Carrickfergus Cricket Club 1st XI won their third trophy of the season on Sunday, when they added the O’Neill’s Ulster Shield to their collection, after a convincing 8 wicket victory over Downpatrick at Middle Road.
Carrick won the toss and rather surprisingly, asked the visitors to bat first, and Anthony Martin and Richard Hood struck with two early wickets. However, Indian Professional Amit Patil was in fine form, and he and Gavin Ringland helped the score along to 112 for 3 after 25 overs. Indrajeet Kamtekar was then introduced into the attack, and after an expensive first over, he took the two vital wickets. Firstly the big-hitting Ringland was caught off a skier at cover by Jamie Holmes for 30, then, decisively, Jack Burton caught Patil on the long on boundary just after he had completed a fine fifty. Kamtekar, who has now taken fifty wickets this season, then took three more wickets to complete a five wicket haul. When Martin and Alex Haggan removed the final two batsmen the Downpatrick total had reached a modest 153 off their 40 overs.
Michael Gilmour and Iain Parkhill opened for Carrick, and with Gilmour in fine form, saw the fity up for their side in just the tenth over. The pair took it along to 69 in 17 overs, before disaster struck when both fell to successive Patil deliveries. Gilmour scored a fluent 48 off 57 balls, which contained nine boundaries. Jamie Holmes and Indrajeet Kamtekar replaced them at the crease, and after a few overs consolidation, soon began to find the boundary with increasing regularity. They saw the hundred up in the 27th over, and then cut loose with a series of fours and sixes ending the game just five overs later. Holmes completed a superb fifty with the winning boundary. His 53 runs came off 51 deliveries and contained five 4’s and two 6’s, while Kamtekar gave him excellent support with an unbeaten 31.
