Above: youthful winners v Lisburn
🏏 Men’s 1st XI – Six-Wicket Win v Lisburn
After a stop-start, sometimes soul-sapping season to date, it was really nice to see such a positive buzz around the pavilion on Saturday as the day wore on — the sun out, the terrace full, and our young team rising to the challenge in style.
Even the critics might have enjoyed this one, though they don’t like to show it — because it was one of the more positive stories of our season so far. We parked form and availability woes for a day, pulled together, and notched up a morale-boosting win.
Lisburn arrived at The Green with a strong line-up and still an outside shout for the Premier League, but Craig Young set the tone early, castling international teammate Ross Adair with a beauty that ripped out off stump and got the crowd and his teammates going. From there, North Down never looked back.
Skipper Tyron Koen had to get creative with selection, with a couple of key names unavailable. James Shields stepped up behind the stumps for his first taste of 1s wicketkeeping action and held his nerve, taking a smart catch to remove the dangerous Ben Calitz — a moment he’ll remember, and one that will stand him in good stead for the future.
Then came Kian Hilton. A full-time wicketkeeper and part-time spinner (at best), he stepped in with his ultra-slow off-spin and delivered a surprise five-for that caught the visitors napping. He won’t be claiming frontline bowling duties any time soon — let’s not get carried away — but credit where it’s due: he kept it straight, kept it simple, and got his reward.
Teenager Jaxon Dines again impressed with a tight spell of seam, and Jermaine Blackwood — our guest overseas player — grabbed two valuable wickets.
The club is grateful to the individuals who made that signing possible and showed real faith in those representing North Down on the pitch.
Set 173 to win, you might’ve expected a bit of confidence to carry us home, but with doom-merchants already lamenting probable defeat over their traybakes at tea, the skipper and our West Indian Test Match star had to dig in. Their 109-run stand for the fourth wicket sealed a much-needed victory — and ensured those final scenes in the sunshine were among the brightest we’ve seen at The Green all year.
AND, we were undefeated the rest of the weekend too (just a hint of regret).
The hint of regret? That the Men’s 2s didn’t quite seal the deal in a game they arguably should’ve won…
🏏 Men’s 2nd XI – Tie v Lisburn 2s
A strong Lisburn side posted 223 at The Green on Sunday, with Ryan Haire claiming 2 wickets and plenty of bowlers chipping in around him.
In reply, 67 from Hammy Coulter and 71 from Tom Crothers brought us into it, but we couldn’t see the job home. The late overs were all drama, and it was 14-year-old debutant Isaac Webster who almost got us over the line in a nerveless finish. In the end, it finished as a tie — credit to both sides — but this was one we definitely could’ve pinched.
🏏 Men’s 3rd XI – Win at Instonians
A valuable 4 points in Junior 4 as the 3s got the better of Instonians on Saturday.
With only one adult in the side, skipper Jo Montgomery played a vital knock on one leg (literally — he’s off for knee surgery this week), scoring a classy 79 to guide us to a decent total. Callum Wilson added a handy 42, and with Alex Fielding bagging 3 wickets, we came away 17-run winners. Gutsy, determined, and important in the promotion race.
🏏 Ladies 1st XI – Win at Muckamore
Sunday brought another dominant showing from the in-form Ladies 1s, cruising past Muckamore by 8 wickets to make it six wins on the bounce and secure a likely third-place finish in the Premier League.
Kiara Fisher took four wickets and the evergreen Staci Maxwell added three more to bowl the hosts out for just 71. In reply, Fisher (30) and Rebecca Wester (19*) knocked off the runs in short order — a very professional display from a side that continues to impress.
🏏 Ladies 2nd XI – Win v Bangor
Friday night saw the Ladies 2s make it a perfect start to the weekend, beating Bangor by 30 runs.
Kirsten Hewitt anchored the innings with a composed 33* before Sophie Bourne and Mollie Donnachie took two wickets each to see us home. A great all-round team performance under the Friday night lights.
All about the 2s this weekend as they face a Junior 1 double-header which will go a long way to determining their survival fate – its Waringstown at The Green on Saturday and CSNI at Stormont on Sunday.
