NCU Section Two
Cooke Collegians 170 (40 overs)
Downpatrick 171-2 (20.5 overs)
Downpatrick win by 8 wickets
By Jeff Maguire
DOWNPATRICK’S Cricket Club’s first XI travelled to Pirrie Park to take on hosts Cooke Collegians on Saturday.
Downpatrick lost the toss and Cooke decided to bat first. Downpatrick got off to the perfect start with the ball, having Cooke at 5 for 2 after three overs.
Haider Haider and Ashish Pandita steadied the ship for Cooke and put on a 50 run partnership. Downpatrick’s Vimal Dwividei finally broke the duo with some tight bowling and Ashish succumbed to the pressure.
Cooke put up a competitive total of 170 in their 40 overs with Haider top scoring on 47. All of Downpatrick’s bowlers chipped in with wickets.
In reply, Downpatrick got off to the perfect start. Amitesh Bhattacharya and Charlie Hutton put on a 116 run partnership, with Bhattacharya producing a Man of the Match performance of 89 off 58 balls.
The away side chased down the score in 21 overs, with Marco Wyngard finishing off the game with 36 off 15 balls.
Downpatrick won the game by eight wickets.
The match ball sponsor was Making Memories for You, Downpatrick.
The Strangford Road outfit host league champions Bangor next Saturday knowing a win will get them promoted. Alternatively, if Dundrum fail to beat Cooke the Stags would go up on net return rate.
Captain Marco Wyngard has led his squad well this campaign and for the second year in a row, there’s a chance to win promotion from NCU Section Two.
It would be great to see a big crowd for the last game of the season. Refreshments and a barbecue will be available on the day.
