Birthday boy Neil Gill helps Muckamore to victory over Lisburn

Muckamore captain Neil Gill celebrated his 33rd birthday in style after helping his side to a vital six-wicket victory over Lisburn at Moylena on Sunday.
Darren Stevens there batting for Lisburn against North Down on Saturday.Darren Stevens there batting for Lisburn against North Down on Saturday.
Darren Stevens there batting for Lisburn against North Down on Saturday.

With both teams fighting for survival at the bottom of the Robinson Services Premier League, Lisburn knew that a win would all but seal their place in the top-flight for another season while Muckamore had to pick up four points to have any real hope of staying up.

Lisburn brought in Darren Stevens as a replacement professional following the departure of Faiz Fazal, who is playing First Class cricket back in his native India.

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Forty-three-year-old Stevens is a veteran campaigner who has picked up 498 First Class wickets and scored over 15000 runs in 300 matches for the likes of Leicestershire, Kent and Derbyshire, and was fresh off dismissing Sir Alastair Cook for Kent in a County Championship match on August 18. Despite taking three wickets against North Down on Saturday, it wasn’t enough to help Lisburn collect a vital win and it would be a similar misfortune for the Wallace Park outfit against Muckamore.

Batting first on a green wicket, Lisburn scored 95/9 from their 20 overs with Gerry Strydom (32) holding their innings together as Pavan Karthik (3-13) and Steve Lazars (3-17) performed admirably with the ball.

David Miller (52) came flying out of the traps as Muckamore went in pursuit of 96 and raced to his half-century from 36 balls, including three massive sixes and five fours.

It was a superb innings in such a big game from Miller, who was able to look fluent and comfortable on a wicket in which so many were uneasy and struggled. The home side had reached 67 before Jamie Rogers (13) was their first wicket to fall and when Fahad Iqbal, Miller and Aditya Adey were all dismissed within the span of 13 runs, there would have been some nerves in the Muckamore camp.

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Gill (7*) and Sam Gordon (7*) eased their side to an important four points with 3.4 overs to spare and the result has opened the relegation battle right up.

Muckamore and Lisburn are now level on 12 points while Instonians, who still have six matches left to play, sit bottom on eight points.

Lisburn have only one match left to play, which will take place on Friday against CIYMS, while Muckamore have the luxury of three more matches in which they may need to win only one to stay up.

“It’s absolutely massive,” said Gill. “We have three matches left and two of them are at home, so that’s a big plus for us. If Lisburn had won they would have went to four wins and that would be an uphlll task.

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“We would have had to win our last three matches which would have been a big ask. I’m absolutely ecstatic and the boys were brilliant.

“Our fielding was scrappy and everything was scrappy. Everyone was nervous today because we are desperate to keep the club in the league.”

Miller went past 400 runs for the season with his half-century and Gill revealed he instructed him to go out and be positive.

“It was the type of wicket where if it was full your only real scoring shot was hitting through the line,” he added.

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“The ropes were in with the outfield and I told him to play his game and smash the ball if it’s up.

“There are days where he won’t come off but he came off today and got himself a quick fifty. The only downer on it was that we lost four wickets.

“If we had won by eight or nine wickets it would have really boosted our run-rate.

“I don’t know how that will affect it but I would have taken that result!”

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One team that will certainly be in the Premier League next season is Woodvale who sealed the Robinson Services Section One title on Sunday with a 150–run victory over Cregagh at Ballygomartin Road. Batting first, Woodvale posted 242/8 in 50 overs with Wayne Horwood (78) and Stephen Bunting (54) both scoring half-centuries.

Bunting, who has helped Woodvale gain promotion in his first season back from Instonians, also picked up four wickets as Cregagh were dismissed for 92.

They have comfortably been the most impressive and consistent performers in Section One throughout the 2019 campaign, winning 13 of their 17 matches to date.