Cricket team hockey visitors

LAST Saturday, Kerry got their 2017 Irish National Cup campaign underway in the best possible fashion with a thorough drubbing of the visitors from Ballaghdereen, Roscommon. This first round match proved too big an ask for the away team, but in fairness to them, they had to cope with a four-hour journey prior to the match and a two-hour rain delay on arrival. That’s a tough challenge for any squad to deal with immediately before taking the field, but the match was played with great sportsmanship on both sides and the visitors were gracious in defeat.

In overcast and drizzly conditions at the Oyster Oval, Ballaghdereen won the toss and had no hesitation opting to bowl. Early on, Kerry looked to be in trouble, losing their first four wickets for 50 runs before captain Azeem Khan and Khuram Iqbal steadied the ship with a superb partnership of 141 for the fifth wicket. Azeem scored a fluent 48 including two 4s and two 6s; once he was dis- missed though, Ballaghdereen again began to take wickets regularly. That said, they didn’t pick up the 10th Kerry wicket until the very last ball of the 40th and final over, by which time the home squad had posted a very challenging total of 255. But it was Khuram who stole the limelight, scoring all round the wicket, and regularly rotating the strike in constructing a quite brilliant century, he struck thirteen 4s and two 6s before Fahad had him caught on 106.

After the innings break, Owais Bacca and Khuram Iqbal opened the bowling for Kerry and found pace and more importantly, line and lengths which were simply too much for the visiting batsmen to cope with. At the ten over stage, Ballaghdereen were on 24 for 4, so not just losing wickets, but scoring slowly; sadly, there was no mid-innings partnership to help get themselves back on track. Scoreboard pressure added to their troubles and in the effort to score more quickly, they were bowled out for 69 in just under 20 overs, handing the home team an overwhelming 186 run victory.

Following his outstanding century, Khuram turned in an exceptional bowling performance; his remarkable figures of 6-3-13-3 included two wicket maidens. But this was a high quality team performance by the Kerry senior squad, and though Khuram would have been the runaway candidate for a man of the match award, the Kingdom squad played with cohesion and purpose. After their recent win over Cork County, confidence must be high; if they can maintain that team spirit ethos through the season, 2017 could be a memorable year for the club. KERRY - all out 255, beat Ballaghdereeen all out 69 by 186 runs.

The Kerry team that defeated Ballaghderreen in the season opener at the Oyster Oval in Tralee