Derriaghy guarantee their place in Senior League 1

These victories not only secure them from relegation worries it gives them a chance of finishing in the top 4 if they win their last two games.

On Saturday against Cliftonville at Queensway they were asked to bat first on a day that threatened showers, however there was only one short break and the home side made their visitors pay for inserting them. Indian player/coach Alfie Aphale again showed his class in an innings of 138 that include 2 maximums and 16 x 4s. He shared in an 93 run partnership for the third wicket with Craig Lewis (38) and then after his side had slipped to 180 for 6 added 99 for the seventh wicket with Aaron Kinnin before being caught on the boundary going for another big hit with just 8 balls remaining.

Kinnin meanwhile played superbly well for a well constructed 65 not out that contained 4 x 6s and 3 other boundaries. The Derriaghy innings eventually closed on 325 for 7. The visitors who were also trying to stave off relegation worries knew they had to score at around six and a half an over if they were to win and for around 45 overs made a great effort to stay on course. The loss of their professional for 78 followed by Howe for 63 slowed their rate down before being all out in the last over for 287 giving Derriaghy victory by 38 runs.

On Sunday at Bangor the home side batted first on a pitch that gave some help to the spinners and the Queensway men used 4 of their slower bowlers to great effect restricting Bangor to 185 for 9 in their 50 overs. Six of the bowlers used picked up a wicket but the most successful on the day was Curtis Moorhead who captured 3 for 23 from 10 overs.

Derriaghy made a solid reply reaching 55 for the loss of 3 in the 12th over. At this point Andrew Kenny joined Alfie and this pair batted superbly to remain unbeaten in a match winning 132 run 4th wicket partnership. Alfie continued where he left of on Saturday playing some beautiful sweep shots and great cover drives in his 82 while Andy built a solid innings of 55 that was peppered with 7 boundaries and some well runs singles. With 9 wins now under their belt Derriaghy can enjoy their final 2 games of the season starting with Templepatrick at home tomorrow (Saturday) at 12 noon.

The Seconds travelled to Muckamore on Saturday and slipped to an 8 wicket defeat having been bowled out for 78. This win gave Muckamore the league title. The Thirds notched up a good 6 wicket win at North Down which propelled them into joint second in the league. The home side batted first and due to some fine bowling were restricted to 88 all out. Nathan Cartmill with 4 for 15, Geoff Orr 2 for 3 and Ryan Stewart 2 for 8 were the most successful.This Saturday the Seconds travel to Templepatrick while the Thirds entertain Donaghadee.