13 September 2008 : Muckamore v Laurelvale   

A break in weather enabled Laurelvale to travel to Muckamore to play one of their last four fixtures. There was a lot to play for as both sides were on 24 points at the start of the day and required one more win to ensure complete safety from relegation.

Laurelvale were put in and Ranjit Pande in his last match before returning to India started in confident fashion with Charles McCrum. The pair put on 65 for the first wicket in 26 overs and appeared to have set Laurelvale on their way to a very competitive score on difficult slow damp batting track. Pande in particular was looking very dangerous but was given out caught down the legside off a ball which the batsman felt had clipped his pad strapping rather than the bat.

Unfortunately McCrum and Topping followed in quick succession. Wayne Pearson made a quick 10 but was also trapped LBW to leave Laurelvale at 77 for 4. Muckamore now had their tales up and Keats and Neill began to apply the pressure to the remaining Laurelvale batsmen. Phil Weir and Simon Hughes were unable to produce their heroics of recent weeks as both fell cheaply to the leave village side struggling on 86 for 6 in the 39^th over. Laurelvale were now hoping that the tail would wag and carry the innings through to the fiftieth over and a competitive total. It was not to be as Keats and Neill cleaned up the remaining batsmen finishing for with 5 for 8 and 4 for 29 respectively. Laurelvale finished on a disappointing 91 after 41 overs.

This was the same score that the Laurelvale bowlers successfully defended against Woodvale two weeks earlier and the fielding side began in the same positive fashion when Pande had Neill caught and bowled for 4 in the 3^rd over. Muckamore then produced a dogged partnership between the experienced Simon Thompson and young Van De Merve. The second wicket only fell in the 18^th over with the score on 33 when McCrum gained an LBW decision over Thompson who had made a patient 17. McCrum was to trap Allen LBW shortly after and it appeared that Laurelvale were in with a sniff of another unlikely victory.

Dunlop however settled the home team nerves with some aggressive strokeplay. Unfortunately Laurelvale’s fielding let them down as three key catches were dropped in a vital period. Pearson did manage to remove Gill but Muckamore cruised to a deserved 5 wicket victory.

The pressure remains on Laurelvale to pick up one more win from the last three matches against Muckamore and Ballymena (twice) although Armagh, Holywood, Dundrum and Downpatrick still remain below the village side in this very tight league.

30 August 2008 : Woodvale v Laurelvale  

Laurelvale travelled to high flying Woodvale on Saturday in search of another win to lift themselves further away from the relegation zone. Woodvale had only lost one game to date and were also looking for a win which would have virtually sealed their promotion into the Premier league.

It was to prove a low scoring but close, exciting and hard fought contest on a damp, slow batting track. Laurelvale batted first but the innings started badly as Charles McCrum was caught and bowled in the first over and Pande was then run out in the second over after he called Wayne Pearson for a single which was never there. Pearson and Bruce Topping set about repairing the damage but scoring was to prove painfully slow as neither could afford to take any chances.

The next wicket fell in the 15^th over when Pearson was trapped LBW by Stephen Donnelly, Woodvale’s experienced left arm spinner. The score however had only reached 24 and when Topping ran himself out 8 runs later, Laurelvale were in deep trouble at 32 to 4 off 19 overs.

Perhaps earlier in the season, Laurelvale would have collapsed to a very low score but the middle order is now full of players ready to grind out a score to at least give the bowlers something to work with. Runs were still difficult to come by but with the first boundary being remarkably only being hit in the 42^nd over as Laurelvale reached 71 for 7. Philip Weir however was still at the crease and he went onto to play the innings of the day with a fine 34 not out including one six which disappeared miles over the high wall surrounding Woodvale’s ground. Laurelvale went onto finish on 92 for 9 after their 50 overs.

This seemed like a very low score and Woodvale must have felt they could finish off the game in quick time but they had not reckoned on the fighting spirit of a fired up Laurelvale team.

Donnelly smashed the third ball of the innings from Pande for a massive straight six as Woodvale showed their intent. Pande however was to get his revenge in the next over when his slower ball deceived Johnston as ran down the wicket trying to hit another six. He missed and was comfortably stumped by Topping who was now standing up to the wicket. Connolly was then run out with a brilliant direct hit from Magennis and Woodvale were 15 for 2.

Laurelvale could sense the nervousness in the Woodvale batsmen as Pande and McCrum bowled a tight line and length and were backed up by excellent fielding from the entire Laurelvale team. Pande in particular bowled a superb spell and he reduced Woodvale to 18 for 4 picking up two LBW’s to remove Palmer and Kirkpatrick.

Laurelvale were now well on top but frustratingly Brown and Robinson began to bring Woodvale back into the game despite frequently playing and missing and surviving some very close LBW appeals. Wayne Pearson showed what a good bowler by continuing to apply the pressure while at the other end McCrum bowled Brown. At 33 for 5 in the 15^th over the game remained in the balance particularly as Woodvale have a long batting line up. Crucially Pearson was to take three further wickets near the end of his allotted overs when he removed McKeown, Cleland and Donnelly. At the other end Hughes bowled with great control. Woodvale were reduced 70 for 9 and Hughes wrapped up the win when he deservedly had Burnside caught at the wicket to leave Laurelvale the improbable victors by 20 runs.

It was a magnificent effort to defend a score of 91 against one of the top sides in the league and can be put down to great team effort characterised by a gritty determination. Laurelvale have now won four out of the last five matches and one more win from the last four matches should ensure that the club remain in Section 2.