Brigade claim Premiership title without bowling a ball
BRIGADE won the Long’s SuperValu Premiership yesterday without bowling a ball after Eglinton’s dramatic reversal of fortunes.
After beating the champions-elect by an astonishing 115 runs on Saturday, Eglinton, the only remaining challengers, crashed to a seven wickets defeat to basement side Glendermott to hand the Beechgrove side, under the captaincy of Andy Britton, their first title since 2011.
On the dismissal of international Stuart Thompson, Eglinton collapsed from 115-3 to 139 all out and Glendermott knocked off the runs in the 26th over with an unbroken stand of 65.
In yesterday’s other game the collapse was even more dramatic — and fatal. After bowling out Ballyspallen for 70, Strabane slumped to 67-8 and after taking three overs over the next two runs, Stuart Kennedy took the final two wickets in the space of four balls to give the home side a one run victory.
The defeat leaves Strabane bottom of the table, with only a home game against the champions to come, but at least they are only 16 points behind their victors who leapt up to fifth with Coleraine and Glendermott still in danger in between.
Yesterday’s results completed a remarkable weekend when Eglinton were bowled out in the 28th over on Saturday for 203, and then rolled over Brigade for 88, while at The Rectory, Coleraine dismissed Glendermott for 32 with Graham Hume and Stephen Hutchinson each taking five wickets in 11.1 overs. Eglinton: Eglinton 139 (28.2 overs, S Thompson 60, T Orr 34; A Johnston 3-31, S Moore 2-22, R Laird 2-23) Glendermott 140-3 (25.2 overs, S Laird 38, A Johnston 33 not out, K Wijerathne 32 not out, D Cooke 21; M Mills 2-27). Glendermott won by 7 wickets.
Bridge Park: Ballyspallen 70 (26.4 overs, G Kennedy 22; R Logue 3-4, C Peiris 3-11, A Gillespie 3-16) Strabane 69 (40.4 overs, P Gillespie 22 not out; Stu Kennedy 3-3, J Millar 3-25, G Kennedy 2-12). Ballyspallen won by 1 run. HEADINGLEY hero Ben Stokes revelled in one of the greatest innings of all time after coming up trumps in the fiercest of pressure situations once again to keep England’s Ashes dream alive.
Barely a month on from inspiring England to victory in the World Cup final, Stokes’ 135 not out ushered the hosts to a record fourth-innings chase of 359 with one wicket to spare in a nerve-shredding climax to the third Ashes Test.
Australia looked to be on the verge of retaining the urn after reducing England to 286 for nine but an unforgettable last-wicket union between Stokes and Jack Leach — who contributed one in an unbroken 76-run partnership — altered the course of the series, at least for now.
No lesser authorities than Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook were queuing up to hail Stokes’ knock as the best in history by an Englishman.
Stokes said: “I’m obviously over the moon that we’ve managed to stay in the series. We knew if we lost this game then the Ashes were gone.
“When a No.11 comes out needing 70 to win, I knew what I had to do in terms of the game situation. The only time I started to get a little bit nervous or panicking was when we got into single figures.
“To be sat here, especially after getting bowled out for 67 (in the first innings), to still be in with a chance of getting the urn back is an amazing feeling.
“Walking off there at the end when the whole of Headingley was standing up and celebrating was a very special moment and something I had to try to take in because moments like that don’t come along very often.”
Stokes, who admitted his day was “certainly close” to topping what happened at the World Cup, went to stumps on Saturday evening on two not out from 50 balls, as he and captain Joe Root defied Australia in a punishing final session.
Asked about what he did overnight, Stokes replied: “My wife and kids came down and they got there at around 10 o’clock. My wife walked into me eating pasta in my boxer shorts!
“Last night, I think I had a knock-off Nandos and two bars of Yorkie biscuit and raisin. And a couple of coffees in the morning.”
Stokes started with circumspection yesterday but gradually moved through the gears as he ran out of partners, teeing off once Leach was at the crease to finish with 11 fours and eight sixes.
There were two major slices of fortune towards a breathtaking finale as, first, Nathan Lyon fumbled the ball when Leach was backing up down the track with two runs required. He was sent back and only made his ground because the off-spinner could not
England v Australia (Third Ashes Test, Headingley) Overnight: Australia 179 (M Labuschagne 74, D A Warner 61; J C Archer 6-45) and 246 (M Labuschagne 80). England 67 (J R Hazlewood 5-30) and 156-3 (J E Root 75 no, J L Denly 50).
ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS cleanly gather the throw.
Stokes said: “I think Jack Leach must somehow have been watching Monty Panesar at Car
Total (125.4overs)
Fall:
Bowling:
England won by one wicket
diff. I could not believe it when I looked up. Me and Leachy could have had a conversation he was that close to me.
“That was huge panic stations there because he was so far out. Obviously those pressure situations in games can really affect what a human does. Nine times out of 10 Nathan Lyon would pick that ball up and take the stumps off.”
From the very next delivery, Stokes was rapped on the pad by Lyon but Australia’s desperate pleas for umpire Joel Wilson to raise his finger were ignored. Australia had burned their last remaining review in the previous over, meaning the decision stood.
Stokes added: “I knew it wasn’t out against Jack Leach. I have seen the DRS on my lbw