Templepatrick are having a big say in the destination of the Section One League title and promotion race. Two weeks ago they bowled out for Carrickfergus for 53 and on Saturday they defended 250 to beat morning leaders Bangor by seven runs.

It means there is a three-way tie at the top of the table with four games to go. Carrickfergus beat Armagh on Saturday in a thrilling rain-affected chase and Lurgan are the other co-leaders, with the Premier League on their mind, after hammering Cregagh by nine wickets. Lurgan’s final game is away to Templepatrick.

Bangor will admit they had only themselves to blame for losing at Uprtichard Park despite being on the wrong end of two very close run-out decisions. But Brodie Harrison and Ian Butler both shouldered arms to young Fintan McCarthy and lost their off stump and even the experienced Mark Hutchinson faced 73 balls for 47 runs, an innings which included only one boundary.

That would have been good enough if wickets had not been falling at the other end and if he had seen the job through, but the Ireland international was caught at extra cover in the 45th over with 42 still needed - and when Angus Farrell was also caught next ball, Bangor were second favourites.

Captain Jonathan Parker finally ended a 12-over spell without a boundary and followed up with a four and a six in the next over to leave Bangor requiring just 16 from the last two overs.

But after two singles from the first two balls of the penultimate over, Mark Best had to dive in to complete a second run and, much to his disbelief, he was ruled short of his ground.  

Michael Skelly failed to make contact with the remaining three balls from Jancan Adams to leave Bangor needing 13 off the last over. But Templepatrick captain Michael Stewart was up to the task restricting Parker and Skelly to four runs from the first three balls and when Parker was caught by Adams, it meant George Prince had to hit the last two balls to the boundary. He failed to score from either.

It was a second successive defeat for Bangor who fell three runs short chasing 340 against Carrickfergus last time out – when Chris Pyper failed to hit the last ball to the boundary - and from it being a procession to the title, suddenly they have work to do and plenty to prove.

They must also finish the season without Pyper who injured himself bowling the first ball of the match against Carrickfergus, although they have found it hard to take 10 wickets in a match all season.

The big difference this year has been New Zealander Brodie Harrison who was averaging 81 in the league before Saturday’s match, having scored 250 runs more than any of his team-mates.

His fatal decision to play no stroke having made 41 from 43 balls, with four sixes, was a crucial blow after Sam McMillan’s run-out decision in the second over had got Bangor’s innings off to the worst possible start.

Seb Yeates continues to impress at the top of the order, the Emerging Knights batter scoring 62 before he got into a yes/no argument with Hutchinson which saw both players side by side in the middle of the pitch when the bails were removed. Another gift of a wicket for Templepatrick.

Andrew Kirkpatrick was the only batter to match Harrison’s strike-rate but after making 20 he unluckily played on to give Adams the first of his three wickets and start the decisive slide.

Yet for much of the Templepatrick innings, Bangor had justified their decision to bowl first. Best and Skelly conceded just 49 runs from the first 14 overs, while removing both openers and Prince and Harrison then took over and had figures of one for 40 in the next 12 overs.

It was when Parker had to turn to his fifth (and sixth bowler) that the wickets dried up and the runs increased. Angus Farrell and Seb Yeates’ 10 overs cost 83 runs with only Adams’ wicket, caught ironically by Farrell, to show for it after a fourth wicket stand of 134.

The runs were almost equally shared by Adams who made 65, from just 63 balls, and 17- year-old Jack Smyth who went on to score Templepatrick’s first century of the season – 111 in a chanceless and well-constructed knock with a lot of running. He hit only five fours and four sixes.

But it proved a match-winning one and Bangor (and Carrick) will be hoping that he, or one of his team-mates can repeat the feat against Lurgan in four weeks’ time.

Before then Bangor cannot afford any more slip-ups against Derriaghy, Saintfield, Cregagh and the big one, in two week’s time, at home to Lurgan.