Nigel Jones highlights Chris Dougherty’s value after CIYMS win double

It was their batting unit that impressed in Saturday’s Robinson Services Cup 87-run win over Carrickfergus and it was the bowlers’ turn yesterday as they booked their spot in the LVS Twenty20 Cup semi-finals by beating Woodvale by 37 runs (D/L).

After winning four trophies last season, CIYMS were considered favourites heading into the 2020 campaign to win both competitions and that is still very much the case as they continue to march on.

“We are really pleased,” said captain Nigel Jones. “It’s good to continue the form we had shown this weekend.

“We knew it was an important one going up to Middle Road to face Carrick, which is always a tricky fixture no matter how they started the season.

“You hear it a lot from me but it’s about one game at a time and it’s about arriving to deal with what’s in front of you, and we did that well yesterday.

“We batted well and got things going as a bowling unit.

“The 122 felt like 150 or 160 (against Woodvale) with the way the track played so I was delighted to post a run a ball on that wicket.

“You could see when we came to bowl our slow men did the damage.”

Batsman Chris Dougherty continued his purple patch of form by scoring 56* at Ballygomartin Road after contributing 32 against Carrick. He was the highest run scorer of any non-overseas professional last season and Jones acknowledged the important role he plays at the top of the order.

“Doc doesn’t have any pressure on him in one sense because we tell him to bat through and not to worry about tempo or his gears,” added Jones. “If it’s a flat one, he can up it but he generally has so many stroke-makers behind him that his job is to bat right through and he does it brilliantly for us.”

With the way that wickets are playing so far this season and the number of low totals that have been posted, CI will be fancied even more considering their bowling attack.

Spinners Jacob Mulder, James Cameron-Dow, John Matchett, Ted Britton and Karthik Rajavelu all picked up wickets over the course of the weekend whiles Jones himself has the ability to take pace off the ball.

“With having the slow men that we have and the quality that is there, we back ourselves in most games,” he said. “With our batting I feel we have guys that can get us out of trouble if they need to.

“Hopefully that’ll continue - it feels like we have most bases covered but it’s one game at a time.”

Elsewhere, Woodvale’s unbeaten start to the league season came to an end with a nine-wicket defeat to Waringstown.

James Mitchell (4-15) starred with the ball as Woodvale scored 69 for 8 before James Hall (26*) and Morgan Topping (24*) sealed a comfortable victory.

Marc Ellison (79*) posted the highest individual score of the weekend in CSNI’s 54-run triumph over Lisburn.

Ellison helped his side reach 154 for 4 alongside captain James Kennedy (40), which proved to beyond their visitors, who ended on 100 for 9.

North Down beat Instonians for the second time in a week to improve their record to two wins from three matches.

Instonians were all out for 78 after Ryan Haire (4-20) ripped through their middle order and captain Alistair Shields (31*) made sure there was to be no upset as he guided his side home to a six-wicket win.

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