...but when all is said and done, predictions mean nothing and have no effect on the result. Both teams enter the final with strong credentials and it is great to see two NCU teams battle it out after 16 barren years of no success. The setting could not be better as The Green is an excellent ground that gives the batsmen a strong advantage, provided they take it!
And therein lies the key to the outcome of this match as I feel it is the team with a positive game plan that will win the day. Both Waringstown and Instonians have talent aplenty and, with their great rivals North Down, the three teams have dominated the domestic season. But what sets North Down apart is their aggression and self-belief. No rival boast the destructive batting of Neil Russell and Ryan Haire at the start of an innings, which is a strong reason why the Comber club has enjoyed so much success in the last decade. Obus Pienaar emphatically solved that problem for the Villagers during the first half of the season, although it has to be said he batted down the order. However, his presence lifted the top order and they played with a lot more aggression and self-belief. Unfortunately for Waringstown that approach has wobbled in the second half of the season, and it has taken the tried and tested brilliance of Kyle McCallan and Johnny Bushe in the middle order to pull them out of some tricky situations, including the NCU Senior Cup final. There’s no doubt the talent still exists, but will they take a positive approach on Sunday?
There’s plenty of talent in this Instonians squad and they have several potential match-winners, but if they don’t have a different game plan for this final then the result could go much the same way as most Waringstown-Instonians matches in recent years. The Belfast team isn’t short of confidence, sometimes over-confidence, but their victory over North Down in the ClubTurf final and Waringstown’s defeat in that vital league game at Comber last weekend won’t mean anything in this straightforward head-to-head because past performance is no guarantee to future performance. Those results are history.
Despite the fact that both teams have bags of talent, the respective performances of close friends Kyle McCallan and Andrew White may hold the key the outcome. Both have the ability to play aggressive cricket and put the game beyond any rival, but I doubt if either team will gamble and ask their ace player to open the innings. What a pity as that would send out such a positive message and could win the match before the other side comes to terms with the strategy.
Everyone knows a 250 plus total at The Green is vulnerable when the team batting second has the self-belief to chase it down, but posting a 300 plus total certainly requires more than self-belief, it requires aggression from the outset. And maybe that will prove the difference between the two teams?
Hopefully the weather will be kind and a large crowd will give the teams the support they deserve for reaching the ISC showpiece and bringing back some dignity to NCU club cricket. We have finally broken the 16-year bogy so the next challenge for both teams is to produce a match worthy of the occasion. It promises to be very special and may the best team win with positive aggressive cricket
Clarence Hiles
Editor
