these dismissals Hogg was ran out for 30 and Laurelvale were now 83-4. When Denver Pearson was adjudged LBW off Lucas Laurelvale were 99-5 with 12 overs remaining. Captain David Sinton had made 28 before he too was given LBW to Lucas, and when Ryan Cornett was caught for 3 off the same bowler, Laurelvale were 130-7 with 7 overs remaining. Simon Foster joined Michael Burns and they brought the score to 147 with 4 overs remaining. Burns then calmed any Laurelvale nerves as he smashed 26 off 5 balls, including 3 big sixes, to leave 2 runs required off 3 overs. A wide and a single from Foster gave Laurelvale the win and a much needed confidence boost ahead of this weeks derby match with Armagh. Burns ended with a quickfire 49 not out and gave Laurelvale's travelling support plenty to cheer about.
 
The Laurelvale players would also like to thank the supporters who travelled to Sunday's match.

29 May 2010 ; Laurelvale v Bangor

Vale entertained Section One league-leaders Bangor on Saturday in an enthralling game which was delayed by half an hour due to rain. Home team captain David Sinton won the toss and decided to bat. Opening pair Henry and Hogg found runs hard to come by and although both players found the boundary on a couple of occasions they never looked comfortable. Henry was first to depart with the scoreboard reading 20 runs. Hogg was joined at the crease by Adam Pearson who attempted to introduce some stability to a seemingly fragile-looking batting attack. Hogg was then bowled by Bell which brought Stuart McClelland to the crease. The same bowler then claimed two more quick wickets, those of Pearson and the unfortunate Sinton, who for the second game in succession was harshly adjudged out leg before wicket.
Next man in was Andrew Magennis and together with McClelland began positively to attack the visiting bowlers. They put together a partnership which yielded about 50 runs before McClelland was out leg before wicket. Simon Hughes was the seventh batsman in but was unable to get on top the Bangor bowlers and departed caught at mid wicket for six runs. Lee Edgar arrived at the crease and played some good attacking shots on the way to a not out total of 29. Magennis hit a spirited 26 before being caught. The Vale innings ended on 158 for 8 off the allotted 50 overs but it should be said that was this considered someway short of what would be required to achieve success.
Bangor wasted no time in setting about overtaking the target Vale had set. Opening batsmen Nixon and Hewitt both hit fifties in a partnership of 100 runs. Hewitt did give a few chances in his knock but unfortunately Vales’ fielders were unable to capitalise. The Vale spin attack of Magennis and Scott Pearson did have some success removing Hewitt and Hutchison in the space of a couple of overs and with the score on 130, Hughes had opener Nixon caught behind by McClelland. Bangor then proceeded to reel in the required runs and despite a few hiccups the match finished with the visitors reaching 159 and still having five wickets and eleven overs in hand.
Next week Vale entertain Cliftonville

Laurelave v Woodvale 1 May 2010

Laurelvale went into Saturday’s game feeling confident following their successful start to the new season the previous weekend. However,Saturday’s opposition, relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season, proved more difficult opponents. Woodvale won the toss and decided to bat. Opener Fleming was run out in the 1st over with no runs on the scoreboard. Fellow opener Johnston and new bat Irwin then commenced a partnership which, despite being forced off due to rain for about an hour and a half, eventually produced 135 runs. They gave very few chances and Johnston in particular punished the Vale bowling. The partnership was broken when Lee Edgar clean bowled Johnston for 86. Connolly followed without scoring and then Browne was bowled by Pearson. Scott Pearson then tempted Irwin forward allowing McClelland to complete the stumping. Woodvale lost another 2 wickets before their innings ended on 193 from 42 overs, shortened due to the break from rain. Lee Edgar and Scott Pearson were easily the pick of the Vale bowlers.
With Duckworth Lewis now introduced it meant that the home side faced a revised target of 201 and openers Daryl Henry and Philip Weir started slowly. Weir departed early on, caught behind for the second match in a row. Stephen Hogg came in and the partnership produced 55 runs before Henry was bowled by Robinson for 36. Hogg followed, trapped lbw for 25 runs. Stuart McClelland and David Sinton came together but some tight bowling from Woodvale meant they were not able to find the boundary relying mainly on singles to score. Sinton managed to get into double figures but soon departed, stumped off Robinson’s bowling. Andrew Magennis and Simon Hughes both came in but struggled against the opposition attack and departed shortly afterwards, caught and run out respectively. McClelland followed with the addition of about 10 runs. Lee Edgar came in and looked comfortable, losing Burns and then Scott Pearson for a spirited 11 runs. It was left to Edgar and Chris Webb to see out the remaining overs. Vale finished on 133 for 9 falling well short of the required target. Clearly Woodvale are one of the stronger sides in Section 1 this season and Vale will need to improve on both the batting and bowling fronts if they are not to struggle as the season progresses. Henry and Hogg are showing promise with the bat and with Colin Bingham due back next week to bolster the bowling attack Vale will look forward to their next fixture. Holywood are the visitors for the first round of this seasons Senior Cup.

Laurevale v Dundrum 24 April 2010

Laurelvale got the season off to a winning start with a 45 run victory over Dundrum at the Vale on Saturday. Captain David Sinton lost the toss and Vale were asked to bat on what looked a good batting track. Openers Daryl Henry and Philip Weir started slowly and Weir departed early on, caught behind, without troubling the scorers. Stephen Hogg came in and the partnership appeared productive but unfortunately he too departed, caught out at mid-on, after scoring only 8 runs. Stuart McClelland was the new batsman and with partner Henry, pushed the run rate along, both players looking comfortable. After a partnership yielding 47 runs McClelland went leg before wicket leaving the home team on 83 for 3. Captain David Sinton came to the wicket and another partnership with opener Henry seemed to be blooming, however with the score having passed the 100 mark, Henry was bowled for 69. Andrew Magennis then joined his captain at the crease but a few deliveries later captain Sinton was caught off Maguires bowling. Simon Hughes was next to the crease and together with his cousin steadied the ship with a lively and productive partnership realising over 100 runs. Magennis was caught having just reached his half century, followed by Michael Burns who didn’t trouble the scorers. Three runs later Hughes was bowled by McNerlin, bringing Scott Pearson and Colin Bingham together. This partnership, with Pearson looking competent, saw out the remaining overs with the Vale reaching a respectable 230 score.
 
After the tea break, Laurelvale took the field , confident they could bowl out the opposition, but Dundrum showed some stubborn resistance to the opening bowling attack of Burns and Bingham. With McNerlin on 28 and looking dangerous,
Vale were delighted when a quicker and shorter delivery from Burns was caught by Henry at square leg. Hassard was the next batsman in and he too scored freely. Bingham was rewarded for a fine spell of pace bowling, having Calvert caught, again Henry showing a safe pair of hands. Hassard and Shilliday both managed over 30 runs each, but fell to Magennis and Joe Conn respectively. Some big hitting from a couple of Dundrum’s lower order batsmen pushed the scoreline past 170, but Burns and Magennis polished off the tail enders leaving the visitors 45 runs short. Burns and Magennis finished with 3 wickets apiece, backed up by veteran Conn collecting 2, and one each for Hughes and Bingham. Also worthy of note was the fact that there was not a single bye conceded by new wicketkeeper McClelland. Vale will take confidence from this display and with a little bit more application and concentration in the batting line-up should be able to score well in future games. The bowling attack should benefit from the return of Lee Edgar, unavailable this week due to work commitments.
Next week Vale are again at home, entertaining Woodvale.