Berry’smenlookingforward tobeingatthetoptableagain
LISBURN captain Adam Berry admitted that this time last year, following their relegation to Section One, a few players accepted it would not be the worst thing if the club spent a couple of years out of the limelight of the Premier League.
But 12 months on and after 15 wins in the second tier, everyone is looking forward to giving it another go alongside the NCU’s elite.
“Once it gets down to game time, people want to play, want to win games, and a by-product of that this year was promotion to the Premier League,” said Berry on Saturday, after a crushing 137 runs victory over Donaghcloney Mill sealed promotion.
“Everyone wants to test themselves playing at the highest level so it’s a brilliant day. The guys have been brilliant all year, they’re a great group of guys, all local with Johnny Waite the only addition and he has been brilliant.”
The one doubt about carrying on next year was experienced campaigner David Simpson but Lisburn’s leading wicket-taker and second highest run-scorer — behind Berry — confirmed he will be back, although his captain had never any doubts.
“I’ll persuade him and he is getting better with age, but everybody has contributed in different games. It’s been a great squad effort all year,” added Berry.
“We were missing three guys today but the next man up, Richard Booth, came in and took three wickets. It’s good to give something back to the club after last year, great to bounce back and just shows the character of the group.
“We will need a professional in the Premier League and hopefully he will look after the youth coaching as well, because we want to take young guys through. But everyone’s looking forward to playing in the Premier League again.”
Donaghcloney Mill were also able to celebrate at Wallace Park on Saturday, some 20 minutes after the end of the match — their survival in Section One. Bangor’s last-over victory at Lurgan, by three wickets, left the famous Pollock Park club in ninth place and relegated to the third tier for the first time due to a inferior run-rate, while Laurelvale, seemingly resigned to their fate, were bowled out for 44 by Downpatrick at The Meadow and finished bottom.
There was no play on the final day of the Premier League season with both games washed out yesterday.
Waringstown and Muckamore did manage to play twice, against each other, at Moylena and after the home team won the first match by seven wickets, Waringstown stormed back to bowl out Muckamore for 51 and their 10 wickets win confirmed they finished second, behind CIYMS. The final winning margin was an emphatic 20 points (five wins). ENGLAND are hoping Alastair Cook can ride the wave of public adulation and reward supporters by completing a farewell hundred in his final Test innings at The Oval.
Cook could be excused for being distracted in the 161st Test of his record-breaking career by the due date for his and wife Alice’s third child on day four against India.
But by close of play on day three in this fifth Specsavers Test, the stoic opener was showing no signs of anything but his famed determination as he dug out an unbeaten 46 in a second-innings 114 for two — which gave England a lead of 154.
At the prospect of veteran Cook matching his age with a 33rd Test century, assistant coach Paul Farbrace’s eyes lit up.
“It’d be fantastic, wouldn’t it?” he said. “It’d be absolutely brilliant.
“I think he’s just enjoying milking all the applause he’s getting. I think it’s just driving him on to bat as long as he possibly can.”
Cook, who made a century on Test debut 12 years ago and has since become England’s all-time record run-scorer, has already banked five standing ovations this week and is assured of at least two more on his way into bat and back out, whatever he achieves in between.
Farbrace added: “He’s shown everything that he’s about so far in this game.
“He’s just got stuck in, and it’s not easy out there, but he looks as though he’s really enjoying the scrap.”
With Cook, even as an expectant dad again, Farbrace knows there will be no loss of concentration.
“He’s been pretty calm,” he said. “I’d imagine the reception he got when he went out to bat probably moved him — it moved everybody else in our dressing-room, the fantastic support he’s had.
“He just seems to cope with everything that’s in front of him. As much as we’re going to miss his runs and his catches, I think the calming influence he has among the team, the staff, everybody ... is something we’ll all miss when he’s not in the dressing-room.”
That will kick in when England begin their Test tour of Sri Lanka this autumn — one for which Farbrace expects both Cook’s opening partner Keaton Jennings and senior pace pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad all to be selected.
Asked how much Cook will be missed, he said: “Hugely. He seems to have the respect of everybody, and everyone is very comfortable talking to him.
“I think that’s something that, come Sri Lanka, there will be a lot of people looking round and realising what an impact he’s had on them and us as a team.
“He’s just a very caring bloke, and someone you can talk to about anything and everything.”