Relegation out of Ballymena's hands

In a match reduced to twenty overs by heavy and persistent rain, David Kennedy racked up his third consecutive half-century (68*) as Ballymena posted a commanding 141 for 5. Following a strong start from Stephen Colgan and William Montgomery, Kennedy joined forces with professional Kaushik Aphale, taking the score to 95 before the popular overseas player was caught off a top-edge. Andrew Kirkpatrick was dismissed without scoring, but a rapid partnership of 40 between Kennedy and brother Robert took Ballymena to their final total.

Within eight overs of the Carrickfergus reply, the match was effectively over as a contest: Michael Glass removed both openers, while Fergus Taylor – handed the new ball for the first time in his senior career – responded to the responsibility by dismissing Danny O'Shea and conceding only one boundary in his spell.

Though Carrick professional Ross Gelderbloem threatened to bring his team back into the picture, targeting the leg-side boundary at every opportunity, Ballymena's stand-in skipper Simon McDowell forced him to play on with the score on 46.

At this stage, had Carrick capitulated and been dismissed for anything lower than 74, it would be they – and not Ballymena – looking over their shoulders this weekend. But an intelligent partnership between former Irish player Ryan Eagleson and Andrew Cowden – the former striking three towering sixes, the latter sweeping consistently – took the Middle Road club to respectability, finishing their twenty overs on 121 for 4.

A comfortable win, then, but as news filtered through that Downpatrick had shocked Instonians, winning another rain-affected match by nine wickets, it was understood that net run rate will likely determine who goes down.

This Saturday, at Pollock Park, Downpatrick face rock-bottom Lurgan and it is believed that a victory of more than eighty runs or within twenty-two overs would be enough to let Paul Tate's men leapfrog Ballymena. Another nervous week, therefore, awaits Ballymena's cricketers.